The Magic Catcher (5 page)

Fallon
looked her up and down, before glancing at his commander. “Face it,
Johnston. They’ll all find out sooner or later.”

Johnston
looked defeated, shrugging and turning his head so that he was
looking out at the sea, as though that would make him somehow not a
part of this. Fallon placed a hand on Aprestine’s arm and led her
away from the group. Katherine tried to trail along with them until
a sharp glare from Aprestine sent her scurrying back to the
soldiers.

“
The king’s been taken ill.” Fallon said. “Edrea has taken
control of the city, which means we’ve essentially become her
errands boys, picking up all these magical items she gets imported
from overseas…”

“
What kind of magical items?” Aprestine said.

Fallon
shrugged. “No idea. We’re not exactly allowed to open the packages,
are we?”

Aprestine looked at him through lowered lashes, placing a
hand lightly on his upper arm. “What if I looked
instead?”

“
Absolutely not.”

Aprestine took a step backwards. People didn’t often say no
to her, and she didn’t like it one bit. Fallon was looking at her
with a raised eyebrow, as though he knew he’d annoyed her, and that
only served to make her even more infuriated. It was unusual for
someone to be able to read her so well.

Changing
the subject, Aprestine asked, “Will King Annar recover?”

Fallon
paused. “What do you know of Edrea?”

“
I’ve heard the stories. Cruel. Greedy. Power
hungry.”

After another beat, Fallon leant forward and murmured,
quietly so the other guards wouldn’t hear, “I’m not convinced the
king’s illness is entirely
natural
.”

“
You’re accusing his own daughter of hurting him?”

“
I didn’t say that.”

“
You didn’t have to.”

A
silence stretched out between them, as Aprestine thought about her
next move. She needed Annar alive in order to get to the jewel. She
couldn’t let Edrea kill him. And perhaps Edrea herself could be
saved; Aprestine knew what it was like to be so consumed with magic
that you lost your sense of self. Maybe she could help. Teach Edrea
a better way.

Aprestine raised her head, “I’m going to Ezeth. I’m going to
find a way to save them both.” She didn’t add that she would be
saving herself in the process.

“
And how do you intend to do that?” Fallon said. He moved
closer, so close she could smell fresh soap on his skin, and she
had an overwhelming urge to tell him everything. She blinked, not
sure where this desire had come from, and immediately took two
steps away from him.

“
It’s best you don’t know. In fact, it’s best you don’t
remember me at all.” She said. She hadn’t used all her magic on
killing Tony, and with what she had taken from the second lantern,
she had enough left to get herself to Ezeth, and she had enough to
do this. She waved a hand over Fallon’s face and his eyes went
blank. A moment later he shook his head, staring at her in
confusion.

Fallon
frowned. “Do I know you?”

“
No.” Aprestine said. “I was just asking you the time, but you
said you didn’t have it. I’ll be on my way.”

She
swept past him just he muttered, confused, “But it’s six o clock in
the morning.”

She
smiled. Deciding to do the town of Deniz one last favour before
leaving, she tossed back, over her shoulder, “By the way? You
should restrict all access to that island. You might find the
disappearances around here stop altogether if you do.”

She
slipped into the night before he could reply, thinking she’d lost
him and hoping she’d done enough to help the townspeople with their
dragon problem, when she felt something tug on her dress. Wheeling
around, expecting to see Fallon again, she frowned at the sight of
Katherine standing before her.

“
Yes?”

“
Where are you going?” Katherine said. “You can’t just leave
me.”

“
Why not?” Aprestine was genuinely confused. “What would I do
with you?”

“
I don’t know.” Katherine said. “I was training to be a ladies
maid, before I got taken. I could be your maid.”

“
I don’t need a maid.” Aprestine said, attempting to sound
gentle but fearing she was coming across as rather blunt. She just
couldn’t
help
it.
She was amazed this girl had been related to Marcus; he at least
had owned a few brain cells.

Katherine’s lip was trembling again, and Aprestine whipped
out a handkerchief to help stem the flow of tears.

“
But the Porters won’t take me back now.” Katherine said.
“They’ll say they don’t know where I’ve been. I’m
ruined
.”

“
Oh. Yes, I can see that might be a problem.” Aprestine said.
“But you can’t come with me to Ezeth. It’s too
dangerous.”

She
looked around, hoping for inspiration. She supposed she owed it to
Marcus’s memory to at least help the girl find suitable employment
before she ended up on the streets.

“
Please?” Katherine said.

Aprestine sighed. She knew what she had to do, and she didn’t
like it one bit. “Why don’t you take me to the Porters? I’ll speak
to them. I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.”

It would
mean more magic. Persuasion spells were not easy at the best of
times, and this was magic she could ill afford to give up. But what
else was she supposed to do? Katherine’s face was widening into a
teary smile that almost made Aprestine feel a sliver of affection
for her.

Aprestine pushed that thought to the side as Katherine led
her down the streets of Deniz. At least doing this would get rid of
the girl, permanently. Then she would be on her own to do what she
needed to do.

Ezeth.
The Jewel. Her magic.

She only
hoped the king lasted long enough for her to convince him to do
what she needed him to. If not…

Well, if
not, she was going to have to find the next best thing. She would
have to find the girl. The one that hadn’t been seen in
years.

Ela.
 

And that
was going to be a problem in itself.

Did you
like this book?

Read more of Aprestine’s story in the full length
novel,
The Black Jewel
, available now in print and ebook form from all good
retailers.

The Black Jewel

A city
in ruin.

A forest
filled with secrets.

One girl
with the power to change it all.

Trapped
in a mundane existence in the heart of a deadly forest, Ela often
imagined what life must be like away from the trees. A world
without rules and restrictions, with the freedom to do anything.
She’d be safe from the ever-lurking threat of the Bowen Elders, the
men who seemed so determined to hurt her best friend, Caden. And
then Caden found the map. A map that would lead them straight into
the city of Ezeth.

Ela
thought all her problems would be solved if she could just make her
way into the city, but the outside world is nothing like she
imagined. It’s filled with hidden dangers, dark magic, and secrets.
Secrets about her past. And if she can't uncover the truth before
it’s too late, her past could lead to the downfall of the
once-great city, especially if she can’t find a way to stop the
dark power rising inside the castle before it’s too
late.