Unguilded (44 page)

Santos nodded. “One can always bargain when one has something others want. We’ll go tomorrow, Reo. You and I.”

Reo nodded. “I will accept your offer of a place to stay tonight after all.”

THOUGH KARA WAS
at the main house early the next day, Santos and Reo had already left by the time she arrived. She’d wanted to see them before they left to wish them Gyda’s luck, and to, well, to make sure that Reo knew he was welcome here, after.

She went to the kitchen, pulled out a pot, and filled it with water and oats. The children filed in, Osten peppering poor Vook with questions about the house construction. Sidra grabbed some bowls and spoons from the shelf near the back door while Giona simply sat at the table, looking bewildered.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Donna,” Giona asked Kara in a quiet voice.

“You can help eat the porridge,” she said and smiled.

“I can do chores to earn my keep,” the boy said.

Her smile faltered when she saw his hands tremble.

“Giona,” Kara said gently. “There will be plenty of time for you to figure out how and what you want to contribute. There’s no rush.”

He looked up and then quickly looked away.

“I know what my master did to Osten,” Giona whispered. “I couldn’t help him, no matter what I did. Tell me what I can do to help now? I don’t want you to hurt him.”

“No one’s going to hurt him,” she said. “And certainly not like that.”

“But he said his mama was mean to you,” Giona said. “Like my master was mean to me. I thought you’d be angry.”

“That wasn’t his fault,” Kara said.

“You’re not going to hurt him?”

“Of course not—he’s all the family I have.”

There was a shout from the front of the house. Kara glanced around the kitchen. All the children had frozen.

“Kara!” Pilo ran into the kitchen from the front hallway, her eyes wide with fear. “There’s a man and a woman out front—Mages.” Her voice was shaky. “Looking for you. They don’t seem friendly.”

“Can you still find the cabin?” Kara asked.

Pilo nodded.

Kara let out a breath. “Good, take everyone and hide there.”

Pilo nodded again, and she, Vook, and Sidra ushered the other two boys out the back door.

Kara wasn’t really surprised that her mother had found her, here, on Old Rillidi. Had she followed Reo when he’d brought Osten and Giona? It didn’t matter, really. Despite what Reo and Santos had said, she hadn’t believed that her mother would give up so easily.

She brushed her skirt and looked around the kitchen. The cozy family atmosphere of a few moments ago was gone now. Half empty bowls and cups littered the table and counters where the children had left their breakfasts. When would her mother simply leave her alone? She squared her shoulders and strode to the front door.

Kara closed her eyes and concentrated on pushing away any magic that might be near the door. She eased it open and stepped out onto the front step. Waves of purple and tan mage mist eddied at the base of the steps. Even from a few feet away, she could sense the malevolence in the magic.

“Mother,” Kara drawled. “Even you might have the decency to talk before attacking.” Kara crossed her arms over her chest.

Arabella Fonti glared at her from a few yards away.

“You must be the Mage Guild Primus,” Kara said to the man at her mother’s side.

Her mother’s hands flew up, and a wave of mage mist flew towards her.

Kara waved a hand, and it soared up into the sky.

“Will you make the same mistake Valerio Valendi did?” Kara asked. “I turned his own spell on him.”

Her mother shuddered, and Kara suppressed the urge to do the same. She was doing her best to keep the tremor out of her voice, but her knees could give out at any moment.

“Mage Guild Primus,” Kara said. “What can I do for you?”

“Mage Guild demands justice,” he said. He looked to be about Santos’ age, but an easy life had allowed him to overindulge, leading to a thick waist and a ruddy face. Thin lips were tight with anger.

“That’s not my concern,” Kara said. “I’m unguilded and do not recognize guild authority.”

“You donnina,” Arabella snapped. “You
are
Mage Guild. My daughter.”

Kara laughed. “All these years, Mother, all these years and now you decide to acknowledge me as your daughter? You’re too late.”

Her mother flung another spell, and Kara’s hands flashed up, sending it back towards them. It exploded two feet in front of them, and both the Mage Guild Primus and her mother jumped back in alarm.

“I warned you,” Kara said. “I may not be able to create spells, but I can redirect them.”

She frowned at the Primus. Tan mage mist was thickening at his feet. “I wouldn’t,” she said to him. “I can feel the intent of that spell. This one I
will
send back. I saw Valendi’s body. Did you?”

The Primus blanched slightly and took a step away, dropping his arms. The tan mist swirled around his feet for a moment more before dissipating.

“You killed a high ranking Guildsman,” the Primus said.

“Who was trying to kill me,” Kara said.

“His actions did not violate Guild Law,” the Primus said. “Yours did.”

“Your Guild Laws do not apply to me,” Kara said. “And you have no right to be on this island.” The Primus glared at her but he finally nodded. There was a flicker of movement, and Kara raised her hand. An ugly wall of purple mist hung suspended in front of her.

“I should send this spell back to you,” Kara said. She pushed the spell until it hovered in front of Arabella and the Primus. The Primus took another step back, but her mother continued to glare at her, her hands fisted.

“You would kill your own mother?” Arabella asked. “And your unborn brother or sister?” She turned to the Primus. “She has threatened the Mage Guild Secundus in front of you. You
must
act.”

“It’s your spell,” Kara said. “I have no idea what it will do but apparently you’re trying to kill me.” She looked from her mother’s angry face to the Primus. “Old Rillidi is not under Guild control. You will leave now.”

“Yes,” the Primus agreed.

“No!” Arabella said. “She cannot be allowed to live.”

