Magus (Advent Mage Cycle) (41 page)

Ah. That part. I know Xiaolang said we’d talk about that, but it hadn’t been brought up since then, so I assumed the matter dropped. Looks like I was wrong. This might be somewhat important. I rolled up onto one elbow so that I could look at her. “Yes?”

“You’ve told me the story, or the bare bones of it, once before.” She was sitting cross-legged, a faint line of worry tightening her forehead. “Now that I think about it, you sort of glossed over the part where you found Elis, and when you were made Jaunten. Was it…bad?”

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I responded almost ruefully. “Becoming Jaunten itself isn’t painful—just a huge shock to your body. You feel a little…hyperaware, I guess, for several hours afterwards. I didn’t really mind that. I still don’t. It saved my life, what Elis did, and it’s given me incredible knowledge to draw upon ever since. Life would have been much more difficult for me if I were not a Jaunten.”

The solemn set to her eyes didn’t change. “Garth, I saw your face in that moment. Whatever memory had you locked up, it wasn’t pleasant.”

I let out a pained breath. “No. It wasn’t. The area yesterday looks a great deal like the land just outside of the Black Ridge Mountains, did you know that? It’s all flat grassland. I’ve never liked areas that open. It’s too…empty, too desolate.”

A smile flicked across her face, here and gone in the next instant. “I know. You love cities.”

“Yes.” I smiled up at her, remembering different times that she had laughed at my enthusiasm for being in a crowded city. My smile faded as I remember what I was telling her. “When I left the mountains, heading into the grassland, I was already uncomfortable. And then I smelled something—like rust and salt, and realized it was fresh blood. That just made my unease worse, and put me more on edge. But I went looking for the source, not wanting some wounded animal, half-crazed with pain, attacking me from behind. And then I saw Elis.” My eyes screwed shut at the memory.

She took my free hand in one of hers, squeezing gently. “I’m sorry. Am I making this worse, by making you talk about it?”

I shook my head, not sure what to do in this circumstance. “I’ve never told anyone the details, not like this. Most people heard the story I told you. It’s strange, I know, to be so attached to a man I knew for barely a day.”

“He changed your world,” she whispered in soft understanding. “What’s difficult to understand about that?”

I squeezed her hand, feeling comforted.
She
understood. I’ve never been able to convince other people, outside of the Jaunten, why I felt so indebted to Elis.

She gently let me off the hook. “So it was the area we were in that brought the memory back so strongly?”

I nodded gratefully. “Yes, that’s it exactly. For a moment, I felt like I was back in that grassland, looking for something that was possibly dangerous. It’s odd, isn’t it, how memories ambush you. I haven’t relived that moment for nearly a year.”

“Did Elis ever have any family?” she asked suddenly.

“A brother, actually. I met him—Jems is his name—at one point, and shared a few hours by exchanging stories. He’s a good man, like Elis was.” Talking with him had actually given me a better idea of what Elis had been like. I was afraid at first that it would be awkward, but Jems was too easy of a man to like.

Chatta released my hand and relaxed back on her bedroll, curling up comfortably on her side. “Have you ever thought about turning other Earth Mages Jaunten? They’d know everything you know. It would give them a huge advantage.”

“Trev’nor is still pestering me about that,” I admitted. “And if he still wants that ten years from now, I’ll probably give in. But really, I haven’t thought much about it.”

“But all of that knowledge and experience…just lost…” She sounded faintly horrified at the idea.

“It won’t be,” I pointed out, fighting a smile. “Assuming I can convince some daring woman to marry me, all of my children will be born with Jaunten blood.”

She had clearly not considered that. “Oh! That’s true, isn’t it?”

“And even if that doesn’t happen, Hevenreien, Cora’s brother, carries my Jaunten inheritance.”

“Yes, but he’s not quite the same. A Mage would have to constantly badger him with questions.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “Why this sudden curiosity about Jaunten?”

“I just realized that I don’t understand that part of you at all. Most of the time, you act like your Jaunten blood doesn’t impact you.”

