The Bronze Mage (5 page)

Tabitha tried to imagine what Melanie would do, if she were the one James had taken. Nurse had always talked about Mage James as if he were much stronger than other mages, and Melanie wasn't even finished with her schooling. She guessed it would be like pitting her father's field marshal against one of the squires in a sword fight. So where did that put Tabitha? In that comparison, she'd be a blind kitchen drudge who hadn't even a knife to wield. Magic was entirely beyond her. The squire might get lucky, but the drudge?

She opened her eyes. She could see the woods stretching out before her. Could see her hands resting apparently against nothing. Forced herself to breathe slowly and calmly while she did this. The barrier was invisible, but it was real. Tabitha wasn't crazy, just trapped...by the most powerful mage in recent history, who might have reawakened for that very purpose. But though she could not defeat the mage, the barrier would have limits. She would find a way to breach it and go home.

SIX

Subtle Danger

The next few days followed a similar pattern. Their conversations were stilted, but James was not unfriendly. He hardly ever answered questions, but he didn't seem irritated by them. He would just turn them around and get Tabitha talking instead. She became used to the casual contact he often made with her, touching her arm to get her attention, placing his hand on her back to guide her through a door. The way he watched her ceased to make her nervous. She began to think of him somewhat less as an adversary, more as a man. She noticed his straight shoulders, silver eyes, black hair. Part of her looked forward to his nightly spellwork, his hands on her scalp and neck, the effect that had on her.

Tabitha reminded herself that he used to seduce women as a matter of course. That he probably considered her an easy mark. That Nurse would be horrified if she proved him right.

But what could she do? She had yet to find any weakness in the barrier, any way to escape or even get a message out. The few private conversations she'd had with the servants had proved them to be pragmatically loyal to James, though the manservant seemed sympathetic to Tabitha's plight. The maid was quick to voice her opinion that Tabitha's own foolishness must have gotten her into this situation.

On the tenth day after James had surprised her in the garden, Tabitha announced at breakfast that she was sending a letter home.

James's right eyebrow arched. "What do you intend to tell them?"

"That I'm fine. That I have no idea why I'm still here, nor really where here is. That they'd better have Mage Crandall check me out when I return because you've been laying some kind of spell on me every day. That I hope to return home soon, but if I don't, they should check out your cousin's hunting lodge in Xentia just in case we really are there."

By now, both of James's eyebrows hovered near his hairline. He looked amused. "I see. And I would allow you to send this...why?"

"Whyever not? You can even include a note of your own with your ransom demand or list of grievances or whatever."

"Ah. You're still trying to return to your parents' house."

Tabitha clenched her jaw while she constructed a response that didn't involve throwing things for emphasis. "Unless I missed the wedding, that's still my home."

James shrugged casually. "I rather doubt your father would send me your dowry, in any case."

"He'd send it as a ransom if there was reason to believe you'd return me."

"But what if I want both?"

"Dowry and ransom? I think it's the same money."

"You and the money."

Tabitha forced herself to laugh. "Revenge and money? I'm quite sure those are mutually exclusive."

"You and your dowry."

"Most men manage that by courting a girl, working out the details of the dowry with her family, marrying her and only then carrying her off. Keep that in mind next time and I'm sure you'll have better luck. May I write them?"

"You may if you wish. I doubt it will get sent."

He brought paper, ink and a quill to the table after it was cleared. Tabitha wrote exactly what she'd promised. It took less than a page. She found it hard to know what to say. Especially since she had the feeling the letter would only get sent if it did more harm than good. Still, if it was someone else in her family missing, she'd want to hear from them. It also helped reinforce in her own mind that James was her adversary. It had been getting too easy for her to forget that fact.

Once the ink was dry, she brought the letter to James. He was working at his desk. Tabitha had never entered his room before. His desk faced the outside wall on her left. She could either take two small steps and stand behind him, or cross to the window on his right and face him. Irked by her reluctance to enter the room, she crossed to the window. When he lifted his eyes, his gaze was so intense, she regretted her bravado. It made her very aware that this was not just his study, but his bedroom. She held out the letter. He stood to receive it, taking a step closer to her, and in so doing blocked her return to the door. She waited while he carefully read it through.

"'Despite being irritating and obstinate, the mage has behaved like a gentleman'?"

His gaze raised the blood through her face. Her heart was pounding. "You are and, other than the spell you keep working on, which hardly seems polite since you won't even tell me what it does, you have."

"Hmm. A reassurance that seems a little frail, since it could cease to be true at any moment." He seemed to be considering this as a possible moment for making it untrue.

Tabitha bit back half a dozen un-useful replies. She couldn't clear her head enough to formulate anything helpful, so she just glared at him. She was finding it harder to breathe. Finally, something came to her.

"You said I'd always be safe with you."

"Hmm." He seemed less than pleased by this reminder, but shifted backwards as he set the letter on his desk. "Why, again, might I send this?"

"Because ten days ago my parents discovered that I was missing. I don't know how long it took them to notice that you were also gone, but I doubt it's taken this long. They're worried. But so far I am fine and you have been a gentleman. I want them to know that." After a heartbeat she added, "Of course, I'd be happy to deliver the message myself if it's too much trouble for you to send it."

"No." His silver eyes locked on hers and he squared his stance.

At this point Tabitha really wanted out of the room. "Excuse me. I need to leave." She was amazed her voice stayed level.

"Do you have another engagement?" His silver eyes danced in amusement.

She replied through gritted teeth: "I need to find a stick for the maid to fetch."

James's lips twitched. He stepped aside and waved her on with a slight bow.

