Lisa Shearin - Armed & Magical

“Magus Silvanus has had his say. Until Justinius is fully recovered, Carnades is the senior-ranking mage. But until this island is secure, he is under the protection of the Guardians in the comfort of his town house.”

My little smile turned into a delighted grin. “You’ve got Carnades under house arrest?”

“At-home security precautions for a senior mage.”

“Call it what you want. You locked him up to keep him out of your way.”

“Six of my Guardians were ambushed and killed with military precision behind Sirens. Piaras was knocked unconscious and put into a coach.” Mychael’s voice was tight with restrained anger. “Both of these acts were committed by elves. I have two eyewitnesses.”

“Three if you count Phaelan,” I told him. “They were embassy guards. Taltek Balmorlan wanted Piaras, so he took him.”

“I had assumed as much. That’s why I came here.”

“To rescue Piaras?”

Mychael nodded. “And you. If Piaras was here, I knew you wouldn’t be far behind.”

“Correct on both counts.” I hit the high points of the rest of our night, culminating with Rudra Muralin’s vanishing act.

Mychael listened, his face expressionless, his mind working, no doubt separating our multiple near-death experiences into cold, hard facts he could legally act upon, and nonprosecutable incidents. I had a sinking feeling where most of them would fall—under nonprosecutable incidents with untouchable perpetrators. And I couldn’t be entirely sure that he didn’t consider Tam one of those perpetrators.

“Balmorlan’s going to walk, isn’t he?”

“Probably. Diplomatic immunity being the first of a long list of reasons. The confession Balmorlan wanted Piaras to sign was that he had attempted to assassinate the archmagus. To virtually everyone in Sirens, that’s exactly what it looked like. Piaras is an elven citizen. No doubt Balmorlan will claim he was acting in the best interests of the elven people, and the Conclave.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Then again, I could. “He only acted in the best interest of Taltek Balmorlan. He wanted to take Piaras off of this island because of his voice, not his guilt.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t prove intent.”

I spat a word that expressed my feelings perfectly.

“I agree. But that doesn’t change the law.”

“Then the law sucks.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t.”

I snorted. “How?”

“After Piaras was taken and you disappeared, Carnades wanted to convene the Seat of Twelve and discuss our next steps. I didn’t agree with his plan. The archmagus was nearly assassinated by a Khrynsani spellsinger, Nightshades had kidnapped five students and our top maestro, six of my Guardians were murdered, Piaras was abducted, and the first person to be able to wield the Saghred in centuries was missing. In my opinion, martial law was not only justified, but called for.”

“So you declared martial law.”

One corner of Mychael’s mouth turned upward. “There’s a statute that says there has to be a two-thirds majority vote from the Twelve before martial law can be declared. It’s a safety measure to keep a paladin from wresting power from the Conclave.”

I was stunned. “Two-thirds actually voted for martial law?”

“No paladin has ever declared martial law, so it’s a little-known statute.” Mychael’s blue eyes gleamed in boyish mischief. “So I didn’t ask them.”

I grinned slowly in delighted amazement. “You broke the law.”

“Not broken, merely bent it in the direction it needed to go.”

“Until it squealed. First I corrupt Piaras, now you.” I laughed. “I’m a bad influence. You want me to go home?”

Mychael reached me in two strides, gripped my shoulders, and pulled me to him in a kiss of desperate relief and long-denied need. His hands slid down my arms and around my waist and back, enfolding and crushing me against him.

Heat flared and spread through every part of me, and I felt breathless and disoriented. Though that may have been from being crushed against plate steel. I didn’t mind. I also couldn’t feel my feet on the cobblestones. It took a moment to register that Mychael had lifted me off my feet.

He raised his head and gazed down at me, his sea blue eyes as dark as sapphires. “I didn’t know where you were, who had you, if you were hurt or dead. I was tearing this island apart looking for you.”

“You trashed your island for me?”

“I thought I’d lost you.”

“You almost did.”

He briefly rested his lips against my forehead. “And I still could.”

He gently set me back on my feet and reluctantly took his arms from around me, but he didn’t step away. I was glad he didn’t. I could still feel his warmth—and I wanted it.

Mychael was worried about losing me to someone like Rudra Muralin or Taltek Balmorlan. I didn’t tell him about the Mal’Salin family—and Tam and goblin favors and shifting alliances. He’d probably find all that out soon enough.

Mostly he meant the Saghred.

“Are you ready to go home?” he asked quietly.

I knew what he meant. The citadel. I knew I didn’t have a home anymore. Home was where you felt safe, and until I felt safe in my own skin, I couldn’t call anyplace home. Oddly enough, that didn’t bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. In fact, it was liberating. I started to smile. Must be the Benares seafarer in me.

“You’re smiling.” Mychael’s voice was a husky whisper. “What is it?”

My smile broadened and I took a step back from him. “No.”

He was confused. “No, what?”

“No, I’m not ready to go home. Mychael, I’m not going to be locked up, put in protective custody, safe keeping, whatever. That’s not home. I can’t live that way, and I won’t.”

He stood utterly still. “Then you might not live.”

I put my hand gently on his armored chest. “My choice,” I whispered. “And it has to stay mine.”

“What is your choice?”

I thought for a moment. “For now, I’ll stay on the Fortune .”

“But I can’t protect—”

“Mychael, you can’t protect me anywhere. No one can.” I chuckled. “I’m way beyond protection. You could lock me in the deepest containment room you had and I wouldn’t be protected.” I paused and looked into those sea blue eyes. “You know that.”

I took his silence as a yes.

“I want my family around me right now,” I said.

“Then Phaelan’s told you.”

I was instantly wary. “Told me what?”

“Apparently Phaelan’s father was on his way to Mermeia in case the two of you needed to make a quick getaway.”

I grinned crookedly. “That I knew.”

“He also told his father that once he made port in Mermeia and if he hadn’t heard from either Phaelan or you in three days, that he was to sail directly here.” Mychael blew out his breath; it came out as a long-suffering sigh. “If the wind’s good, you’ll have all the family I can handle by sun-down tomorrow.”

“Uncle Ryn’s coming to visit!” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice and I didn’t even try.

“And he’ll stay as long as it takes,” came Phaelan’s voice from behind me. “The paladin here has said there are mages on this island who can help you. Dad and I will be around to ensure that it happens. The quicker it happens, the faster we’ll leave. If the high-and-mighty mages don’t want pirates in their harbor and town, they’d better start looking for some solutions to your problem. The good paladin has agreed to uncloak and unward the Fortune . Kind of defeats the purpose of having a ship if it’s just a big, wooden float.”

I turned to Mychael. “And you approved this?”