Brian Kittrell - The Immortals of Myrdwyer

“It might not be safe.”

“I didn’t agree to come with you because it was safe, Laedron Telpist.”

He nodded. “Right. Stand close, then.”

With a wave of his wrist and a chant in Uxidin, a spinning sphere of energy formed around them. He closed his eyes and focused on the destination.

* * *

When the swirling energy dispersed, Laedron scanned the immediate area. Finding that no one had seemed to notice their sudden appearance, he took Valyrie’s hand. Thankfully, he had not been afflicted with the nausea and dizziness he experienced the last time he had cast the spell. The change worked .

Her crystal blue eyes met his, then she turned to the sea before them. “Why this spot, Lae?”

“I’ve always liked being at the seaside.” He looked out across the waves. “It’s not much different from my life, really. We both-the shore and me-sit between two worlds, and we’re not truly a part of either. For the bank, it’s the land and the sea, but for me, it’s the magical and the plain.”

“I don’t understand. You’re a sorcerer, so aren’t you a part of the magical world?”

“Only to a point. I never completed my training. I’ve come far, but I haven’t learned the secrets or the traditions. It’s like being a sparrow living with chickens; you can fly, which is spectacular to the others, but you’re still an outsider.”

“What would make things better?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know if anything can. The academy and my teacher are gone, the sorcerers usurped and scattered, and little is left of the old ways. I-” He choked and looked away.

“What, Lae?” She put her arm around his shoulders.

“I don’t even know if Ma and Laren are still alive.” He took a deep breath, trying to steel himself. “No need to be burdened with that right now. Ma used to tell me not to worry unless I had something to worry about.”

“She would be correct. Wise words.” She stared at him, then looked all around. “Are we still in Lasoron?”

He pointed over his shoulder. “Nessadene lies behind us. I noticed this spot when we sailed into the harbor.”

“The city seems so far from here. How far do you think we could travel with that spell?”

“Difficult to say.”

“Across seas?”

“I wouldn’t want to risk it. A spell can last only as long as the caster can concentrate. If I lost my focus, we could land in the middle of the ocean.”

Stepping down onto the beach, she pulled him along behind her. “And what, mighty sorcerer, will you do once you’re through with adventuring?”

“What do you mean?” He sat beside her on the sand.

“You said something about returning home. To Sorbia?”

Having occupied his mind with crafting his spell, he had almost forgotten what his home looked like. “I haven’t considered it, to be honest. I suppose that returning home will be the reward, if I make it that long.”

“You don’t think you will?”

“If I knew how long this last piece of our journey will take, I might be more optimistic. We have no way of knowing.”

She took his hand in hers once more. “Yes, but what about after you return home? You have no plans for the future?”

“Of course.” He looked down at her hands massaging his and felt a tingle crawl up his arm.

“Well?” She smiled. “It’s difficult to talk to a man who won’t speak.”

“Before all this, little care was ever given to what I thought.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now. Like it or not, the world’s opened its eyes and ears to you, Lae.”

“Sometimes I wish more than anything that the world would be blind and deaf to me again. What good is an audience when they watch you only to see you suffer?”

“Good things have happened, too. Or do you deny that?”

“Good things, yes. Plenty of bad, too.”

Her reaction to his words spoke volumes. Her face told of her pain, her anguish at losing her father, but he also saw hope in her eyes.

“I need not tell you that. You know of the bad things just as I do.”

“I can only hurt so much before I need to feel joy,” she said, inching closer. “For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that I feel happy. I only ask what you see in the future because I want to share in your hopes and dreams.”

He stared at the water, the wind pushing the surface just enough in some places to cap the waves with white foam. “Someone will have to bring back the things that once were.”

“The things that once were?” She hugged tighter to his arm.

“From the ashes of the magic academy, a new one must be built. New mages must be trained to carry on our traditions, our ways.”

“Does the task lie at your feet? Did no one else survive?”

“Victor. Perhaps he would be best suited for the job.”

“I remember the name, but I cannot place him. Another mage?”

“Yes. He took me in when I had lost my way. When I was in Morcaine, I tried to join the army-”

“You?”

He straightened his back and puffed out his chest. “Something wrong with that?”

“You don’t seem the type.”

“Suppose I don’t feel the same way?” He tensed. “You don’t think I can stand up and fight for what I believe?”

“No, Lae,” she said, wrapping her arm around his back and squeezing him. “From the moment I laid eyes on you, I didn’t think you were that kind of man. I couldn’t see you fitting into the uncompromising lifestyle of a soldier, and I still can’t.”

He relaxed a little. “At the time, I saw no other way. I wanted to help in any way I could, but it took Count Millaird to guide me. He arranged my passage to Westmarch, where I came under the care of the Order of the Shimmering Dawn and Victor Altruis.”

“And from there, your adventure led you to Azura. To me.”

He grinned. “Yes.”

“I’m glad we found each other.”

“Me, too.” He sat quietly in her embrace for a few moments before asking, “What do you see in the future?”

Her eyes shifted. “Well… I keep thinking about what you said. That you cared deeply for me.”

He nodded.

“What did you mean by it?”

“Just what I said. I care deeply for you.”

“Love?”

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail. His lips quivering, he said, “Yeah.” When he turned to look at her again, her lips met his. Her hand slid across his shoulders, and he was lost in the passion of her embrace.

Snapping back to reality, he heard voices and bustling past the woods above the shore. “Come, let’s go back to the inn. Others approach.”

She nodded, and by use of his traveling spell, he returned them to their room at the inn, then cleaned the sand from their garments with the flick of his wrist. With Valyrie’s arms wrapped tightly around his back, he took his lips from hers only long enough to blow on the candle and extinguish the flame. He guided her to the bed, then sat once she had crawled to the other side. Lying down, he pulled her alongside, and she rested her head on his chest, locked in a loving embrace.

With some hesitation, he said, “I didn’t want to mention it, but I must. This is too important to hold my tongue. You know, we won’t be able to do much of this once on the trail.”

“Why not, Lae?”

“The others… and the task at hand. We must remain focused on the goal, and until we accomplish what we’ve set out to do, we’ll have to treat each other like we treat Marac and Brice. If we don’t, we risk everyone.”

She slid her cheek against his shoulder. “Why must we be so cold? We’ve had no problems thus far.”

“I think it’s best.”

Sitting up, she looked down into his eyes, her black locks mantling her face. “I don’t understand this. Why can’t we be close at the same time?”