Chapter Two
By the fourth day of traveling, Sidonie was growing anxious to see her sister. They arrived in Elmber at midday. Until today, she had only seen the town from afar. The Sabras didn’t visit neighboring towns as they found or made almost everything they needed in the forest.
Occasionally, a traveling merchant would stop nearby their homes and Adelphie would send someone out to trade furs for goods such as sewing needles, spices, and weapons.
But they were careful not to lead anyone they didn’t trust back to their homes.
Staying secluded was the only way to be safe, in the eyes of a Sabra.
The townspeople in Elmber were beside themselves to see the queen of Junacave passing through, tossing flowers at her carriage as she waved from the window.
Elmber was governed by Taten and though the people expected to see Taten royalty from time to time, this was her first voyage through the town after her coronation.
They stopped in the center of the town. The inn was the largest building, with big windows overlooking the square.
While Sir Luthias retrieved the keys to their rooms, Sidonie watched children who were playing with marbles in the street nearby.
She planned to stay with her sister this evening and return in the morning.
The walk to where the Sabras lived would take over an hour on foot, so the queen had offered Sid a horse to shorten the trip. A guard brought the horse out of the stables, and she tied a small bag to the saddle.
“Are you sure you want to go alone?” Dagan asked, frowning. He was beginning to rethink his original plan to stay behind. He did want to visit one of the shops in Elmber before they took leave in the morning, but Sid’s safety was more important.
“You do remember that I know these forests like my own hand? I’m perfectly capable of finding my way home.”
“Yes, I know, but I still worry. I’m allowed to worry,” he replied, pulling her into a long, deep kiss that drew stares from passing strangers.
“I like that you worry,” she said, rubbing her nose against his. “Worry away. In fact, I expect you to pine for me the entire night.”
“Oh, I will.” The wizard gave her a smoldering grin that made her want to cancel her plan and stay here with him.
“Dagan, is that you?” a melodic voice said.
Dagan pulled back just as a woman approached from the other side of the road.
Sidonie glanced over her shoulder. The woman was gorgeous with wavy blonde hair, partially pinned back and lined with small flowers.
Her big brown eyes and perfect red mouth were smiling at Dagan.
Sid felt as if she were invisible to the woman, who was solely focused on him.
“Cassandra. Hello,” Dagan replied, trying to hide his surprise. He knew he would see her today, as she owned the apothecary shop in the town, but he hadn’t planned on Sid meeting her.
“What a pleasant surprise!” Cassandra said. “I heard you were taken by those barbaric Sabras. We thought you were a dead man, for sure.”
Sid stiffened up at her mention of the Sabras. Since she was dressed as a lady now, and not in her usual Sabra attire, no one would likely guess that she was—in fact—one of those barbaric Sabras.
“I survived, as you can see. They agreed to release me, at Queen Breestlin’s request. I work as her Royal Mage now. I took over for my grandfather.” Dagan glanced over at Sid, hoping this conversation would end soon.
“Is that so?” Cassandra seemed intrigued.
“I just heard the queen is visiting but I had no idea you and she were so closely acquainted. Nevertheless, I do hope you will stop by the shop today. I have some free time later. We can finish that game of lords and ladies that we started before you disappeared,” she said, winking at him.
Sid’s eyes widened in shock at the suggestion.
She wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.
She just stared at the woman, wondering how Cassandra could be so brash.
She had completely ignored the fact that Dagan had been kissing Sid before she approached him and was still standing right there in front of her.
“Umm, no. That’s not… uh…” Dagan sputtered, too stunned to know how to respond.
His relationship with Cassandra had been of both friendship and pleasure.
She was one of the reasons he’d chosen to come back to Elmber after his mother died.
And while he knew there would never be anything romantic between them again, he didn’t want to sever all the ties he had with her just yet.
She could be an important ally in the future, but she needed to know that he was no longer interested in anything more than friendship.
However, before Dagan could come up with a reply, Cassandra leaned in and kissed him. It was chaste and over with before he could react, but he knew the damage was more than done. Cassandra immediately turned and started to walk away.
Unable to stop herself, Sidonie lunged at the woman, grabbing for her head.
She would have gotten ahold of her too if Dagan hadn’t intervened and using air magic, froze Sidonie in mid-jump.
