7. Favor
Favor
Idon’t know what I looked like when I opened the lavatory door, but Alaric’s eyes widened in alarm from where I found him sitting on Bones’s couch. Rather than relax when he saw who it was, he visibly paled.
Wraith, who Alaric cradled in his arms––stretched out and limp like her bones had turned to jelly––got squeezed tightly to his chest, so tightly she let out a protesting squeak.
That squeak was followed by a mournful sounding meow.
When he didn’t loosen his hold, an even more mournful meow followed.
That second wail finally got Alaric to look down. He immediately relaxed his arms enough that Wraith could stretch her body again and breathe. Glaring up at him, she swiped a paw at his hand and fingers, but didn’t unfurl her claws.
She meowed her indignation at him, instead.
I felt my own shoulders abruptly relax.
The magic rippling over my arms, fingers, chest, and throat began to lose its charge. Now that I was faced with him, I was genuinely relieved to see Alaric.
I walked over and threw myself down on the couch next to him.
I turned my head to find him looking relieved that time, too, but his eyes remained too wide, his expression taut. His eyes looked slightly pained.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I had no idea how to answer that.
In the end, I only shook my head.
Alaric nodded, his mouth curling in a near-grimace.
“No, no,” he muttered. “No, of course you’re not.”
It hit me that I’d not really checked in with him or anyone since everything happened at brunch.
In my defense, I hadn’t really been alone for very much of that time, although I supposed I could have written all of my friends notes while I’d been waiting in Forsooth’s tower for Bones’s apartment to be cleared.
It never occurred to me.
I felt horribly guilty about that now.
I hadn’t known if Alaric was alive, or wounded, or if he’d been taken by Dark Cathedral, too.
I suppose some part of me assumed I would have been told if anything like that happened, but it hit me now that I might not have been.
I didn’t know the condition of anyone after the battle apart from Valor, his wife, and some of the other Praecuri.
I didn’t know which students had been injured or even killed.
During the fight, spells exploded past me so fast, I hadn’t seen where most of them hit. They’d filled the air during the worst of it, slicing viciously past as I fought to get to Bones. I hadn’t known where most of them landed. I hadn’t turned to look.
I’d been single-minded in my attempt to stop them from taking Bones.
And I’d still failed.
“You’re all right?” I asked, fighting a sticking throat. “You didn’t get hurt?”
He reached for my hand, and squeezed it without letting go of Wraith.
“I’m fine, sweetness.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “Luc’s all right. And Nyx. And Jolie. And that other mage, Darragh. I saw all of them after they shooed us into the Mansion. I saw them reunite with the rest of your friends when we all went back to Valarian.”
“Was anyone… killed?” I asked hesitantly.
Alaric nodded, his hazel eyes somber.
“Two from the Praecuri,” he said, counting on his fingers.
“One apprentice working under Quicksilver joined the fight early and got killed. A firstie got caught in the crossfire, and they said she died pretty much instantly. There was at least one witch from Evernight in critical condition.” His eyes studied mine.
“A few in our class were sent to hospital, but last I heard, they’re all recovering, and probably back at Valarian by now. ”
I didn’t know how to feel about that.
It definitely didn’t feel good.
Still feeling guilty, I asked, “Warrington? Was she still there when––”
“She’s fine,” he assured me, smiling more genuinely. “She’d already gone back to Valarian, like your mates Rook and Joran. She happily missed all the action.”
When I could only nod, Alaric looked around at the high ceilinged tower, still clutching Wraith to his chest.
“You’re going to live here now?” he asked.
I hesitated.
For some reason, it struck me as strange that this would be one of Alaric’s first questions.
I supposed it was natural. He’d likely gone looking for me in Valarian and got told by either Miranda and Jolie, or possibly someone in the Praecuri, that I didn’t live there anymore.
The thought brought a dull pain to my chest.
“Forsooth thought it was a good idea,” I said.
Thinking about that, I shrugged again.
“I might’ve chosen it anyway,” I admitted.
“But the Praecuri decided for me. They seem to think I’ll be safer in here.
” Thinking about that, I frowned. “Or maybe they think they can isolate me from everyone else.” I frowned.
