Chapter 7
There were no afternoon lessons today, which meant I could finally catch up with my crew over lunch.
They’d been doing who knows what while I’d been subjecting myself to training.
I knew they were in the guest wing, but I didn’t know what their roles at the Consortium were; none of them possessed magical ability.
Kaelias was the first to scoop me up into a hug, signing to me as we parted. “Are you doing well?”
I nodded with a grin. “Yes, I’m fine. There will be no doting on me permitted.”
“You’re the baby of the group!” Makatza whined, and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “We’ve missed you.”
My eyes narrowed as I looked at her. “I’m twenty-five—two years younger than you, you know that, right? I missed you too, though…”
We took our seats and dug into the spread of thick soups, meats, cheeses, fruits, and bread that had been delivered to the meeting room.
There was one thing I couldn’t complain about at the Consortium, and that was the food.
We’d eaten fairly well on the ship, considering our line of work kept us away from society longer than not, but taste hadn’t been a priority as much as nutrition had.
What we were eating now was a King’s feast by comparison.
“Please, someone enlighten me on what it is you all have been doing,” I said, after gulping down a mouthful of juice from my goblet.
Kaelias and Makatza turned to Lorian. When in doubt, let the Captain answer—a fair strategy.
“They recovered our ship, and the rest of the crew is safe. They are docked here on Nil’Faerith—for now.” He sucked in a breath. “Alandris cleared our bounty, as promised, and we’ve also received additional protections.”
My face grew hot. “What do you mean by ‘for now’?”
“There was another stipulation—”
“I thought I was the stipulation—being forced to stay here and train as a Mage against my will.”
Lorian rubbed his forehead. “Alandris has asked that we assist him with his search for a particular item—or perhaps a place—I’m uncertain. We are set to sail to some of the unmarked islands around Nil’Faerith. We leave tomorrow morning.”
I glanced between Kaelias and Makatza, but neither of them would meet my eyes. My meal was souring in my stomach. “You’re leaving me here. Alone.”
“This is only temporary. We will come back in between searches. I know you don’t enjoy it, but you are in good hands here.”
“You don’t know them!” A painful tightness formed in my throat. “How can you know their intentions or what they want from me? I am nothing like the Mages here. I am nowhere near their level, and they know it.”
“I trust my sister, Zorinna. I wish I could explain more, but there are circumstances preventing me from doing so.” Lorian placed his hand over the top of mine.
“I’m asking you to trust that I would never put you in harm’s way.
You’re important to us, Nairu. You are my crew, but beyond that, my friend, my family.
The Consortium is the safest place for you right now. The other students will come around.”
Of course, I trusted him. It didn’t change the feeling that he, Kaelias, and Makatza were abandoning me.
I even understood that we weren’t exactly in the position to bargain with Alandris, given that he’d cleared our bounty, but that didn’t stop it from frustrating me, sticking me like a knife to the chest in a way that felt all too familiar to how I was treated my entire life before The Phoenix Heart.
I’d joined the three of them because they’d saved me, and traveling with The Phoenix Heart had provided me with the one thing I’d always wanted—freedom.
And now, I was going to have to willingly watch them leave me behind in order to protect everything we’d built.
To ensure our bargain with Alandris was fulfilled, and that we could one day walk away, I had to sacrifice the treasured freedom I’d so desperately sought.
I would have to do my part while they did theirs, and trust that we would always come back to each other.
I curled my fingers around Lorian’s hand. “I’m trusting you.”
He smiled, and I was in the middle of rolling my eyes when the door creaked open.
“A bit friendly, aren’t you?” Zorinna’s voice caught my attention, and I shifted to look at her, staring down at mine and Lorian’s linked hands. “Were you always so sentimental with goodbyes, brother? I don’t recall ever being on the receiving end.”
Lorian pulled his hand back from me, balling it into a fist. “I don’t have time to explain to you the reasons why I left, nor would you indulge me by listening if I tried. Why are you here?”
“I am collecting Nairu.” She motioned for me to go with her. “There is someone who wishes to meet you.”
Lorian stood, his hands gripping the edge of the wooden table. “Why aren’t you—why can’t you just explain something? Would that not be better for everyone involved?”
Zorinna’s back straightened. “Do not question me about something you have no idea about. I’ve been dealing with this for—” she held her palm up in front of her and her eyes wavered, “—just stop, Lorian. You don’t have a damn clue.
You’ve only ever worried about the here and now—never the bigger picture. ”
“You don’t have a clue either, sister. How alike we are.”
“Lorian?” I looked up at him, brows furrowed. This argument felt far bigger than Zorinna’s involvement in hiding the Grand Arch Magus’s intentions from me, but I knew better than to question such. I only wanted to be sure my friend was OK.
He turned his face away. “I’m fine.”
I stood to follow Zorinna, offering a nod to my companions.
As for whatever they were keeping me in the dark about regarding Alandris, I would figure it out on my own.
I’d decided to fulfill my part of the deal, so that was what I was going to do.
There was no use arguing over it anymore or pressing for answers I would never get.
