Chapter Seventeen #6
“We are still in the middle of a discussion. Leave us.”
“R-Riftan…please, let me join you. You are looking for a mage, are you not? If that is so, I could—”
“I said leave us.” His voice was grim.
She glared at him, then turned her attention to Aderon. “Will it be possible to f-find a mage…in three days’ time?”
Flustered, the merchant looked back and forth between Riftan’s menacing face and Maxi’s determined one before saying evenly, “I am sorry to say…that the probability is slim. The Earldom of Loverne and the Barony of Louvain are the only territories near Anatol. And as you may know…the Earl of Loverne is not a man who would hand over one of his mages, while the Baron of Louvain only has one mage in his service. So it is unlikely for the baron to send him as a mercenary.”
“Y-You mean to say that it is impossible?”
“Maximilian!” Riftan bellowed sharply, losing his patience. “This is not a matter for you to meddle in! I have told you to leave us.”
Despite stiffening reflexively at his intimidating tone, she stood her ground and met his gaze. “I am…your wife, so how is this a matter I cannot m-meddle in?”
“This has nothing to do with you,” he snapped.
Her heart stung and her face fell. She felt like a child dismissed by a parent, but she clenched her fists and raised her voice as she said, “Of c-course it concerns me! I…I am a mage! Are you not aware of that? I—”
“Shut your mouth.”
Riftan spoke in the low growl of an angry beast.
Maxi froze.
Although she had seen him enraged numerous times, he had never looked as cold as he did now. His icy glare pinned Maxi’s shrinking frame in place before he turned to address Aderon. “Get me one of the earl’s mages. I do not care how much it costs.”
“My guild has a branch in the earl’s territory…so I should be able to send someone to infiltrate the household and try to make contact with his mages. However, if we were to get caught doing such a thing, my guild’s reputation would be…”
Riftan placed a bulging leather pouch on the table in front of him. “I shall pay you ten times the brokerage fee if you succeed. Tell the mages I am willing to pay them five times what the earl is giving them.”
After eyeing the pouch to gauge its weight, the merchant nodded with a sigh.
“Well, I shall give it a try, but I suggest that you do not pin your hopes on it. The earl’s mages are no different from the knights who have served their house for generations. It will not be easy to persuade them to leave.”
“Do whatever it takes,” said Riftan.
He rose to his feet. Aderon followed suit, shoving the leather pouch inside his robe.
“I shall bring you the results in two days.”
The merchant bowed his head at both of them before leaving the room.
Maxi stood motionless. As she anxiously studied Riftan’s face, he picked up his cloak and marched out without so much as a glance in her direction. She rushed after him, but he quickened his pace so that she almost had to run to catch up with him.
“Riftan…please…l-listen to what I have to say.” He marched with his eyes fixed ahead as if he had not heard her, and she scampered to keep up with his long strides. “R-Riftan!”
He did not even look over his shoulder, instead flying down the stairs like a man on the run. After glaring at his retreating figure, Maxi sprinted after him and grabbed his cloak. Riftan stiffened and pushed her hand away.
“P-Please, listen…to what I have to—”
She teetered on the step. Her dress had gotten tangled around her legs, and she lurched forward. Riftan lunged, grabbing on to her waist and managing to stop her fall. Maxi’s face was pale as she clung on to his forearms. She heard him curse above her head.
“Damn it…What were you thinking?! You could have been hurt!” Riftan barked, grabbing her shoulders.
Maxi hunched forward for a moment before defiantly meeting his gaze. “It w-would not have happened…if you had not ignored me.”
“Couldn’t you have just let me go? Why the hell are you doing this? I do not want to listen to your nonsense!”
Looking down through her lashes, she tried to conceal how his harsh words hurt her. She could not let him see her cry—not when she was trying to convince him that she was not as delicate as he thought. Riftan would not hesitate to rebuff her more coldly if he believed that would keep her away.
This aggressive reaction was not a surprise to Maxi. Merely venturing outside of Anatol had made him furious. Of course she had known that he would not agree to her coming along.
Collecting herself, Maxi spoke as placidly as she could. “How would you know that it is nonsense…when you have not even h-heard it? I am merely asking you…to listen to what I have to say. Surely, th-that is not too much to ask.”
