Lost Magic (The Swift Codex Book 3) (32 page)

In the gardens not far from the guilty place where I'd almost kissed Valerin because I was drunk, there was a permanent portal set up in a flat space. We had a bit of a crowd earlier, but Julius had asked them all to please leave because the visitors would be anxious. Now our number had whittled down to three: Julius, Valerin, and me. From the way Julius had spoken, he wasn't expecting to have Anna—or rather, Josephina—with this incoming party. Something about establishing portal jumps and friendly relations.

“Stay clear,” Valerin said and pulled me back.

The portal burst into brilliant light, searing my eyes, making the wind whirl around and around. There was the snapping in front of me as the spell completed delivering three people into the designated area. I squinted and peered into the flashing orb, revealing three familiar outlines. Leif, Barnes, and Mordon.

There was a final crack of the spell as it finished, taking forever in my heightened state of anticipation. Then there was silence, filling up the space the magic had just occupied.

Just as soon as I knew it was safe I was running through the distance between me and Mordon. I threw my arms over him. Pain blossomed from my shoulder associated with a faint pop. It wasn't loud enough for him to notice. He wrapped arms tight, spun me around, set me down on my feet to stroke the hair out of my eyes. There was a bandage on his jaw.

“Fera,” he said. “You're safe. When they didn't release information, I was so worried. Not to mention furious. What were they thinking, sending you into the dungeons?” He rested his head on my shoulder and stiffened when he saw who was beyond it in the gardens.

Taking a step around me, Mordon faced Valerin. It was as if there weren't other people around, the way that those two devoted all their attention to assessing the competition. Seeing them was like watching real life pistol duel complete with squinted eyes and an attentive audience. Even Julius seemed worried a fight was imminent.

Mordon broke off first, with a dismissive air, and went to start the round of introductions. Valerin relaxed a fraction, but did not look pleased. Still, he paid Mordon obeisance by dipping his head and calling him, “Lord Kragdomen.”

“Wolds. You gave me this.” Mordon lifted his bandage to show the brand-new pink skin covering the burn. “A deliberate miscalculation in the directionality of the projectile, I take it?”

“It was.”

“You have been attentive to Lady Feraline?”

By now I knew to watch Valerin for the twitch of a finger which meant he wanted to toy with his hair. He sounded challenging when he said, “I have been most attentive.”

Mordon nodded thoughtfully. “You will continue to be so, I hope. I have met Julius Septimus, but it would be proper if I could meet with your Elders. Fera?”

“Yes?”

Mordon took my hand, brought it to his lips, then interlocked my fingers with Valerin's. At my startled expression, Mordon said, “I am going to leave you in Wolds' care while we are here. Do you understand?”

Annoyed, I tried to tug my hand back. “
No.”

Mordon gripped my hand tighter against Valerin's. “Wolds brought you to this place, correct? That would make you his guest. And you do wear his brood ring and this is his home, it's his chance for courtship. If you should decide to stay, I will take my ring and bear no ill will for it.”

The words felt like a blow to the stomach. I was too stunned to know what to say at first, but Mordon waited. I managed, “Don't you care?”

“I care very much. But as much as I would love to have you as part of my life, I care even more for your well-being and I trust in your ability to evaluate your options and match them with your dreams, goals, and happiness. You can't reasonably make your decision about Wolds and Selestiani if you are hanging on my arm and treated as a stranger. Now, put me out of your mind and see what is in front of you.” Mordon quickly kissed me on the lips and backed away.

This earned him nods and murmurs of approval from the crowd which had gathered to watch, but I was still spinning.

Valerin said to the people all around us, “Issa, would you show Lord Mordon of Kragdomen Colony to the reception hall?”

Issa agreed, and I watched as Mordon stepped into the center of the drake welcoming party and they all left up the road.

Leif said to Julius, “Drakes have intriguing customs.”

“I do believe they say the same of everyone else,” Julius said. “Have I fulfilled the criteria you desire to ascertain my identity and rights to the infant?”

I knew instantly there was something wrong. Leif said, “You have, and it is why we have come in goodwill.”

My heart did double-time as I recognized the too-formal way he spoke. I broke into their conversation. “Leif, Barnes, what's happened to Anna?”

Leif said, “Now, Fera.”

“Don't use that tone with me. What is it?”

Julius let out a slow breath and his shoulders drooped, waiting for the answer. Valerin squeezed my hand. I wanted to yank out of his grasp but resisted. He was only trying to comfort me.

“It was Safe Streets,” Barnes said, “They got up enough publicity. They've started a case against your custody, claiming an unsafe environment originating in the high-risk classification of our coven. She's in a temporary home until an impartial judge can be found to review the documentation.”

“Safe Streets.” Julius squared his shoulders. “She will be back with her original captors when we next find her. You could have written this to me, but you stand before me instead. Have you come to offer your help?”

Leif grinned. It was a startling expression on him, unexpected and full of mischief. “We know where she is and have a plan to get her out, but we need a certain degree of anonymity which we were hoping you would be willing to provide.”

Julius extended his arm and clasped it over Leif's shoulders. “Then you are welcomed here in the name of friendship. The Free Assembly of Selestiani will be very happy to meet with you, Judge Frey and Constable Barnes.”