“Some of the time, that’s true,” I allowed. “None of my Jaunten ancestors knew anything about magic. But you’ll notice that I’ve never used a map.”

She blinked. “You’re right, you haven’t. Jaunten knowledge?”

“With all of my ancestors combined, there isn’t a cranny in all of Hain that I can’t recognize on sight.”

“Now
that’s
handy,” she observed enviously.

She has no idea. Before I became a Jaunten, I was notorious for getting lost.

Didi appeared from the air, landing with a soft thump near Chatta’s hip. With a wide yawn that nearly dislocated his jaw, he snuggled in against Chatta’s chest. Eyes closed, he chittered in sleepy pleasure.

I stifled a yawn myself. “I think he has the right idea.”

Chatta nodded, eyes already falling closed. “Garth…thanks for telling me.” The words came out a little slurred.

Smiling, I relaxed and let comforting darkness swallow me whole.

Mmm. Peanut butter. That sounded so good…

Last time I had to chase Night around the backyard for it, as Mom only made one batch, and the brat wouldn’t share.

Eyes still closed, I shifted a little on the rocky ground. I didn’t need to take a peek to know that it was very late at night, and nowhere near my turn to take the watch. Shifting some more, I tried to go back to sleep. It did no good, of course. I was hungry now.

Grumbling, I woke up a little more. I hate food dreams. I always wake up starving from them.

Mom had packed a jar of peanut butter for me right before I left. Unless Night had somehow pleaded/blackmailed/threatened someone into feeding it to him, it should still be there. Maybe I’d be able to sleep some more if I had some.

I was sitting up before I realized that I could hear Night’s voice in the back of my head.

“Mmmm. Thick and creamy. So good! As good as Jaylan’s…
”

That brat! Had he somehow convinced whoever it was on watch to feed him MY peanut butter when I wasn’t looking?!

My brain cycled that one through, and then realized that wasn’t right. He said “as good as Jaylan’s.” So if it wasn’t my mother’s peanut butter, whose was it?

“Just one more cracker…no wait, don’t make me stretch my neck for it. I’m too far from camp as it is.”

What was that idiot doing? Trying to broadcast my mind I asked,
Night, what are you doing?

“
Um
.” Don’t ask me how, but I could almost feel the guilty wince in that monosyllable.

Where are you getting the peanut butter from?
I tried not to sound darkly suspicious…but I was.

Um…we have a visitor?

We have a what? Blinking, I tried to wake up enough to think.
A visitor? From where?

“I believe that she’s from the pool. She hasn’t said much about that, but she’s definitely a Life Mage. She feels just like Hevencoran.”

Great magic!
Bring her into camp, then! I want to talk to her.

“About that…I’ve tried! She can’t believe that I’m talking to her; she keeps thinking it’s her imagination or something. I’ve been trying to make friends with her so she’ll come back to camp with me.”

How?
I inquired dryly.
By letting her feed you peanut butter?

“It’s all for a good cause,
” he pointed out righteously.

Cause my left eyeball! I made my mental voice as dry as possible.
How noble of you to sacrifice yourself for our sakes, Night. And how is your plan progressing?

“I think it’s going to take at least three more crackers of peanut butter.”

I groaned, letting my head thump against my knees.

“
No, wait, don’t go that direction!”

Alarmed, I sat back up.
Night, what’s going on?

“She keeps drawing me away from the camp. Come on, miss, not that way? We really need to go back…”

Night, she’s obviously not comfortable being so close to our camp. Just plant your feet and refuse to move. I’ll be there in a second.

“But she’s got another cracker just
slathered
in peanut butter!”

Don’t move,
I ordered sternly.

“I can just stretch my neck out a little further…”

I groaned. He wasn’t listening to me at all. Kicking off my blankets, I tugged on my boots quickly.
Night, where are you?

“Head toward the pool, you’ll run into me.”

I was nearly outside of the fire’s light when a shadow detached itself from the ground. My heart leaped in my chest before I realized that it was Shad. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yeah. Night’s been out there for a while. Do you know what he’s doing?”

