Page 20 of Oath of Betrayal
‘Family connections. My brother is Lord Marshal of Dagome.’
‘Of course, you’re able to change the law when it fits you,’ she huffed, and I sighed.
Her response stopped me from divulging that the royal mage had granted me the geas the moment he’d learned whom I’dfound. He could barely believe she had survived without an Anchor or without causing a catastrophe for so long, and he made me swear I’d find a way to tame her magic.
The old man’s hands had trembled when I told him who I’d discovered. There were only a few conduit mages in the kingdom, and it seemed Ani had faked her death to run away from the splendour of court before her geas could be activated, refusing to be bonded again. It was easier for everybody to believe she’d died than admit there was an uncontrolled power so close to the Barren Lands.
I was more than happy to sweep their mistake under the carpet, so I came here thinking I knew exactly who I would have to deal with, determined to drag her from this town by force if necessary. Then I met her on the floodplains and realised I knew nothing. Not only might I have misjudged her character, but I also didn’t foresee how I’d react to the encounter.
We walked together in silence until I noticed Ani curling her hand into a fist, rubbing her fingers together, and I covered her hand with mine. As I suspected, it was cold, but I enjoyed the sensation of her magic prickling my skin as she tilted her head and looked at me with a frown.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m warming your hand. It is cold as ice,’ I answered. I didn’t stop her when she pulled away; we were almost at the floodplains anyway. ‘Tell me, what’s so special about this town that you moved here?’ I asked to break the tension, but the rigid set of her jaw indicated I had asked the wrong question.
‘Fresh mountain air and friendly citizens, of course. Why else would a conduit mage settle in an isolated town, filling her days with making love potions and chasing ghouls and chickens?’ she answered.
Troublemaker,I thought, feeling annoyance mixed with amusement. I tried to ease the muscles in my neck, wincing asAni jumped at the crunching sound. She was skittish, and as soon as she’d learned of my status and the geas, Annika had become more prickly than a thistle.
‘Chickens?’ I asked against my better judgement, and she pursed her lip.
‘Of course. They are an important part of the local culture. Ask the mayor’s wife. She’ll tell you all about it, and in great detail. In fact, youmustask her about it, as their frequent disappearance is strongly related to the fading of the Barrier. At least that’s what she thinks.’
‘What?’ I stopped and grasped her hand. The abruptness of my gesture made her stumble into me. ‘What are you talking about? What do chickens have to do with the Barrier?’ It sounded like nonsense, and I realised it was when Ani’s lips twitched.Brazen witch,I thought, turning my face away from her to hide how much it pleased me.
‘Nothing. On second thought,don’ttalk to the mayor’s wife. No one deserves that conversation.’ She laughed. ‘Gods, the look you just gave me was so incredulous it was cute.’
I’ve been called various names—‘unfeeling bastard’ the one most commonly used within my hearing, butcute? That I’d never heard. My annoyance at her teasing ebbed into appreciation. Few dared to speak to me so disrespectfully; even fewer were bold enough to tease Varta’s commander with crazed theories on fucking chickens.
She was the breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed.
We arrived at the tree she’d mentioned, and Ani instantly let go of my hand, leaning on the gnarly trunk. I could hear dragons snoring; Ani must have heard it, too, because she looked in the same direction.
‘Do you think Vahin is there?’ she asked. I nodded, quietly observing her. With the sound of music in the distance and under the soft light of the stars, her face had finally softened. Ikept my distance, letting the peace of the night seep in until I felt she was ready to hear me.
‘I like the night,’ Ani whispered, turning her face towards the sky. ‘It hides the monsters and ugliness of this world, letting you forget who you are and what you’ve done … I sometimes wander outside to lose myself in the sea of stars and talk to those who can no longer hear me,’ she continued, exhaling slowly.
The beauty of those words and the pain behind them stunned me into silence. I’d expected a fight. Instead, I stood beside a shivering woman who looked at the stars as if she could find all of the answers to her questions amongst them. There was unresolved grief hidden in her words, and I didn’t know if Ani was purposely sharing this with me or if the alcohol had loosened her tongue.
‘One day, I will take you to the stars if you’d like. Vahin can carry us both, and whatever you need to tell them will be heard by the gods themselves.’ My offer was an impulse that I instantly regretted when she chuckled, shaking her head before turning her gaze towards me.
‘Leave the sky for the dragons, Orm. If the gods want to listen to my ramblings, they’ll have to come down to my level, but I appreciate the sentiment. You’re making it very hard for me to detest you, so let’s hear what you have to say. I know it is a strange place to talk, but whatever you need to say, it’ll be easier to take here.’
As the silence stretched out, crickets, initially disturbed by our presence, resumed their melody. The air, filled with the perfume of night flowers, was the perfect backdrop for lovers, but not for the contract I was about to reveal. Yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about how to soften the blow.
‘Ormond, we can stay here all night, but at some point, I’ll fall asleep. So please, tell me why you went to such lengths to entrapme,’ she asked, and I cursed. Why did she have to wield her words like a whip every time I wanted to go easy on her?
My anger abated when she added quietly, ‘Since I’m still here despite you knowing who I am … don’t you want to take me to the capital?’ I shortened the distance between us, wondering how honest I could be and how she would take it when I announced to the town that she was my chosen maiden tomorrow.
She ran and hid here because she refused to take the Anchor chosen by the council.Will telling her she has to bond Alaric to fix the keystone cause the same reaction?... I’ll let him broach the subject. Let’s see what she says if I offer my protection and the opportunity to do more than slay a few ghouls every once in a while.My new plan had its flaws, but between the meeting on the floodplains and now, I hadn’t had time to consider all the implications.
‘The problem is here, not in the capital—and before you ask, only the royal mage knows you’re alive.’ She exhaled slowly, looking at me with a little less hostility. ‘Tomorrow, I will announce that I have chosen you, and you will accept it without causing a scene. I know you don’t desire that, so tonight, I wanted to explain why I must do it this way and why it’s so important,’ I said, and she pushed herself off the tree.
‘Well, I’m all ears. I’m guessing you came here lured by the stories of my power, and the way we interacted earlier had you thinking you could kill two birds with one stone. Ugh, never mind, it’s a starting point. Let’s negotiate—but before I give you my terms, you need to know the truth.’ The tone of her voice made me raise my eyebrow.
‘What truth? Please, do enlighten me. I’m all ears.’
‘You may have a body to die for, but I’m not interested in you. If you went as far as to obtain the geas, you know who I am and how far I can go to protect myself. Trust me, you’ll not wina fight with me, so if you think you can force me to warm your bed, think again. You may rule Varta Fortress, but if you want a mistress, I’m not your woman.’
