Chapter 5
He was free.
Theo tried to rise from his crouch in front of the woman and cramps gripped him. He toppled to the side, unable to straighten up, the pain intense.
The woman reached out to catch him as he fell, lunging forward, but he was head and shoulders taller than her and considerably heavier, although she did manage to cushion his fall a little.
He gritted his teeth to stop himself groaning.
He didn’t try to get up. He lay, curled on his side until the pain faded, then turned on his back and slowly stretched out his limbs, feeling the muscles in his back sing with relief as he was at last able to stretch out.
He turned his head to look at the woman.
She had landed on the floor beside him and was leaning against the leg of a workbench, knees bent, arms looped around her shins.
Her hair was long and the color of chocolate, dark and heavy. At her hairline, around her face, some strands were golden, and here and there, caught in the light from the forge, they gleamed as if she’d threaded golden silk through her braid.
She was beautiful. And somehow, she had saved him.
Theo closed his eyes, then opened them again slowly, just to confirm he was himself again.
The light was low, but the woman was clear enough, her chin resting on top of her knees, her gaze fixed on him. The copper twine that had imprisoned him was hanging from one of her fingers.
From his place on the floor he held out his hand, and as if she immediately understood what he meant, she dropped the twine into his palm without a word. He slowly rolled to his feet, stretching again, and felt the bones in his spine pop. He limped to the furnace and threw the twine into it, and it flared green before it melted.
Now he was properly free.
He looked back at her.
She remained on the floor, eyes on the flames, a serene look on her face, as if he had freed her, as well.
“Who are you?” he asked. He hardly recognized his voice, it was so rough.
“Oh.” She looked up at him and gave a shy smile. “I’m Melodie.”
He offered her a hand and she took it, her eyes widening a little as he lifted her effortlessly to her feet.
Her hand felt calloused, and she had a firm grip.
“I’m Theo. I owe you.”
She studied him, shook her head. “You don’t owe me for doing the right thing.”
“How did you know I was in there?” No one else had. He had been tied to that pole for a night and almost a full day, and all anyone had seen was a goat.
He had only known that was what he’d been turned into because he’d seen his reflection in the sluggish waters of the Malin River.
The panic of his first moments, realizing he was a different shape, that he had a rope around his neck, that he was mute and powerless, would haunt him forever.
She hesitated. “I don’t usually talk about it.”
“You could see me?” He thought about it. “Could you only see the magic, or could you see me, the man?”
She looked at him for so long in silence, he thought she wasn’t going to answer. Then she gave a tiny shake of her head. “The twine was bright with spell work. That’s all I saw, at first. When I got close enough, I saw you once. The magic of the spell woven into the copper twine was fighting to keep you hidden in a cage.”
“You knew it was the twine keeping me trapped?” He hadn’t even noticed the twine in the beginning.
She nodded.
“How?” As he asked the question, he saw her withdraw. She physically made herself smaller, tucking her arms in close to her body and dipping her head.
“Hey.” He reached out a hand, slid his fingers against the smooth skin of her chin and tilted her face back up to his. “You never have anything to fear of me. Ever.”
She studied him, eyes that were a fascinating mix of dark blue and green assessing him for a long moment.
“My father died keeping what I do secret,” she said. “I have never discussed it, especially since I saw him killed on the street, and if ever I am tempted, I remember that he sacrificed his very life to keep me invisible and safe.”
“I don’t want you to break any personal vows,” he said. “I’m just trying to understand what happened to me.”
She stepped back, then let out a sigh. “Can I just tell you that I could see the twine held a spell, and when I got closer, I could see that it held you trapped.”
“Yes.”
She could see spells. That was extraordinary. Theo suddenly understood why her father had worried about others knowing her power.
The rulers of Kassia and Cervantes would be delighted to have her on their staff. But other, less principled rulers, might not be so pleasant to work for.
“And I’m in Illoa?” He guessed it because of the dual towns on either side of the river, and it was the direction he’d been headed as he chased down the abductor.
She nodded. “On the Grimwalt side.”
“Who was the old man who tied me to the bridge?”
Melodie shook her head. “A trader. He claimed he found you. He said he was headed for Taunen.”
“He knew you were going to free me.” Theo was sure of it. She had hardly been subtle.
Melodie shrugged. “Maybe.”
“If he meets up again with the man who put that spell around my neck, he might tell him about you.” Theo didn’t want this woman in his abductor’s sights. And whatever the connection between the two men, the one who’d taken the children was not to be underestimated.
