Arcane Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 2) (7 page)

20

Adaryn

I
hurried through the empty streets as light began to creep over the horizon. Aaric would be sick with worry. Talking with King Matias took all night. I increased my speed, ignoring the early risers in the city who turned to gawk at me as I ran. I soon found myself standing in front of the Dancing Cat. I ran up the steps and into the front room.

Bran was sitting slumped over one of the tables. He sat up with a start and peered bleary-eyed in my direction.

He stood and glared at me, his eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. “Where in blazes did you go, Adaryn? Why did you take off like that? Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

I stared at him, surprised. I had forgotten about leaving him and Grace alone. “You were worried?” I asked blankly. “What about Aaric?”

“What about him? I haven’t seen the man since yesterday morning.” Bran said, still frowning at me.

“He’s not here?”

“Don’t try and change the subject, Adaryn.” Bran crossed the distance between us in a few easy strides until he was standing right in front of me. I hated when he did that, as I had to crane my neck to look up at him. “Where were you?”

I opened my mouth to answer when the inn door opened behind me, and Aaric came striding through. His eyes were every bit as red as Bran’s but he had a huge grin on his face.

“I was up all night reading,” he said happily. He didn’t notice the tension between Bran and I. “I went through some paperwork that my father and Luna wrote about the sky jewel.”

“Did you learn anything new?” I asked.

“Yes,” Aaric said. “There is a lot of lore around the jewels, and some rumors on them that I hadn’t known about previously. Absolutely fascinating.”

“Anything useful?” Bran asked. He still looked disgruntled but at least he wasn’t glowering at me now.

“Perhaps,” Aaric gave an enormous yawn, stretching his arms. “I could sure go for some breakfast and a nap.” He headed for the kitchen, leaving Bran and I alone. I didn’t follow after Aaric, knowing his mind was still wrapped around his studies, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointment that he’d given me about as much attention as he had given Bran.

“So?” the nomad asked, bringing my attention back to him. His arms were folded and he was looking at me with his dark brown eyes. “Where were you?”
“I’ll tell you later, I need to sleep,” I said tiredly. I brushed past him and went to my room. Closing the door, I threw myself on the bed. I pushed the two irritating men out of my mind, thinking of last night.

King Matias had asked me a lot of questions after healing me. He seemed interested in the nomad way of life and was appropriately disgusted when I talked to him about slavery in the north.

“What brings you to Sen Altare, Adaryn?”
Matias had asked. I’d hesitated. I didn’t want to give away our quest. The sky jewel could very well be something that the king would decide he wanted for himself. Instead, I told him about my escape from slavery and how we wanted to start a new life for ourselves away from Ruis. It seemed plausible enough and it wasn’t a lie at any rate, just not the complete truth. Matias hadn’t questioned it.

As dawn began to creep over the horizon, Matias bid me farewell, thanked me again for intervening during the ambush, and reminded me that I was to come see him again.

Getting back to the inn I had thought Aaric would be worried about me. Only he hadn’t come home himself. I grinned. With his nose in a book, the world could come crashing down around Aaric’s head and the man wouldn’t even notice.

I fell asleep, exhausted by the night’s events. When I woke it was well past noon. I left my room and headed over to Aaric’s, knocking lightly on the door. No one answered. I pushed the door open and looked in, only to see it was empty.

My brow creased in puzzlement. I had expected to find Aaric there, either sleeping or reading a book. I headed downstairs. The common room was empty save for a maid mopping the floor. My frown deepened. I couldn’t guess where they had gone. Maybe to Luna’s?

I thought of Grace, and my frown turned into a scowl. If I found Aaric there I’d skin them both alive. I started for the front door when a clattering sound caught my ears. It was coming from the stable yard. Curious, I went out to look and found Aaric and Bran, both stripped to the waist. They each held practice swords. Neither noticed me, so I crouched by the wall, not wanting to interrupt them.

Bran barked some instructions to Aaric, and the Oppressor—reformed Oppressor, I reminded myself—widened his stance and lunged at Bran with renewed vigor.

