Evada put me through the ringer for the next week. She was nothing like Iljana or even Ikae—she had pity for me. She let me rest when I needed to and laughed at my jokes. It was almost like being with a personal trainer I’d known for months instead of a rigorous obstacle course overseen by a stubborn tiger waiting for me to fail.
“If you fail, we can just try again,” she’d said. “I can’t force you to learn the magic and if I put too much pressure, you could break. And not just emotionally. It’s important to me that this is a group effort.”
“Did you know you’re my favorite magic teacher?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Don’t let Ikae hear that. He said you’re one of his favorite students.”
“What? I’m sure I was annoying.”
Evada shrugged. “Perhaps, but he said so. I think it’s because you actually wanted to learn, unlike many of his other students.”
His other students were soldiers, getting ready to be shipped to the front lines to help with the war effort. I didn’t blame them for being unenthusiastic. If they were his students, they showed the most promise and would see the most fighting.
We continued to train, and I tried to tap back into the feeling of free falling while I bounced around the courtyard. I couldn’t quite imitate it, but I was close.
Evada circled me, looking to see the flow of my magic around my body. My output had gotten more stable after my week spent meditating. I didn’t think it had done anything, but here I was, being proven wrong.
She nodded as she walked. “Keep improving at this rate, and I’ll have to throw you off that cliff much sooner.”
“I hate that you’re not joking about that.”
She grinned. “I would never joke about such things.”
Training was tough, but she somehow made it fun. It made me dread whatever hell Shippa was going to put me through.
When training was done, I all but ran to the bath, resting my sore muscles while trying to figure out how I was going to get out of the palace and to Sayla’s place. I was still in shock from it, my heart slamming against my chest from the knowledge that I had my sister again, but also that she was in danger. We’d always been in some kind of danger, but this was different, and I wouldn’t be there to protect her.
I was also starting to think I’d dreamed of the encounter. All week had been full of training and dinners and meetings I didn’t want to be a part of. So full that I didn’t have a single moment to go see Sayla again, though I did finally manage to reply to Lenris and hopefully she’d get my letter soon.
Corek, Eumen, and Clecia were doing some supplemental training with the other personal guard soldiers and couldn’t come with me like they did before. I would be happy to go alone, but I had people watching me. There was no way I could make it to Sayla before Zann noticed and had someone come fetch me.
The last option was to ask Enri, but she was elbow deep in sorcerer texts at all hours of the day when she wasn’t needed and far be it from me to stop the woman trying not to kill me. Not to mention I wasn’t eager to put Enri in a position of fielding questions from Tivna and Morli when they saw her. If they didn’t know what had become of their princess, that was on them for not doing the least bit of digging and falling for the rumor mill.
That left me with the worst option of just not seeing Sayla.
I was not going to do that.
Enri would be in the library, and I had to convince her to at least leave with me. I could make my way to Sayla by myself.
The royal library of Fera was larger, older, and more maze-like than Yvanta’s. Every day I was more and more grateful for being able to see and feel Enri’s magic. She was at a table piled high with books I knew I would never understand.
“Standard Practices of Basic Sorcery,” I said, reading one of the titles aloud. “I thought you were doing research, not playing catch up.”
“I am,” Enri said. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, a few messy strands hanging down the sides. The bags under her eyes had worsened, and she looked more like a book gremlin than a talented mage and sorcerer. I wondered if she ever didn’t look beautiful. “Did you need something?”
“Yeah, I wanted to take a walk and stretch my legs, but I need an escort to the at least the gates.”
She looked up from her book, raising her eyebrows. It was never just a walk with me, and she knew that. Since that day we went exploring, I always had a goal in mind. “What could that possibly mean?”
I leaned against the table, crossing my arms. “It means I wanna stretch my legs and leave the palace. I know you’re busy, but there’s no one else and if I asked the Fera soldiers, they’d be weird about it.”
Enri stood, stretching. “I need a break, anyway.”
“Hell yeah! Let’s stretch our legs.” This was even better than going by myself, though I felt bad that Enri would be under the twins’ watchful gaze the entire time we were there.
Enri Let her hair down as she followed me out of the library, keeping a respectful distance between us though I deeply wanted to hold her hand. Forana’s relatives had left three days ago, and Evada had moved into her own room, leaving us alone.
“Not that sharing a room with y’all isn’t fun, but I’d like my own space, you know?” That was all she said before packing her stuff with lightning speed and booking it to the now vacant room.
Forana herself came by to check on us, asking if we wanted separate rooms.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“It would be better if I stayed here,” Enri said. “Zann would prefer it.”
Forana seemed to tense a bit at that but nodded and left. Since then, Enri and I had been sharing a bed, separating just before the wake-up call. It helped that we both tended to wake up early, anyway.
As we exited the palace grounds, I could feel Enri relax next to me. She hadn’t known peace since we stepped on the palace turf and likely wouldn’t until we crossed the border.
I was talking about my training, updating her on the minutiae—“I swear I’ve never twisted my ankles more than when I’m working with her”—while Enri braided her hair. Enri would be recognized, but not because she wanted to be. Enri had mentioned making preparations for a glamour of some sort, but Zann cut her off.
“If you’re going to be out in the capital, let the people see you. That way, they’ll see you in our colors and know that we have an excellent alliance.”
Enri and I shared a look before she said, “Whatever you want.”
She hadn’t left the palace since we arrived, but now, in the daylight of the streets, people were looking over their shoulders to catch a second glance. Whispers seemed to explode with each step we took, and I suddenly regretted not just sneaking out.