Cassandra continued walking away as if nothing had happened.
Dagan waited until she was out of sight, then released Sidonie.
“Sid, let me explain,” he began as her feet reached the ground, but she was already mounting her horse before he could finish. “She doesn’t mean anything to me. There is nothing between us anymore. Sidonie, please.”
Gripping the reigns, Sid could barely contain her anger. He hadn’t stopped Cassandra from kissing him and he hadn’t refused her request either. Sid knew Dagan had a past but she never expected his past to be so beautiful or crude.
“Oh, is that so?” she asked, gritting her teeth. “Then why didn’t you introduce us? Why didn’t you tell your lover that not only have you found someone else but that your someone else is also a dreaded Sabra?” Sidonie pretended to gasp. “Think she couldn’t handle the truth? Or that I couldn’t?”
“It isn’t like that. Cassandra and I have a history and it’s complicated. But that isn’t—”
“Were you planning to visit her shop today? Without telling me about her?”
“Well, yes, but not to—”
“Then don’t let me interfere.”
She jerked the reins and took off, leaving Dagan behind, shouting after her. Before she reached the edge of the forest, her tears had already started to fall. She rode much faster than she had intended to, trying to leave what had just happened behind her.
The wind in her hair and the sound of the horse’s hoofs pounding the dirt trail below was the only thing distracting her from the terrible disappointment she felt inside.
A moment later, that disappointment turned to anger, and she had thought of at least a dozen ways to maim Cassandra and her beautiful face.
~*~
“What was that?” Dagan demanded as he slammed the door behind him, making the glass jars on the shelves rattle.
“Whatever do you mean?” Cassandra replied, grinning.
“You know exactly what I mean, Cassandra. That was extremely rude, even for you. Sidonie is m—”
“I know exactly who she is. She’s one of those Sabras. I realized it the moment I saw her. Just because you put a dress on her, it doesn’t change who she is.”
“You don’t know anything about her.”
“She is one of them, Dagan,” she growled. “One of the enemy. One of the women who hunt us down, who kill us. Did you forget about that? Did you forget about Lucius? What they did to him? Or were you too busy riding her?”
Dagan slammed his fist down on the counter between them, making Cassandra jump.
“I haven’t forgotten about him, nor will I ever. But what I do and with whom is none of your business. And while I don’t expect you to understand what I have with Sidonie, I also will not tolerate you speaking about her in this manner. She’s not the one responsible for your brother, Cassandra.”
“You really are smitten, aren’t you? Does she have some kind of power over you? Is that her gift?”
“Power?”
“You know what I mean, Dagan.”
“You could tell?”
“That she has magic? Of course, I could,” Cassandra spat. “Funny, isn’t it? That they have devoted their entire lives to ridding the cursed realm of magic, yet magic lived right under their noses?”
“They still don’t know. And I trust you can keep it to yourself?” Dagan raised his eyebrows, but his stone expression didn’t change.
“I have no reason to wish harm come to your lover. As long as I don’t have a reason to?”
“Is that a threat?” Dagan could feel the clouds outside beginning to darken from his magic.
He hadn’t been angry enough to change the weather in a long time, but he couldn’t worry about that now.
He had to know that Cassandra would keep the knowledge of Sid’s magic to herself. He had to be sure Sid would be safe.
“I don’t make threats, Dagan, as you well know, but I won’t stand by and let you bring that woman into my town. To bring any harm to me or my family. What’s left of my family…”
Dagan knew exactly what she meant. Lucius had been Cassandra’s older brother, a wizard. The Sabras had captured and killed him. Sidonie couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen years old at the time, but her tribe had immediately become an enemy of Cassandra’s family and others like them.
“Sidonie doesn’t want to harm anyone, Cassandra.
She isn’t like the others. And even the others, I don’t think they are who we thought they were.
I think they were taught to hate magic for the wrong reasons.
I won’t make excuses for the things they’ve done, but I won’t condemn them for being ignorant any more than they should condemn us for being what we are. ”
Cassandra turned around and pretended to organize bottles, thinking to herself. Nothing he said would ever convince her to forgive the Sabras, but she had to admit that she was curious about his words. “What did you mean? When you said, they aren’t who they seem?”