Lily of the Desert (Silver and Orchids Book 4) Read online

  It wasn’t far from here that Sebastian and I became turned around in the woods and tracked down the greater fire hippogriff that started our illustrious scouting career. That’s what got me in this mess with Gorin. In exchange for his ice charm, I was supposed to bring him back a phoenix feather. We never found the phoenix, but I didn’t bring him back his ring either.

  Gorin finishes his drink and slaps a few coins on the table, standing. Across the room, he calls to the barmaid, “Where’s the nearest mages’ guild?”

  She glances over, smiling. “Thistlehorn, down the main road about twenty-five miles.”

  When he thanks her and turns back to us, the young girl’s smile dims with disappointment. Gorin’s handsome, even if he’s young. At nineteen, he’s almost three years younger than Sebastian and me.

  My business partner and I were born only a day apart in our little village, right in the middle of spring. It looks like we’re going to spend our birthdays in the desert this year.

  “We’ll go first thing in the morning,” Gorin says, excited to get back on the road.

  “After we return the bracelet to the Duchess,” Sebastian reminds him.

  Gorin’s spark dims. “Yes, after that. But now we should get some sleep. It’s late as it is, and we’ll want to be up early.”

  If he could, he’d ride the entire way to the border without stopping. But it’s understandable he’s anxious to reunite with his betrothed. I’ve been separated from Avery for less than a week, and I feel like a caged panther.

  And now I’ve lost the dagger.

  Sharp panic strikes my core, stealing the breath from my lungs. The sensation is so acute, I can almost taste its metallic tang. How could I have been so foolish? How will the captain find me now?

  Sebastian rises with the rest of us and scowls at the sorry state of his clothing. “I need to clean up. Lucia, you need to tend to your arm.”

  I glance at my makeshift bandage, nodding, and part ways with the others. As I walk to my room, despair threatens to choke me. Though it’s nice having privacy, I wish I’d stayed with Adeline.

  I turn my borrowed key in the lock and push the door open. A candle flickers on a table by the bed and a fire burns in the hearth, both trying their best to make the room merry.

  Taking my dear sweet time, stalling as long as I’m able because it’s going to burn, I prepare to clean the harpy’s angry talon slash. The room is lovely, especially for such a small inn and tavern, and it has a fireplace. I set water to boil. When the kettle squeals, I know I can stall no longer. The wound stings like elemental ice, as I knew it would, and I suck in a sharp hiss when I dab the cloth over it.

  A soft knock sounds at the door. Letting the cloth fall back in the basin with a splash, I walk across the room to see who’s in the hall.

  Sebastian stands on the other side. Apparently he didn’t mind cleaning up with cold water, because his hair is freshly washed, and he couldn’t have taken the time to heat a kettle. Even though he’ll be retiring shortly, he also changed his doublet and dirty trousers for a new, sharp set.

  He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes tell me everything he’s thinking.

  “I’m fine,” I manage to say, even if my voice is listless.

  He studies me for several more seconds, and the firelight dances in his green eyes. He’s handsome, startlingly so. There was a time I was in love with him, but never like I love Avery.

  Without a word, he steps in the room and jerks his chin toward a chair by the wash table.

  “I’ve got it—”

  “Sit down.” His voice is soft—well, soft for Sebastian. “Let me help.”

  Because I’m afraid I’m going to break if I speak, I only nod and do as he says. With extreme care, he cleans the wound. “Where’s your mother’s astringent and salve?”

  After you’ve known someone twenty-one years, you know certain things about them—like I never go anywhere without my mother’s homemade concoctions. I used them on him once, almost a year ago in Mesilca. As if he remembers as well, he meets my eyes and gives me a tight smile.

  The memory is bittersweet, but it doesn’t conjure any long-forgotten feelings. Tonight, I’m simply glad for his company.

  As always, the astringent stings with the fury of a thousand wasps, but the salve takes away the bite. Without feeling the need to fill the silence with conversation, he works quietly. It’s comfortable between us again. I wasn’t sure we’d ever reach this point, but I’m glad we have.