Bran fought off his attacks with almost laughable ease; there was no question as to who was the better swordsman here. A flick of Bran’s wrist sent Aaric’s practice sword flying, landing a couple of feet from me.

Aaric turned to retrieve it and saw me. His ears reddened as he bent over to pick it up. “I didn’t realize you were watching,” he said awkwardly.

I shrugged. “You’re fine. Sword practice is a good idea.”

“That’s what I told him,” Bran said. “Especially here.”

“Sen Altare?” I asked, puzzled. “What do you mean?” Looking at Aaric, I saw he was just as confused.

Bran arched an eyebrow at the two of us. “Maybe if you spent more time in the city you would see, but as I have said before, some of the people are getting pretty tired of the king’s high taxes and the endless harassment of brigands just outside. There was a riot outside of the palace yesterday when Grace and I left. People demanding lower taxes. I barely got Grace out of there unscathed.”

“I haven’t seen anything like—” I stopped, remembering the men who had ambushed the king.

“What?” Bran asked, eying me.

I took a deep breath and told Bran and Aaric about my meeting with the king.

“The king?” Bran frowned. “You didn’t tell him about our quest?”

“Of course not.” I snorted with indignation. “I’m not stupid.”

“Be careful, Adaryn,” Aaric said. “We can’t possibly know what his character is like. I would advise against any future meetings with the man.”

“He knows healing, and has offered to teach me,” I told him. “We don’t have any healers in our clan. I can’t pass up this chance, Aaric.”

Aaric bit his lip, his brow furrowing.

“There’s a faction here who have been calling the commoners to action against the king,” Bran interrupted, going back to our original discussion. “I don’t know who is behind it. They’re a secretive lot. I’ve talked to people who have talked to them, supposedly, but I haven’t been able to figure out who’s behind it.”

“They probably aren’t any better than the brigands,” I said dismissively. “Why bring down King Matias when he’s trying to
protect
the people? Of course he has to raise taxes for that.”

“The taxes are unreasonably high,” Bran countered. “And despite sending guards out to fight the brigands, the problem isn’t getting any better. He’s not an effective leader.”

“Either way, it’s best to be on our guard,” Aaric said. “We don’t need to swear loyalty to the king but we don’t need to join a rebellion, either. We’re here to find the sky jewel. Once we get some leads we can leave.”

I nodded grudgingly. It made sense.

“Agreed.” Bran walked to the inn door. “The longer we stay here the longer my people are in danger from the Oppressors.”

I thought guiltily of my clan. It was true. Aaric was my first concern, but I wanted to help the nomads, too. I hadn’t given them much thought since arriving in the city.

I considered the king. He seemed nice enough. He had killed, true, but it had been in self-defense. I was curious about the rebel faction though, and resolved to ask him about it later when the opportunity presented itself.

21

Aaric

“
H
ere.” Aaric opened the sky jewel file and pushed it over to Adaryn. It was the following day and Aaric brought her to the Guild to go over the papers with him. “It says right here that about ten years ago a fearsome outlaw named Fyrsil held a sky jewel in his possession, making him all but impossible to be captured by Sen Altare’s law enforcers.”

“Really?” Adaryn read the document with interest. “Do you think he’s still out there?”

“I have no idea,” Aaric admitted. “I asked Luna about it. She said my father tried to find him without success, so it’s possible it was just a rumor. No one was able to confirm it.”

“Hmm.” Adaryn leaned over the paperwork, her hair falling in her face. “Fyrsil is a nomadic name. Bran and I might be able to find him, if he’s out there.”

“How?” Aaric asked, surprised. He peered at the nomad over his reading spectacles.

Adaryn smiled at him. “We’re magic users. If we get close enough, we’re able to sense other magic users if they wield their magic. It’s just how it works. I can’t explain it to you.”

Aaric smiled, feeling his face flush with excitement. “That might actually work. Course,” he reminded himself, “it’s
probably
just a local legend. We shouldn’t get too worked up over it.”

