Mine to Spell (Mine #2) (16 page)

The thought makes me ill.

I pull my magic back some, but keep it close enough to still do… something if needed. Once we’re behind the house across the street, we carefully peek around the corner. Last time, this led to spells fighting in a way I’d never seen before. Despite how fascinating it was, this time I’m hoping things are calmer.

No one is outside and nothing looks any different. But who knows if they’re lying in wait or not.? Or if they’ve left some nasty surprise behind? Lukas and Xyer watch it longer than I have patience for. I eventually give up to look around the house we're crouching behind. Hopefully, whoever lives here doesn’t mind my snooping. They shouldn’t because there’s nothing back here but rocks and dirt.

Finally, Xyer starts forward. Lukas motions for me to follow. We slink across the street to the front of the house and stop at the boardwalk. I stand close to them but just a little behind. As much as I want to be here and helping, I’m not ready to fully throw myself into the fray.

Lukas casts a spell that flies into the house and keeps his hand up in the air. And then we wait. And wait some more. I want to ask what Lukas is doing, but his eyes are focused and his forehead is wrinkled as if whatever he’s doing is intense, so I keep quiet. The light continues to flow from him into the house. I wish I knew what was going on in there.

What is his spell doing and finding? If there was someone waiting for us, wouldn’t they have come out and attacked us? Something would have happened, as eager as they were to attack last night. All this waiting and spell casting seems unnecessary. His arm must be growing weary, staying in the air like that. Another minute goes by. What is taking so long? Why doesn’t Xyer seem fazed by the wait like I am?

I roll my shoulders and glance around the neighborhood. There’s no one about, but that has been typical with this neighborhood. At least from the little I’ve been here, it seems that way. Perhaps I’ve scared them all off with my snooping. Or perhaps all the spells from last night convinced them to hide.

Suddenly, there’s a loud crash from inside the house. Lukas is holding steady, Xyer focused on the house. I’m riveted to the spot, ready to attack anything that comes out. Not that I know exactly what I’d attack them with, but something. Maybe smoothing down their hair will be random enough to startle them, at least slow them down?

There’s not another sound, but my magic is still jumping about inside me, itching to be released. I’m ready to give up and ask what is going on when the spell comes crashing back to his hand and disappears as he lowers it.

“It’s safe.” The dark circles under his eyes are bigger than before the spell, and guilt pricks at me that I’ve been standing here thinking this is all for naught.

“
Your spell told you that?”

“
Yes. It checks not only for people, but for hexes that may have been left behind.”

“
What was the crash? It didn’t sound safe.”

He winces. “A hex that was left. I disabled it.”

Xyer and Lukas start for the house, and I trail after them.

“
Disabled it? What do you mean? And what type of hex was it? And how can someone leave a hex behind?”

Xyer cuts away from us, going around to the back while I follow Lukas to the door. He pushes the door all the way open but doesn’t go inside. “You sure ask a lot of questions for a Chardonian girl.”

I bristle. “I’m not just a Chardonian girl. I’m a warlock now.”

“
Hey, I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. It’s a good thing. A real good thing.” The intensity of his gaze not only holds truth, but something warming.

“
Sorry, it’s been a tense twenty-four hours, and I’m tired, hungry, and not in the mood to have people trying to attack me.”

“
No, I’m sorry. Let’s not be tired, hungry and attacked again.”

“
Agreed.”

Together, we head into the house. It’s just as he says. No one comes out and attacks us, and no spells go off. There is a big mess in the sitting room. Couches are turned over, stuffing pulled out, chairs broken, and windows shattered.

Xyer meets us in the hall. “Looks clear for now. I’m going to secure outside and stand watch there while I send a note to Zade.”

Before he goes, I say, “Thank you.”

“Just doing my duty.”

Once he’s gone, we move back to the sitting room, and Lukas says, “This should be fun to clean. With the risks going on, I can’t waste my energy on spelling it.”

“Let’s save it for later. I’m too tired and hungry to clean now.” I yawn, emphasizing my point, too tired to even note his sarcasm. “Is there someone we can report this to?”

He gives me a look.

The look has a point, except it feels like there should be something done. A course of action that would fit the situation. “What do warlocks usually do if their house is broken into? You can’t tell me nothing would be done.”

“
Sure, if it was a regular warlock, they’d call in a law officer, but for you? It’s the worst thing we could do. They’d be more likely to blame you for it. Disqualify you from the tournament at best. At worst, well, being tarnished would be the least of your worries.”

“
The least? What more could they do?”

“
Imprison or kill you.”

Nothing ever turns out the way I think it should. “So even though I’m a warlock, I still have no rights.”

He gives a little frown. “I thought you understood that already.”

“
I do. Really I do. It’s just—” I growl. “This is ridiculous. I simply want to be like a warlock in more than just name alone.”

“
It’s ugly,” he says, pulling a chair up off the floor. “But we’ll get there. It’s just not going to be easy or fast.”

I collapse on the chair. “I know.”

He kneels in front of me and takes my hand. “After what I saw last night, you’re the bravest woman I know. You can do this. You competing in the tournament is going to cause trouble, but you’ll also be able to open the eyes of many Chardonians as to what a woman can really do. It will be a start.”

His touch is reassuring. And makes me feel a little guilty for complaining in the first place. “I’m sorry. It’s just harder than I expected it to be.”

“It’s all right.”