  “There.” He sits back on his heels and looks at me with such pity, I have to look away. “It’s going to be all right—I swear it will.”

  “I lost it.” I try to control my voice, but it wavers. “How…”

  And though I try several times, I can’t take in enough breath to finish. I end up doubled over, clutching my arms around my chest, trying to breathe.

  “Come here.” He laughs as he yanks me close, but it’s a sympathetic sound. “Avery will find us.” He pulls me back at arm’s length, making me look at him. “He’s the bane of my existence. You really think he’d disappear for good?”

  I laugh through my tears, but the ache is still all-consuming. There’s a knock at the door, and then it opens. Adeline’s eyes widen with shock when she sees us, and then she notices my blotchy face. “What happened?”

  In moments, she’s kneeling beside us, her eyes filled with worry.

  I turn to face her, knowing she’ll understand far better than Sebastian ever could. “I lost the dagger.”

  “Oh, Lucia,” she breathes.

  Without further ado, she shoos Sebastian out of the room. Before he goes, he catches my eyes. “If you need anything…”

  “Thank you.”

  Adeline pulls me to my feet. “Finish washing up. It will help—I promise.”

  In fifteen minutes, I’m as clean as I can be without a proper bath and in a nightgown that’s as soft as a cloud.

  Adeline sits on the bed, brushing my hair the way she says her sisters used to brush hers when she was young. “There is no one more resourceful than Captain Greybrow—you know that. If anyone can track us, spell or no spell, it’s him.”

  I nod, sniffling like a little girl. “You’re right.”

  She’s quiet for several minutes, and I stare into the fire, letting the dancing flames make me sleepy.

  “I should hate Sebastian for the way he looks at you,” Adeline says softly after several minutes of silence. “But it makes my heart melt when I see how sweet he can be.”

  I catch her wrist and look over my shoulder. “You know he doesn’t love me—not like you love him. Not like I love Avery.”

  Frowning, she nods. “I suppose.”

  Adeline’s quiet for far too long, and I turn. “What are you brooding about?”

  “I just…” She trails off, perhaps rethinking her words. “I wonder if he’d like me better if I were like you. Adventurous, brave.” She frowns, thinking. “Brunette.”

  I laugh at the absurdness of that last part. Adeline’s hair is gorgeous, and she knows it.

  She smiles, but it’s sad. “Part of me thinks that if he were inclined to fall in love with me, he would have done it by now.”

  “Or he simply hasn’t admitted it yet.” I cross my legs on the bed and face her. “You have to remember—he’s Sebastian, and therefore the stubbornest man in all Kalae. Just because he hasn’t said anything, doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel anything.”

  “Sometimes, I wish I were different—someone he would be more inclined to like.”

  Feeling unusually emotional due to the long day, I pull her into a hug. “Don’t wish that, Addy. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  She sniffs, and I worry she’s about to cry. “Thank you. But I’m still going to try to be braver—I’m going to help more.” Looking determined, she nods, more to herself than me. “I mean it, Lucia. I’m going to be useful this time.”

  Though I’m not sure how she’s going to accomplish that, I k
now it means a lot to her, so I nod. After a few more minutes, she retires to her own room. Exhausted and sore, I crawl under the covers and try not to think about the dagger that’s missing from its usual spot under my pillow.

  CHAPTER THREE

  In Need of an Alchemist

  We reach Eromoore’s mages’ guild just after noon. We’re in a quiet village, not much larger than our last, and the guild buildings are no bigger than taverns.

  A gray jay chatters at us from the tree above as we walk up the guild’s wooden steps. A few mages linger nearby—a man and woman flirting on the porch and an elderly gentleman reading a positively massive book in the sunshine.

  Sebastian opens the door, and we filter inside.

  Adeline’s heels click on the wooden planks underfoot, and the noise echoes in the large room. A fire burns in a hearth in the middle of the floor, but the spring day is too warm for it, and it’s quite hot inside.

