Chapter Sixteen
Sidonie wanted to scream. It was beginning to look hopeless. The three days spent at sea and the four days since they’d arrived had been a complete waste of time. When Dagan and Edmund returned to their room at the inn that evening, she was ready to give up and sail back to Junacave.
“We have one more day before the ship leaves again,” Dagan said, pulling his cloak off.
“Maybe we should move on to the next plan,” she replied.
“We don’t have another plan.”
“Maybe we should have another plan.”
“Sid, it isn’t like you to be so cynical. Is something else bothering you?”
“There is a long list of things that are bothering me. For example, I’m tired of sitting in this room, waiting all day alone. I want to be out there, searching for him.” She pointed to the window.
“It’s too dangerous,” Dagan said, shaking his head.
“This isn’t Junacave. The people here only care about themselves and they wouldn’t think twice about taking advantage of you.
Hell, we saw a pair of men fighting in the square this morning.
The losing man’s body was still lying there when we passed by just now. ”
It was true that Odustis was nothing like the civilized kingdom that she had become used to.
There were only two noteworthy towns on the island, Baymoor and Kilharie.
Baymoor was the safer of the two and home to mostly local citizens but that didn’t mean the conditions were ideal.
The inn was filthy and the innkeepers gave Sidonie a creepy feeling when they’d arrived to rent the room.
Edmund had instructed them to refuse any food or drink if offered to them.
It could be poisoned. They’d had to make do with the provisions that they brought with them.
By tomorrow, however, they would be low on water and out of food.
For the first time since arriving, Sidonie wished she was back on the ship.
The food there was terrible but at least it was safe to eat.
“I still think I would be of better use if I were out there, in the open,” she said. “If Zaine really is here, someone must know who he is. You could use me to lure him out.”
“Absolutely not!” Dagan said, growing angry.
“Are you forgetting what happened the last time you tried to decide what was best for me?” Sidonie stiffened her back and narrowed her eyes at him.
He didn’t need to be reminded. In fact, she had a habit of doing the exact opposite of everything single thing he ever said to her. Why would he think this time would be different?
“She does have a point,” Edmund interjected. “If her father knows he has a daughter, he may decide to come to us.”
“Or he may decide to kill her.”
“Why would he want to kill her? What aren’t you telling me, Dagan?
” Edmund asked. When Dagan didn’t reply, he continued, “I haven’t asked questions until now because I trust that you have a good reason to need to find Sidonie’s father.
But if her father may harm her, then why in the realm are you looking for him? ”
“Maybe we should just tell him, Dagan,” Sidonie said, shaking her head. “He helped us to get this far. And he hasn’t given us a reason not to trust him.” Not yet at least.
Dagan hesitated but turned to his father. “Tell me why you lost your magic, first. Answer that question. Then if I feel you have been honest, we will tell you.”
“You lost your magic?” Sidonie was stunned. She lowered herself down to sit on a small wooden stool behind her.
“My magic is sealed so I cannot use it. So yes,” Edmund replied. “Essentially… I lost it.”
“But I thought that the Elder Mage was the only wizard who could do that?”
“That is true. My magic was sealed by the Elder Mage, my father.”
“But why?”
“I haven’t always done right by my family, Sidonie. There was a time when I was selfish. When I valued power more than anything. I made many foolish mistakes and I paid the price.” He looked down at the floor and sighed. “I lost my wife, my son, and my magic.”
“That still doesn’t explain why,” Dagan countered.
“My father sealed my magic because I stole something. Something of great value.”
“What did you steal?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Edmund said, “because the object is no longer in my possession. I gave it away. The only thing that does matter is that I have spent many years trying to atone for my mistakes. I may not have much time left in this realm and we certainly don’t have much time left on this island.
I would prefer not to waste it by dwelling on the past.”
Dagan wanted to press his father further, but the sun was about to set in the sky.
They were going to need a full night’s rest if they were going to make the most of their last day in Odustis.
He pulled a stool over and sat down. Then he started relaying the story of Sidonie’s parents, their fusion, and the summit.
Edmund seemed intrigued by the story, especially the events of the summit.
He didn’t seem angry that a woman had been chosen as the next Elder Mage.