“Being bribed,” I growled.

He blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

I grabbed Shad as I moved. “Just come on, and try to look non-threatening.”

“Um, they’re really not evil…”

Night, what are you talking about?

“She keeps telling me that I’m a beautiful stallion—which she’s right about—”
I rolled my eyes at the smug tone “
—but she also says that she’s going to save me from ‘those evil men’ if I would just follow her.”

The ‘evil men’ being us?

“Probably. Like I said, she’s really not listening to me. Mmm. Yum!”

Night will you PLEASE focus?!

“But it’s
good
peanut butter!”

I’m going to kill him when I get my hands on him.

“Garth, considering what she said, I don’t think it’s wise to come any closer.”

I flung out a hand, stopping both Shad and I in our tracks.
Why not?

“Well, she thinks you guys are the bad guys. If you show up now, it’s just going to spook her.”

You say that like you have an idea in mind.

“Of course I do. I’ll go back with her, and talk to the people at the pool.”

I groaned, heading falling back to look at the starlit sky.

“What?” Shad demanded. “Will you
please
tell me what’s going on?”

“Apparently there’s a young Life Mage that lives up at the pool,” I explained in a rapid undertone. “She’s come down to try and steal Night away. I doubt she knows what he really is—every time Night tries to talk to her, she thinks it’s her imagination.” The girl must have quite the imagination. “She must be quite charming. Night thinks it’s a
wonderful
idea to go back with her.” I rolled my eyes.

“Like a spy behind enemy lines?” Shad was about a hare’s breath from bursting out laughing.

“Something along those lines.” I made my mental ‘voice’ as firm as possible.
Night, you’re not going back with her. Get that notion right out of your head.

“Seriously, Garth, I think this will work.”

You’re only saying that because you want more peanut butter!

“She’s a sweet girl,”
Night defended himself.
“And it’s not like I’ll be in any danger.”

I took in a deep breath, and tried to remain calm and reasonable.
Night, listen very closely. This girl is a Life Mage. If she doesn’t believe that it’s you talking, no one else up there is likely to. They’ll think it’s some Star Order trick. Believe me, I know how deep the paranoia about the Star Order runs in this country. It’s only gotten worse since I left two years ago.

“Can’t I at least try?
” he asked plaintively.

We DO have our own peanut butter, you know.

“Yes, but you won’t feed it to me!”

I buried my face in my hands. Sometimes Night was so mature and reasonable, that I forgot he was still a teenager. Or at least, I forgot until he did something like this and reminded me.
Tomorrow morning, I promise to feed you half the jar. Just
don’t,
whatever you do, walk off with a perfect stranger?

“How about the whole jar?”

I’ll have Didi braid pink ribbons through your hair if you don’t come back right this instant
, I threatened.

“Garth, I’m dying from suspense here!” Shad complained.

“I’m arguing with a teenage Nreesce with a death wish,” I half-growled.

“Ah. Judging from your expression…are you losing?”

“Badly.”

Shad had the bad taste to snicker.

“
Uh-oh. Garth, you better get here quick. She just pulled out a halter.”

Aw rats!
Duck it!
I ordered quickly.

“I’m trying to!”

“Shad, run!” I took off as I said this, pelting around the curve of the hill.

“What’s going on?” Shad demanded at my elbow.

“She’s got a halter she’s trying to put on Night.”

“And how hard is he trying to avoid that halter?” Shad wanted to know, a demented grin tugging at his mouth.

“Peanut butter, halter…peanut butter, halter…Garth, how close are you?”

Night, if you’re thinking about accepting that bribe, think again. You know the second you take it she’s going to get that halter on you.

“But you’re close enough to rescue me, right?”

NIGHT!

“It’s a perfectly reasonable question!”

No, it is NOT!

“…oops.”

I just groaned.

Shad gave me a quick glance. “He got caught, didn’t he?”

“Sounds like it,” I sighed.

Fortunately, we were close. We came up another shallow depression, and nearly stumbled right into Night. He was standing there with a sheepish look on his face, a halter half-buckled on him.