“There’s a good chance they don’t want me too near the other students, given my connection to Bones. ”
I hadn’t yet thought through what I’d intended to tell Alaric, about Bones or me or the marriage or any of it, so the words just tumbled out.
After I said them aloud, I realized they were probably true.
The Praecuri hadn’t put me here to protect me. They’d put me in here to protect the rest of the school from me. They would assume Bones and probably Malefic could use me to spy on the school. Everyone in magical law enforcement knew about our marriage by now.
They definitely wouldn’t want me housed in the general population.
I looked at Alaric. “I’m a little surprised you got in. I would’ve thought they’d have someone at the tower’s base, guarding the entrance.”
“Oh, they do,” Alaric assured me.
When I blinked, he didn’t smile.
“They didn’t stop me,” he added, somewhat unnecessarily.
“But there’s someone down there, guarding the base of the tower.
I think they might even be from the King’s Guard.
They wore armor with the symbol of the lion, anyway.
They didn’t speak to me when I walked up, so I just waited there for you to notice me.
When you opened the chimaeras, he just stood there while I opened the door and let myself in. ”
My throat closed. “Forsooth didn’t mention it.”
Alaric shrugged. “He may not have known. He looked pretty surprised when he opened the door and saw the two of us standing there.”
“You saw Forsooth?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes.”
I nodded, too tired to know how to process that information either.
I should probably wait and think about these things tomorrow.
“Maybe it’s good,” Alaric offered next. “I’d be worried Malefic could get in here otherwise.
He got in before.” He studied my eyes. “I know he doesn’t own the buildings in the school anymore, Leda.
Cal does. But he’s still connected to the two of you.
It’s probably not a terrible thing to have someone else keeping an eye out. ”
When I only nodded, too tired to argue, Alaric cleared his throat.
“I could help you reinforce the chimaeras, if you like? We could play around with a few things. I don’t like the idea of you being at the mercy of whatever the King’s people and the Praecuri put in place. Particularly if they decide you’re a threat.”
I felt another tightening in my chest at his words.
Still, it made me realize Alaric understood more than I’d assumed.
“Yes,” I nodded. I wiped my eyes, aware only then that I was crying for some reason. “Yes, I agree. Thanks, Alaric.”
He released my hand, going back to stroking Wraith’s head. “I won’t leave you alone with this, Leda,” he added softly. “I’ll stay here with you. As long as you want. Or at least until we have the chimaeras locked down enough that you’re safe.”
I nodded, but I was still struggling with my throat, so I didn’t speak.
“There’s food,” he said next.
Alaric motioned towards the low table beside the couch. “It’s set for two. I take it you ordered from the shower and already planned to invite me to dinner?” He smiled at me hopefully. “Or were you expecting someone already? Someone other than me, I mean?”
I let out a low snort, in spite of myself.
“Forsooth,” I said simply. “He ordered the food. Since he clearly saw you heading my way, I have to assume the second portion is meant for you. Or me,” I added, after a thought.
“He seemed to think I was too much of a disaster to feed myself properly.” My eyes found Alaric’s.
“He saw me before the shower. It wasn’t pretty. ”
“We’ll order more,” Alaric promised.
He adjusted his tall frame in the leather, making it squeak.
I couldn’t help noticing he wore some of the most casual clothes I’d ever seen him wear.
He still managed to look like he belonged in a glossy advertisement in a human magazine.
His dark green trousers matched shards of color in his hazel eyes, as did his brown crewneck.
He wore leather dress shoes and I saw he’d left matching gloves on the kitchen counter.
Remembering he’d come from Valarian, I glanced out the window and saw the wind had risen again. It drove the snow sideways across the tall, iron-framed panes.
My eyes found the smeared ritual circle I’d left on Bones’s floor and I grimaced.
I needed to clean that up before I ate. I rose to my feet, drawing magic down from my sun primal and through the monocerus as I murmured a spell to close the circle formally and gather up the remaining ingredients.
I’d basically left a portal open on my living room floor.
Sloppy, sloppy, Leda.
The shards of bone and monocerus horn and crushed amethyst were the first things to lift from the inner ring.
