Moonstone, Magic That Binds (Book 1) (34 page)

Lotto blushed. Why did he keep doing that when he told them the story? “The princess was very nice to me.  Her captivity might have done it. She really did ask me to call her by the nickname. The princess felt safer not using her real name. Her violet eyes would give her away if anyone knew much about the royal family of the Red Kingdom. At first I thought they were gray but her eyes are colored a pale violet and very beautiful.”

“I never fell in love with the king who had the same color eyes as his daughter,” Mander laughed. “She’s had a string of suitors since she was sixteen and has spurned them all, refusing to even meet them.”

“Nothing happened that would indicate her being touchy. I could see her being nervous and apprehensive. Maybe her exile has changed her,” Lotto said. Why did he feel so defensive? He had acted gallantly throughout their trip, even when they camped out along the road for some nights. He remembered talking to her. She put out her hand as she told her story of escape and living in a remote part of the kingdom, a princess he could actually touch. She had called him a dear friend when he left Crackledown, but, although their relationship ended there, but he couldn’t keep those violet eyes from his mind.

Fessano took a sip of wine. “One doesn’t have to ‘do anything’ to be attracted to a beautiful woman.”

“And she is beautiful,” Lotto said. “But speaking of women, what happened to Restella today? Did her old anger return?”

The wizard waved his hand. “I haven’t talked to her yet.  I imagine she’s a bit jealous. Any strong emotion, like anger, and the bond seems to affect the both of you.”

“I’m not angry with her, but all I can tell is that she is upset.”

“No, you’re not angry, but the princess is not known for her composure. I’d stay away from her until she’s ready to become friends again.”

“Were we ever friends?”

Fessano put his hand over Lotto’s “More than you should know.”

The thought of friendship with two princesses. Restella said he could use her first name. That permission had been cancelled, or at least he wouldn’t take such a liberty without her reconfirming it. What could he do? Sallia was beautiful and perhaps she had her own demons that she had to overcome.  Lotto remembered his encounter with Restella in the bookshop. But if they couldn’t touch, how could he have a romantic relationship with her? It didn’t make any sense to Lotto and he couldn’t solve the problem on his way back to his bed above Mander’s shop.

The next day, after spending the morning with Fessano, the court wizard abruptly cancelled any further sessions after only the one. It seemed a bit odd, since the wizard had been so insistent during his meeting with Mander and him.

Lotto sought out Kenyr, who he found in his marketplace tent.

“I heard you’d returned to Beckondale,” Kenyr said.

Lotto grinned. “You’d be proud of me, fighting to save the life of a princess, but there were too many of them.”

“An army is too many?”

“No, no. I fought in close quarters. One got behind me and knocked me out.”

Kenyr laughed. “That’s what helms are for.”

Shaking his head, Lotto told him about his assignment to set up an intelligence network.

“So now you’re friends with the heads of two domains, Prola and Gensler, not to mention Valetan. Maybe Mander wants you to be a diplomat.”

“No,” Lotto protested. “A diplomat doesn’t run a king through with his sword.”

“I suppose not. It’s good to see you, but why are you here?”

Lotto paused while a group of three men sauntered in the tent, made their purchases and left. “I have women trouble.”

“You’ve been doing more than fighting, lad?”

The story of saving Princess Sallia came out in a rush followed by the spectacle in the king’s war room.

“Oh.” Kenyr sat down on a stool. “Do you love Sallia?”

“How can you call something love after a week together in unnatural circumstances? I think its infatuation.”

“Ha!  Which is even worse. Traveling on the road together is pretty natural, but what’s not is the Moonstone link. What do you feel for Restella?”

Lotto went to the tent door and looked at people passing in the marketplace. “I care for her. I think it’s the link. It makes me think of her and then I automatically find where she is. However, I don’t generally think of her romantically.” He rubbed his hands and blew into them as he paced back in forth in front of Kenyr.

“That’s the link for you. The Moonstone link is something really special. It’s always between a man and a woman. I met your mother and father after they had married, so I can’t really help you there. I always had the impression that your parents were in love with each other before they linked. Your father told me about the link once and there were the physical changes that you two had. Both of them became bigger and stronger, even your mother. Your father mentioned the link as a feeling where two people became one. They knew each other’s thoughts.  I remember that, clearly.  If the duke wanted your mother to know something, all he did was concentrate.  I saw him do that a number of times.  I don’t recall him mentioning any headaches or weakness. I can’t help you any more than that except that they were both trained sorcerers and knew how to shield themselves and everything.

“Maybe we aren’t linked in the same way, then. If I give it some time, perhaps the link will fade away. It’s only been a few years.”