If they wanted to be secretive and deceitful, then so would I.
Years of sneaking away from my Keeper had made me a master of blending into the background.
Plus, I was sharing a room with a walking, talking history book. Game on.
Zorinna led me out of the guest wing, through the halls, and into an empty training room, save for one giant of a male standing in the center, waving his sword at invisible targets.
The strength with which he brought down his blade was so ferocious you could hear the very air around it splitting as it resisted.
His focus was incredible. He hadn’t so much as spared a glance in our direction when we’d entered.
I watched him, mesmerized, waiting for him to win his mock battle.
With a final swipe of the blade, his eyes softened, and he rejoined our reality. Upon recognizing our presence, he locked onto me like a predator and ran at me, quick as a blur. While I was cowering in on myself like a startled cat, bracing for the impact, he lifted me up into his arms.
“My girl!” His voice boomed.
I could feel the life being squeezed out of me. Every bone in my body was being crushed to dust. I squirmed and wiggled, trying to free myself from his grasp, but I stood no chance against him.
“You’re killing her, Kaz.” Zorinna reached up to tap him on the shoulder.
I was breathless and dizzy by the time he set me back down on my feet. “Uh—do you greet everyone like that?”
He grinned from ear to ear, but ignored my question. “I heard you showed some impressive swordplay during your first lesson.”
Had Alandris told him that?
“I practiced with my Captain.”
“Right! You’re a badass pirate now!”
“Kaz,” Zorinna cut in, a threat in her tone.
“It’s not all that,” I added. “I was the ship doctor. I only learned a bit of self-defense. Besides, we are more of ‘noble thieves’, if I’m being honest.”
“Why don’t we get a drink together? I know where they keep the good stuff.”
Zorinna scowled. “Kaz!”
Alcohol made for loose lips. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my evening than with this overly friendly oaf.
There was something about Kaz that was instantly likable.
I’d agreed to drink with him, hoping he’d accidentally say too much while under the influence of alcohol, yet I found myself genuinely enjoying his company.
It was a nice consolation since he tolerated his drink much better than I’d been counting on.
He was doubling my intake, possibly even tripling, but you would never know it from his behavior.
He’d brought me to a private sitting room in an abandoned hallway of the Consortium.
This was where the supposed ‘good stuff’ was located, and it wasn’t awful, but it certainly wasn’t good.
It was an amber liquid, with a bittersweet liquid that burned the entire way down.
In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t drink something a stranger had handed me, but if I wanted to figure this place out, I needed to take some risks.
Zorinna had opted not to join us after grumbling an incoherent flurry of insults and curses at Kaz.
Frankly, I hadn’t minded; she would impede my goal to get him talking, and I wasn’t exactly a fan of hers after how she’d treated Lorian.
I knew little of his past, but I knew he’d taken to a life on the seas after something had gone down at home.
I couldn’t fault anyone from running away when I’d done the same exact thing.
Defending him was defending myself, in a way.
I tipped my glass back, letting the last bit of drink burn a hole in my throat.
To avoid arousing Kaz’s suspicion, I needed to maintain a steady pace.
I’d drunk with the crew enough to know my limits—had used it as a tool on several occasions to outgamble them, too.
Kaz was facing a master of the long game, and if he kept tipping them back like they were water, he was going to play right into my hand.
“What do you do for the Consortium, exactly?” Keep it light. Casual. Test the waters.
“I’m a mercenary. I help with odd jobs, occasionally train the Mages in hand-to-hand combat if they are lacking.” He sipped from his glass, leaning back in the ivory velvet armchair.
“How did you meet Alandris? I didn’t think mercenaries took jobs from a singular employer like that.”
“Now that is a long story.”
I quirked a brow. “We have all night. My life isn’t nearly as interesting. I’d rather hear your stories.”
“I don’t think that’s true, but…”—he took another sip—“we met over twenty-five years ago. He needed a sword, and I needed a job. It was one hell of an adventure, but not everything goes as planned. We lost a lot—him more than anyone. At the end, I promised I’d stick by him.”
“Twenty-five years?” I looked at him in doubt. He didn’t look a day over thirty.
A laugh exploded from his chest. “Another funny story. Made a joke once about my ma fucking a Giant.”
I gasped without realizing it and quickly covered my mouth with my hand. “No way. You’re a half-Giant?”
“What a way to find out, huh?”
And then we were both laughing, choking on our drinks, and struggling to breathe. By the end of our outburst, I’d almost forgotten my purpose. Regardless of how kind Kaz was, I had to press him. I needed to know.
“What do you think of Alandris?”
He looked at me as though I’d asked him the most idiotic question in the world. “He’s the best male I’ve ever met.”
“Why did you want to meet me?” A more dangerous question.
A sorrowful look passed over his face, and his eyes went somewhere far, far away. “I missed… an old friend. You remind me a lot of her.”
The curtain to the room flew open. Alandris stood before us, winded and bristling with anger. “Get out.”
My glass clattered against the table as I clamored to my feet. “I, um—”
“We had a lesson. You’re late.” He looked at Kaz and shook his head. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Shit.