7. Esmira
ESMIRA
I opened my eyes to darkness, the throb of pain in my arm and a soreness in my body. The air smelled warm, damp, and a light wind came from in front of me. I sat up, disoriented, as a curtain of moonlight shone over the entrance of a shallow cave.
My hands went to my face, but the blood had been washed away, the wound on my arm bound. When I touched the tender spot on my head it throbbed, but didn’t bleed. Still, I winced, trying to recall what had happened.
A shrouded figure stood at the entrance of the cave, back to me, staring into the night. My shoulders tensed, then relaxed. It wasn’t the shadow apparition, but Methrin.
He’d found me. How?
Truth burned away hollow lies, for the very people I was supposed to trust had attacked me and threatened me with death.
The one person I was trained to fear had saved me.
The savageness of his ferocious killing spree was terrifying and if he ever turned that fury on me, I’d be dead.
But the fact that he’d come for me forced me to examine the facts.
Yes, he was Everminati. The Wicked Prince of Mirrors. I could not excuse his past, nor the claims of his wickedness. But I’d traveled with him for days and he’d never laid a hand on me, nor had he forced me to do anything against my will. Why?
A lingering curiosity overrode my fear.
Methrin spoke a few words, but not to me. A horse nuzzled his shoulder and he pressed his hand against it, speaking in soft tones. His deep voice comforting in the solitary night.
Suddenly, he shifted toward me, the glow of his violet eyes visible in the cave.
We stared at each other for a heartbeat. The air between us was charged with tension and something else unnameable.
He turned away first and sat at the edge of the cave. “Join me. We need to speak.”
As I stood, my hair tumbled down around my shoulders, the faint scent of soap lingering.
My ruined dress fell around my legs and I was sure blood stained it.
The cloak was gone but the night was warm, pleasant, the moonlight bright.
I took note of the horse, the saddle, saddlebags . . . all taken from the Venators.
My legs buckled and I sank down beside Methrin, sure to leave as much space as possible between us. Silence lingered, broken only by the creatures of the night. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted, the horse swished its tail and nibbled at underbrush.
Methrin did not speak, waiting for me.
I opened my mouth to begin and closed it again, choosing words and discarding them as I fought against my pride, what I knew of legends and the truth of what had happened. Finally, I spit out the bitter words, admitting truth to the one who should be my enemy. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You meant to run away, didn’t you?”
My lips trembled at the accusation. “It’s true. I . . . how did you find me?”
“The same way those men found you. Magic leaves a trace, a trail, and if one knows how to follow it, they can find you. The moment your magic awakened, I knew where to find you.”
The gravity of his words sank in and I swallowed hard. No matter where I went, he’d find me. “Will you teach me? I saw what you did with Mirror Magic, I want to learn how to use it, control it.”
“So that you can vanish, once and for all?”
My hackles rose. “So that I can protect myself from men like the Venators. They were going to . . .” I trailed off, shaking.
“I’m aware of what they would have done, men like that are afraid, and fear makes them ruthless.”
A question pressed in my mind and the face of the Captain rose before me. I could almost feel the press of his fingers against my skin. “Did you kill them all?”
“No. I avoid death if I can.”
The statement surprised me. I would have assumed he’d choose blood, death, and violence above all.
“Why did you help me?” I asked. If I were stuck with him I wanted the truth and a reason to trust him.
He angled his body toward me and a shaft of moonlight shone across his face.
My heart skipped a beat as my gaze roved over the sculptured perfection of his features, the way his hair ruffled in the breeze.
What would it be like to run my fingers through his hair, to trace the lines of his face.
A tiny flare of heat went through my body and I banished the inappropriate thought.
“I need you, your magic.”
My nostrils flared in surprise. “Me? There’s nothing special about me,” I sputtered.
“That’s where you’re wrong, princess. How long have we traveled together, and you’ve never even attempted to know me, to ask?
