Bound Page 4

  The sun was still climbing in the sky when she became conscious of her surroundings again. The first thing she noticed was that the world was too still. She raised her head slowly, exhaustion yet sapping her body, and bumped gently against a low branch. From the corner of her eye she could see the road curving away from them beside her and it was clear when she turned and looked behind that Rain had continued walking straight when the road curved around the forest they were standing next to. She realized that she must have fallen asleep on his back. She looked up, checking the sun's position and thought she might only have been out for an hour or so.

  Part of her wanted to rub the sand from her eyes, turn Rain back onto the road and keep going until night, but she knew she had been lucky not to fall off in her sleep. Such a fall might only have woken her, but it might just as easily have killed her if she had landed wrong. She knew that she was tired, having not slept at all that night, and suffering from the after-effects of everything that had happened. She looked into the forest, considered, then dismounted and led Rain into the trees until she could just barely make out the road. Wrapping the reins around her hand twice, she was able to lay down under a tree with her head pillowed on her arms. She fell asleep again and began to dream almost immediately.

  It was him again in her dream, the man with the blond hair that curled down around his face, eyes the color of thick ice watching her. As always, he was smiling at her and she felt like he knew her beyond the years she had been dreaming about him. He walked up to her and put his hands on her waist, staring down at her. This part of the dream was a recent change, where at first he had only watched her. She didn’t mind, but wondered why she felt like she should know him more than she did. His eyes remained locked on her, and he pulled her in close, his hands sliding around behind her to complete the embrace. This had never happened before and it surprised her. She could see a strange kind of hope in his eyes as he looked down at her. His lips parted as his smile widened. She realized that she liked the feel of his arms around her, though she had never allowed anyone to hold her in so intimate an embrace. She tentatively slid her own hands up his chest to his neck, as she had seen some of the other girls do with their partners. She was rewarded with a gentle squeeze from his arms. His head dipped down to her ear and she could feel his breath on her skin, making her shiver even though she wasn’t cold.

  Suddenly Fay was awake. Rain's head was turned toward the road enough to pull on the reins. Confusion filled her thoughts as she tried to drag herself all the way awake. The dream always seemed so real when it came that she had to struggle to come to grips with reality when she awoke. She knew it couldn't be real because the man in her dreams never aged, not over all the years since the first dream of him, but when he'd held her this time, she'd been able to smell a smoky aroma from him. The dream had never been so vivid before, nor her memories of it so clear afterward.

  A noise from the road drew her attention and she realized almost immediately that it was why Rain had turned his head. Hooves on the road, a lot of them and moving fast from the thunderous racket they were making. She held herself as still as she could, though the half-risen position she had stopped in was quite uncomfortable. She prayed that Rain wouldn't move either. After a minute, the sound of the galloping horses veered away, continuing down the road and around the curve she had missed earlier. She made herself wait another minute before getting up, her muscles protesting the twisted position she had them locked in. She sat up with her back against the tree and considered the situation. She had to follow the professor's instructions in his message, partly because she could think of no other logical course of action. The only alternative that occurred to her was marching into Iondis and confronting her father. But she didn't know if he was involved with what had happened to Ganson and Brinds. If he had been, going anywhere near him would be dangerous. She had no idea what he might be able to do to her to force her cooperation, and didn't want to find out.

  The other riders who had just gone past concerned her. She was certain that it was Neoro and the guards her father had sent with him to fetch her, but from the way they had gone by, she was also sure that they thought she was ahead of them. If she was careful and kept her eyes and ears open, she might be safer behind them. She also wouldn't have to worry about pushing Rain too hard. That decided matters for her. She stood up and led the stallion back to the road. Once there, she listened, letting magic again extend her hearing, and mounted when she was certain they were long gone. She set out at a fast trot, reasonably sure that she would be able to sense any trouble ahead and have time enough to react at that speed.

  Chapter 4

  A day and a half later, Fay reached the town of Avene late in the afternoon, and was glad to see it. She had slept poorly the previous night, uncomfortable because of a twig digging into her back and cold as she hadn't dared to make a fire. Every twitch and sound in the night had woken her. At dawn she’d given up and continued riding. She was looking forward to a decent night's sleep on a nice bed instead of the ground. The possibility of a bath buoyed her spirits further.

  The streets of Avene were crowded with people trying to finish their business before sundown. She made her way to the broad yard between a stable and a two-story, L-shaped building with a sign hung over the door. She could already smell the kitchen and it made her aware of how hungry she was. With no fire and panic at the thought of being taken pushing her onward, she had hardly eaten anything since leaving Voleno. She dismounted in the yard and handed the reins to a stable boy who came out to meet her. She told him she would be leaving in the morning and that she wanted her horse ready when she came for him. He nodded eagerly, never taking his eyes from the stallion. She took her bags before the boy led Rain away. Passing under the sign painted with a laughing man and a tankard, she entered the common room.

