Silas gave me a side glance, then kept his voice low as we turned down the alleyway from before. “My father wishes to rule the southeast territories: Faltrun, Forsmont, and Wrendier.”
It was an effort to keep a neutral expression. The La’Rune’s had already gained control of Otacia’s bordering villages and kingdoms over the past few decades in the name of better defense and economy.
“Why?” The wince Silas gave me was enough to confirm my suspicions. “My Gods, he wishes to be High King of Tovagoth, doesn’t he?”
We were entering the alleyway that contained the hidden passage. “I know it sounds bad—”
“Bad? It sounds like he’s wishing to go to war. Faltrun alone has a massive army, and I can guarantee their King will not just hand over their territory.” I knew enough about Faltrun, considering Renrell, the village my father was from, is one of its territories.
“Everything has a cost.” Silas’s words were clipped as he spoke.
I grabbed his arm right after we snuck through, making sure no eyes were on us before doing so. “Some things have greater costs than others. Who is to say you won’t be there on the front lines if we went to war?”
The thought of Silas fighting in a war, being put in so much danger, all for his father’s hunger for power, made me overcome with dread.
“If anything happened to you, I—”
Silas gently grasped my hands in his and sighed through his nose. “Certain things are beyond my control, my father’s decisions being one of them. My mother is aware of my disagreement on the matter…but my voice means nothing to the King.” I couldn’t help but notice the bitterness in his tone.
Silas released my hands, and as we continued walking down the path, my mind went to Torrin.
I had met with him once a month to check in, even though I knew he was always doing his usual spying and probably knew anything I would tell him anyway. I wondered if he was aware of the King’s desire to conquer all of those settlements.
I’d grown to like the guy. And it was comforting knowing there was another Mage here I could relate to. He said he’d be willing to teach me how to wield my magic, but the risk for us as individuals and the apparent fate of our people prevented it.
Sometimes, Torrin would speak to me in my mind—our conversations continuing even when we weren’t together.
I felt guilty keeping that from Silas, but I knew Torrin would keep our path safe, as he knew Thursdays were our day. He had insured it all this time.
“I told you he could be trusted,”Kayin said in my mind. I could hear the smile in her voice.
My lip tilted upward as Silas and I rustled through the second set of bushes, leading us to the second hidden pathway.
Well, Kayin, it seems you were right. However, he could still turn on me at any time.
She chuckled.You are such a worrywart. I don’t blame you, though.
Her voice always seemed familiar. Yet still, after a year of speaking to her, the only thing I had come to discover was her name.
Kayin and I had grown closer as the months passed, and now that our connection had strengthened over time, I was now able to speak to her while awake and moving, similarly to how I spoke with Torrin in my mind. I could vent to her about girl stuff, and she would tell me how her days had gone, insisting on how uneventful most were. Of course, she never went into crazy detail. She was actually quite funny, too.
She did tell me she was older than me, but her age didn’t matter. She was my friend, regardless. She had told me Torrin was her friend and assured me Silas’s safety was imperative for Magekind. That gave me some comfort.
When I had brought up the voice in my head to Torrin, he had asked if I was drunk. I punched him in the gut for that one.
I supposed I thought of him as a friend, too.
Once he was done being a smart-ass, he told me Kayin had been communicating with him for a few years. Their conversations had been sparse until recently. But, same as me, their communications had increased as of late.
“She somehow has the same gift,”Torrin had said one day as he told me more about his unique ability to read thoughts and communicate telepathically to others.“It isn’t often you meet another Mage with the same gift as you.”
We made it past the area I was caught in the last time I roamed this path a year ago. He guided me where to climb, and we ascended on a ledge in the guard’s apparent blind spot.
“My room is up there,” he whispered, pointing to a tower on the left side of the castle. “I have a balcony door up there. It isn’t too challenging getting up and back down from here…for those with our stamina, anyway.” He winked, and I knew he wasn’t referring to just exercise.
We still had training nearly every week. I had become well-versed in hand-to-hand combat using a variety of weapons. I had even learned how to use a bow. My skill with the dagger was most promising, but my sword was a close second.
Even Torrin was impressed by my progress. He did, however, try to take credit, saying that since he trained Silas, he essentially trained me. I rolled my eyes at that.
