Bound (7 page)

She heard a soft chuckle as she scrambled out of bed and grabbed a boot. It took most of her self-control to keep from launching it at the door. She heard his footsteps going down the hall and cursed again at her own foolishness. She pulled her boots back on and quickly smoothed down her tunic and skirt. Her fingers found the shape of the pendant in her pocket and she stopped. She fished it out and looked at the double-ribbon in the palm of her hand. Again, she felt that sense of familiarity, this time accompanied by the strange idea that she'd worn it once before and should do so again. It really is pretty, she thought, and such a shame to leave it in my pocket. When part of her tried to suggest that it was dangerous, the rest of her pointed out that nothing had happened in the two days she'd had it with her. Deciding that settled the matter, she dropped the chain over her head and settled the pendant under her shirt so that it wouldn't bounce around while they were riding. Combing her fingers through her hair, she looked around to make sure she had everything and grabbed her two bags, trying to hurry quietly down the stairs.

By the time she reached the stable yard, Tavis was already there, holding the reins to both Rain and a sleek gray mare with a silver mane and tail. The mare looked small next to Rain, but light and fast. She remembered the look in his eyes when she had talked about him keeping up and thought she understood it now. This horse must have been his prized possession on the farm. She walked over to the stallion, tied her bags securely to the saddle and took the reins from Tavis.

Behind her, she heard Lelanne call to him, and he waved. When Fay turned, the innkeeper was hurrying over with a pair of fresh rolled pastries in her hands. Fay's stomach rumbled as she accepted one with thanks. When she reached for her money pouch, Lelanne shook her head, saying it was taken care of before hurrying back to the inn's kitchen. Fay looked over at Tavis who was managing to grin while eating his own pastry. She stubbornly said nothing but took a bite of her breakfast. It was fresh from the oven, still piping hot and nearly burned her tongue. The warm cheese and herbs inside were delicious though and she couldn't make herself wait for it to cool down. As soon as she had finished licking the last flakes from her fingers, she swung up into the saddle and looked at Tavis with an eyebrow raised. He was still grinning as he mounted his own horse. Neither of them spoke for most of the morning. Fay was tempted to several times, but every time she turned to him, riding right next to her, she saw the same self-satisfied grin and kept quiet. Eventually, her curiosity became impossible to suppress.

"Why are you going to Rianza? Are you hoping to find work there that doesn't involve being up at dawn?" she asked teasingly.

He was silent for so long that she knew his answer before he spoke. "I'm going to see if I can find my mother."

"Why Rianza? Is that where she went when she left?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. My father wasn't one to talk about her willingly, and I haven't heard from her since she left. I don't even know where she was from. She never talked about it when I was little. Rianza just seemed like a good place to start. It's big, and close enough that I can start looking right away. If I don't find any sign of her there, then I'm not sure where to look. I'll think of something though, if it comes to that."

Fay considered this for a minute. "Maybe I can help point you in the right direction, give you some people to start with. I spent a lot of my childhood in Rianza, and I started out at that academy. I'll give you some names of people to talk to before we part company. I'm not even sure if they're still in Rianza, but at least a few of them probably are. They might be able to help or at least get you started." She paused before going on, "Have you thought about what you'll say to her if you find her?"

Tavis shook his head. "I'm not really even sure why I'm trying to find her. I guess I just want to see her, show her... I don't know. Maybe just let her know that Nevon's dead, though I'm not sure she'd care about that."

They both let the silence lengthen and the day moved on. Near dusk, they found a spot that looked like it saw regular use as a campsite and agreed it was a good place to stop for the night. Tavis took care of the horses while she gathered wood from the forest around them. After a while, he dropped her bags next to her and took his own to the other side of the pit while she arranged the kindling in preparation for the fire.

"Fay, what's it like at an academy?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't know if you're supposed to talk about it or not, but I'm kind of curious."

