Suriax (9 page)

The academy consisted of a large tree with
several buildings perched on the massive limbs. The inner trunk was
hollow, leaving open a chamber only accessible from the homes. The
magi there were big about privacy. Lynnalin answered the door on
the first knock. She wore black leather pants, a black halter top
corset with bright blue flames licking up the sides and front, and
fake Venerith horns strapped to her head. “Marcy, I’ve been looking
for you. I have a birthday present.”

“You didn’t have to,” but it was already too
late. Lynnalin ran inside excitedly.

“It’s your birthday?” Thomas asked.

Marcy shrugged. “I don’t really celebrate
it.”

“You have to,” Lynnalin said, returning with
a small box. “It’s the big two-oh-oh.”

“Wait, so your birthday is at Solstice, and
you’re two hundred? That would make you the same age as the city,”
Thomas commented.

“Are you calling me old?” Marcy saw the look
on his face and grinned to let him know she was teasing.

“No, I just didn’t think there were any
children here when the city was founded. I mean, wasn’t it pretty
dangerous with all the recently released criminals from Aleria?

“Marcy’s parents were dangerous criminals,”
Lynnalin commented, her hands on Marcy’s arms. Her chin rested on
Marcy’s shoulder.

“Lynnalin,” Marcy warned, shrugging her
off.

“Really?” Thomas asked, intrigued. He spoke
to Lynnalin but kept his eyes on Marcy.

“Yes, they were both murderers,” She leaned
in and whispered conspiratorially.

“Lynn!”

“What? It’s true. By the way, I’m Lynnalin.”
She held out her hand for Thomas to kiss. He took it but only
inclined his head slightly. Marcy hid a grin at Lynnalin’s slightly
disappointed expression. The grin died when she saw the way Thomas
glanced back at her from the corner of his eye. She knew he wanted
to ask her about her parents, but he was too polite to do so in
front of someone else.

“Anyway, here is your present.”

Out of politeness she took the gift and
opened it. Inside the box was a broach shaped like a butterfly. “It
has some spells on it, but you will have to wear it to find out
what they are,” she winked.

“This is too much,” Marcy argued. The wings
gleamed of blue stones. The setting was black onyx. Even without
the added magical effects, it was a generous gift.

“It’s from when I needed to practice putting
spells on inanimate objects. This was my test object.”

“You don’t know what all spells are on here
do you?” Marcy teased.

“Well, I know which ones I tried to do, but
I’m not all sure what took. So enjoy, and hopefully it won’t blow
you up.” Lynnalin followed up her comment with a big grin.

“Tell me again why I’m friends with a mage,”
she lamented.

“Because we’re fun. Well I wish I could stick
around, but I have to get going,” Lynnalin announced, picking up
her bag. “There is this party in the center ring of the tree for
all the mages. We are going to use our spells to put on a light
show.” Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

“Before you go, you wouldn’t happen to have
any more change appearance spells I could use?” She hated to ask
for something after she just gave her a gift, but that scroll was
the best shot they had to get out of the city if things went
wrong.

Lynnalin did not look the least disturbed by
her request. “I think so,” she dug into her bag. After pulling out
a handful of scrolls, she found the one she needed and handed it to
Marcy. “Last one. I can make some more, but it will take time.”

“One is good. I really appreciate it.” She
hugged Lynnalin and accepted the scroll gratefully.

She felt a little strange leaving. Lynn was a
good friend, and they may never see each other again. Only, she
couldn’t tell her that. She waved good bye and ran down the stairs,
probably thinking they would run into each other again in a day or
two. Marcy looked down at her gift and felt guilty. She replayed
the entire conversation through her head. Every word had more
importance and meaning when looked at through the lens of a final
conversation, the last words you would ever speak to each other.
Then something else about their conversation stuck out in her head.
“I just realized you never told her your name, and she didn’t even
notice. Neither did I, for that matter.”

“Sometimes anonymity has its perks.”

“I can understand why you did not want to
volunteer your name, but how did you do that without us noticing?”
she pressed.

