Twenty

“You hungry?”

“No,” Alissa answered with a shake of her head. “Did they not offer you anything to eat?”

That’s when Marcus caught a whiff of the mouthwatering scent wafting from the open doorway, and a quick peek inside showed him the many silver platers spread out on the large table just inside the room. Apparently, the Marquis anticipated the young Duchess’ need for a good meal and, not knowing what she liked, had presented her with a little bit of everything.

“I didn’t even get an extra pair of sheets,” Marcus jested as his stomach made its presence known.

“That is unacceptable,” she stormed as her face clouded over in anger.

Marcus just shrugged his shoulders, “What do you expect? I’m just a slave…”

“Do not say that!” She demanded unexpectedly before calming herself. “You are more than that, understand?” Her cerulean eyes looked up into his and softened. “There is much more food than I could possibly stomach. Will you join me for dinner?”

“So, what happened next?” Marcus asked, wincing as the amber liquid burned his throat on its way to his overstuffed stomach.

Alissa looked at him with a flushed face, giggling like a schoolgirl as she continued her story in between desperate gasps of air. “Mister Weber, the gardener, was furious. Not only were the hedges mangled, but all of his hair was singed straight off of his head.”

Marcus let out a low chuckle, envisioning an old, overweight gardener dressed in overalls, his bald head streaming wisps of smoke. “He was alright, wasn’t he?”

“Oh, yes, he was fine. His hair grew back even thicker than before, although he did give me the stink eye whenever he saw me after that.” Alissa wheezed before sobering up. “That was the last time Father ever allowed me to practice magic.”

“Why’s that? It sounds like you’re a natural.”

“I had no control over my mana,” Alissa explained as she took another sip of her amber drink. “That is something not uncommon for youth just beginning to explore the arcane arts, but with my unusually potent magical power, it proved to be too much of a hazard.” She took a shuddering breath as her eyes started to well with tears, something in sharp contrast to her previously jovial air. “…but that was for the best. I found out shortly after all of that that it was not the first time my errant magic had caused so much destruction.”

Marcus didn’t much care for the direction their lighthearted conversation had suddenly taken. Whatever it was that she had remembered was obviously very hard for her, and he didn’t want her to have to relive the trauma, especially knowing what she had already gone through and what waited for her in the very near future.

“You don’t need to tell…” He started but was interrupted as Alissa started to speak as if she hadn’t heard him.

“Did you know that every living thing produces its own mana?” She paused to finish her drink in one large, unladylike gulp. “The mana that escapes is tainted by their souls, creating something poisonous to others, but their own mana pressing outwards from their cores prevents the contaminated energy from harming them.”

“Wouldn’t it just build up over time,” Marcus asked, listening closely to the answer. He had learned some things about mana and magic from Jorel, but nothing more than just the barest of knowledge. “…overpowering everything?”

Alissa nodded her head as she refilled her small glass. “It would if the flora of the world did not absorb the polluted mana, filtering out the impurities before releasing pure aether, usable by all. Also, creatures are capable of managing small amounts of foreign mana safely, converting the energy into something that they can use. That process also allows those with the knowledge of magic to use it to expand their own cores, strengthening them and increasing their magical strength. Of course, the pure mana released or stored by mana-rich plants and herbs is best for strengthening one’s own mana core, if they can afford them.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that.” Marcus hummed, thinking back on those mana stones he had absorbed. He wondered if he were like the plants of this world, using some sort of magical photosynthesis to power his body. He had been growing much stronger, his injuries healed at a visible rate, and his stamina and senses were all on another level, all because he was able to take in both the polluted mana given off by cores and the pure aether floating around in the environment. “…but what does all of that have to do with you?”

“…my mother…” she whispered before straightening her back and looking into her half-full glass. “Her body… she couldn’t handle the.. my mana was too strong. It poisoned her from the inside out…” Tears started to crawl down her flushed cheeks, leaving jagged, sparkling trails. “I did not know I had done it. Not until… not until I was told of my unusual strength in the magical arts. My father had always told me my mother had simply succumbed to a rare sickness, but when I pressed him, he finally told me the truth…”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Marcus comforted her, having gotten up and crossed the gap between them to rub her shoulders. She leaned her body into his grip, her slender shoulders trembling as she wiped her teary eyes with a cloth.

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“After my mother had passed on, Father had a monument of her built in the foyer.” Her words brought back a memory of the towering statue of the beautiful woman standing between the curving stairs. Now that he thought back on it, Alissa did resemble that marble bust very closely. “As a child, seeing my mother immortalized brought me comfort. It was as if she greeted me whenever I walked through those doors, welcoming me home. But, once I learned the truth of what I had done… of what I did to her…”

“That’s enough,” Marcus’ deep voice cut Alissa’s thoughts short, and his strong arms lifted her from her chair and wrapped around her. She sobbed into his chest, one of Marucs’ hands on the small of her back, the other gently stroking her silky hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t your fault…”

“Then why did he get rid of me?” She shuddered as her muffled voice reached Marcus’ ears. “Why, at the first opportunity, did he send me away? I thought… I thought he loved me… I am all alone…”

“I’m here…” Marcus cooed, squeezing her tightly. “You’re not alone.”

