Star Mage (Book 5) (22 page)

I will claim the power of their fragments for myself, and I will never again be contained…

The dark sky ripped and tore apart from within, a bright blossom of brilliant light that flowered open as if it were a white rose unfolding in the warm days of early summer. And inside was a long, spiraling tunnel, within the greater light, and there were found four figures veiled in shadowy cloaks. The quad jettisoned from the portal of light and hovered in suspicious fury as they stared at the wasted corpse on the cross.

The Starwalkers had come for him, come seeking the sweet savor of revenge.

In the serenade of lovesick dreams, Mara floated and slept and faded away into the fragrance of Talis’s skin, the memory of his embrace still thick in her mind, and the scent of him woke her in a sweetness that possessed nothing of the jealousy that had kept her awake last night. She felt renewed, and as she stood and stretched and yanked open the curtains, the burst of bright light filled her with the amazing feeling that she knew was the purest form of love.

Talis had said it to her; his own voice whispered in her ear. He said he loved her, and that was enough to erase the jealously she’d felt towards Princess Devonia. A wave of Mara’s hand washed away the memory of the girl’s disgustingly beautiful face. Did she have a nasty wart in some hideously funny place? She probably nagged and was annoying all the time. There had to be a dark secret about the Princess that doomed her to a solitary life of misery. Mara certainly hoped so.

She flung off her nightclothes and strode over to the dressing room and flipped through her wardrobe, and finally selected a long, flowing dress that shimmered white and silky in the sunlight. It was perfect. Dressing quickly, she darted out of the room and went to Talis’s room and knocked and waited, but he didn’t come to the door. A servant girl glided over and bowed cautiously and whispered behind a covered mouth that the young master was downstairs having breakfast in the dining room.

Disappointed for a second, Mara nodded to the girl and realized that likely Talis had let her sleep in and recover from their late night. She followed the stairs down to the grand foyer and allowed her nose to guide her to the dining hall where only a few people remained at their tables, most drinking tea or sipping coffee and chatting. She must have slept in really late. Off to the corner of the room she spotted Talis talking with Master Goleth. She waved and weaved her way through the tables until she took her seat as Talis held the chair for her.

“We thought you’d sleep all day.” Talis winked at her and flashed her an overly friendly smile that made her worried for some strange reason. It was like he was going out of his way to be nice to her. Wasn’t he acting a little weird?

“So,” Master Goleth pronounced, and raised a finger in an official-looking flourish. “We’ve heard from the Royal Secretary.” At Talis’s excited eyes, the Builder allowed a grin to cross his face. “Yes, yes, I knew you would be pleased. That’s why I waited for the both of you. Couldn’t spoil the news.”

He took a sip of coffee and savored the taste as if wanting to torture them. Mara didn’t really care, she wasn’t all that excited to meet Emperor Ghaalis, and certainly didn’t want to see Princess Devonia again, and from the old servant’s words, she really didn’t want to meet her brother either. He sounded like an arrogant, rude royal, like so many of them. Did she even want to go? Suddenly all her excitement at what Talis had told her last night, and from having a good night’s sleep, vanished in the smoky haze of having to see Princess Devonia at the Royal Court. And to make things even worse, Mara hated the idea of Talis seeing the Princess again…

“That’s wonderful,” Mara said, her voice sarcastic. She cleared her throat and swallowed after her voice cracked. “The response was faster than you expected?”

Talis glanced with cautious eyes at Mara and she felt a bit embarrassed at the tone of her retort.

“Much faster, actually. I’m surprised that Emperor Ghaalis even paid attention. It’s like someone pointed us out to him.”
Likely Princess Devonia mentioned her encounter with us last night,
Mara thought. The timing was too perfect. “He certainly knew we were here otherwise he’d never had arranged that powerful display of magic. But going so far beyond protocol and granting us an audience right away…unheard of, at least in my experience.”

“When are we expected to go?” Talis said, but all Mara heard was him asking when he could see Princess Devonia again. As if he were thinking the sooner, the better…

“This afternoon. Yes, don’t look so surprised. We’re expected right after lunch when the Order of the Dragons will perform a demonstration for the Emperor and the Royal Court. I doubt you’ve ever heard of them, but you’re in for a real treat. They are simply amazing to behold.” Master Goleth rubbed his hands together and stood as if ready to leave. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy your breakfast. I’ve much to prepare before our visit. Make sure to dress in the complete formal attire I’ve had the servants set aside for you. I’ll stop by your rooms well in advance of the time of departure.”

The wizard walked out of the room as two servants brought covered silver salvers and set them on a wooden stand. One gleeful-faced waiter lifted the silver cover and flourished a hand at the steaming dish. He placed the plate of fish and rice and thinly sliced vegetables formed in an artistic twist in front of Mara. The servant ladled a white cream sauce over the fish, and bowed to them. The other servant poured tea for Mara and added a splash of milk to the spicy, aromatic tea. But she found that her hunger had vanished at the prospect of attending court.

Mara glanced at Talis and felt a lump of jealous guilt stick in her throat. This was so stupid, why was she feeling this way? Everything inside had been so confusing over the last week, ever since they’d left the smuggler’s cove. The wild feeling that had washed over her that night on the ship after the storm… The rage and ecstasy she felt against those sorcerers as she destroyed their lives so gleefully. And the disappointment that had knocked her down so quickly when Master Goleth had insisted that he alone would kill those two horrible criminals. He had every right considering the hurt and terror they’d committed against the wizard and his mother, but Mara felt like it was her retribution to mete out against the two old men.

“Where did you go off to?” Talis’s voice broke Mara’s reverie and she realized with a flush of embarrassment that she was staring stupidly at the food, the fork and knife stuck in her hands, and the meal untouched. She sent him a quick, apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought. All of this”—she flourished her fork and Talis winced as if she were brandishing a weapon—“is a bit too much for me to deal with, I guess. You know what I mean?”