Riftan pressed his lips into a thin line. He silently gazed down at her with fiery black eyes before folding his arms and spitting out, “Fine. Speak.”
His demeanor suggested that his answer would remain the same no matter what she said.
Maxi gulped. “I have heard…that the journey to Livadon is arduous. One…th-that is dangerous to take without a mage….”
“I am going to find a new mage, so you need not worry about that.”
“B-But you might not be able to find one! Aderon h-has said that it would be…difficult.”
“This is not something you should concern yourself with. It’s my problem.”
There was no sign that he would relent, and Maxi was left speechless.
Riftan took her silence as a cue that their conversation was over and turned away, but she desperately grabbed his arm.
“I know…that you do not th-think me reliable, but…I have been s-studying diligently, and my mana has increased. If you are unable to find another mage in time…I could take Ruth’s place and—”
“Enough!” Riftan yelled, his already-thin patience vanishing. “Do you think we are going on a leisurely excursion? As you said, the way to Livadon is full of dangers. Yet you want me to take you along? I would rather die than let that happen!”
His voice reverberated around the hall. He ran a hand through his hair before coldly hammering the final nail in the coffin.
“We do not need your magic, so stop pestering me!”
With that, he flew down the stairs before she could stop him.
Maxi stood frozen as she numbly stared after him.
A number of servants stuck their heads into the corridor and threw furtive glances at her.
She hurried away, her face flushing in embarrassment.
The cold rejection burned away what little confidence she had, and she was left heartbroken.
Having returned to her room dazed and deflated, Maxi sagged to the ground in front of the door. An anger she had never felt before began to rise up as the shock subsided.
He would rather die than take me somewhere dangerous…. How selfish! He forces me to remain within the confines of this castle while he throws himself into peril? Do only his feelings matter?
Maxi rubbed her forehead in irritation. If she let him depart like this, she was certain that she would not be able to have a single night’s rest. It would be months of torturing herself with visions of Riftan being poisoned or suffering some grave, untreatable injury.
Was that the life of comfort he wanted for her?
Her face pallid, Maxi stared at the corner of the dimly lit room before storming out once more. It was no use trying to convince him; she would have to get the knights to agree first.
Riftan might be willing to take the risk, but his knights might feel otherwise.
If she could get them on her side, they might be able to win their commander over.
Maxi clung on to the shred of hope as she made her way to the training grounds, which was currently bustling with knights and servants preparing for the campaign.
Maxi hurriedly walked past the stamping warhorses and men inspecting weapons.
She had worried that she might run into Riftan, but he was thankfully nowhere to be seen. Maxi surmised that he must have gone outside the castle to survey the construction site before making his own preparations to leave. Her eyes roamed the grounds in search of a familiar face among the knights.
It did not take long for her to spot Hebaron polishing a giant sword near the guardhouse. Maxi immediately ran to him.
“Sir Hebaron…c-could you spare me a moment?”
“What can I do for you, my lady?” he asked as he looked up from his wooden chair.
He rose to his feet and set his sword aside, not bothering to conceal the annoyance on his face.
Maxi was intimidated. The news that his comrades were in danger seemed to have robbed the knight of his usual cheerful demeanor.
“I w-wanted to speak with you…about the matters from yesterday.”
“Please, continue.”
Feeling nervous, Maxi looked around. Although some of the knights glanced their way, none of them seemed particularly interested in their conversation. They were all absorbed in inspecting their weapons and horses and saddlebags.
Fidgeting nervously with her skirt, Maxi spoke as calmly as she could. “I heard that the j-journey to Livadon requires a mage, and…I would like to take on the role.”
Hebaron’s eyes grew wide. He straightened and regarded her pensively.
“My lady, we are grateful for your offer…but has the commander consented to this?”
Maxi’s face flushed. “Riftan…r-refuses to listen to anything I s-say. So…I wished to hear the opinions of the other knights.”
Hebaron remained silent for a moment, before saying cautiously, “The commander has told us that he intends to poach a mage from the Earl of Loverne, so I do not think it would be necessary for you to endanger yourself, my lady.”
“And if he f-fails? What will you do then?”
“Then, we would leave without a mage—”
“Do you mean to tell me…that you could travel all the w-way to Livadon without any of you getting hurt?”
Hebaron clenched his jaw. His expression alone was answer enough.