We finished the ten-minute walk to the palace infirmary, and I was surprised to see two familiar persons already present as we turned the corner. The taller of the two, a young man with sandy-brown locks and easy blue eyes was chuckling at something the dark-skinned girl beside him had said.
Like most mages in the kingdom, neither wore their colored robes except for special occasions, but their status was still unmistakable. The two bore the air all newly ascended mages carried: one of barely contained excitement and pride. It was a sharp contrast to the calm of the palace healer in her red Restoration robe that greeted us upon entry.
“Alex! Ella!” I called out to my brother and best friend across the way.
The couple immediately turned toward the doorway. Ella broke into a grin, but my twin’s smile faded as soon as he noticed my injuries and the person standing beside me.
“What happened?” His question sounded innocent, but I knew Alex well enough to catch the unusual lilt to his tone. My brother had already chastised me for too many injuries during the course of our four-year apprenticeship, and I knew he was anything but pleased that his sister had gotten herself hurt. Again.
I hastily made myself speak: “It’s nothing, Darren was duel—“ I corrected myself hastily. “I was practicing, and I think I broke a rib.”
“Ryiah just needs a healer to look at her,” Darren said. “Nothing too serious.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed on the prince. “I know what a broken rib is.”
Darren stared at him. “I didn’t say you didn’t.”
“Did you do this to her?”
The prince folded his arms defensively. “Your sister was the one who wanted to duel.”
“That doesn’t mean—” Alex never finished because at just that moment Ella placed a perfectly timed kick to his shins. Alex swallowed, scowling, and Ella finished for him with a small smile in Darren’s direction.
“I take it Ry thought she’d give you a run for first rank?”
At her question the non-heir gave a small smile. “She tried.”
“Did she at least get in some good castings of her own?”
“Depends on what you consider ‘good.’”
I cringed. Now was not the best time to joke. Not with my brother seething in anger a couple feet away. “So about that healing…”
Darren and Ella stayed where they were, engaging in a strained but polite conversation while I followed Alex to one of the covered cots in the back of the room. He wasn’t employed by the palace staff, but the healer was busy enough with two of the knights of the King’s Regiment in the back so she didn’t give us a second glance. The rest of her staff had undoubtedly left for the Academy trials with the rest of the court.
As soon as Alex started to make his examination I lowered my voice to a whisper. “There’s no need to blame Darren for this.”
My twin grumbled under his breath but said nothing.
“You can’t continue to hate him, Alex. I already told you, everything he did during the apprenticeship, he had a reason—”
My brother cut me off. “I really do not want to talk about him right now.”
I sighed and let him continue his work in silence. I felt the cooling touch as his magic seeped out of his hands and into my stomach, the terrible sensation of movement inside, and then the blissful sensation as my rib pain trickled away, bit by bit. It was a simple injury to treat—a broken or fractured rib could heal naturally with no magic within a month or two on its own—but I did not have the luxury of time.
Sitting up, I gave my twin a grateful smile. “So have you and Ella finally decided which city to take up service in?”
My brother’s expression softened at the mention of her name. “Montfort.”
I started. I had been expecting Ferren’s Keep, or maybe Ishir Outpost. “Where is Montfort?”
“It’s five days north. Ella wanted to come with you—you already know that—but after what happened last year I didn’t feel comfortable stationed so close to the border, not that I like you going there either.” He gave me a pointed look and I ignored it.
Neither Darren nor Alex could talk me out of a position in Commander Nyx’s regiment. Besides, unlike the two of them, my station was only temporary: the Crown’s advisors had made it clear that as soon as Darren and I were married I would be stuck serving close to home—and that would be the end of my grand adventures. I bit my lip. It was the one thing I wasn’t looking forward to about my impending marriage.
“…Still close enough to the action to give her the excitement she wants, but they also have some of the best healers in the kingdom. Ronan is going there.” Ronan was a first-rank mage like Darren—only his faction was Restoration like my brother’s. The two of them had bonded during their apprenticeship, and while my brother was jealous of his friend’s ranking, I knew he also looked up to him. In Alex’s eyes, anywhere Ronan was stationed was worth going.