“I suppose so.” His voice sounded unconvinced and confused at her no doubt strange mood. She sighed and felt frustrated and for some reason just wanted to be alone.

“I’m being an idiot and I’m sorry for acting so stupid.” She dropped the fork and knife on the table and stood, excusing herself to Talis in a hasty rush.

He seized her wrist and she felt her arm tense and prepare to strike him down, and the weirdest part was that she saw Princess Minoweth’s dagger in her hand and the smooth arc as it cut across his beautiful neck and released an elegant spray of blood all over the white tablecloth. She gasped and blinked repeatedly, trying to eradicate the horrific image from her mind.

In a wild rush she shook free of his grasp and ran from the table, ignoring Talis’s pleas for her to come back. Gods, what was wrong with her? If she’d had a dagger in her hand she would’ve killed him, she knew that nothing in her power could’ve stopped her from doing that instinctual movement. It was like catching a ball that someone throws at you. Snap. Just like that.

Back in her room, she locked the door and yanked the curtains closed to cover herself in the soothing darkness. For comfort she found the daggers and cradled them like they were two nursing babies that she alone could nurture and give them life to sustain and quench their hunger. They fed from her and caused a fury to rise in her heart. She didn’t want to kill Talis. She only wanted to kill those two old terrible men, and the sorcerers that must have killed her father, and in a burst of hateful jealously, she wanted to kill Princess Devonia. Mara wanted to wipe that haughty smile from her pretty face with an angry slash across her pouty lips.

She threw the daggers into her pack and tried to clear her head. After thinking and sulking for a while, she got tired and disgusted of herself and decided to go and apologize to Talis for her ridiculous behavior. She glanced at her bag and decided to leave the daggers in the room, remembering the strong feeling of hatred and violence that had come over her from touching them. It was better to leave them.

At the door though, the pain surged in her stomach like the first time she had tried to separate herself from the weapons. She gasped, and in a burst of speed she turned and jogged back to where her bag rested by her bedside. What had changed? Since she’d made the agreement with the daggers she had often been away from them for long periods of time, like last night with Talis out and about the city. But something had changed and Mara could feel that the daggers were unrelenting in their insistence that she keep them close.

Could she put the daggers in one of the stylish purse bags that she had seen so many of the girls in the capitol wear? She headed to the dressing room and rummaged around through the dresses and shirts and bags and shoes that the servants had brought her. To her amusement, she even traced her fingers over the soft, silky and frilly underclothes that had been proffered her. Such strange and wonderful textures and designs, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out how these would be useful in any way at all. But they certainly were pretty, though she couldn’t picture herself actually wearing them. But would Talis like it if she wore them?

Finally she found a white leather purse with a stylish gold clasp of the sun at the top and she tried it on, inspecting herself in the mirror. It was small enough to look attractive, and large enough to hold both daggers. What else could she carry inside to conceal the weapons? She thought back to the square and all the pretty girls opening their purses and withdrawing tubes of red coloring to paint their lips, and containers of rouge to dab at their cheeks. Other girls had pencils to paint their eyes in brilliant, glittery colors that seemed infused with light and caused their eyes to glow and dance with magic.

She sifted through the perfumes and cases and metal tubes on top of the dressing table, uncertain of how they were all used. Some of the older girls in Naru wore color for their lips and cheeks, but nothing compared to the exotic applications of color and sparkle that the women of Carvina wore. She sniffed and scooped up several of the cases and tubes and tossed them inside her purse, caring little for actually using them, she just wanted something to hide her daggers.

Talis’s eyes were wary as he opened the door and he paused as he inspected her.
 

“I’m sorry,” she said, and pushed the door farther open and kissed him on the lips before he could say anything. She kicked the door closed and flung herself pathetically into his arms and felt enraged that he didn’t kiss her back with the same intensity as he had before on the ship. With a pouty separation she glanced up at him and batted her eyes in the way she’d seen Princess Devonia do to him several times.

“Are you feeling ok?” he said, and held her arms, a quizzical look marring his youthful face. “You’re acting kind of strange.”

The purse felt heavy on her shoulder, so she slung it around and slumped down on his bed, and stared out the windows at the clouds bunching together as if threatening a storm.

“Maybe I’m just jealous of the Princess.” She thought that perhaps honesty would earn her a bit of sympathy. She flicked out her fingers in an elegant flourish. “She’s just so refined and tall and
older
and more beautiful than me. Tell me the truth, tell me you’re not attracted to her. I know you are.”

The pause in his response…that just killed her and made her seethe inside.
 

“It’s not like that, Mara. Now don’t get all angry at me, what do you expect me to say? Yes, she’s pretty, but she’s also the daughter of the Emperor that wanted to destroy Naru and enslave or kill our people. Be reasonable. You know how I feel about you.”

She wanted to scream and slap him for acting so calm and reasonable. If Princess Devonia had barged into his room and kissed him and kicked the door closed, Mara knew for a fact that Talis wouldn’t be acting all
reasonable
. He’d be raging like an inferno, like the Fire Mage he was, all burning and flowing and bursting with power and lust. Why was he so contained and logical with her? Right now, what she wanted was the very opposite of logic…

“Get dressed,” she said, and pushed herself up and glanced contemptuously at his disheveled clothes. “I’m going back to my room.”
And you can just think logically all you want, but do it without me. Perhaps she would ask one of the servant girls to show her how to apply the colors on her eyes and lips and cheeks. Certainly Princess Devonia’s brother would be more entertaining than Talis. An ill-logical brute might be a far more pleasant encounter than Talis and his stupid sensibilities…