The feathers and scales rose next, along with my blood, and a trail began to form from that segment of stone floor and the fireplace, which wasn’t perfect but the only clean way I had of disposing of the magical remains.
The flames flared purple and green, reminding me of Blackstone’s spell earlier.
The salt rose last, as that was the protective ring.
I sent that into the fire as well, and it crackled and popped on the hotter pieces of wood, turning the flames briefly blue.
I imagined I saw a face in those flames, gaunter than Bones, with long black hair and silver eyes, but I told myself I was imagining things.
Maybe it should have made me feel afraid.
Instead, it made me angry.
When all the remains had vanished, I walked back to Alaric, and sank down next to him on the couch, sitting closer to him that time, and right next to the low table between the couch and the fire.
Two trays sat on that table. Each had a burnished silver cover and I could see the faint, bluish glow of a preservation spell around the entire plate and tray holding each.
I very belatedly shook my head at Alaric’s last comment.
“I doubt I could eat more than whatever Forsooth sent,” I said. “One plate should be more than enough for me, but you’re more than welcome to order whatever you want.”
“Are you going to tell me why the old man was here?” Alaric asked, his voice light, but with a tauter undertone. “Or what it is I saw on your floor before you threw it into the fire just now, evoking what looked like the skeleton of Malefic himself?”
I grimaced at his words. “You saw that?”
“I did.” His voice grew a touch alarmed. “You weren’t summoning him, were you?”
“No.” I looked at him. I considered putting off telling him until after we’d eaten, but that felt like more effort than simply telling the truth.
“I was using the ring I gave Bones. For Yule.” Seeing the understanding flicker in Alaric’s eyes, I clasped my hands between my knees.
“Forsooth was here because I wanted to tell him what I saw, and where Bones is now.”
Silence greeted my answer.
I hesitated, then added, “He probably ordered you food in the hopes you’d stay here with me for a while.” At Alaric’s raised eyebrow, I shrugged. “He asked a few times if I’d be alone tonight. I got the feeling he wasn’t too happy with my answer.”
Thinking about that, I let myself feel the first real flicker of gratitude.
“Thank you for bringing Wraith,” I said. “I really want to talk to Miranda, but I know it would be a disaster if I tried to do it now. But I really wanted Wraith here.”
“He was in Frumpy’s with me,” Alaric said. “I went to get him when the Praecuri took you away. I waited for you to come out of the northeast tower, but I must have missed you. A bunch of us where in Frumpy’s when they announced tonight’s Carnival had been cancelled… due to inclement weather.”
He scoffed lightly.
I glanced at the windows. “Well, they weren’t lying, were they?”
Alaric followed my gaze. “I suppose technically not, although they usually use spells for that kind of thing. They also mentioned classes would start on time, despite everything, but that there would be a memorial for the fallen students.” He gave me a crooked smile.
“I don’t suppose you’ll be wanting to go to that? ”
“Not really, no,” I said, imagining just how unwelcome I’d be.
Alaric studied my face, and now his expression verged on tentative. “You don’t mind really, do you? My being here?”
Looking at my cat, who was watching me with wide, plaintive eyes, I shook my head, and held out my arms.
I could see Alaric’s guilty reluctance as he let go of her.
Once released, Wraith leapt into my waiting embrace.
I cuddled her against my chest and pressed my face against her soft fur.
She purred loudly, kneading her claws into Bones’s dark grey jumper.
She continued to purr like an idling motor as I rubbed her ears and face and cheeks with my fingers.
I knew I must look like Alaric did when he first got back to Malcroix at the beginning of winter break.
Wraith eventually slid off my arm and curled up into my lap.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” I said, still rubbing her ears. “For a lot of reasons, Alec. And I’m beyond relieved that you’re okay. And that your friends are all okay.” I glanced up at him, a little apologetically. “But I also need your help.”
A flicker of nerves touched his eyes, but he barely hesitated.
“Of course,” he said. “Of course. Anything at all, dearest. Anything.”
I might have teased him at a different time, or warned him to be careful what he promised me, but I didn’t have it in me to pretend lightness right then, even for him.
Besides, I knew him. Alaric meant his words.
He also knew exactly why I was asking.
For the same reason, all I could feel is grateful.