She shrugged. "It's a school, just like regular ones I would guess, except of course you get to study magic. But like I said before, you have to study other subjects too." She saw his disappointment with her answer and tried again, pushing aside her discomfort with the subject. "I've been to two of the four now, the ones in Rianza and Voleno. I can only tell you about those."

He leaned forward, nodding for her to go on.

"Both are housed in large castles. Actually, I think all four are. There are a lot of rooms for students in each and those in their final year get their own room, while the younger students are housed in larger more dorm-like rooms. There's usually about six or eight sharing a small hall, really, depending on which school they're at. For the first few years, it was like going on a fabulous long vacation, because you go home for the summer."

She found herself smiling as she continued, "The main libraries in both schools are amazing, more books than I could imagine reading in a lifetime, and on so many subjects. That was probably my favorite place in the whole school at Voleno, other than Professor Ganson's study."

"That's your mentor?" Tavis asked.

She nodded, but felt the smile start to slide from her face. She forced it back on and continued in order to distract herself. "Most of the teachers I had were nice, encouraging and helpful, as you might imagine. They were always willing to answer questions or give you a little extra explanation when you needed it. Also, sometimes you get to go on trips to visit the other academies. There are inter-academy activities every year." Not that she'd ever gotten to go, because they were for bound Magicia, but she wasn't going to explain that to him. He might ask her about the bond and she didn't want to try to explain it, or her situation.

He stared into the distance for a while, a wistful expression on his face. She wondered about that. She knew that some children who didn't have magic envied those who did, but Tavis was too old and seemed too practical for that. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Aren't you going to grab your flint?"

She smiled, thinking he was making a joke. When she realized he was serious, she started laughing, unable to help herself. At first, he looked confused and a little angry about being laughed at. Then it seemed to slowly dawn on him what she was laughing about and he joined her. It was several minutes before they stopped, both panting for breath.

"Well, if there had been any doubt in my mind before that you didn't grow up around Magicia, I'm sure now," she said between gasps.

"Yeah, stupid question," he said, still grinning broadly. Then he grew serious. "Fay, do Magicia ever teach people who didn't get to go to an academy? I mean, even just basic things. Or is that not allowed?"

She raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. "It's not forbidden. I've just never heard of it happening. The Council Magicia tries to ensure that everyone who has the ability to do magic is given the opportunity to attend one of the academies, no matter what their background. And I can't imagine anyone turning them down. Why? Do you know someone who...?"

She trailed off and waited for him to say something, not sure if she wanted her sudden hunch to be right or wrong, though she admitted to herself it would explain some things at least as much as it complicated others for her. He looked uncomfortable, as if he thought he had said too much. Finally, staring again at his hands in his lap, he mumbled, "I- I can do magic. Nothing much, really, because I didn't get to learn anything from my mother before she left. I was hoping- I wondered if you could teach me... something."

Her own shock surprised her. Her hunch had been right, though she still found herself grappling with the implications. It didn't make sense to her though. She couldn't imagine choosing to bond with someone her own age who knew nothing of magic. And yet she couldn't ignore the way she was drawn to him, more than anyone she'd ever met. Was that why he had asked to travel with her, because he felt the same reaction to her? She shook her head at the idea. When she looked up, Tavis was crestfallen, his face a picture of embarrassment and misery. It took her a moment to realize that he had misinterpreted the gesture as a refusal. She thought about it for a moment and decided to check her theory. "Is that why you asked to come with me?"

He looked up at her, his green eyes dark in the failing light, and shook his head with a frown. "No, that's not why. It's-" He stopped, and then said something else. "I didn't think you'd be allowed to, but I had to ask. I just- Never mind."