“Quite,” Adaryn agreed, but her eyes shone, and she shared the same smile. “We should go tell Bran.”

Aaric nodded agreement, pushing his chair back to stand. He held out his hand, and Adaryn took it as they walked out of the Guild archives.

Bran was at the inn, upstairs in his room, counting out a fair amount of coppers and a few silvers.

“Where did all that come from?” Adaryn asked in amazement. Money had been running quite low.

Bran looked up and smiled. “There seems to be a lack of magic users here. We’re the only two as far as I know. Us and the king. Thought I’d use it to my advantage.”

“How so?” Adaryn sat on the bed across from Bran.

Bran shrugged, a little self-conscious. “I used my magic to street perform.”

“What?” Adaryn laughed. “Tricks? Like when we were children?”

Bran arched an eyebrow. “At least I’m bringing in some coins. What have you and Aaric done?”

That shut her up.

“I’ve been busy with my research,” Aaric said, shrugging.

“Sky jewel research won’t help us if we starve to death in the meantime,” Bran said matter-of-factly.

“Well, with any luck, we won’t need much more time here,” Adaryn said eagerly. “Aaric said there used to be a brigand leader in the wilderness who was said to have a sky jewel. It was several years ago, but it would make sense with all the brigand attacks and the king’s guard’s efforts being ineffective. We need to track his magic.”

Bran pursed his lips in thought. “It’s doable. The tricky part will be tracking the brigands in the first place. I can’t imagine they will be easy to find.”

Adaryn snorted, clearly confident in her abilities. “We’ll find them,” she said. She tapped her chin. “Maybe we should travel with the king’s soldiers. Strength in numbers and all that.”

“No,” Bran said emphatically. “No king, no soldiers. I don’t trust them either.”

Adaryn frowned at him. Aaric spoke up. “Bran is right. If the soldiers find out what we’re after, it will make our job that much harder.”

Adaryn turned her glower to Aaric but then nodded. “Fine.”

“I’ll leave in a couple of days and scout the surrounding countryside,” Bran said. He shot a sly look in Adaryn’s direction. “Adaryn can come with me.”

“Not a chance,” Aaric said angrily. “If she goes, we all go.”

“It doesn’t make sense for you to go,” Bran said mildly. “You can’t use magic.”

“I’m staying with Aaric, Bran,” Adaryn said firmly. “Why don’t you see what you can find out and come tell us? There isn’t any point in all of us going until we know where the outlaws can be found.”

“I’m going to work with the Scholar’s Guild,” Aaric said. “If they’re interested in purchasing my glider plans, that could help us financially. More than selling our pride as street performers, anyway.”

Bran flushed angrily and opened his mouth to speak but Adaryn interrupted them. “It’s settled, then. Bran will track down the hideout of the brigands to see if they are led by a magic user named Fyrsil, and Aaric will talk with the Scholar’s Guild and see if he can buy us more time in the city.”

“What are you going to do?” Bran asked her.

“Take lessons from king Matias. And to make sure Grace stays away from Aaric,” she said, folding her arms determinedly.

Bran laughed at her, earning a scowl. Aaric managed to hide his smile just in time. Miss Grace had better make herself scarce.

22

Adaryn

“
Y
ou can make plants grow using magic?” I asked in amazement. I was crouched over a little red flower that was looking decidedly wilted from the heat. King Matias and I were in the garden again. Bran had left over a week earlier. The Scholar’s Guild received Aaric and his glider plans with open arms, giving him funds to work on another invention he’d drafted plans for back in Ruis. That left me alone with decidedly little to do. This was my third visit since the night he was ambushed. He seemed to enjoy my company or I wouldn’t have bothered him so much. I had yet to make much progress in my healing lessons, though.

“Of course,” Matias said. “It’s too hot to grow this many flowers naturally. I suppose some would call it a waste of magic, but I would miss the greenery too much otherwise.”

“Can you show me?” I asked eagerly.

Matias looked down at me intently, his blue eyes piercing. He looked amused. “Watch closely.”

