13. Youthful Wishes of Young Love
YOUTHFUL WISHES OF YOUNG LOVE
Thea was doing her favorite activities: training, sparring, fighting.
The sun was beaming down on her, and it felt even hotter than usual. Maybe that was because she was putting her all into each placement of her foot, each swing of her staff. Or maybe it was because she was thousands of feet closer to the sun than she had grown used to.
"Yield!" her opponent called, and Thea grinned wickedly as her staff halted an inch from his temple.
Around her, multiple pairs were sparring, and further away, an entire squadron was going through basic movements.
The refugees of Timberscale had vengeance on their mind, and it was partly her job to make sure they weren't going out on the battlefield half-cocked.
Evergale was making enemies left and right, and Thea wondered when their empire would grow too large, become unbalanced, and topple.
She hoped she was still around to see it happen.
As she often did, she pushed away the thoughts that threatened to bring Aaryn to the forefront.
"Thea!"
She glanced up and found a guard standing by the transportation portal, who motioned her over.
"Sorry," Thea said, and waved to her sparring partner. "Catch you next time?"
The druid nodded, and she bounded off toward the edge of the encampment, keeping out of the way of sparring partners, and made her way toward the guard.
"What is it?"
"Rolim’s back!"
Her heart leapt.
Without another question, Thea followed the guard into the runes and let him shift the tile into place, and in a flash she was standing once again in Claw Hold.
The druid did not accompany her because she outran him.
Her boots thumped into the mossy earth as she made her way toward Vaelen's shelter. She knocked and before her knuckles even met the wood for a second time, the door was pulled open.
"In," Vaelen said, and shut the door right behind her.
"Rolim?" she asked, pausing as she finally laid eyes on him.
"In the flesh," he said, and outstretched his arms, grinning with all the charm he could muster.
Thea rolled her eyes to disguise the fondness that filled her.
Which was quite a lot, according to just about everyone who crossed paths with him. He just had one of those faces that made one want to trust him, something about his soft eyes and friendly smile.
"Don't get cute," Vaelen snapped… followed by an affectionate sigh. "Tell her what you told me."
Thea's heart raced, and unbidden, her mind trailed to Aaryn. Was she okay? Had he brought news of her?
"I did something," he said, wincing.
"Something bad?" Thea asked.
"…Possibly."
"In my opinion, yes," Vaelen grumbled.
"Tell me," Thea said.
Rolim held up his hands. "Listen, I think it's a good plan. It could work!"
"What plan?" Thea pressed. His casual demeanor was making her nervous.
"After Thea's disappearance, word spread through the guard that there were traitors in their midst. It also spread that there were no clues in her quarters, and everyone was frustrated.
Word also got out that the investigator was serving cups of tea during their 'interviews.
'" At this, he raised two fingers and bent them to emphasize the dubiousness of the last word.
"I didn't drink the tea, and they couldn't force me without admitting they were using magic, so…"
"He ran," Vaelen snapped, a frown between her brows.
"After the interview!" he defended. "I played it safe, hung around for a few days, went about my duties like normal, and then I ran. But unlike Thea, I left them something to find."
Vaelen crossed her arms, though she looked doubtful as she peered at the returned guard. "Go on."
"I left a fake correspondence, implying that there would be another dragon theft."
Thea parted her lips, and then decided to swallow her words. Tension struck between her shoulders and she lifted her hands to steeple them in front of her lips.
Vaelen lifted a hand to massage her temple. "And what does this accomplish?"
He smiled. Did he ever turn off the charm? Did he know how? "They know Carissa and I are… an item. They'll use Carissa as bait. But Carissa will come with me. She'll bring her dragon too, I just know it. I feel it. They will lay the bait, and we can take it."
"But they'll be expecting us," Thea said, brow furrowing. "How does this give us an advantage?"
"We have an advantage already," he said. "Magic! As soon as you see Carissa and Stormstrike disappear with me, we can all vanish."
Vaelen narrowed her eyes, then glanced at the careful map they had of the castle. The Tethered's tower, the dragon's caves and field, and the canyon behind it. The gates and the market and the shops and the university.
Ultimately, Evergale Castle had been built in an advantageous location, with mountains to its west that held the dragons’ cubbies and watchtowers planted amongst the rocky terrain; open field to its east, past the castle wall; and a deadly canyon at its back.