  The noise of the crowd assaulted her as she entered and her eyes swept the room in astonishment. Avene wasn't a large town, though it was a crossroad, and she suddenly realized that her hopes for a room might be more faint than she had expected. She saw a few people in local dress, and felt a little relieved. Perhaps at least some of the patrons at the many tables were not guests of the inn. She fervently hoped so. A large, raucous group sat in one corner, with several tables pulled together. From the sturdy but dirt-covered clothes they wore and their loud laughter at the colorful jokes they were trading, she thought that they might be miners or builders. Another glance around the room and she saw someone hurrying over to her. As the plump woman drew close enough to see the Mark across her hairline, Fay saw her eyes widen and when she spoke, her tone was deferential.

  "Afternoon, miss, I'm Lelanne, keeper of the Roaring Drunkard. You've come just in time, I've one room left for the night, if you're looking for a place to stay. Or are you here for a bite?" The woman swept her eyes around the room doubtfully. "I don't know that I'd have a place to put you, but one of these gents might give up his seat for a lady, especially one who looks like she's been traveling a while."

  The warm welcome left Fay bemused, even as the news of an available room made her smile. She had spent so much of her life in the academies and with other Magicia that she was unused to such welcome from those who could do no magic themselves. Perhaps it was only because she was alone that the more usual suspicion and jealousy were absent. "I'm looking for both, actually, but I'll start with the room, as I'd like to put these away," she said, hefting her two bags. "Perhaps a seat will open up by the time I'm back down."

  Lelanne nodded and, with a quick look around the room again to make sure all was well in hand, she took Fay up the stairs to the second floor. They went down the hall and the innkeeper stopped at the second-last door on the right. She opened it and waved Fay inside. It wasn't a large room, a small bed and table were the only furnishings, but it looked like the greatest blessing from beyond the Veil of Airs to Fay. She thanked the woman and dropped her bags on the bed. She quickly dug out the purse of coins Ivanne had included with the
provisions and handed over payment for the room. Lelanne thanked her and retreated back downstairs to her customers. Fay went over to the small window overlooking the stable yard. She allowed herself a small sigh and then tucked the purse into the pouch on her belt. She was about to leave her room when she paused. She put her hand in the pocket of her skirt, felt the pendant there and the same tingle of warmth spread up her fingers. Reassured, she returned to the still-raucous common room.

  Lelanne was standing by the foot of the stair, surveying her domain. She turned as Fay reached her. "I've had a single seat open up, but you'll have to share the table with someone. Is that all right or would you prefer to wait and see if a table opens up?"

  Fay waved her assent and smiled wanly. "I'm too hungry to care who I'm eating with."

  The table the innkeeper led her to was on the side of the room furthest from both the kitchen and the stairs to the second floor. A young man sat there, his back to the room. Dark, nearly black hair fell almost to his shoulders and curled at the edges. He was wearing a roughspun tunic that strained across the back of his broad shoulders. She guessed he earned his living as a laborer of some kind but he was eating with surprisingly good manners. He didn't look around when Lelanne leaned in and spoke near his ear, but nodded at whatever she said to him. Lelanne straightened and gestured for Fay to take the empty seat opposite the young man before departing in the direction of the miners with a cross look on her face.

  Fay sat down and looked curiously at her tablemate. He was leaning over the bowl of stew in front of him, but she saw that he had a fairly square, strong jaw, and that his skin was sun-darkened, likely from working outdoors. His dark eyebrows were two slashes above his eyes and his nose was straight and well-formed. She thought with a trace of a smile that he was likely an object of great interest to any of the local women who were unattached. Then he looked up from his stew and across the table at her. His eyes transfixed her, a vivid emerald color she had never seen before in her life, filled with warmth and intelligence. She felt a confusing heated rhythm course through her as those eyes met hers.

  "I'm Tavis," he said, his voice a pleasant baritone that matched the expression in his eyes, warm and serious. His lips curved up slightly into a small, shy smile. "I'm sorry you have to share a table with me."

  Something about his smile caused an answering one touch her own lips, despite how her heart still hurt. "Sometimes it's better to have company than to eat alone. And I'm Fay."

  He nodded and returned to his stew. Her eyes wandered the room as the silence between them spun on, but she kept coming back to Tavis. After several minutes, Lelanne set a bowl of stew and a slice of warm, buttered bread in front of her. Fay thanked the innkeeper and asked about the smell of baking pastry she’d caught on her way in. Lelanne promised to bring her some after her meal. Fay stirred the stew, trying to concentrate on it. Taking a bite of the bread, she found her eyes again on Tavis. She was surprised to feel such an insistent interest in him. That wasn't like her, especially not with so many more important things to worry about. And yet she kept hoping he would look up at her again with those wonderful eyes.

  "Are you from Avene, Tavis?" His head came up, his expression as surprised as she felt on hearing herself speak.

  "No, just passing through," he said softly and continued eating.

  She dug into her stew, finishing it quickly. It felt good to have something warm and filling for the first time in days. She was looking around the room for Lelanne, considering asking whether they had a bath house in town, when she became aware that Tavis was staring at her, his own food long since finished. When their eyes met, he dropped his.

  "Yes?" she asked.

  At first, he didn't speak, but she watched him wrestle with himself for several moments. Finally, he looked up and said, "I hope I'm not being rude, but what do those symbols near your hair mean?"

