Chapter Eleven
Spark
“Your presence is required inside,” Varic commands, before adding, “Sal.”
“Who would send you as their messenger?” Sal asks, eyes narrowed.
Varic’s perfect pout rises in one corner of his mouth. “The Emperor does as he pleases.”
Sal deflates, and all the color drains from his face as he speeds past my Guards to disappear past the slowly closing doors without so much as a fleeting glance in my direction.
Varic stares at me, unfurling some sense of panic which courses through my veins the closer he moves in my direction, acting as if he intends to join me, when I should be following Sal’s lead to return indoors, to stay along the wall where I was commanded to remain.
Instead, I freeze as each of my Guards swivels their attention between Varic and me, though not in the way they had with Sal, aware that Varic would never do anything to harm me. Or not intentionally.
Every movement of Varic’s body registers within my own, and I attempt to swallow as my throat dries. His eyes flick over to Hendry, where they share an unspoken missive, nodding to each other as he passes by my Lead Guard.
My heart lurches as he nears, yet his pacing is measured, neither rushed nor hesitant—proving I am the only one affected by the closeness of our proximity—while that distinct heat crawls up from the center of my chest to bloom even hotter beneath my cheeks.
“Liar.” My accusation earns a mirthful chuckle from him, while the sensation of Deicra moths flutters within my stomach. “You cannot expect me to believe the Emperor sent you.”
He closes the distance, and I pull in a sharp breath when he mirrors my posture to lean and brace his arms over the cold marble railing.
The heat from his body is a comfort against the chill, though it shouldn’t be.
It should be heeded as a warning. One screaming at me to return inside to do as I was bid by the Emperor.
Especially now that I risk being discovered in possession of the book Sal found the longer I remain here.
Risking even worse consequences were I to be noticed so close to the sorcerer pressing his shoulder to my own.
Hendry and Malin draw nearer, wearing neutral expressions, though it doesn’t take my magic to recognize their curiosity is piqued.
I shake my head at them, meaning to turn and stare over the treetops when Varic’s gaze ensnares my own, his smile deepening along with the lines branching out from the edge of his eyes.
“Beautiful,” he remarks, with his attention never straying from my being.
“Mm,” I agree, tearing away to gaze over the city.
His shoulders shake with mirthful laughter, drawing me in like a tether pulled taut, commanding my attention to study the firelight glinting off the peaks of his cheekbones in an array of amber and gold—the same that mesmerize me every time I stare into his irises—with shadows accentuating the distinct outline of his plush lips, which remain widened in a grin, transferring his amusement through our strangely innate connection.
It’s a reminder of what we once shared. Moments where all else is forgotten and it seems as if we are the only two who exist. Another I wish to freeze in time, to hoard with other precious memories I might call upon when despair takes over.
He breaks the spell, peering out over our glittering city.
“I wasn’t referring to our surroundings.
” His expression is intense in its sincerity when he turns back to pin my gaze with his own.
The ever-present heat felt in his company spills down to where I squeeze my thighs together, ruing the sorcerer who sees through me immediately and always.
“Before we are inevitably interrupted—” He tilts his head, indicating the doors behind us.
“I want to make sure to tell you…” He pauses, turning to face me while leaning to the side, my heart quirking with the way he’s looking through what others see, straight to the witch I’ve long buried—forcing me to face her, while he remains—staying with me as I contend with the discomfort.
“Happy birthday, Tasch.” His voice is so soft as it forms my name.
I scoff and turn away. “You, of all beings, know how I feel to have been born.” My heart thrums to the beat I tap with the toe of my boot, distracting me from the sense of urgency I should be heeding to return to my post, exactly where His Majesty expects me to be.
“Allow me to clarify—it is I who feels happy enough for the both of us that you exist.”
“No. You are an incorrigible flirt, and a distracting one at that.”
“I can mean every word and still charm you while I speak them.” He nudges my shoulder with his own. “Isn’t that allowed?”
“It’s not as if I have any sway in how you conduct yourself, General.”
Varic releases a breath as he turns away, giving me space after my use of his title. The heat from his body keeps me company the longer we exist in companionable silence until something tugs on me—urging and incessant. Something I desperately need to remain dormant.