Certainly a difficult terrain to plan an attack on.
Unless one was already inside.
Unless one had magic.
"What if they arm themselves with magic? It wouldn't be the first time," Thea pointed out.
He shrugged. "They have charmed armor. So what?
They only deploy the Magic Guard for battles, and they're probably still all hung up at Timberscale, trying to crush the last of the rebellion there.
" He turned to Thea. "You know they don't waste magic on the Second Guard.
The enchanted staves the First Guard finally caught onto are powerful, but they can't stop us from teleporting away. "
Thea sighed, because he was right, in a way.
But sometimes magic didn't stand up to a greatsword. Did they risk their people against this… half-baked plan?
"Don't we train entire forces not to go off half-cocked?" Thea argued. "If we act without care, we will pay for it."
"Then don't act without care!" Rolim said. "I made a copy of the letter I left, so we'd have exact details. We could save a Tethered."
Vaelen looked thoughtful, and Thea had to admit it couldn’t hurt to save another Tethered. One less Tethered, one less dragon for Evergale to use. If Rolim's lover, Carissa, would truly agree so willingly.
"You're certain that Carissa would come with you?" Thea asked. "How do you know?"
He flushed, and for the first time his charm seemed to dissolve beneath Thea's stare. "We talked of marriage. Talked of me leaving the Guard."
"Youthful wishes of young love," Vaelen scoffed. "That means nothing in the face of war."
"Vaelen's right," Thea hedged, drawing on her knowledge of Aaryn. "She would give up her home for you?"
Rolim was older, nearing his forties, and Carissa wasn't far behind him. Maybe with her time in the castle, Carissa had been able to see through the lies.
Dare they risk their whole operation on a maybe, though?
Rolim put his hand to his heart. "I swear it. If she refuses to come with me, I can give a signal to retreat. But I believe we can be in and out within… moments."
His surety struck Thea, and she found her lip twisting before she masked her expression. Thea recognized the ugly feeling in her chest, striking true and filling her with shame in the same vein.
She was… jealous.
Jealous that Rolim knew such love so certainly. That he knew his Tethered would come with him.
Unlike Aaryn.
Thea turned her gaze from him, lest her bitterness darken her eyes. Instead she shifted her attention toward the frosted window, the hint of sunlight outside.
She knew Aaryn would love it here too, if only she weren't so…
A few choice words came to mind: Stubborn. Foolish.
Maybe if Carissa left, it would show Aaryn that there was something else out there. Something more than the castle. Something worth leaving for.
"I could use the opportunity to find Aaryn," Thea suggested. "Maybe if she sees Carissa go willingly, she will too."
"I doubt they'd put her on the battlefield. They wouldn't lay that much bait out."
"I can use a location spell," Thea suggested. "Find her during the drama."
"You want to traverse deeper into the castle?" Vaelen said in disbelief. "Into the beast's belly? You won't make it back out."
Thea's lips curled. "If she's in the Tethered's tower, it will be easier to get to her."
Vaelen threw her hands up. "I am hearing nothing but ifs and maybes. You two are going to have to convince me this will work. I want details by nightfall."
With a growl, she left the building, and Thea winced as the door slammed behind her.
When she glanced up, Rolim was beaming at her.
"I know this will work," he said.
Thea sighed and went to stand over the map of Rishika. "You heard her. We have until nightfall to come up with a plan that will succeed."
"We can manage. I'm a genius, after all," he goaded.
Thea rolled her eyes… and gave in. She threw her arms around him and sighed. "It's good to see you again."
"You too, kid," he said softly. He still smelled the same, like leather and earth and sweat, because he was a guy and men were gross, especially this one. "Glad you're safe."
"You're smelly," she complained, but he wouldn't let her go when she tried to wiggle free.
"And you love me," he sang.
Thea laughed as she finally wrestled him away. "Don't get your hopes up."
Rolim chuckled and ran a hand over his short hair. "How have you been? You really made waves, you know."
Thea was really, really tired of being reminded. "I heard," she offered blankly, carefully, and studied her nail beds.
Rolim peered at her, and she couldn't hide anything from the elf who'd known her half her life. Warmth crowded her cheeks and a bead of sweat trailed from her temple. If she wiped it away, would that make it more or less obvious?
"So the tea was charmed, then?" Thea finally landed on.