  Looking happy to have something to do, a woman hurries to greet us. “I’m Eliza. We are here to serve. How may our guild be of assistance to you?”

  She looks so eager to please; I can’t imagine she has much to do in this particular guild, out in the middle of nowhere.

  Adeline steps forward. “We have a fieldwork request.”

  The woman nods like she knows exactly what Adeline’s talking about. With a crisp, businesslike nod, she turns on her heel and motions for us to follow her. “This way, please. You will need to speak with the master.” She glances back. “I’ll see if I can squeeze you in for an appointment.”

  I dare a glance at Sebastian and flash him a smirk. His eyes sparkle at the absurdness of the statement, but he manages to hide his amusement.

  Eliza gestures to a bench right by the fire. “Sit here, and I will see if Master Benjamin is available.”

  We look at it, uncertain. Sure, we could all fit on the bench—but only if we squeeze together. Unfortunately, it’s the only bench in the “waiting” area, and Eliza’s bound and determined to do this by the book.

  She stares at us, waiting with a pleasant smile on her face.

  Right.

  Adeline sits first, positioning herself as close to the edge as possible. Sebastian follows. I sit next to Sebastian, and Gorin somehow squeezes in next to me.

  Sebastian, having no room for his shoulders, awkwardly lays his arm on the back of the bench—but mostly across Adeline’s shoulders. A nervous giggle escapes her before she can rein it in. Sebastian, looking extremely uncomfortable, stares at the fire.

  “Don’t pretend you aren’t enjoying it,” I whisper just loud enough only Sebastian will hear.

  He shoots me a glare, but again, his ears turn pink. I like this new way of torturing my business partner. It’s very satisfying.

  “Comfortable?” Eliza asks brightly. “Would you care for refreshment before I speak with Master Benjamin?”

  Feeling ornery, hoping to prolong Sebastian’s embarrassment for as long as possible, I say, “I wouldn’t mind—”

  “We’re fine,” Sebastian interrupts. “Thank you.”

  As soon as Eliza disappears into the back, Gorin leaps to his feet, giving us more room. I join him, leaving Sebastian and Adeline plenty of space on the bench. She looks mildly disappointed.

  In just a few moments, Eliza returns with a tall, white-haired man at her side.

  “Lady Lucia,” he says heartily. “Your reputation precedes you.”

  I never know how to answer things like that, so I simply smile.

  “Eliza says you have a field position available?” he asks.

  Adeline jumps in. “We’re going on an expedition in Elrija, and clean water will be sparse. We require an alchemist who can travel with us, working along the way.”

  “Elrija?” Master Benjamin strokes his chin in thought. “You’ll need someone swarthy.”

  “We would prefer not to take someone with a delicate nature.” I try not to glance at Adeline as I say it. Perhaps the statement would have been more accurate if I had said we didn’t want to take another someone with a delicate nature.

  After several moments of deep thought, the master nods. “I have just the man for you. He’s not apprenticed long, but he’s taken to it well, and he should have no trouble with simple water cleansing, if that’s the extent of what you require.”

  We end up following the man down a flight of dark, narrow stairs and enter a huge, windowless room. Benches and tables are tucked everywhere there’s a spare nook, and several people are hard at work. There are enchanters, bent over their workbenches, a man who appears to be crafting charms, and a small group of alchemists staring at a beaker of bubbling blue goo.

  “Apprentice Edelmyer,” Master Benjamin calls across the room.

  Several people lift their heads, but only one man rises from his seat—a familiar man.

  I’d almost forgotten how big he is, and in this crowd of lanky mages, the sight of him is almost comical. My mouth gapes open, and his nose flares with disgust. No matter his response to us, he stalks forward, not about to snub the head of the tiny guild he’s somehow infiltrated.

  “Yancey!” I say, half-irritated, half-relieved to see that the previous Duke of Mesilca’s displaced son is alive and well. “Have you been here this entire time?”

  Looking down as if I am a troublesome child, he narrows his eyes. “You didn’t expect me to wait on that wretched ship forever, did you?”

