Twenty - Mina
Twenty
Mina
???
Sam crossed his arms. “Why?”
I had risen ahead of the sun to make sure I caught him before he went to work that morning, but I should have factored in more time for convincing him to help. “Because I need to make sure Powell doesn’t notice when Alan leaves the forge this afternoon.”
“I repeat: why? I’m not going to make Powell visit the village hall to answer questions I don’t have just so you and Alan can...” Sam trailed off with a shudder.
I rolled my eyes. “If that was what I was interested in, I wouldn’t be asking for your help, Sam. And there is no reason to look so disgusted by the idea. Alan and I are consenting adults.”
Sam covered his ears with his hands. “I’m not listening to this.”
I knocked his hands away. “Don’t be a prude.”
“I’m not being a prude. I simply don’t want to contemplate such things about you and Alan.”
My eyes narrowed. “Because of me or Alan?”
“You. I do not need to know that you are sighing over the blacksmith’s muscles, even if they are worth sighing over.”
“The muscles are nice, but there’s more to him than that.”
Sam glared at me. “Did you not hear what I just said? I do not want to hear things like that! ”
Laughter bubbled out. “I was talking about his personality, not anything unfit for your delicate sensibilities.”
“My sensibilities are not delicate. But you are like a sister to me, Mina.”
I smiled. “I feel the same way. But wait until you meet Noel. He’d discuss such things without hesitation. If my brother can handle it, then you can handle this. Especially since I’m not discussing anything salacious. Now, will you do it?”
“Fine. But you still haven’t said why you want to sneak Alan out without Powell noticing.”
I considered how much I could say. Sam had drawn his own conclusions about Alan, but I wasn’t sure how far they went. It gave me hope that he hadn’t objected to me spending time with Alan, only to hearing about it. Then again, if the charm was in fact broken, it shouldn’t hurt to speak more directly now. There’d be no backlash from the magic taking hold once more.
I doubted a conversation with Sam would be enough for me to determine if the charm was broken once and for all, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t test the waters. “When you saw my new belt knife, you realized something was going on, right?”
Sam slowly nodded. “After watching Powell make my daggers, it was obvious he hadn’t made that knife. Which left Alan. There was also clearly something going on between you two.” Sam made a pained face. “And while I didn’t want to think too closely about that, it made me question some of my assumptions about Alan. I still don’t understand, but I know you well enough to trust your judgment.”
I gave Sam a quick hug. “Powell’s been using a charm to make everyone look down on Alan. We think we broke it last night, but want to test that assumption.”
“And you don’t want Powell to notice anything out of the ordinary in case you are wrong.”
“Exactly. ”
“Fine, I’ll get Powell out of the smithy for an hour this afternoon. But then I want to hear everything, Mina.”
“Deal.”
???
I waited around the corner of the smithy while Sam talked to Powell. When they both left the shop, walking toward the village hall, I darted around to the back door of the forge. Alan looked up the moment I stepped inside, his initial smile morphing into worry as his attention shifted to the shop door.
“Powell isn’t there. Sam promised to keep him busy for an hour. We need to go talk to Kayla now.”
“I still think there must be a better way to test if the charm is broken,” Alan said, setting down his tools and crossing over to me. He brushed a loose bit of brown hair off his forehead, leaving a smudge behind.
“More pleasant, maybe, but not better. Certainly not faster.”
Alan removed his leather apron and wiped off his hands. I took the rag from where he tossed it on a bench and cleaned off his forehead, then grabbed his hand and started walking the opposite direction from the village square. Kayla expected me at a strawberry patch just outside the village, the perfect location to ensure Alan and I didn’t cross paths with Powell. “I do think the charm is broken, but Kayla’s reactions to you will be a simple confirmation.”
“Why do you think it is broken?”