They'd surely interrogated Aaryn, which meant she likely drank their damned tea.
She'd probably told them anything and everything they wanted to know.
Not that she supposed it mattered, because everyone knew Thea was guilty of the crimes anyway, and they couldn't find her even if Aaryn told them everything. Not here.
But it… made something twist at Thea's insides, the thought of Evergale using magic on Aaryn without her consent.
She knew what he was going to ask before he drawled, "So, you're not gonna ask about her—"
"Fine!" Thea snapped. "…How is she?"
Rolim grinned, a cat who'd caught the canary, and leaned against Vaelen's desk with crossed arms. "I dunno," he shrugged, and Thea leapt at the space between them with a growl. Rolim yelped and curled back, pressing his hands out defensively. "Kidding, kidding!" he laughed, and held her off.
Thea glared at him, baring her teeth, but Rolim cooed with something like affection—disgusting—and pulled her close with an arm around her neck, squishing her into his shoulder, and now she was trying to retreat as he patted her head.
"Awww, you're so feral, kiddo. I missed you! And your cute little horns."
He flicked one and she hissed at the weird twang of sensation. "You shithead—"
"She's fine," he finally said, and Thea went still in his arms. "Haven't seen much of her because, well, she doesn't come to the yard very much anymore."
She doesn't have a reason to, Thea thought, guilt pooling in her gut. Not without her dragon.
"Carissa is pissed, because Aaryn told them about… us, during her interrogation." He winced. "I think there was some tension there, afterward. Riss vented to me about it."
"Between her and Aaryn?" Thea pressed for more information.
Rolim rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. "Riss and Aaryn… had words. With the other Tethered."
"Rolim!" Thea groaned, and paced away.
"Sorry! I tried to poke my nose in a little, but I couldn't come to Aaryn's defense too fast—I'd raise alarm bells! I didn't want her to get mad at me," he said, whining the last word.
"Carissa is worse than green dragon’s venom," Thea grumbled.
Rolim grinned dopily. "I know, right?"
"So Aaryn's—what? Holed up in her room?" Thea was regretting her decisions more by the second.
And despite the guilt churning inside, she couldn't help but think… it was for the best. She almost shook the thought away, but it completed itself before she'd given it permission to: The more she hates it there, the easier it will be to pull her away.
She steeled her jaw against the thought.
"I actually overheard a pretty crazy rumor from the other guards."
Thea's gaze jerked up. "What is it?"
"Prince Jarrick is training her, or something. Every few days." Rolim's expression was carefully blank as Thea blinked at him.
"The Prince of Evergale is taking multiple days a week to… train. A Tethered. Aaryn. In what?" she bit out. Like, combat training? Hand to hand, and grappling, and—
"Swordsmanship. Or something of that shape," Rolim dared to tease, and then—Thea's face must have done something to reveal her devastation at even the thought, because he snapped to attention, arms falling at his side as he leaned toward her. "Skies, no, I was just kidding, Thea. He wouldn't—"
She schooled her expression back into something…
not so stricken, and cleared her throat.
No. It was fine. Aaryn could do what she wanted—with whomever, Thea supposed.
Thea had betrayed her, after all, and stolen her dragon, and left her behind, and even if they had been together—which they weren't, pathetically enough—Thea supposed that would've been the most obvious break-up she'd ever seen.
"I'm sorry, that was out of line," Rolim said suddenly, and Thea blinked. "They're really just training. He had a few of the First Guard help him move a bunch of equipment into a spare room, and Aaryn's personal guard is always with them."
"No, it's fine," Thea lied, and decided they needed to move on. Her gaze landed on the map of Evergale Castle pinned to Vaelen's board. "We should come up with a solid strategy."
Rolim sighed and nodded, getting back to business, though he clapped a hand to Thea's shoulder and his touch was warm.
"You know," she drawled, "I got a welcome home party.”
"Oh, you get a party, and I get an assignment?" he played along, and this—this was safer territory. "I see who's the favorite around here."
"You know it," she teased. "So, tell me exactly what you were thinking," she said, and tapped the map.
As they began to plan each decision, from entry points to timing, so many things brewed in Thea. Anticipation, excitement… worry.
Because now she was more determined than ever to get Aaryn away from Evergale—away from the prince. And if her determination was born from jealousy, who the scale had to know?