For a moment, it’s silent. I should say something, but I don’t know what. Perhaps I should at least take my hand away from his, but I don’t want to. Except I really am hungry and tired.

“Perhaps we should eat and rest.”

“
Wise plan.” He stands, our hands dangling apart. “And we have to figure out a way to protect you in the meantime.”

“
I thought you already were protecting me.”

“
They’re upping the threat. We have to up your protections.”

Does that mean I’m going to see more of him? More than just for a little training? I like that idea. I don’t like the idea of being under a warlock’s protection all the time, though. It’s what I just escaped from. If I was strong enough to protect myself, this wouldn’t be a problem.

“Is this house safe to stay in, or should I relocate?”

He shrugs. “Maybe. I’ll talk to Zade. We’ll keep a closer watch on things for now. I’m worried. No matter if we stay here or move, they’ll still attack. For now, I think we’d better stay here where we have defensive spells in place and increase them. Xyer’s probably already started on some of it.”

“If you teach me, I’ll help with them.”

“
Deal.”

“
First, I’m going to make something to eat,” I say.

“
Need help?”

“
I can manage. Thank you.”

“
I’ll talk to Xyer, see what he thinks we should do, then. Holler when it’s ready?” His tone is sincere and nice. Not at all demanding.

“
Certainly.”

As I sleepwalk to the kitchen, it’s difficult not to think on how close the attempt was to succeeding, and how close things will likely continue to be. Close enough it may never matter what spells I learn for the tournament.

Chapter Sixteen

It’s only been two days, but naturally, Zade is already here, responding to the message Xyer sent about the current situation. The way he’s been silently storming about for the last few minutes proves nothing good is about to come. Even though I’m the one keeping my distance from my sisters, I still wish Serena had joined him. I miss them. And they would have helped to buffer his temper.

“I don’t know why I helped with this insane plan. Why did you have to sign up?” Zade says, his words as hard as the look on his face.

It’s difficult to remember any rational reason I had when he’s baring down on me like this. I shrug.

“That’s it? You don’t even know more than enough to shrug at me?” Zade says. “Are you insane? Do you know how many people are going to try to kill you now? That already have?” He turns on Lukas. “And you! Why did you have to insist on me helping? Why did you help her with this nonsense? You want her dead?”

“
This isn’t his fault,” I say, anger rising to match his.

“
It’s fine,” Lukas says to me, much calmer than either Zade or I. To Zade, he says, “You know I don’t want her dead, but she’s doesn’t belong to anyone. She has the power to choose. We both agreed on that when you helped secure the letters for her. I won’t even attempt to take that away.”

“
At the expense of her life?” Zade rubs the back of his neck. “Serena is going to kill me.”

“
That’s what this is really about?” I say. “Serena being upset? I love my sister, but she is no longer my owner.”

“
It’s not like that,” Zade says.

That he’s practically my brother-in-law and was the one to give Serena her freedom, but is still treating me this way, burns a white-hot rage deep inside. I don’t hide it. I let its flames crackle my words. “Clearly it is.”

Zade’s jaw tightens.

“
She’s right,” Lukas says. “If this were any other woman whose sister you weren’t courting, you’d do everything you could to help, not hinder. It’s why you helped before. Why you know this is right. It’s what you’re here for.”

“
I don’t want to be here,” Zade yells. “I want to take Serena and her family out of this stupid country. I want the woman I love protected. I want her family, and mine, safe. Instead I’m stuck here with people who make everything worse.”

He stomps out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

His anger, more righteous and founded than mine, is like splashing icy water on my own. And now I feel worse, guilt mangling my insides. I can’t take back my entry into the tournament. Not that I want to, yet it feels like I’m ruining the good Zade has done. Made things so much worse.

“
He really loves her. He's worried about her and your entire family,” Lukas says.

Thinking on Zade’s words before he stormed off, I say, “Perhaps more than I originally suspected.”

Lukas takes off his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. If I wore glasses, I think I might do the same.

The silence that follows leaves me time to think more on not just what Zade said, but the implications. “Even if Zade is supposed to be here to help, I don’t think it’s going well. For anyone. Look at him now. He’s been here fighting longer, almost a year. He knows how hard and futile it all is. How can we beat a system so overwhelming that even the best get pulled under by its weight?”

He reaches up and lightly brushes my cheek. “We share the weight.”

My breath catches.

The front door creaks open. Lukas and I jump apart as it closes. His glasses skitter onto the floor with the movement. Zade walks in as Lukas crouches to the floor, hand fumbling for his spectacles.

“
What are you doing?” Zade says.

“
Dropped my glasses.” Lukas’s expression is so calm and innocent, like his glasses really just accidentally fell, leaving me wondering whether or not he felt anything that I just felt. Perhaps he only wants to help, and I’m conjuring the other feelings all on my own. I sink onto the couch as Lukas finally finds his glasses, and Zade slumps into the chair across from me.

“
I’m sorry,” Zade says. “I shouldn’t take my temper out on you both. I just had to keep everything so tightly hidden when I got here, and now you both know just about everything going on. It was hard to keep it in place like I should.”

“
It’s fine,” I say. “I shouldn’t have become so angry either.”

“
No, it’s not. Mom would tan my hide if she knew I treated you both like that.”

“
I like your mom already,” Lukas says.

Zade smiles, but there’s no real warmth, and it quickly fades. “Cynthia, are you sure you want to risk your life, not only by being in the tournament itself, but dealing with more incidents like the one two nights ago?”