“It’s not that difficult. People rarely pay
much attention to what someone else says when they meet for the
first time. Most of your focus is going to be on yourself and what
you are saying. People are inherently a little self-centered. Some
are more so than others, but we all have that tendency that is easy
to exploit if you know how to do it.”

They came to a crossroads. The path north led
back to Bradley and Veronica’s home. The path west led to her home
and her brother’s tavern. She almost took the westward path out of
habit. How many times had she walked that way, she wondered. Three
hundred steps down the tree lined road would take her to a curve.
Another few hundred feet and she would be able to hear the
excitement from the racetrack. She could see every tree, every
road, every home and business. At the end of her walk would be her
brother. Before she could imagine what she would say, Thomas took
her hand and started down the westward path. “What are you
doing?”

“You have someone you need to say ‘goodbye’
to.” It wasn’t a question.

“My brother,” she answered. He began walking
again. “Wait, we can’t. There’s no time, and besides, they will be
looking for me there.”

Thomas turned to face her, smiling warmly. He
still held her hand. “We can’t do anything until morning, so time
is not an issue, and let me worry about the guards. Neither of us
knows what awaits us tomorrow. You should see your brother.”
Without waiting for her response, he led her home.

* * *

“I told you this was a bad idea.” Marcy and
Thomas hid just inside the tree line across the street from her
brother’s tavern. Royal Guards kept coming and going. It wasn’t
completely uncommon for guards to eat at the tavern, but these
guards were much too alert to be simply enjoying an evening meal or
drink. Every time the door opened, she could see her brother
talking to one. He did not seem pleased. No doubt, by now he was
cursing her for whatever trouble she was in that could bring down
the attention of the crown on his tavern. With all the business
they were doing for the holiday, he would be angry with the
distraction.

“We’ll think of something,” Thomas assured
her. “Maybe I can go in and talk to him, get him to come out.”

Marcy looked at him doubtfully. The guards
would probably still be hovering around the bar. They needed a way
to communicate to Bryce without arousing suspicion. “I have an
idea.” She pulled out a sheet of parchment and began folding it.
Within seconds, she held a white flower in her hands. Thomas
whistled in appreciation. “Get Bryce’s attention and put the flower
on the counter. Once you know he has seen it, tell him you want to
order your usual and ask if he can deliver it. Then meet me at the
big tree by the park.”

Thomas took the flower and disappeared inside
the tavern. Not waiting for him to come out, Marcy made way to the
rendezvous point.

* * *

“It didn’t work. He didn’t get the message.”
Marcy paced around in front of the tree.

“It’s only been a half hour. Why don’t you
come and sit down?” Thomas patted the ground next to him and waited
for her to comply.

“Are you sure he saw the flower?”

“Yes, he did a double take and looked at me
very intently before one of the guards looked over, and he had to
hide his reaction.” Marcy sighed and sat back, resting her head on
his shoulder. “What’s the story behind the flower, anyway?”

Marcy was quiet for so long he thought she
would not answer. Finally, she spoke, her voice tinged with
reflection and a hint of resigned sadness. “Bryce and I did not
always get along. We have the same father but different mothers. He
never approved of my mother and was angry with our father for
remarrying. At first, he tried to separate them, but after I was
born, he knew that would be impossible. He told me once that the
day I was born was the second worst day of his life.”

“Which is why you don’t celebrate your
birthday,” he surmised.

Marcy nodded. “When I was a child I would
pick white roses that grew near our house and bring them to him as
a kind of peace offering. It started out slowly at first, a rose
here or there when he was particularly angry. Then I decided to
bring him a flower ever day until he accepted me. It went on for a
month before he told me I could stop. We’ve been fairly close ever
since.”

“What happened to his mother?” Thomas knew it
was nosey, but he couldn’t help asking. Elves tended to mate for
life, so half siblings and step parents were not as common as with
other races. It was little wonder he would have difficulty dealing
with his father remarrying.

“She was murdered.” Thomas sat up a little
straighter, his arm tightening reflexively. “It wasn’t my father,
if that is what you’re wondering.” Thomas didn’t answer, but his
guilty eyes gave him away. “It was a robbery gone wrong.”

“But he did kill someone?” he couldn’t help
asking.