They stood in silence for a few long moments, her quiet sobbing eventually slowing to gentle breathing. Releasing his grip on her, Marcus separated from the small woman, looking down into red and puffy eyes. He smiled down at her, getting one in return before she used the sleeve of her fine, cobalt-colored dress to wipe away the traces of her emotions.

“Marcus?” She said, placing the palm of her hand over the wet spot she had left behind on his shirt. “If I ordered you to kiss me… would you have to obey?”

Marcus felt a shock course through his body at her words, but the sensation wasn’t from the seal branded onto his back. He had managed to break through the seal placed upon his soul, and although it still had a limited effect on his body, it wasn’t difficult for him to shrug off. But Franklin had been adamant about not letting anyone discover that he had done so, not even Alissa. If anyone were to find out that a slave had broken free from their bindings, it was a death sentence, and that would leave Alissa all alone.

“…I would.” He said simply, placing his large hand over hers, the almost feverish temperature of her touch finally making sense.

“Would… would you want to?” She asked in a coy whisper, her deep blue eyes wide with anticipation and fear.

Marcus peered into her eyes, the warmth radiating off of her filling him with a pleasant feeling that he found addicting, and he wanted more. But doing so would create untold problems that he couldn’t even imagine. “We shouldn’t…”

“But would you want to? Answer me truthfully.”

Marcus took a deep breath, his nose filling with the alluring scent of lavender and roses. It was too much for him. The warmth from her body urged him forward, and her sweet beauty caused his heart to surge with affection. Her pining for his touch crumbled any sense of self-control he still held onto. He bent down and pressed his lips against hers.

They were soft, incredibly so, like the warmest, sweetest clouds. It was awkward at first, Alissa stuttered as their lips first made contact, but once her initial shock wore off , she wrapped her arms around the back of Marcus’ head and passionately returned his kiss .

He swept her off her feet, the action breaking their kiss and eliciting an excited giggle from the woman. Her breaths came fast and shallow, the hotness of the sweet smell of the bourbon tickling his nose and sending a wave of desire down his spine. They were both dangerously close to doing something that could never be undone, and he couldn’t care less.

This felt right.

The energy rolling off of Alissa fed into him, reinvigorating him, body and soul. It felt as if he was swimming in mana as they explored each other’s bodies. It was euphoric. And, as Marcus gently laid Alissa onto the soft bed behind them, he made certain that she felt the same.

The next morning came much too quickly. Marcus rolled over in his too-small bed, the emptiness causing him to reach out for something that wasn’t there. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with nothing but darkness, a barely perceptible glow coming from the small window above.

Sitting up, he fumbled around, searching unsuccessfully for the striker to light the candle next to his bed. Getting up with a stretch and a grumble, he decided to go through his exercises in the dark, keeping himself busy until there was enough light for him to see.

It wasn’t difficult for him to do them in the dark, but it was hard for him to keep his mind from wandering to the previous night’s events. The feel of Alissa’s soft skin, the smell of her hair, the hushed moans escaping her plump lips, the look in her eyes as they gave themselves to each other…

“Damnit.” Marcus lamented as what they had done fully registered in his mind. He didn’t regret it, not one bit, but knew that if word ever got out of what they had done… It would not end well for either of them.

Unable to focus now that his mind was on the unpleasantness of the consequences of their actions, Marcus decided to end his exercises early. He needed something to occupy his mind, and with no one available or willing to guide him, he simply began to wander down the hall.

He walked aimlessly, taking care to memorize each turn he took as he did so. It wouldn’t do him any good to get lost. No servants populated the halls, and the enchanted sconces were barren of any light, giving the long halls a haunted feel.

He stopped for a moment to inspect one such light holder, poking at the cold, gold metal with the tip of his finger. His towering height allowed him to get a clear view of the ornamental metalwork and the inscribed stone resting inside. The gentle lines and sharp shapes on the stone were just as alien to him as this world’s writing, although he had begun to uncover the secrets of the language and was eager to learn the magic as well.

Once he had his fill of the enchanted light piece, he meandered further down the hall. He didn’t want to stray too far from where Alissa was still sleeping. They shouldn’t have anything to worry about while they were inside the manor, but he thought it better to be on the cautious side.

He turned another corner and was met with a flickering orange light spilling into the corridor from a partially opened door. It was the only door down this short hallway and was directly facing him as he stood there, wondering what was inside. A shadow flitted across the orange light, alerting Marcus to at least one occupant. As it was only just dawn, Marcus doubted that it would have been anyone other than a servant.

Maybe they would be able to tell him where he might find something to break his fast.