“Because Sam didn’t argue when I told him Powell had used magic against you. Even if he was already figuring out the inconsistencies caused by the charm, I would have expected him to argue.” I knew exactly what Alan was about to say and spoke faster before he could protest. “But since Sam has been working himself free of the charm’s power, we still need confirmation.”
Alan sighed. “I know you think Kayla’s opinions are changeable enough that the effects of the charm shouldn’t linger with her, but how do you expect to tell if her opinion is based on magic or not? Her opinion of me will be scathing either way.”
“If she is still under the charm’s influence, her opinion of you will be negative, and she’ll tease me about being with you. Otherwise, she’ll flirt with you.”
Alan shuddered.
I rolled my eyes. “Having a pretty woman flirt with you is not an ordeal, Alan.”
His thumb rubbed back and forth over the back of my hand. “Depends on the woman. I watched Jeff work himself into knots over Kayla for years. Her flirting is a weapon.”
I didn’t disagree. It was a weapon she wielded with great skill against men and women both. The upcoming encounter wouldn’t go much better for me than Alan, but it might shift Kayla’s attention away from Hannah and Phillip. It wasn’t the reason I had insisted that Alan meet with Kayla, but it was a side-effect I hoped for. I probably should have explained that to Alan.
I didn’t want him to think I was using him. Plus, he might be more inclined to cooperate if he knew it served more than one purpose.
But it was too late now. We were nearly at the strawberry patch, and Kayla looked up and spotted us. She shaded her eyes with a hand. “Mina and... Alan?”
“I hope you don’t mind that I brought him along to help pick berries. He barely ever gets out of the forge, and I didn’t want the time to go to waste.”
Alan grumbled a protest, and I pretended not to hear him, pulling him forward until we stood close enough to Kayla to converse comfortably.
“Of course I don’t mind.” Kayla’s attention shifted from me to Alan, and her lashes fluttered. “I won’t have to worry that I’ll overfill my basket with you here. I can’t imagine it getting too heavy for your muscles. ”
I pressed my lips together, holding back a laugh. Kayla’s reaction was exactly what I had hoped for, but it truly was ridiculous how quickly she altered her opinion of Alan. With no charm to twist her emotions, she defaulted to her usual method of dealing with men.
Alan shifted a little closer to my side. “I’m not sure what my muscles have to do with it. You’ll still be the one carrying the basket back to the village.”
“Mina wouldn’t mind if you helped me. Would you, Mina?”
The polite, non-confrontational thing to do would be to say I didn’t mind. But that would give Kayla a victory she didn’t deserve and force Alan to be the villain. Claiming I minded wouldn’t help either, for it would give Kayla the chance to demonstrate how much more gracious she was. I knew better than to give her such an opportunity.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure how my opinion matters. They aren’t my muscles.”
Kayla’s eyes narrowed and Alan’s shoulders shook. He released my hand, stepping smoothly behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. His lips were a hair away from my ear when he spoke. “You are welcome to make use of them however you wish.”
His words were quiet, but not so soft that Kayla couldn’t hear. Her smile became fixed. “How long has this been going on, Mina?” She waved her hand up and down, taking in how Alan and I stood. “First Hannah, now you. Is everyone keeping secrets from me?”
Kayla’s question had a teasing air, one that could have easily hidden genuine hurt. I knew better, though. She was angry. She had enjoyed her status as the most popular girl in the village for years, safe in the knowledge that the only person prettier than her would never look at anyone but Cole. But now Hannah was breaking free of her control, and in her mind, stealing a man who should fawn over her in the process.
For the first time in years, she saw Alan as a desirable conquest, but he dismissed her, making his preferences clear. Kayla’s social reign in Skorsa was crumbling around her. No one in the village was important enough to satisfy her, but she still expected to have her pick of all the men.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m hardly trying to keep secrets, otherwise I wouldn’t have brought Alan with me. Now, let’s pick some strawberries.”
Kayla stood, grabbing the basket she had filled a quarter of the way before we even joined her. “I have enough for the tarts I wanted to make. I need to get back home. I wouldn’t want to disturb your time together.”