Though it seems I might be saved from saying anything I should not as Malin clears his throat and takes a step closer.
“General Varic,” he begins, and waits for Varic to turn to face him.
“What you did to protect Tasch in the dining room earlier was unlike anything I have ever observed. It was as if you modified your force-shield to conform to her skin.”
Varic’s chest expands with a deep intake of breath.
“You detected correctly. It’s been so long, I almost forgot you’re the only telekinetic who can sense my shielding.
” His eyes flick to mine with a sheepish smile forming.
“If you remember, Tasch trained me to be more mindful with how I both blast and obliterate, and while we did not practice the same with my shield, I decided to do so, which has helped me to refine my use of it. Though I will admit, I was just as surprised as you, since this was the first time I’ve tried using the shield exactly like this. ”
My cheeks heat so much, I press my chilled fingers to the surface, because something about knowing my skin was the first to experience his shield in this way feels significant, bordering on elation that his magic hasn’t touched another being as it has me.
A sort of comfort I should not seek—an ownership of something I cannot keep—as our roles determine we cannot have each other. Certainly not in the way I long for.
The moment he leaves this Palace with the knowledge of all his magic is capable of, he can happily protect whomever he chooses, allowing the simmering heat and the beat of his heart to envelop them, as it did my body.
“When I sensed what the Emperor was doing to her—” Varic pauses, throat bobbing.
“Which you shouldn’t be capable of doing,” Malin reminds him.
“Yes, just as we cannot understand why you are the only one who can sense the use of my shielding.”
Malin nods. “Perhaps it has something to do with how other lands have learned to block all forms of magic. Maybe something occurred to make you capable of blocking telekinetics from sensing your disruption of energy in a protective capacity. However, since I am also an Anomaly, I’m the only one capable of bypassing whatever sort of block you may be capable of producing. ”
Varic’s brows rise as he seems to consider it.
“That is a sound theory, and as to what happened between Tasch and the Emperor, I simply had to act. I couldn’t—” His voice breaks, and my throat constricts, staring anywhere but at the sorcerer incapable of condoning my torture.
Who protected me when he should have left the Emperor to punish me however he deemed appropriate.
Malin nods and retreats, stepping back and next to Lars. “Thank you, General Varic. I am grateful for your intervention and only wish one of us possessed the ability to protect her the same, since this sort of treatment has become more common as of late.”
Varic opens his mouth to respond as my magic detects the orange cast of concern overtaking his being.
“It was truly impressive,” I say, and wince as he noticeably tenses. “Thank you.”
Hendry squares his shoulders as Varic nods his acknowledgement.
“Imperial Lead Guard Hendry,” he begins, lifting his chin. “It is possible Tasch could teach you to do the same. I am considering trying with certain soldiers in my unit.”
Hendry clears his throat. “I am willing to try anything which might aid in protecting Imperial Grand Witch Tasch.”
Varic spares him a small smile of gratitude before turning to glance out at the forest while my Guards fall silent behind us, allowing this knowledge to sink in while I attune to the sounds around us, anticipating the door opening with a commandment to come back inside any moment.
Varic’s mood shifts, sharing his emotional state with me as freely as he has throughout our history, with his ears burning a vibrant red as he spins to face me. He disrupts the style of his hair by raking his fingers through the waves as he stares back with glowing flames lit behind his irises.
“Please be honest with me. What exactly did I just witness between you and Sal?” His tone is frantic, expression pained, and I react like the coward that I am, dropping my gaze, incapable of lying straight to his face.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I saw you two.” He clears his throat. “Together.”
I send him tendrils of disbelief and wince at my manipulation of his feelings before shame overwhelms me, and I retract it at the same time I turn to implore him to forget he saw anything with a look of discouragement.
“I saw you—” His voice cracks.
“Kissing?” I ask, with my heart feeling as if it has just been ripped apart, because I cannot tell him.
I will not implicate him in this treason, and instead will lead him into believing this falsehood, despite wishing everyone in the Continent could know that our lips never touched.
I would have never allowed him to be my first.