“So, what’s the reason you wanted to stretch your legs?” Enri asked. “A special shop you wanted to see?”
“It’s more like a person,” I said, leading us away from the crowded area of the shopping district. I could feel us being followed. “But we gotta shake the tail. Hand, please?”
Enri reluctantly gave me her hand. She disliked being underground, but we both knew it was the best way to avoid being followed. I was pretty sure the people were harmless, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
I dropped us into the ground and moved as fast as I could without trapping a body part behind. We were under for about thirty seconds before we emerged. I was covered in dirt and debris while Enri was clean. It was the best tradeoff I could think of. She laughed, brushing the dirt off my shoulders.
“I appreciate the cover,” she said. “Now, can you tell me about the secret person you wanted to see?”
I shook myself, flinging dirt to the ground. “My sister is here.”
“What?” Her easy demeanor dropped as she started to tense again. She glanced around, checking to see if we were alone. I could feel everyone around us, but none of them were the people that had been following us. “Explain.”
We started walking, keeping our voices low as I led us to where Sayla was staying. “Sayla got caught on the tail end of my summon which dropped her here. Forana took pity on her, and she’s been helping her out since. Now that Zann is here, she’s not allowed in the palace, so she’s here with two guards.”
She looked like she was trying to put together a ten-thousand-piece puzzle but was coming up short on some of the pieces. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“How about you save the hard thinking for later? The bigger thing to worry about is her guards.”
“Her guards? Everyone in the palace knows who I am. Kaiya, I’m going to meet your sister.” She looked like she was going to throw up. “I’m not ready for that.”
I snorted. Enri was a badass of the highest regard and faced down more near-death scenarios than I could imagine. She made being held hostage seem like a part-time job, taking no shit from her captor, and commanding respect from his armed forces. And yet she was nervous about meeting my sister.
Enri blushed, looking at the ground. “I can’t help if I want to make a good impression. If she doesn’t approve of me, I might as well go back now.”
“I think highly of my sister and trust her opinion, but I know that even if she doesn’t approve—which she will—I’ll just tell her to eat shit and we’ll move on.” Chances were much higher that she would just try to flirt with Enri.
We made it without incident, though I kept vigilant for anyone trying to follow us. Enri was too distracted trying to fix herself to pay attention and nearly walked into the door when we arrived.
The door flung open after one knock, and I was enveloped in a hard hug. I rocked on my feet, holding her close. Tears started to well up. Even as we walked the path I’d memorized, I was so scared it was wrong. That I’d just been hopeful.
“What took you so long?” Sayla asked, pulling back. “I thought I’d imagined the whole thing, and I was going insane waiting. Tivna had to stop me from going to the palace to get you.”
“I have savior duties to attend to,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. She thought it was just as tragic that Zann was pinning all his hopes on me.
Sayla looked past me, finally landing her eyes on Enri. She grinned her stupid flirtatious grin and leaned against the door frame, full on fuck boy jock mode activated. “And who’s this cutie you failed to mention? I’m sorry for my sister. She can be such a klutz in social situations. I’m Sayla. You are?”
Enri, who was already trying so hard to keep it together, looked like she was going to pass out. Sayla, though taller and buffer, looked a lot like me, and I was sure Enri was having some thoughts about that.
“Sayla, you can’t crowd my girlfriend like that.” I hooked my arm around Enri’s waist and pulled her close until her hip bumped mine. “Flirt with Tivna if you want someone to look at.”
The wind came out of her sails, and she groaned, stepping aside for us to walk in. “Tivna wants nothing to do with me. Believe me, I’ve tried flirting so many times and she just brushes me off.”
Enri finally found her words, holding out her hand as she said, “I’m Enri. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” Sayla smiled, taking her hand. “Kai didn’t have a chance to mention you when she was here last time. I talked enough for the both of us.”
“I would have, but I didn’t want to derail the conversation,” I said. “Like how it’s about to be derailed right now.”
Tivna and Morli had emerged from the kitchen, carrying plates of food. They stared at Enri, and then dropped to one knee, bowing their heads. I could feel them trying to figure out what to say when Enri beat them to it.
“Lift your heads.” Her voice had a hard edge to it, similar to when I first met her. She was going to keep her distance from them. “I’m no one to be bowing to.”
“But Princess—”
Enri held up her hand, and they stopped. Reluctantly, they stood, bringing the food to the table. They remained standing, staring at Enri. She took a deep breath and said, “I am not your princess in any way that matters. I am Zann’s Head Mage and personal guard. Nothing more or less. Save your deference for Her Majesty.”
“P—” Morli cut himself off at Enri’s glare. “No matter your situation, your status remains.”
“Forget my status,” she said, taking a seat. “Right now, I want to get to know the legend I’ve heard so much about.” She looked at Sayla, who moved to sit across from her. “Kaiya has nothing but good things to say about you. Even when she complained, it was full of love.”
“Enri, you’re gonna embarrass me,” I said, taking the seat next to her. I was blushing a bit, but I was smiling. It was true. There was little I could say about Sayla that was actually bad.
“We can talk about me in a moment,” Sayla said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her fist. “I wanna know how this happened. A superior and a subordinate? Saucy.”
Enri laughed, the tension completely melting away. “She’s very charming.”
We spent the next few hours sitting around the table, talking like three old friends playing catch up. It was something so small and sweet, I felt like I was back home. Sitting in the kitchen after school while we pretended to do our homework while Mom was in her office and Dad hadn’t come home from work yet. A peaceful little bubble of love and laughter.