She flounced away. Alan and I watched her go. When I was certain she wouldn’t hear, I turned my head up to face him. “I feel so bad for Jeff. I hope he figures out what she is really like before it is too late.”
“You think she’ll marry him? I always thought the fact that his brother was inheriting the family shop would protect him.”
“He’s in Haiwella at his uncle’s shop right now. From what I understand, he is deciding if he might want to move to the city and take over there when the time comes. Or rather, he is establishing himself so that Kayla can decide if that is enough to impress her. Given the way things are going, she’ll probably decide that marrying a small-time cobbler in the big city is better than staying at the top of the social ladder in Skorsa.”
Alan understood immediately. “Because she is no longer certain she is at the top of the ladder here. The thrill of the city must look appealing. What was she saying about Hannah?”
“Phillip is courting her. Has been trying to for a while, from what I gather, but Kayla was so certain all male attention was hers that Hannah didn’t even notice his eyes were only for her until recently.”
“Please tell me Sam has at least tried to warn Jeff.”
“He’s afraid that if he speaks out too strongly, Jeff will dig his heels in and refuse to listen to anything he has to say.”
“Damn. I bet Cole is tiptoeing around, too. Otherwise, Jeff wouldn’t have gone to Haiwella at all. ”
“You don’t think he might be interested in this opportunity if Kayla wasn’t a factor?”
“We talked about moving to Haiwella when we were younger. Cole didn’t want to move away from his family, even if Gemma was willing to go with him. Jeff said he’d go with me if I wanted, but he wasn’t interested for himself.” He stepped to the side, taking my hand in his once more. “We should get back to the forge.”
I let him lead the way. “Would you have done it? If Powell hadn’t come, would you have moved to Haiwella?”
“After my father died, no. I felt like I had to stay and uphold the Smythson legacy. But if he had lived, I probably would have. It would have taken me a while to work up the courage to tell him that I didn’t want to stay in the village working as a blacksmith, but I think it would have happened.”
“And now?” I asked softly. “Do you still feel like you have to stay?”
“I don’t know. With the charm broken...” He paused, his eyes widening. “The charm is broken.”
“Kayla’s behavior certainly made that clear.” I should have been celebrating, teasing Alan about how quickly his muscles won over the other woman, making plans for how he could approach people at the Midsummer Festival. But all I could think about was his unfinished answer. “Now that the charm is broken, will you stay in Skorsa?”
“It will be different with Powell no longer in control.” Alan stared into the distance, then shook his head. “But I’m not sure I’ll ever feel content here, even if Magistrate Wrison locks Powell up and he can never use another charm against me again.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to invite him to travel to Haiwella with me. But I had to tell him the truth first. And just like last night when we had found the charm, this was not the right moment. Alan had to get back to the forge before Powell returned. I didn’t want a time limit hanging over this conversation .
“You’ll attend the Midsummer Festival tomorrow?” I asked. “With luck, we can start winning people over to your side without Powell realizing what has happened.”
“I’ll attend, but he is going to know something is going on the instant he sees me on the green.”
“But he won’t be able to do anything in such a public setting. If we can convince Uncle Conrad and the village council that you are the victim of illegal magic, they’ll take care of everything before I can even ask a magistrate from Haiwella to travel here.”
We reached the smithy, but Alan didn’t release my hand. “You leave in only a few more days. That’s not very long.”
I met his eyes and knew he wasn’t counting the hours until I could send authorities from the city. He was counting how long I’d still be in Skorsa.
I was counting, too. “It isn’t. But the city is only a few hours away.”
“That’s a few hours more distance than I want between us.” He cupped my cheek and kissed me softly. “But that is a conversation for later. You should go before Powell gets back. I don’t think I’ll get to the stream tonight. The tavern will close early to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Then it is a good thing I get to spend the day with you tomorrow.”