In truth, I figured that there was a good chance they would try to cast a tracker spell, but this was the best plan I could conjure with in all of three seconds. It wasn’t the best plan in the universe, but it was better than standing around. And palace mages were often raised in comfort and luxury. They wouldn’t know about storage spaces in towers.
Probably.
Hopefully.
Eh, this was insane.
Jicho slid out the floorboards and began to scoot under the subfloor. “Well, I won’t hide and wait while they take you away.”
“Agreed.” I did the same as Jicho, pulling up enough boards so I could shimmy into the subfloor. Lying on my back, I maneuvered the wood slats back where they’d been before. The moment the last board snicked into place, the door to the tower room slammed open.
A long pause followed. My heart thumped so hard in my chest, I thought it would be audible to the mages.
“She’s not here,” said an elder woman’s voice. “Thank the Lady.”
“We should cast a tracking spell.” This time, it was a young man who spoke. I’d seen a pair of mages heading across the grounds. These must be the same two.
“No, we should not.” The elder woman’s voice deepened with conviction. I made a silent vow that if I got through this alive and retook my role in the palace, I was definitely awarding her property. By the Sire, she could have her own temple named in her honor.
“No, you heard Prince Kade’s orders.”
My teeth locked with frustration. The younger mage was most definitely not getting a temple.
“Yes, and I recall Genesis Rex saying that if we harm her, he’d want a full accounting.”
My heart soared. I had heard Rowan’s “I want a full accounting” speech many times. That was his way of telling the mages that he didn’t want me harmed unnecessarily. Perhaps he was remembering more at last.
“That warning meant nothing,” said the young mage.
The elder mage sniffed. “You ever seen a man defend his mate?”
“You can’t believe that witch is truly the mate of our Genesis Rex.”
“That witch told the king she was his mate. And she’s a follower of Viktor, who is a master of enchantments. Who knows what kind of spells she’s cast on our king? And if she can trick our Genesis Rex? She’s a mage unlike anything we could fight. Rex would want us to go back. He’s far better prepared to track and fight her than we are. If we go off and get ourselves killed, we’re of no use to our king.”
It was official. This woman would get two temples.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” The younger mage paced the floor. The movement of the boards sent bits of dust cascading into my mouth and nose. I stifled the urge to sneeze. Jicho didn’t do as well. He let out a sound that sounded like a high-pitched squeak. My heart sank.
We’ll be caught for sure.
“Did you hear something?” asked the young mage.
“It’s an old room; it makes noises.” The older woman’s voice dripped with frustration. “Are we returning to the palace or not?”
Three temples.
“Fine,” sighed the younger man. “We’ll leave.”
It seemed to take an eternity for them to march down the tower stairs. A low murmur of voices sounded from outside. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I recognized Kade’s voice in the mix. Next there came one of the most beautiful sounds I’d ever heard.
Three short whistles.
Kade was giving the code to retreat. They were all leaving the tower grounds. Jicho whispered to me from under the floorboards. “Should we get out Elea? This dust itches my nose.”
“Not yet, Jicho. Let’s give it a few minutes.”
“This is the part I saw in my visions, Elea.” Jicho’s happy, sing-song voice carried under the floorboards. “Once they’re gone, I’ll lead us on our very own adventure.”
Jicho was so excited I couldn’t help but chuckle. “And how will you take me there?” No sooner did the question leave my mouth, than I knew the answer. “This is why you’ve been helping Amelia with the boat, isn’t it? We’re escaping on the river.”
“Of course,” said Jicho. “I’ve seen this coming for ages.”
“I’m glad one of us did.” Because if anyone had told me yesterday that I’d be hiding in the subfloor of one of Rowan’s towers, I’d have said they were crazy.
Instead, it seemed like the world had gone mad.
Chapter Twelve
After the palace mages left, Jicho and I waited under the floorboards. Around me, thin shafts of moonlight broke through the wooden seams above my head. My thoughts kept returning to Rowan.
My miserable mate. When I last saw him, his green eyes had brimmed with pain. What a weight of loneliness he now seemed to carry.
I’ll be back with you soon, my love.
After a while, the silence became deafening. Even the distant rumble of voices from the festival had died out.
“We can get up now,” I said.
“That took forever,” called Jicho.
Setting my hands flat against the boards above my head, I pushed until the wood flipped open. Standing up, I found my black Necromancer robes were now covered in a thin sheen of dust and dead bugs. I hadn’t noticed the insects before. Thanks to my mage training, a single thought appeared in my mind.
Insect husks. What a nice source of death magick.
Then, I remembered that I couldn’t cast any spells right now. The trickster gods Mlinzi and Walinzi had stolen every memory of an incantation.
Frustration tightened up my back. I was really starting to hate those two.
Leaning against the wall, I brushed the dirt off my robes, and contemplated my sorry state. How could I possibly find the Sword of Theodora without using magick? I straightened my stance and firmed up my determination.
Possible or not, there was no choice but to move forward.
I simply had to recall how to cast spells. A sigh escaped my lips. More importantly, Rowan needed to remember me. Soon. That left only one option.
Find Nan and the Sword.
I turned to Jicho. “I need to find my friend.”
“Nan?”
“Yes. Nan has part of the Sword of Theodora. You said you had a vision of where she was?”
Jicho wiped at his face, which only served to make the dust at his cheeks turn darker. “I know where Nan is, and I’ll take you to her.”
I opened my mouth, ready to give another speech about how all my quests tend to turn rather bloody and disgusting. But we’d covered this before and Jicho was right. Viktor wiping out many worlds was reason enough to take some risks.
I gestured toward the door. “In that case, lead on.”
“Yes, fair death maiden.” Jicho puffed out his chest as he marched toward the door. He couldn’t be prouder about helping me on a real adventure.
I could only hope he wouldn’t one day regret it.
Chapter Thirteen
When Jicho and I stepped outside, the landscape was absolutely deserted. No more guards or mages lurked in the shadows. Even the partygoers had vanished. This was how Caster parties always went. Once the king left, everyone fell into a drunken stupor.
Perfect.