“Arabella,” the Primus said. “Come. This is not finished.” He met Kara’s eyes. “We will send spells from Mage Guild Island.”

“No. I need to see her die,” Arabella said. “I’ve been lied to before. I need to see it.”

Kara felt the blood drain from her face. Any fear she’d had turned to fury. She took a breath to calm herself, remembering Reo’s warning. She would not kill in anger. But she would kill them if she had to. She closed her hand and the spell—her mother’s killing spell—compressed into a pulsating ball.

“You will not threaten me or my home again,” Kara said. “Or I will spend every ounce of energy I have taking Mage Guild Island apart, spell by spell.” She smiled when the Primus blanched.

“She could you know.”

It was Reo. Kara turned as he and Santos exited the house. Reo, his eyes on the two hostile Mages, stopped beside her, his shoulder brushing hers, and she exhaled in relief. She opened her hand and let the spell she’d been holding disperse.

“You must pay,” Arabella hissed. “I will not allow you to get away with murder!”

“Murder. Is that what you call it when a Mage is killed by his own spell?” Santos asked. He took a step forward. “And Rorik, though you’ve become comfortable in your role, you do not have full authority to speak for Mage Guild.”

“Of course he speaks for the guild,” Arabella said. “He’s Primus.”

“There can only be one Primus,” Santos said.

Arabella’s face went white. “No,” she said. “You went insane and were relieved of the title. Primus Rorik, tell him!”

Rorik shook his head. “It’s a title held until death.” He bowed to Santos. “Primus.”

“No!” Arabella yelled. “He’s mad, everyone knows that. The mad mage.”

“Yes, I was,” Santos said. “Thanks to Valerio Valendi’s curses. It took Kara’s unusual gifts to untangle the spells.”

“Valendi cursed you?” Primus Rorik asked, clearly horrified. “Are you sure?”

“Kara is sure, and that’s enough for me,” Santos said.

“He was draining power from my mother as well,” Kara said.

“He would never,” Arabella said. Her hand automatically went to her rounded stomach.

Chin lifted, Kara met her mother’s eyes. And sucked in her breath. The hatred there was frightening. She felt Reo’s shoulder touch hers again, and she leaned into him, just a little. She wished she didn’t care, wished that after all this time she could forget her mother, but this venomous hatred was almost more than she could bear. For the first time in her life Kara was actually glad she’d been raised by her indifferent father and his mean-spirited wife. Noula’s envy had been petty and harmless compared to Arabella Fonti’s hate.

“He would and he did,” Kara said. “Valerio Valendi was siphoning your power even as your body nurtured his unborn child.”

“This is where this ends,” Santos said. “Valendi is dead, Mage Guild has appointed a replacement, and I, as Primus, am satisfied that there is no need to discuss this further. Rorik?”

“Agreed,” Primus Rorik said. “This is finished.”

“We are not agreed,” Arabella said. “If you will not kill her,” she glared at Rorik, “I will.”

“As Primus, I can revoke your rank and exile you if I wish to,” Santos said calmly. “Both of you.”

“But you’re not really Primus,” Arabella said. “You’ve been gone years. You have no allies, no political power within the guild. The council will expel you.”

“No,” Rorik said. “This is finished.”

“But . . .”

“I said no!” Rorik repeated. “There would be a war within the guild. Santos
will
have allies, once the truth about Valendi is known. And
his
crimes, if they become known, will taint both you and your unborn child. Is that what you want?”

Arabella glared at the Primus again. Finally, she stepped aside, her back stiff. Kara almost felt sorry for her mother, until she remembered what she’d done to Osten.

“Our business is done,” Santos said. “But understand that if Mage Guild or any of its Guildsmen takes any further action against Kara, Reo, or anyone else on Old Rillidi, I will consider it defying a direct order from the Primus.”

“You have my word that Mage Guild will not condone any further interference with Old Rillidi, Kara Fonti, or Reo,” Rorik said. He nodded and turned, towing an angry Arabella Fonti after him.

“Are you all right?” Reo asked her.

Kara nodded and took a shaky breath.

“I think so,” she replied. “I’m grateful that you returned when you did. I’m not sure what I would have done.”

“You would have kept those you care about safe,” Reo said. “You always do.”

She met his gaze. She saw compassion and understanding there.

“Yes. And I would have had to live with the fact that I’d killed my mother.” And she would have always regretted the loss of her unborn sibling.

“Then it’s good that Warrior Guild Primus was so agreeable,” Santos said. “It took a few minutes for him to understand what was being offered, but once he grasped it, he couldn’t agree to our terms fast enough.”

“You’re free?” Kara asked Reo. “Truly free of the guild?” He grinned, and she hugged him, squeezing tight.

“I’m free,” Reo said into her hair. “Free to stop killing, free to live where I want, free to grow old.”

“We’ll need to keep working on your skills, Kara,” Santos said.

She stepped away from Reo and nodded.

“But that can wait for another day.” Santos grinned at her. “Welcome home to both of you.”

This book first saw the light of day in SLS Lithuania. Thanks to Antanas Sileika and everyone in his morning workshop and to later critiquers Sandra and Andrew. Every comment has helped me make this book better.

Much thanks also goes to my Editor, Margaret Curalas, and not only for her hard work on this book. Margaret’s interest in an earlier story gave me the confidence to forge ahead with this one. As did Nalo Hopkinson, my excellent mentor at The Humber School for Writers.

I have found that in writing – as in life – the best (and often most difficult) thing is to show up and keep doing. But good things happen when you make good things happen.

Jane Glatt