Fay wasn't really listening as her thoughts spun in her head. No, she thought to herself, no, I would never choose to bond with him, but maybe I could teach him something, to get a feel for whether I should encourage him to ask for training from the academy in Rianza when he gets there. It's what Ganson would do, what he'd encourage me to do if he were- She cut that thought off and returned to her original idea. If his magical abilities were weak, she would tell him not to worry about it, since he would never find a partner once he finished his schooling, even if they let him in at his age. When she realized what she had just thought, she grew angry with herself. She told herself that it shouldn't matter if he'd find a partner, that he should have the opportunity to learn as she had. That decided her. "Yes, certainly, I can do that. Come sit beside me. It will make it easier."

Tavis gave her a hopeful, incredulous smile as he moved to her side. She took his hand tentatively, trying to ignore the feelings it engendered now that she knew what they meant. She hadn't tried to teach anyone magic since her first year at Voleno, when Ganson had volunteered her to help with the first and second year students. He had wanted her to consider a career as a professor herself, but she had not enjoyed the experience, especially the constant questions about where her partner was. She had considered it again during the last year, when no other opportunities presented themselves, but knew it would never be something she truly enjoyed.

Clearing her mind, Fay let her thoughts touch Tavis', and she felt the clear ringing tone that told her he did indeed possess magic. Keeping her mind with his as Ganson had taught her for observing, she said, "You mentioned that you've done magic before, so you know about holding your intent clearly in your mind as you build the spell, right?" She turned her head and saw him nod. She shifted herself so that she could see both his face and the fire pit. "All right. I'm going to teach you how to light a fire. Hold that intent in your mind now. Focus on the ideas of heat, light and comfort, with the image of the sticks in the fire pit firmly at the center of it. Don't let your magic be part of it yet, just do the thought part of it first."

Tavis turned his attention to the fire pit and his brows drew together, his frown deepening as he concentrated. She felt the separate thoughts form and encircle a clear image of the box of twigs she had built in the fire pit. Each thought was incredibly vivid to her, warmth spreading across his face, comforting safety that kept back the creatures of the night, and the wavering light of fire. She was surprised that he had gotten this part so clearly and firmly in his mind on his first try. The children she had tried to teach had found it the most difficult part of spellwork. Perhaps it was a matter of attention span, age and maturity, she thought.

"Good. Now, let your magic thread lightly through the entire working as you change the image of the twigs to one of flames in your mind. You'll only need a small amount of magic, as the twigs were completely dry. Go as slowly as you need to," she added, though she could feel that the concentration required to hold the thoughts around the image was a bit of a strain for him. Moving too quickly in this step could have the forest around them burning.

In his mind, she could see flames form on the image of the twigs, and at the same time, she felt him infuse his magic into the thoughts. The strength of it stunned her. Though he only used the small amount she had instructed, she could feel the pulse of it. She traced it back to the source and found an immense well of magic that was shocking. He wasn't her equal, but his raw ability was phenomenal, exceeding that of anyone else she had ever met. How had the Council's roving examiners missed him, how had they failed to send him to an academy, any academy, with strength like this? She was so preoccupied by these thoughts that she missed the flame in the center of her twig box that quickly grew to encompass the whole structure. It was Tavis' extreme satisfaction flooding through her mind that told her he had succeeded.

He turned to her, a dazzling smile spread across his face and his eyes dancing with joy. "Thank you. You're a good teacher." He hesitated then, and his smile faltered a bit. "There was actually something specific I hoped you could teach me."

She hadn't intended to do anything more, but she found herself nodding, and heard herself say calmly, "We'll talk about it after the fire is built up enough, but I may be able to."

Tavis nodded and started feeding more twigs into the fire, then the larger branches she had found. Her mind was racing and she knew that she had to find a way to get him into the academy in Rianza, since he was already headed to that city. If she had to take him before the Council Magicia to ask for their intervention, she would do it. But Ganson's command to seek out Eliar echoed in her mind, and she knew it would be dangerous to delay that. She felt torn in a way she had never experienced before.

"Tavis, where were you planning to stay in Rianza? I can't delay my trip to Harkol, but I really think you should go to the academy. When I'm done in Harkol, I thought I might continue on to Rianza and... well, I wanted to be able to make sure they let you in."