Page 58 of Storms of Allegiance

“And she saved five ships as well as countless sailors who’d gone overboard.”

“My cousin was there, and she saw a ship sailing into harbor like they were in a bubble—the sea at their prow and stern as calm as if there wasn’t any storm raging at all.”

“It wasn’t just the ships everyone could see either,” the first boy assured the second. “She saved ships too far out for the other mages to even sense.”

“I heard the winds quieted, and those who’d gone overboard flew through the air until they reached the dock, like a bird coming in to land,” said one of the girls.

I clapped both my hands to my head. Now I understood what the older healers had meant about a legend. In the chaos of the unexpected storm, many people had helped rescue the trapped and injured—most of the helpers being local Eldridans. But in the wake of the tragedy, people wanted heroes, and powerful and mysterious strangers made much better fodder for legends than the person next door. Especially when Amara was such a compelling figure. I had no doubt she really had achieved impressive feats at the harbor—even if not quite to the level of the stories circulating among the apprentices.

Hayes and Clay must have done more than me in the square—just to name two—but they hadn’t come in the company of a mage who could make sailors fly.

“What I want to know,” one of the girls said, “is who’s the man who carried you in? Because I heard some things about him, too.”

My eyes snapped open, but I stayed in position, my face lowered and hidden from their view. Apparently Nik was another reason for my so-called mystique.

The other girl giggled. “I heard he’s terribly handsome.” She sighed. “And powerful, too. They say he cleared half the rubble in the square single-handedly, but he disappears whenever someone starts asking questions.”

Even without seeing it, I could feel her eyes boring into me.

“Do you know who he is? Why doesn’t he want anyone to know his identity?”

“I heard,” the first girl said, her voice dropping to a whisper, “that he’s aprince.”

My head whipped up, my hands falling away. They couldn’t possibly know the truth of Nik’s identity. Their imaginations were simply taking them to the furthest reaches of romanticism. But whereas the other rumors led them to painful exaggeration, in this case, their flights of fancy had brought them dangerously close to the truth.

“This is all ridiculous!” I snapped. “Of course I did my part and healed as many as I could, but I didn’t do anything outstanding. And while Master Amara is strong, she’s still just one mage. I’m sure she had a whole team of people helping her bring in the boats.”

The two girls exchanged disappointed looks.

“Are you sure you don’t know who he is?” one of them whispered. “Because I got a glimpse of him putting that cloth on your eyes, and the way he looked at you—”

“That’s enough,” the male healer said sternly. He gave the girl an exasperated look. “You saw him, did you? Because when I asked, you all said that none of you got a good look at anyone who didn’t belong in the hospital.”

“Well, of course, I didn’t get agoodlook,” the girl muttered, flushing. “But I’m sure I sawsomeone.”

“Someone!” The man threw his hands up in the air and gave the apprentices a look of such exasperation that they all scattered, mumbling about urgent tasks that needed their attention.

The healer shook his head as he watched them flee. “A prince? Really?” he murmured. “Anyone would think we hadn’t just run our apprentices off their feet.”

The matron, who had watched the whole thing in silence, chuckled. “Leave them be. They’re young, and the young need something to talk about.”

“Not just the young.” The man eyed two older healers who were murmuring together on the far side of the room, casting frequent glances our way.

The matron shook her head, her smile dropping from her face. “With so much lost and so much to grieve, they need something thrilling to provide moments of relief.”

“But why me?” I asked. “I’m sure you both healed more people injured by the storm than I did.”

“Aye, that we both did.” The woman’s belly swayed with her laughter. “But we did it from within the walls of this hospital, which is much less romantic.”

“I saw lots of healers in the square,” I continued stubbornly. “Most of them must have been yours.”

“They were, of course,” the man said. “We sent everyone we could possibly spare when we heard of the disaster. But we didn’t send out our apprentices, so you were probably the youngest there—and you held your own despite your age and lack of training.”

“Luna isn’t that much older than me,” I muttered rebelliously. “Why don’t they make legends about her and Master Hayes, instead?”

“Oh, you know Master Hayes, do you?” the matron asked. “We were most grateful for his assistance, along with his apprentice and Master Clay, as well, of course. And I’m sure people would be talking about them if they’d ridden into town with someone who spent the storm flying ships through the air. Don’t go getting a big head, child. It’s your master who caught the crowd’s attention. It merely made the story even better for her apprentice to be a prodigy as well, saving the city in a different way.”

“Now theshipsare flying, I see,” the man said caustically. “You’re as bad as the apprentices.”

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