Tabitha stepped through the parlor, out the front door and across the lawn without a backward glance. She forced herself to stop before she reached the boundary. Right now feeling the magical restraint would definitely make her frantic. She paced along the edge of the lawn, searching through the trees for a likely piece of deadfall. She had to keep slowing down. The urge to run away was strong, but there was no point in running laps around the house or bouncing herself uselessly off the boundary. Eventually she found a likely stick and the day returned to its normal pattern.

That evening, as Tabitha approached the cabin after splintering her latest stick against the hapless tree, she noticed James watching from the porch. She had finally settled on draping the blanket from her bed over her nightclothes for the journey from the bathhouse to her room, and now she was glad of its additional cover.

"So, that's why you keep collecting kindling," he said.

Embarrassed to find he'd witnessed her makeshift exercises, she straightened her shoulders. She hoped the darkness hid her reddening cheeks. "I do better with a real blade, or even a proper practice blade. Though I did pay enough attention in history to believe I'd be no match for you. Even if you didn't use magic."

"But I do."

James didn't appear to do anything, but suddenly Tabitha found herself walking toward him. She needed to be closer. Soon she stood facing him, so close their bodies almost touched. The need left her and she quickly retreated. He looked smug. She felt sick with fear.

"What was that?" she asked, voice shaking.

"A test."

"Of what?"

He reverted to silence.

There were a great many things she almost said. None of them were constructive, though, so she turned and stalked into the cabin. James followed, but stopped by the fireplace. She shut the door to her room and leaned against it. She knew she'd have to open it soon, but while she gathered herself, this made her feel very slightly more secure. As if anything she did could prevent James from doing anything he wanted. It didn't help that she knew her desire for him wasn't entirely the result of his spell.
 

Eventually Tabitha decided that the mind-numbing calm of his spellweaving might be welcome. She stepped back and opened the door.

James was directly on the other side. He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Thoroughly. It took several seconds for her brain to process what was happening, and several more for it to override her body's response. She wriggled her arms between them and pushed as hard as she could. James pulled back a fraction of an inch. Breathing his breath, staring into his eyes, she concentrated on her arms and kept pushing. He stepped back and released her. She retreated diagonally, nervously avoiding the bed, and finally maneuvered around to her vanity. She turned her back to him to sit stiffly in the chair.

After a few seconds, he unknotted the ribbon holding her braid and began weaving his spell.

SEVEN

Day Off

Every morning James had to lift the sleep spell for Tabitha to wake. He left her room immediately after doing so. Tabitha kept her eyes closed an extra minute after regaining consciousness, so that she could open them to an empty room and a closed door. It delayed the caged feeling that was becoming more oppressive each day.

The morning after the kiss, when Tabitha opened her eyes, James was waiting by the door. She pulled the blanket over her head and wished he'd go away.

"What?" she demanded.

"I have some errands to run today. The servants will still be here to take care of you. I should return before dark."

"Take your time." Then, pulling back the covers so she could look at him, "Are you going to send my letter?"

He paused halfway through the door, but didn't turn around. "Do you still want me to?"

"Yes!"

He left without answering.

Tabitha rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She had to figure out a way to escape. Today would be her best chance of it. Last night had shaken her. She'd known before how vulnerable she was, but since James had never taken advantage of that fact, she'd acquired a false sense of security. Now she felt certain her time was running out.

After breakfast, she re-investigated every inch of the boundary. She dragged chairs and tables from the house to stack and climb onto. The fact that the servants made no move to stop her wasn't encouraging. The boundary seemed to go up indefinitely.

She tried looking for something helpful in James's room, but his door was locked. Just to be thorough, she threw a rock at his bedroom window, but it bounced off.

She poked around the outbuildings and found some garden tools. Taking the spade, she tried digging under the boundary. She had barely started when she was called in for lunch. She decided to eat, just in case she succeeded. After lunch she continued digging. While she dug she tried to think of other ideas, but none came to her, so she kept digging. The process was greatly slowed by the fact that as she dug deeper, she realized she also needed to widen the hole. Clearing dirt from the other side of the boundary was difficult and strained her back since the shovel could pass through, but not her hands.

By dinnertime her blisters were bleeding, her arms felt rubbery and her hole was only about four feet deep. She took a break to wash and bandage her hands, but skipped eating. There were only a few hours left before sunset.

Despite the evidence, Tabitha refused to believe the magic could extend down indefinitely, so after dinner she climbed back into the hole. She had a suspicion that a tunnel might be more effective, so she started digging at an angle. Even if this did work, she wasn't sure how to dig her way up the other side, but she wanted to test the theory regardless. After a short time she realized she could reach her arm under the boundary through the beginnings of her tunnel.

James could return at any time. She knew that her chances of tunneling under the boundary, up the other side, and putting sufficient distance between herself and the cabin before his return were non-existent. If he found her while she was trying it, he'd just change the magic or lock her in the cabin if he ever left again. She had to fill in the hole before he returned. Make it look like she'd given up on that route. Next time she'd know what to do and would start earlier.

Climbing back out of the hole was difficult. Filling it in was even more so. She second-guessed her decision with every shovelful. He might change the magic or lock her up anyway. He might not leave again. Tabitha pushed those thoughts from her mind and worked as quickly as her muscles could. It was depressingly short work.

Afterwards she filled the bath and lit the fire to heat it. She brought out her nightclothes and the blanket, and also the bottle of lilac-scented oil. She hadn't actually soaked in the tub since the first day. Her privacy never felt secure. But tonight James was gone and Tabitha was very dirty and sore. She was going to soak.

Of course, the combination of physical exhaustion and hot scented bath water meant that as soon as she finished actively washing, she caught herself dozing off. Twice she shook herself awake as she slid deeper into the bath. The third time she reluctantly dragged herself out of the tub and dried off. Her fingers were barely wrinkled.