  Fay blinked at that. As she groped for a response that would not make her seem the rude one, he flushed and dropped his eyes back to his empty bowl. "I'm sorry, forget I asked."

  "No, it's all right. I just wasn't expecting- It-" She paused to collect her wits again before going on. "When a Magicia graduates from an academy, they're imprinted with these symbols as a sign that they are fully qualified. The specific symbols communicate which academy they were at and when they graduated."

  "Oh. You’re a Magicia. I didn’t realize. My apologies."

  Neither of them spoke for a few minutes as Fay stared at him. Finally, she said, "Where are you from that you've never learned that? I thought it common knowledge throughout the empire."

  He didn't look up as he said, "It's just a farm community. It's a little isolated, so I guess Magicia don't go there much. Nothing to see. And I didn't get off the farm very often."

  "Why is that?"

  He hesitated before answering. When he did, he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "My father needed me around the farm to keep things going. No brothers or sisters to help out and, well, he wasn't much use himself after-"

  She waited a minute for him to continue, then Lelanne was there and took their dishes, leaving a plate of puffed pastries. Fay looked at them and realized that there were more than she could possibly eat. Nudging the plate to the center of the table, she said, "Would you like some? I guess I wasn’t quite as hungry as I thought when I asked for them." He nodded, and after a moment, she asked, "You were saying about your father?"

  Tavis looked down, frowning. It occurred to her that he might have been hoping the distraction would end a subject he obviously wasn’t happy to be discussing. Given his discomfort and the personal nature of the subject, she wondered why she had brought it up again. She was curious about him, but she rarely pushed anyone on things like this. She was about to tell him that he didn’t have to answer when he finally spoke quietly.

  "That he wasn’t much use after my mother left."

  "Oh. I- I’m sorry," She let the conversation lapse for several minutes, wishing she hadn’t said anything. She took one of the pastries and bit into it. A delicious mix of honey and nuts filled it, and she let the flavor occupy her attention as the silence continued. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her again.

  "Where's this farm community you came from?"

  "It's called Shev, a couple day's ride from here. My farm was another half-day beyond that. Not a prosperous place, but nice people in town. They were always good about how my father was."

  It was the most he had volunteered about himself so far, and she took it as an encouraging sign. "I've heard of it. They grow the best hops for beer in the province, as I understand it."

  Tavis looked up at her quickly, astonished. "You’ve heard of Shev?"

  She smiled. "Magic wasn't the only thing I studied at the academy. I also learned much of the geography of the Empire. It's as important to know where you're going as what to do when you get there."

  The phrase, one Ganson had used often when she complained of studying non-magical subjects, came naturally to her lips. It was suddenly hard for her to hold the smile. She wished she knew what had happened to him, but pushed it aside, knowing she would need help to answer that question, if that was even possible. Tavis still looked surprised. "Magicia really study things other than magic?"

  "Yes, there's more to the world than magic." Another of her mentor’s favorite sayings. She paused, searching for something else to talk about, anything that didn’t make her heart squeeze so painfully in her chest. Nothing came to mind, and she could feel her eyes growing full. She’d almost forgotten she wasn’t alone when Tavis spoke. He sounded uncomfortable but determined.

  "It’s still pretty crowded in here, and loud. I thought I might step outside for some fresh air. I- Would you like to join me?"

  Grateful for the distraction, she thought about his offer. The very small amount of sleep she had gotten since leaving Voleno was starting to catch up to her and she thought she would do better to go straight to bed. She looked at Tavis, about to demur
when his eyes caught hers and she realized that she didn’t want to be alone at that moment, even if it meant being with someone who was still a stranger.

  "I was just thinking of the stable yard, really. Enough to stretch our legs a little before going to bed," he said. He sounded both interested and a little confused. "We can stay near the door if you’re worried."

  "I’m not worried," she said automatically. Being alone with someone else rarely concerned her, but was surprised to find that this time, it had nothing to do with her ability to defend herself. She just didn’t think she had anything to worry about with Tavis, and no amount of self-examination explained to her why. Maybe if I talk with him more, I’ll be able to understand it, she thought. "It sounds nice. It’s a little warm in here anyway.

  When Tavis rose to his feet, she was amazed at how tall he was. She wasn't used to being so much shorter than someone, barely reaching his chin in her estimation. And yet she thought it suited him, making his broad shoulders seem perfectly proportioned. They left payment for their meals and made their way to the door. Night had fallen since her arrival, though a lantern was hung near the door and the moon, nearly full, cast a bright light around the yard. The air outside wasn’t as stuffy, but the night seemed warmer than it should have. Neither of them spoke for a while.

  "So where are you from?" Tavis asked.

  She hesitated, not wanting to say too much. They were alone in the yard, but she was still concerned about Neoro and his guards. What if someone overheard somehow? She was just deciding to keep details about herself to a minimum when an urge to share more than that with Tavis nudged her. It was so counter to her decision from a moment earlier that she nearly stopped to examine it. His expectant expression drew her on though.

  "I grew up on a small estate near Wyver," she began, aware of how candid he had been with her so far and feeling like she owed him at least some of the same. "It’s on the other side of Rianza from here. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of it?"