And so my other two friends walked away in a pack of Selestiani members and left me alone, holding hands with Valerin. He seemed all too aware of my mood.

“Milady Feraline, would you do me the honor of taking a flight with me while the political dynamics are settled between the others?”

I was feeling conflicted about Mordon. A good, hard flight would let me clear my head. So I agreed before remembering that we were in the clouds and I wasn't that good on the wing yet.

Valerin and I flew quickly through the stiff wind current that dominated the air above a lake shore, our shadows causing panicked fish to flee with the glint of silver bellies. Off this circuitous path, the wind slackened enough to make flying laborious on my shoulder. Not that I was bored of our flight; a herd of deer migrated in jolts and halts towards a spring that fed into the lake, birds flew about us. In particular, a flock of small starlings swooped at me every time I approached a nest, pecking at my tail.

The melting drifts of snow mottling the lush greenery serves to make the forest feel wholesome, untouched—though Valerin and others had mentioned that they took out the dead trees for the settlement to use, and that forestry and land management were mandatory courses for a member of Selestiani to take. Over the crest of evergreens, a high flat spot was carefully tilled and tended, guarded by a fence much like the doorstop baby-gate my father had given me. Between snowberry bushes and the white tufts of mallow, I caught glimpses of a bark-lined walking path.

Valerin flew in silence beside me, stealing my attention every now and again. For all the trouble I was determined to give him, I couldn't help but to notice him as his wingtips drew near mine. Handsome. He was certainly handsome. Not as large as Mordon, nor as flashy, but there was something about him which felt less serious. The slender shape of his body was more in line with mine, a quick dart dashing through the air, capable of twists and turns which were beyond my fire drake … I stiffened, realizing where that line of thought was taking my mind. Not to mention the unwelcome warmth it uncoiled in my body.

“You are not relaxing,” Valerin said after we'd circled the lake too many times to count. “I'm beginning to think that Kragdomen's presence has made you uncomfortable.”

I snapped my jaws in irritation. He was sounding like my parents. Not too happily, I saw that I'd have to explain my side of things to him. “I was raised human. Or nearly human. Human fiances don't push their loved ones away into the arms of another. But he's made that little speech and how can I be a decent person to contradict him?”

Valerin chuckled, a higher, softer sound than Mordon's deep rumble. Valerin's voice sounded more friendly, less dangerous. “You were expecting him to sweep you off your feet, embrace you, and fight me for your hand.”

I growled, wanting to say no, but not able to do it.

Valerin's talons tickled up my spine as he overtook me. “He would have been unwise to do so. A great many drakes who are outcasted—or very traditional—kidnap their mates. Those of us who think it is a crime all watch for signs that a male is practicing bridenapping. A drake such as Kragdomen is particularly watched. He's very powerful and power is easily abused. He's from a strong family and a large colony. They will second whatever female he appoints as their next Lady. Then there are his personal attributes. He is physically capable, magically strong, and skilled on the wing. There are many ways he could manipulate a female, if he so chose.”

“It isn't like that,” I said. “He did not even want a mate when I first touched his brood ring. One of the Elders held it for him.”

“And how long did it take to release its grip on your finger?”

“Two weeks. But it feels longer.”

“And what was your answer?”

I dropped lower to increase the space between us. “Why are you interested?”

“I thought you wanted to talk about your troubles. It can be beneficial to have another opinion.”

Though I could rotate my neck fully around, I chose to fly upside-down for a while. The position made my sore shoulder feel better. Valerin bared his teeth in a dragon smile. I said, “What are you grinning at?”

“You're being very forward with me and I do not think you know you are doing it. If it is intentional, I would love to make use of the position.”

“Don't. I crash landed in the Wildwoods and Mordon had to fix my shoulder. It isn't what it once was.”

“This one?” he extended a claw to the wing. “I thought you were moving stiffly on it.”

“I haven't even had my second form for very long. A couple months, I'd guess, but it feels like ages ago.”

Valerin blinked in surprise. “And you're flying like this? No doubt, you are a mate worthy of ladyship of a colony. But is that what you want? We have a simple life in Selestiani. It is peaceful and good and not as stressful as the demands a colony places on its leaders.”

“And the sea monsters are cute.”

Valerin bent his head towards me. He had the gall to rub his muzzle from clavicle to chin, a slow caress following along my throat. Tiny jolts of electricity hummed in the wake of his touch. I shivered. It was a delicious sensation, but I wished Mordon would do it instead of basic maneuvers. Nevertheless, basic maneuvers were making me a better flier. No one could say that he wasn't teaching me well.

“Will you do a small thing for me?” Valerin asked.

“Depends what it is.”

“So trusting.” Valerin gave me his teeth-bearing grin again, then was serious. “You have a decision to make. That is if you want to be my mate or not. You know what your future looks like if you take the 'not'. For a full day or hopefully for three days, will you 'wear' the idea of the alternative? By that I mean, will you pretend that you did decide to be my mate. You may see things in a different way.”

“You want me to act like I'd decided to be with you, in Selestiani, instead of returning to my old life?”

“It would not be a final decision. Just a way to make sure you understand your options and know how you'd work out the details, if it would be appealing to you.” Valerin angled his head to the side like a bird. “That is the reason Mordon is being dismissive of you, after all. He wants you to think about your interests, not his.”