Chapter Forty-One Riela #2
but at least I understood—but I couldn’t figure out why the pendant had set him off.
Vastien sighed. “I pushed him when I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry you were caught up in it. Wearing someone else’s magic,
especially something that has been passed down for generations, is a way to show intimacy—usually romantic but occasionally
platonic.”
My heart shrank. “And he . . .” I swallowed. “He didn’t want that? With me?”
Vastien handed me a dry handkerchief and vanished the damp one.
“He does,” Vastien insisted, “he just—”
Moonlight magic slammed into the room like a bolt of lightning, and Vastien’s arms tightened around me as he cut off whatever
he’d been about to say. I huddled into his chest, hiding my undoubtedly blotchy face.
Maybe if I stayed very, very still, Garrick wouldn’t know I was here, and I wouldn’t have to explain why I was weeping all
over the head of his personal guard.
“Why is Riela crying?” Garrick demanded, his voice lethally soft.
His magic swept through me, looking for an injury he wouldn’t find. I waved the hand-holding the handkerchief without lifting my head. “I’m fine. Nothing to worry about, Your Highness.”
And it was true. My congestion had cleared and my face felt better. I guess he had found something to heal after all. The
thought very nearly sent me back into tears, but I bit my lip and stifled them. I’d cried enough.
Silver magic hummed and Bria returned with the quiet rattle of teacups against saucers. She snorted softly. “I guess it’s
good I brought four cups,” she murmured. “Garrick, help me pour.”
It was not a request.
I peeked at the Silver King to see how he took such an order, but he was staring at me, unmoved. Embarrassed heat flushed
up my cheeks, and I fought the urge to duck back against the safety of Vastien’s chest.
Was it too much to hope for the floor to open and swallow me whole?
The floor refused to cooperate, and I was still on Vastien’s lap. I sat up with a sigh, my cheeks burning. There was no embarrassment
like completely breaking down in front of the people you most wanted to impress.
Maybe I would go live in that shack in the woods Garrick had built for me.
Garrick crossed the room in two long strides, his magic still high. He offered me a hand, then scowled when I hesitated. I
sighed again and slipped my hand into his. Might as well get this over with. The Silver King easily pulled me to my feet,
but rather than stepping back, he drew me closer and moonlight magic surrounded us, cutting us off from the rest of the room.
“Why were you crying?” he demanded softly.
I was still feeling too raw to give him the real reason, so I lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug, stared at the silver
embroidery on his black tunic, and lied. “No reason, really. The last few days have been stressful, and it just sort of hit me all at once.”
He tipped my chin up with a featherlight touch, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Are you sure? If either of them said—”
“They didn’t,” I interrupted. “They’ve both been very kind.”
I thought I’d kept my voice perfectly level, but Garrick’s eyes darkened. “But I have not.”
I swallowed and dropped my gaze to the dark stubble adorning his jaw. “I didn’t say that. You’ve been kind, too. Kinder than
I ever expected an Etheri sovereign to be.”
He barked out a harsh, bitter laugh. “I’ve heard the human stories. That is an insultingly low bar.”
I met his gaze again and frowned. “It wasn’t meant as an insult. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive.”
His jaw clenched. “You also wouldn’t be forced to bleed and hurt to help me.”
“I’m helping you because I want to, Your Highness. I want to see Lohka. I want to learn how to use my magic. I want to keep
the people of my village safe from monsters.”
He stared at me for a long moment, then his chin dipped slightly. He pulled the hammered silver pendant from his pocket. The
leather tie had been replaced by a silver chain. It wasn’t as fine as his mother’s pendant, but it was pretty in its simplicity,
and now I could feel moonlit magic clinging to the metal.
“This is a translation charm,” Garrick murmured. “But you have to accept it freely because it’s also a protection charm.”
I frowned. “What does that mean and why do I have to accept it?”
“Like the flower circlet, it will tie a little piece of my magic to you. I’ll be able to find you no matter where you are,
and I can channel more magic into it to protect you until help arrives.”
“How will you know I need help?”
