Page 5 of Sea and Sky
Mischief twinkled in Damon’s brown eyes. “If I told ya, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“I hate surprises and you know it,” Gavin grumbled as he reluctantly pushed to his feet.
“Fine. Fine. You finally have the chance to be a Grand Mage.”
“His Majesty is granting me a Task? Why didn’t you say that to begin with? Let’s go.” Gavin grabbed his tunic and tugged it on. “I want it more than breath itself.” Perhaps more than the desire to meet merfolk.
Gavin refastened his belt and shoved his feet back into his boots. Damon was already at the door holding Gavin’s cape for him to once again hide his identity.
Gavin slid the cape on, then retrieved the journal from the lounge. He turned on his heel and passed his guard to stomp down the hallway. The stairs creaked with its cracked wooden boards. Maybe he should invest in the building’s infrastructure if he was going to keep his precious collection here. Damon followed close behind.
When they reached the ground floor, Gavin ignored the chorus of moans and groans from the brothel’s patrons. He threw open the front door, spilling bright moonlight through the threshold. The palace in the distance was like a beacon, the white marble was bright in the light of the moon. More a mansion than a fortified castle like humans would build.
Dragons didn’t require all the stone to protect them. They had flight and fire on their side when needed. Plus, with the palace positioned on a cliff, anyone attacking that wasn’t also a dragon had to go through the village or approach by sea and climb the mountain. The realm of Lane had been relatively safe for centuries. There was that war with the necromancers of Lovan before he was born, but Lane had won and had been free of the undead since.
Gavin wanted to fly, but Damon had brought their horses. The beasts were huge, bred for stamina and to hold the weighty bulk of dragons.
“What is the Task His Majesty finally chose for me? Did he say why he’s forced me to wait so long? He’s never allowed me a private audience to ask.” Gavin rubbed a hand down his horse’s side. The creature was a pretty chestnut. Gavin slid the merfolk’s journal into the saddlebag.
“I don’t know the answer to either question.” Damon pulled himself onto his horse.
Gavin scowled. Settling on his saddle, he followed Damon, who set a fast pace through the fairly quiet streets. They passed by empty shops. Most villagers would be asleep. The sublime scent of cooked meat filled the air from around a tavern, and Gavin realized he hadn’t eaten in hours. His stomach grumbled with the rest of him. The few people on the paved road hurried away at the sharp clomping hooves, not realizing one of the riders was their prince. Gavin didn’t care, he was nobody anyway. Third son to the king. Unneeded, unwanted.
Gavin had finished his training at the Mage Academy years ago and had assumed His Majesty would grant him a Task just like all the other graduates. But while everyone else was granted theirs, Gavin was denied the chance to prove himself and instead sent off on missions for the crown. Gavin continued to hone his skills—focusing on healing magic and various research subjects—while he waited.NowHis Majesty had finally deemed Gavin worthy of a Task? What had changed? Gavin was twenty-eight now and had resigned himself to being His Majesty’s lapdog before his true fate was sealed.
Throwing his head back, Gavin ground his teeth and forced himself from growling his frustrations. Of course, not everyone that received the king’s Task achieved Grand Mage. Some died, some failed miserably, some gave up before they finished.
Gavin urged his horse next to Damon’s. Lavish gardens rose around them until they were in a tunnel of greenery. Glow stones attached to the twisted vines provided the light they needed. A fountain gurgled somewhere, but Gavin couldn’t see it beyond the green walls. The tunnel was short, and soon they were in another garden. Gavin always felt disoriented going through the tunnel, but that was the point. If someone had ill intent, it would strip them of magic and hold them until the guard could come.
Gavin couldn’t stand the silence from Damon any longer. “How is His Majesty today?” His Majesty swung wildly from being calm to having a servant beheaded for tripping in the dining hall. That had been a horrific day.
“He’s in a good mood today, as far as I can tell.”
Gavin let out a breath. His Majesty in good spirits was the best he could hope for. “What do you think my Task is?”
“I don’t know. It’ll be well suited to you though, the king always calibrates the Tasks to test the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses equally.”
“He really told you nothing?” Leaving the gardens, the palace seemed to laugh at him, the overly polished walls telling him he wasn’t good enough to be inside.
“I didn’t ask.” Damon shrugged. “At least it’ll give you a break from the missions you hate so much. I, on the other hand, don’t mind them.”
“They’re usually pointless other than to keep me busy. Look at the apple orchard in Vond. Go investigatecricketsin Sokat. There’s been an unusual sighting in Trabda. I’d rather spend my time—”
“At a brothel.”
“With books, Damon. Books. Or research. I negotiated with the pixies of Mavunn to research pixie dust, and I had to end the agreement because His Majesty sent me to the other side of the country before we could even start. Pixie dust, Damon. We know so little about it and how we could use it. Now I won’t have the chance to try again. Besides, when I get a reprieve and am allowed to stay home for a day or two, I’m too exhausted to think.”
Gavin scrubbed a hand down his face. He smelled horrible. He should have hired a bath at the brothel, but chose to read and relax instead. Sighing, he continued. “I would like nothing more than to get back into my research on merfolk, but—”
“Still? After all this time?”
“Absolutely. One day, I’ll find one and ask them everything. The journal I was reading wasbymerfolk. Can you imagine? That’s so rare.”
Damon’s smile was genuinely wide this time. “Maybe you’ll get to research your beloved merfolk soon.”
“I wouldn’t say beloved. More fascinated by.”
“If you say so.” Damon stopped his horse.
