Power of Pen and Voice: A Spoken Mage Companion Novel (The Spoken Mage Book 5) by Melanie Cellier

Author:Melanie Cellier [Cellier, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luminant Publications
Published: 2020-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Julian

I stood up and stretched, easing the sore muscles in my back that protested spending so long cramped over a boulder. Ten compositions would have to satisfy Matthis because I wasn’t pushing myself any further. Not in such an uncertain situation.

I delivered them to the captain, telling myself that I was just regaining my bearings and not scanning the clearing for Saffron. She was nowhere in view, but then neither was the princess.

Matthis accepted my stack of parchments with a grunt of thanks, but Castus grinned up at me with a look that was far more knowing than I would have liked.

“If you’re wondering where the princess has disappeared to, young master,” he said, “she’s gone for a wash in the stream with that Callinos gal.”

I nodded once but didn’t say anything, not used to being so easily discomfited. Why did I feel sure he knew it wasn’t the princess I had been searching for?

I nearly decided to go refill my water bottle, telling myself it was a natural thing to do after composing for so long, but remembered at the last moment that Castus had said the girls were washing. A flush crept up my neck, and I had to fight to keep it down. No matter how much I might want to, I couldn’t possibly go down to the river in that case.

With great difficulty I tried to refocus on the pot of stew Faylee was stirring. I hadn’t succeeded when a blossom of power burst to life beyond the bounds of our camp.

My feet were moving before my mind caught up. It had come from the direction of the stream. Startled exclamations sounded from behind me, and a figure appeared to my right, keeping pace with my headlong dash. Tabor. No doubt he had been just as focused on the absent girls as me, although for different reasons. His royal charge had already nearly been abducted once this trip—letting her out of his sight must have put him on edge.

We nearly ended up in the water ourselves as we sped at full pace to the side of the stream. Looking wildly around, I could see the discarded clothing, but neither Saffron nor Kalani was in sight.

The power was fading but still discernible, coming from our right, and we both took off down the bank. Tabor, ahead of me now, came to a sudden stop. I collided with his back, nearly sending us both over the edge of a small drop. We recovered just in time, staggering backward as we fought to regain our balance despite the uneven stones beneath our feet.

“There!” the guard said, his focus holding steady.

I peered over the edge and saw two struggling white shapes in the water below, arms and legs flailing in all directions. They had nearly made it out of the violent foam at the base of the small waterfall, but they kept bouncing strangely off a collection of jagged rocks that protruded from the water. And every time they did, the sense of power around them faded a little more.

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