Nevertheless, Dagan put an invisible shield of air around Sidonie when she slept that night.
She may not want his protection, but she was going to get it. Even if he had to hide it from her.
~*~
Sidonie pulled her cloak on and tied it around her neck.
She waited by the door for Dagan and Edmund to finish getting themselves ready.
With any luck, today would be the day. As nervous as she was to meet her father, she was more anxious to get out of the inn.
Dagan walked up to the door and tossed his cloak on.
“Dagan, your hair,” Sidonie reminded him.
He looked down at the ends of his white hair, which had grown past his shoulders now.
The unusual color always drew curious eyes.
He usually didn’t mind but today would be different.
Sidonie was the one who needed to be seen.
He and Edmund planned to hide in plain sight, blending in with the locals.
That way, Sid would appear to be alone and more approachable.
“Oh, right.” Dagan took a strand of hair in his hand and thought of the color brown. “Immutatio,” he said. The hair in his fingers changed color first, then it spread to the rest of his head until all his hair was brown. He didn’t care for it, but it was only temporary.
“Wait,” Sidonie said. “Change the color of my cloak. I want it to really stand out.”
“What color?”
“I don’t know. Red, maybe?”
“Try it, yourself,” Dagan said. Now that Edmund was aware of her magic, there was no reason for her to hide it anymore.
“Visualize the color in your head. It may be easier to picture the cloak as red, instead of just the color. And make sure you aren’t touching anything else at the same time. It will cause the colors to blend.”
Sidonie gripped the edge of her cloak and said the incantation. Immediately, the dark blue fabric began to change to red. The color spread to almost half of the cloak and then it stopped.
She sighed. “Well, damn.”
Dagan laughed. She may look like a lady, but she didn’t sound like one.
“Here, I’ll finish it.” He turned the rest of the cloak red. It would certainly be noticeable in this color.
They couldn’t be seen leaving the inn with Sidonie, so Edmund left first. After a few moments, Dagan kissed Sid and turned to leave.
“Dagan,” she said, grabbing his arm. “I’ve been thinking about what your father said, about losing his magic. Is there any chance that he didn’t really lose it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, back in Junacave, he implied that he had been following you. When I asked him how, he said that he used a disguise.”
“He’s been following me? For how long?”
“He didn’t say, but he did mention that he watched you create your portal. But that isn’t what has me confused. If he used his amulet to disguise himself, he would need magic to make the amulet work, right?”
“Yes, it seems the amulet has to be charged with magic in order to work.”
“Precisely. So how did he charge the amulet if he lost his magic?”
“He couldn’t have.”
“Could someone else have charged it for him?”
“Perhaps. But the magic would have run out, eventually. Someone would have to keep recharging it.”
“Why would he lie about it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. But if he really does have his magic, then he definitely knew about your magic before last night. He would have been able to sense it.”
“I have a bad feeling about this, Dagan.”
Dagan leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. Her eyes were riddled with worry, and he wished he could comfort her more. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing the future for either of them.
“Just stay alert,” he said, softly. “And if anything feels out of place, promise me that you will run and not look back.”
“I can’t just—” she started to argue.
“Sid…”
“I promise. Now go.”
He didn’t want to leave her, especially now. Edmund could very well be leading them into a trap. Why else would he lie about his magic? Or was his father being honest this time? They couldn’t be sure yet.
Dagan drew Sid close and kissed her head. Then before he could change his mind, he turned and left. She went to the window and watched him walk across the town square to the building on the other side. Once he entered and was out of sight, she followed.
~*~
Eyes were on Sidonie from the moment she stepped inside the tavern. It was dimly lit and smelled like a musty mix of wood and ale. Heads turned to watch as she crossed the crowded room. She pretended not to notice, walked up to the counter, and sat down on one of the stools.
“What can I get you?” the barkeep asked.
Sid took a deep breath. Then she threw her hand over her face and started weeping.
Loudly. When the barkeep asked her what was wrong, she wailed.
Then, between fake sobs, she spun a tale of being a widow whose husband was killed by thieves.
The thieves, of course, stole everything she had except for the clothing on her back.
Oh, and she suspected that she was pregnant.
Her only hope was to find her father, a man named Zaine.