All you’ve done is judge from a distance, using assumptions about who you think I am instead of asking me for truth.
Your understanding of this world is skewed by the war on magic, the limitations of life in the palace, and a legend about a wicked prince.
There is much more to the world than what you’ve been taught and the rumors you’ve heard. ”
I bristled, the truth of his words stinging.
“I’m not naive,” I countered. “I’ve heard there is a group of people, loyal to you, who live in hiding, waiting for your return.
I’ve heard that the monsters beyond the Boundary are terrible, fire breathing beasts, but I’ve also heard they can be tamed.
But the person who made that claim was put to death for treason.
I’ve heard that my father isn’t the rightful king, and a group of rebels want to steal power from him. I’m not as innocent as you believe.”
A rough laugh came from his throat, his next words bitter. “And I’m not nearly as wicked as you were taught to believe, Princess.”
I glared at him and he glared right back, danger smoking behind those luminous eyes.
His chest moved up and down, finally he leaped to his feet and turned his back on me. “Must you tempt me?”
Pressing his fist against the stone, he leaned his head on it as though suddenly weary. Was it my doing, my words that undid him? I let my anger cool, my frustration ebb until I recognized it for what it was, loneliness and fear.
“Perhaps we can start over,” I offered. “Without assumptions. We both have Mirror Magic, and we are on our way to find the sorcerer who cursed you.”
“The sorcerer did not curse me, but he will help us,” Methrin countered, tone cold, remote.
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth at my misstep. My temper rose, wanting to lash out, to let him know I was attempting to correct my wrongs. Instead, I asked another question. “What about you and me?”
“What about us?”
My frustration rose again. He wasn’t even trying.
I wanted to ask what his purpose was, whether he intended to take back the throne, what, specifically, he wanted with my magic, and why we needed the sorcerer’s help.
Yet he intimidated me with his silence, his unfriendliness and, if I were being honest, his otherworldly beauty.
Instead, I asked the real question that lingered.
“How will we survive in a world that is against us?”
Methrin unfolded his arms and turned back to me, coming uncomfortably close, he kneeled in front of me. The intensity of his violet eyes captured mine as he searched my face.
“Finally, a question worth answering,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Princess, there is one truth in the stories you were told about me. They were right to fear my return, for I come to bring about change so vast the kingdom will not recognize itself. And you will be at my side.”
Unease held me captive to his gaze. So he had come to reclaim his kingdom. “Then you will teach me Mirror Magic?”
His fingers traced down my arm to my wrist. Picking up my hand, he turned it palm up, cupping it with his. “Do you know how powerful you might become? Do you know you might rival worlds?”
My lips parted, a breath escaped and my entire body tingled as his fingers traced the lines on my palm.
“First lesson is knowledge,” he began. “Using magic requires an exchange. For some it is youth, others it is health, energy, strength, sometimes even blood. It is a sacrifice and it leaves a trace. The Venators drew your blood, because the blood of those with magic runs silver when exposed to the air. Those who have the scent can smell it, I suspect that’s how the Venators find their prey. ”
He released me but stayed close.
I opened and closed my fist, my skin still aglow from his touch.
Methrin continued. “I suspect the Venators were hunting the beast that attacked us, and, unfortunately, they found you. Your emotions make your hands glow. You must learn how to control them. Quiet your mind, find the traces of magic within, understand how they differ from who you are and control them. Once you understand the difference, then we will move to the second lesson, knowing what you must give in order to use magic.”
“You used Mirror Magic to find me? Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“But you were far away, won’t the same magic help us travel faster?”
His eyebrows lifted. “A fair question. Mirror Magic needs an anchor. When I flung my magic, you were the destination. I don’t know where the sorcerer is, nor can I sense his magic, for, being a sorcerer, it’s likely he warded himself against unpleasant surprises.”
“Will I be able to do the same as I learn Mirror Magic?”
Methrin backed away, shrouding himself with his cloak. “You will and much more. But I do not trust you yet.”