  “I was working on it,” I mutter under my breath.

  “Excellent!” Master Benjamin says, choosing to ignore Yancey’s obvious distaste for our group. “You all know each other.”

  I sneak Yancey an wicked look, the kind that says I know he must play nice because the head of his guild is with us. He stares at me, his lips twitching in a mirthless smile—but only marginally.

  “It just so happens that a fieldwork assignment has come up, Yancey, and I have recommended you for the position. I know you’re fairly new to us, and it might seem I’m tossing you into it a bit early, but I have full confidence you’re the right man for the job.”

  “You’re sending me out,” Yancey says, his voice terribly flat. “With them?”

  Master Benjamin takes a step closer and lowers his voice as if he’s about to share some great secret. “You’re going to Elrija. Isn’t that exciting? I almost wish I could go myself.”

  Yancey turns his eyes on me. “Elrija?”

  “We’re going to track down a lily that grows in a legendary spring that’s said to contain water that reverses the natural aging process.” I give him a one-shouldered shrug as if we do this sort of thing all the time, which honestly, it’s starting to seem we do.

  “Of course you are.” He sighs deeply and nods at the master. “And what will I be doing while I accompany them on this merry mission?”

  “You will be removing contaminants from various hydration sources.”

  It seems it’s taking an awful lot of restraint for Yancey to keep a semi-pleasant expression on his face. “So simply put, I’m there to boil the water.”

  “Oh, come now, Yancey,” I say cheerfully. “You know there’s more to it than that. You might have to strain it first.”

  Before Yancey can respond, Master Benjamin steps in. “With the amount of studying you’ve done in this last month, and this field assignment behind you, when you return, I see no reason why I cannot elevate your status to journeyman—as long as you pass the testing, of course.”

  Oh, and Yancey wants that. I can see it in his eyes. But is he willing to accompany us into the middle of the hot, deserty nowhere just to skip another five months’ worth of studies?

  “All right,” he finally says, but he’s not happy about it.

  Unable to help myself, I wrap an arm around his back—more like his waist because he’s so tall. “Oh, Yancey! Just think of the fun we’ll have.”

  “Just think.”

  Then, so only he will hear me, I whisper, “How badly do you want to knock me to the ground with your fu
n little wind charm?”

  He gives me a bare smile. “So badly.”

  “Then it’s all settled,” Master Benjamin says, not having heard our exchange. He claps his hands together, seemingly delighted. “Go see Master Len, and he will set you up with your supplies.”

  Yancey nods, and without another word, he walks away.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Welcome to Elrija

  To reach Elrija, we must travel west. We continue through Eromoore and skirt through the lower tail of Bellaray. The trip only takes about a week, but Gorin is eager to arrive.

  The elevation drop from the mountainous province to the Elrijan border is staggering. We make one last descent from Bellaray. In front of us, the tan desert spreads as far as the eye can see. Our road takes us into the foothills, past tall sandstone bluffs and red slickrock, through rolling hills covered in dry, brown grass and intermittent prickly, gray-green brush. Over it all, stretches an impossibly blue sky. The contrast is almost painful.

  We’ve met several caravans, one entering Kalae and the other heading into the heart of the dry lands.

  Our carriage bumps along at a sedate pace, and I’m antsy to move. I stick my head out the window for the dozenth time. Not far off, where the road goes through two layered cliffs, sits the border village of Bale Traore. Everyone who wishes to enter Elrija must go through one of the border communities—whether they like it or not.

  And Yancey doesn’t like it.

  As I stare out the window, looking at the land that is so different from anything I’ve ever known, Gorin and Yancey argue over what ingredients the apprentice alchemist will have to relinquish at the border. Apparently anything and everything may pass into Kalae, but the Elrijans are a little more particular about what they’ll allow in their kingdom.

  “They’ll confiscate live plants,” Gorin says calmly, especially considering they’ve been over this before. “And you can buy all of it dried once we reach Stali.”