Matias stood perfectly still, taking deep breaths. I felt the magic surge from him, saw thin tendrils of the magic emanate from his body. The magic wove itself around every flower, tree, bush and blade of grass. It was incredible. I’d never seen enchantment this complex or powerful. Bran was the most powerful magic user I knew and this made
his
ability look like child’s play.

A few more moments passed before Matias released the magic. It dissipated almost immediately. I looked down at the little red flower. It was in full bloom, without a trace of wilt. I stared up at the king, speechless with wonder. He laughed.

“It’s just a flower, Adaryn.”

“How can you be so powerful? I tried to follow what you did, but I’m not capable of wielding that much magic at once.” Matias merely smiled, pleased by my awe. He started to turn away.

“Matias,” I said. He requested I call him by his first name.
“In private we may speak to one another as friends,”
he had said during our first meeting. “Why are the people upset with you?”
I regretted asking the minute the words left my lips. As he looked back at me, a look of pain crossed his face and he sighed heavily.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to ask uncomfortable questions. I—”

“No, it’s alright. You may ask me anything.” Matias seated himself on a white stone bench, motioning me to sit beside him. I did so.

“People are upset with me, and rightly so. Brigands roam the surrounding countryside unchecked and, for the most part, unchallenged. I have sent as many soldiers as I can spare, but the outlaws are wily and fight like lions. Taxes have had to be raised to pay for the additional resources needed to track down the brigands. It’s not an ideal situation, but I don’t see any alternative. The brigands must be stopped.”

I nodded, my brow wrinkling in thought. I wasn’t sure of any alternatives, either. “I wonder if Fyrsil is behind this.”

Matias looked at me, his eyes widening in alarm. “Fyrsil? What do you know of him?”

I looked up, surprised by his reaction. “Not much. A friend of mine heard some . . . some rumors that he might be leading the outlaws, that he was their leader several years ago . . .” I trailed off, intimidated by Matias’ stare. He looked shocked to his core, but I couldn’t tell why.

“And what do you think happened to this Fyrsil?” Matias asked.

I shrugged. “He may have died. I can’t imagine the life of a brigand is very peaceful. Or he’s still out there, looting the countryside as we speak. I don’t know.”

“Do you have any interest in finding him, then?”

I looked at him, considering. How far could I trust this man? He smiled warmly. “Your secrets are safe with me, Adaryn.”

“I . . .” I hesitated a moment before rushing in. “We think the outlaws have something we need. An artifact of sorts. We need it to protect our clan up north. From the Oppressors. They’ve taken too many of us as slaves. We heard that Fyrsil might have it.”

“I see.” Matias nodded. “And you think this . . . artifact, this arcane enchantment . . . will grant you adequate protection?”

“If the legends are true, it will,” I said with certainty.

Matias was quiet for some time. “If this artifact is giving the brigands an unfair advantage over my men,” he said at last, “then it seems that it would be to my advantage if you were to take it.”

My breath quickened with excitement. The king was on my side?
“You wouldn’t use this artifact against my subjects?” Matias looked at me again, his eyes hardened steel.

I swallowed. “Of course not.”

He nodded. “My men have heard rumors of a brigand hideout in the abandoned ruins of Tyrko, just west of the city. They still haven’t managed to find it, though. You probably haven’t been there, but the ruins are massive.  But perhaps you and your friends will have better luck.”

I grinned, and bowed my head in gratitude. “Thank you,” I said happily. “I will be sure to tell my friends. We will do what we can to find the artifact, Matias. I am certain that if they have it, it must be what is giving the brigands the upper hand.”

Matias nodded his head and smiled, but his eyes looked distant. “Did you know Fyrsil?” I asked timidly.

“I knew of him. It was a long time ago.” He stood. “I must return to the palace. Good day, Adaryn. I hope you will come again.” He walked off without another word or look in my direction.

I studied his retreating form with some confusion, not sure what had come over him, then wrapped my arms around myself in a hug, excited. If Matias was right, then it was only a matter of time before we found the brigands and, I hoped, the sky jewel.