“My guess is the trader will try as much as possible to avoid meeting that man again.” Melodie paused. “Of course, someone with access to the kind of spell work involved might be difficult to shake.”
“Why is he going to try to avoid him?” Theo thought back to what had happened, but he couldn’t remember much at all. When he had come back to himself, he had been too busy reacting to the horror of his circumstances.
“He stole something from the spell worker who enchanted you. He stole you, too, is my guess. And then had second thoughts. My guess is he probably deeply regrets ever crossing paths with the spell worker in the first place.” Melodie slid a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“How do you know this?” Theo realized he needed to sit, that his legs were not quite steady, and he found a seat on one of the thick, round logs that were placed around the forge.
“I bought the item he stole,” Melodie said. “The spell worked into it is so strong, I couldn’t let it carry on in the world unsupervised.”
“You have it now?” Nothing from the man who’d taken the children would be useful or good.
Melodie turned and picked up the square bag she’d been carrying. She took out a small, slim box.
He studied it. “What is it?”
“A wooden watercolor paint box.” She opened it, and he could see the little holders of color along the top and bottom, with a place to mix colors in the middle.
“That is magical?” He couldn’t see anything special about it.
“Very magical. The only thing I’ve ever seen with more magic is the copper twine around your neck.” She hesitated. “And something else, long ago, when I was little. But that was destroyed.”
“Are you going to throw it in the furnace?” He couldn’t see the sense in keeping it.
She hesitated. “I would like to work out what it can do, first. In case I see something like it again. And it may be useful.”
“It’s from him,” he said. “How could it be useful?”
“It may have been in his possession, but that doesn’t mean he made it. The copper twine was very different. It was right that you threw it into the fire. This . . .” She snapped it closed. “This isn’t the same.”
He understood he was reacting on instinct. On his utter hatred for the man, but he couldn’t see why she would take the chance.
She studied him as she put the box back into her bag. “I’ve had to watch too many people in pain, in fear, or danger from spell work. If I can use my knowledge to change things for them, it helps me make peace with all the times my father refused to allow me to intervene when I was a child. I never destroy anything unless I can plainly see its only function is evil.”
“And have you saved anyone?” he asked, aware there was a challenge in his voice.
“Other than you?” She tipped her head so she could look him in the eye and he winced. “I have.”
Fair enough. “How much do you think the trader who tied me to the bridge knows about the man who enspelled me?”
She tilted her head. “I think he knew a lot more than he was saying. But he lied about it. He wouldn’t explain anything to me.”
Fury suddenly leaped inside him, and Theo grimaced. “He’ll say something to me.”
She blinked at him, eyes wide, and he cleared his throat.
“We need to chase him down and find out what he does know.”
“We?” She looked at him with interest.
He hadn’t realized until this moment, but he still needed her. This was a case steeped in spell work, and he would be foolish indeed not to ask for help from someone who could see spell work.
He gave a slow nod. “I need to go across the bridge to the Kassia and Cervantes military barracks for supplies and a new mount, and, if you are available, I would like to hire your services,” he said.
She did not look as if she hated the idea, he saw with relief.
“My services?”
“You can see spell work. I cannot. I am after someone who uses spell work as a weapon.” He lifted his hands. “I believe you will be invaluable.”
She continued to look at him. “How would that work?”
“You are an expert in spell work?” He asked it as a question but he knew he was stating a fact.
She gave a reluctant nod.
“So the Crown would pay you an expert’s wage.” He named the amount.
She went still. “The Crown?”
“I am a lieutenant for the kingdom of Kassia and Cervantes.”
She studied him, for the first time looking at what he wore. As a resident of Illoa she would have seen his uniform before, he hoped. After a long moment she nodded her head. “It will be dangerous. Why are you going after him? Why not just leave?”
“Because I was chasing after him before he enspelled me. I’m not the only person he took,” Theo told her. “He kidnapped four of my students. They are only thirteen years old.”
“He transformed them, too?” She looked deeply shocked.
Theo shook his head. “No, he somehow put them into a deep sleep. When I last saw them, they were trussed up and unable to move.”
“You teach youngsters to be soldiers?” she asked.
“I do two weeks of training of young Cervantes recruits, just like every senior officer. We rotate the duty.”
“And he has four of them?”
Theo nodded.
“And you will pay me fairly.” She didn’t ask it as a question, but stated it as a fact.
He nodded anyway. He had already given her the terms, and she must deem them to be fair.
She held out her hand to shake. “You have a deal.”