“I am tied to the pendant as it is tied to me. If the protections are activated, I will know.”
I stared at the little pendant. “Does this mean we won’t have to keep touching?”
Garrick’s face closed. “No. I have yet to solve that problem without a blood bond.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“You won’t be able to remove the pendant without my help. It’s part of the protection, so someone can’t remove it if they
capture you.”
I swallowed. “So I have to trust that this pendant will do what you say, and that you’ll remove it if I ask.”
“It does, and I will, I swear it.”
I stared at him and debated the wisdom of bringing up one of the things that had sent me into tears in the first place. But
I wouldn’t know if I didn’t ask, and I wasn’t a coward.
“Will wearing it convey the same kind of intimacy your mother’s pendant would’ve?” I asked with arched eyebrows.
“I see Vastien has continued meddling.”
“Yes, he stayed and explained rather than storming off.” Garrick’s eyes flashed silver as I let that sentence hang in the air for
a moment before sighing. “You didn’t have to give me your mother’s charm, Your Highness. I would’ve understood your reluctance
immediately if you had just explained. You know, the thing you promised to do?”
He closed his eyes with a pained grunt. “Whatever conclusions you’ve jumped to, you’re wrong. You are not the only one who
has had a stressful few days, little mage. Did Vastien tell you that my mother’s charm is imbued with her magic? Feeling it
again after so long was like a punch to the throat.”
What would it be like to smell my father’s distinct blend of sawdust, sweat, and smoke again? A punch to the throat would
be less painful. I swallowed and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry,” Garrick said. “I should have explained. I wasn’t reluctant to give it to you because it was my mother’s; I was awash in memories.
And I knew it wouldn’t work for the protection charm I wanted to create.
To answer your original question: no, this will not convey the same kind of intimacy as my mother’s pendant.
Because it is imbued with a protection charm tied directly to me, the claim will be stronger. ”
“Stronger?” I asked, surprised.
Garrick nodded. “I want everyone to know you’re under my protection.” His eyes flashed fully silver. “Including Lord Mar.
If he so much as looks at you wrong, the charm will smite him, consequences be damned.”
Warmth began to thaw the ache in my chest. “So you’re no longer forbidding me from meeting with him?”
“Would it matter?” Garrick asked roughly. “You were going to do it anyway, so I am trying to keep you safe.”
“Thank you.” I swallowed. “Swear to me that next time we have an argument, you won’t just try to stay and explain rather than storming off, you’ll actually do it.”
Garrick’s mouth pressed into a firm line, but he dipped his chin. “I swear it.”
I debated asking him if he really thought I was a problem, but I’d used up my allotment of courage for the moment. “Is there
anything else you should explain about the pendant?” I asked warily.
Garrick shook his head.
“In that case, I accept. What do I need to do?” I could’ve asked more questions, but in the end, I either trusted him or I
didn’t.
Garrick closed his eyes and muttered a curse. “You are far too trusting, little mage.”
My eyebrows rose. “You would rather I didn’t trust you?”
His eyes flashed open, stunning silver and filled with something I couldn’t quite name. “No. I’m glad you trust me. But don’t
trust anyone else.”
I laughed. “Sorry, but I trust Vastien, too. And Bria, to a certain extent.”
Garrick kept grumbling, but he was fighting a smile. No matter what he said, he liked that I trusted him and his friends. He transferred my palm to his chest and pressed it in place. “Hold on. I need both hands.”
His head dipped to focus on the necklace’s clasp, and I shivered as his breath brushed over my neck. He froze, but I didn’t
dare look up to see his expression. His pulse beat a steady rhythm against my palm.
A torrent of magic jolted between us when the clasp locked into place, and I curled my fingers into his tunic to prevent myself
from jerking away. Then, when I thought it might become truly painful, the magic settled and Garrick sighed. “It’s done.”
The pendant was warm against my chest, and I reached for it without thought. Garrick grabbed for me, but the world shifted,
and I stumbled back into Edea. Garrick caught my arm before I could fall off the dais, and Vastien growled behind me.
I tipped my head back and blew out a heartfelt sigh. Well, fuck.