“You say that as though it were a bad thing.
How many people have you killed?”

Thomas understood her confusion. The Flame
Guard had a reputation for certain unsavory activities. Many were
little more than hired thugs, ready to do anything and everything
for the right amount of gold. “We can refuse any job, even one
issued by the crown. I avoid those jobs that would require me to
kill.”

“You killed those guards at Kern’s
place.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t kill or that I
hadn’t killed before, just that I avoid it when possible. Who did
your father kill?”

“Well, as I said before, my father’s first
wife was killed in a robbery. It was back in Aleria during the Time
of Black Law. They found the person responsible, but he had
connections and a deep coin purse. He was released without
punishment. My father tracked him down and killed him. Of course,
they arrested my father, and he spent over ten years in prison
before the purge. While in prison, he met someone, a woman
convicted of killing her would be rapist. It just so happened he
was also a prominent judge. No one believed her story and she was
thrown in jail on a life sentence. After the purge, they married
and I was conceived. They chose to move to Suriax, saying they
didn’t trust the law to punish those who needed it. They wanted to
live somewhere they could defend themselves and their family.”
Marcy’s chin tilted up defiantly, daring him to find something
wrong with her story or the choices her family made. The flicker of
doubt in her eyes belied her challenging gaze. She was conflicted,
though she would likely never admit it. The daughter of two
killers, how else could she view this story but to believe them
completely justified? Yet her eyes told a different story. She may
love her parents and even understand why they did what they did,
but something inside her doubted her conviction and beliefs. Thomas
didn’t know what to say. Would he make a different choice in their
circumstances? Luckily he didn’t have to answer that unasked
question. Bryce chose that moment to appear at the edge of the
clearing. Marcy rose and went to him, wrapping her brother in a
warm hug. He hugged her back and immediately started grilling her
for answers to what was going on. Thomas listened from the tree,
not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

“What have you gotten yourself into? I’ve had
guards squatting at the tavern since last night. If not for all the
idiot tourists, I’d have no business at all. The locals are
steering clear.”

“I know I’m sorry about that. I can’t go into
the details, but it is serious. They are looking for Kern. I was
watching his uncle, so now they are looking for me, hoping I can
lead them to Kern.”

“Can you?” Marcy looked away, biting her lip.
“You have to tell them. Maybe then they will leave us alone.”

“Bryce,” she chided.

“I’m serious. I like him as much as you, but
you do not want to mess with these people. If Kern is in trouble,
he can get out of it, or not, himself. It is better to keep to
yourself and not get their attention. Trust me. You do not want
powerful people coming after you.”

“I can’t. This is too important. Bryce, I am
leaving the city, and I don’t know if I’m coming back.”

“What? You are acting crazy. Are you that
much in love with the man that you would throw your life away for
him?”

“I’m not in love with Kern,” she said,
shocked he would suggest such a thing.

“Why else would you do all this?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do!”

They both took a breath, allowing their
tempers to subside before either spoke again. “Where are you
going?” Bryce asked at last.

“Aleria.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get yourself killed.
Here,” he handed her a ‘to go’ box from the tavern. “Some food for
the road.”

Marcy took the box, letting her hand linger
on his. Bryce shot Thomas a pointed look but didn’t ask who he was.
Marcy didn’t volunteer anything either. The less he knew, the
better for everyone. She held the box and watched Bryce leave.

Chapter 5

Kern struggled against the guards’ hold,
trying to explain himself. Sneaking into the palace had seemed like
a good idea at the time. Okay, so it never seemed like a good idea,
but what choice did he have? Getting an audience with the Kings or
Queen was not that easy, especially when the guards learned he was
from Suriax. He was lucky he hadn’t been deported on the spot. He
couldn’t really blame them. It did look suspicious. Why would
anyone from Suriax need to speak to the royal family? They had to
protect their monarchs. There were other ways to get messages
through, and given enough time he could possible even get them to
arrange a meeting, but he didn’t have that kind of time, and it
would require telling too many people who he was. So, he broke in.
Everything would have gone fine, but they had anti-magic wards
around the queen’s chambers that picked up on his magical items and
alerted the guards the moment he passed the threshold.