He frowned. “I ‘stalk’ to ensure the protection of the Crown Prince. Orders by the Queen.”
“Really?” I folded my arms across my chest. “Where were you when those men from Serpent’s Cove attacked us? When Q—” I winced.“When Silas was attacked and had no choice but to end them?”
A bewildered frown overtook his features, and his arms slacked to his sides. “When the hell did that happen?” he demanded.
My eyes widened, and I smacked my palm against my forehead.
If he’s trying to get information from me, I’m doing a good job just giving it to him.
“What do you want?” I muttered, annoyed with myself for being so foolish.
“The Queen only requested my service in keeping an eye on Silas after your little altercation at the castle.” He paused momentarily. “I haven’t seen another Mage in quite some time.”
I stilled, only my head tilting up to glare at him.
The wind blew his platinum hair, and his umber-colored eyes gazed at me with unsettling intensity. He turned his hand ever so slightly, and the glamour concealing his ears vanished, showing natural, pointed cartilage—the ears of a Mage.
My hand shot over my mouth, and my breathing hitched.
He was telling the truth!
“What are you doing?” I hissed as my eyes darted around us. “Hide them!”
He motioned his hand again as he glamoured himself once more, his ears becoming rounded again.
“I wanted you to know I meant what I said.” He glanced around and leaned in close. “I am a spy,” Torrin whispered, and my stomach dropped. “Before you panic,” he continued, “I wasn’t being dishonest when I said Silas was my friend and a good man.”
Silas had said the same of Torrin, but what would he say if he knew he was a traitor? A spy?
“For whom?” I barely got out.
His voice was low and smooth. “Our people in Ames.”
I frowned, looking into his brown eyes. Specks of orange were present in his irises, nearly glowing in the sunlight. “I haven’t heard of such a place,” I breathed.
He gave a soft smile. “It’s a quaint village, nowhere near the size of Otacia. But everyone there is like you and me.”
A place with just Mages? That couldn’t be. Mother and I had traveled a great distance around our continent—Tovagoth—and had never encountered anything like it. Then again, there is much to the mainland we haven’t seen, I suppose.
I crossed my arms to try and still the trembling I felt running through them. “If such a place exists,” I persisted, “why the hell would you stay here? Silas said he’s known you foryears.”
Those brown eyes studied me closely. “A great seer lives in Ames. He is named Igon Natarion. He told me the future of our people depended on me being here.” His eyes skimmed the area again, and then he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Something bad is going to happen, Lena. I don’t know what specifically, as seers cannot directly tell the future without altering it. But the fate of our people relies on Otacia. On me being here,” he repeated.
“So, what, you will be the one saving our people? You alone?” I asked incredulously. I was finding it a challenge to keep my nerves at bay.
He scoffed. “I am just part of the puzzle, as are you.” He took my hands in his, and I stilled at the gesture. I angled my head upwards to meet his stare. He had to have been a foot taller than me. “When things change…when things go wrong—and you’ll know when that moment comes—you find me. Do you understand?”
“You’re scaring me.” My whole body vibrated with dread, and then my biggest fear crept in. “You…you aren’t going to hurt Silas, are you?”
Torrin drew back. “Never,” he promised, and the look on his face almost appeared pained. “Silas is my friend. I wouldneverhurt him. When things change, it will not be our doing. It won’t be in our control.”
“What of Silas, then?” I pressed. “What will happen to him?”
Torrin gently squeezed my hands that were still in his. “It will be Silas who determines the fate of Magekind. It has been seen.”
I let out a shaky breath. None of this made sense. I had never known a seer, never known any other Mage, for that matter, but it was known that certain Mages were gifted with unique abilities. I didn’t appear to have one, nor did my mother.
“How exactly is that?” I ignored the lump in my throat at the thought of such a weight on Silas’s shoulders. “As…as King?”