“Maybe so,” Kenyr said, but Lotto didn’t see a reassuring look in his friend’s eyes.

Lotto looked at the lengthening shadows. “I must get back to the castle. I’m in training.  Maybe if you are free we could work out together.”

“I’d like that.  You don’t know all of my tricks,” Kenyr said laughing.  His faced turned serious as Lotto moved to the door of the tent. “May the gods give you strength.”

“I’ll need more than that.”

All of this time, Lotto had played out whatever fate had dealt him, but he’d been unprepared for the romantic complications that ran through his head and now he’d succeeded in alienating his commander in the field. But then what right did Restella have to claim his life and his feelings? As he stepped through the castle gate, he felt the near-physical blow of Restella’s presence at the castle entrance, dressed in her military uniform.  He needed the god’s strength right now!

“Come with me.” She turned and left him standing on the steps as he recovered from the intensity of the link.

She led him up to the empty war room. She had her back to him looking down at her map of Happly. She turned around and they both recoiled from the force of the link.

“Leave the castle and Beckondale as soon as you can. I don’t care how late or how early in the morning. I want you out of here.”

Lotto blinked at the emotion searing him through the link. It wasn’t anger, like he thought.  Restella was hurt.  Her emotions were giving her great pain.

“I heard your training with Fessano is over. Head back to the town of Harveston. Don’t go back to Crackledown. You’ll stay there long enough to gather your Gensler rangers. They are good men. Fessano is assembling five battle mages that will accompany you into Happly.”

“Why not Crackledown? I could go over the plans with the duke.”

Restella answered him with a withering glare. The link, if anything had gotten stronger. She didn’t answer his question but said, “Go.” He could barely hear the word, but he saluted Restella and left.

Mander met him outside in the hallway with his characteristic sly grin. “I don’t know how any man can put an edge on the woman better than you.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Lotto said as he walked past knowing that Mander would catch up. “She ordered me not to go to Crackledown. The duke should know what we’re going to do.”

“Is there any wonder?” Mander had the temerity to laugh. “I’ll send a bird. The town is Harveston?”  His mentor shook his head and said, sadly, “You’ve really got her reeling, my boy.  I support her decision to move you out.  She can’t think straight.  You and the two princesses.  What a dilemma and this is no time to even try to fix it.  We’ll have to work with what we’ve got.”

Mander ended up walking with him through the streets of Beckondale.

“Could you send someone for my horse and maybe a packhorse so I can take some supplies?” Lotto said.

“More birds, but they’ll be yours. You’ll get two cages. One for Piroff and one for the charmed crate that Restella will have, although I think she’ll give it to Captain Silver.”

“Why?”

Mander shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps she’s head over heels in love, Lotto. The problem is she doesn’t understand her relationship with you and that puts you in jeopardy. Her way of dealing with emotions is to fight against them. When she didn’t and she offered you a hand in friendship, that’s when the dreams ended, didn’t they?”

Lotto nodded yet again. He felt like a chicken pecking grain. “I don’t love her, Mander. She’s never affected me like Sally did.”

“I know, you told me, but that’s an issue you’ll have to work out on your own, later. I can’t offer you any advice. I love my Anna, but look how I have to treat her.”

Lotto looked at his mentor. “You don’t, you know. If everyone knows you’re married, she’s at the same risk. It’s not that big of a secret.”

Mander’s eyebrows rose. “No one has told me that before.”

“They’re probably afraid of you.”

“And you aren’t, Lotto?”

“No. You mentioned love. I love you as if you were my own father.” Lotto nearly choked on the words. Why did he have to get so emotional—residue of the link, perhaps? However he’d always admired Mander, more than any other. Next came Kenyr and Gully. He thought of Sally and a different kind of feeling came, but somehow it didn’t compare to the men who had shaped his emergence. Fessano might be added to the list. Fathers all. He had one surrogate mother, Jessie and she now was as far away from him as his real mother. Mander’s Anna was, still, just a friend.

They finally arrived at the bookshop. “Here’s where I’ll leave you, Lotto. Your horse and supplies should be here in an hour or so.” Mander put out his arms and the two embraced in a hug. “Use your mind first, Lotto, but don’t let your heart be far behind. You know the plan better than I. Good luck, though I know you won’t need it and don’t worry so much about the princess. I sent her a little present that she’ll receive in the field.” He laughed, clapping Lotto on his shoulders, and sauntered off.

Lotto stood in the bookshop wondering if Mander had misplaced his confidence and Restella’s little present just mystified him. His mentor certainly played his own game, but Lotto had no doubt that Mander acted in the best interests of Valetan.

The afternoon sun slanted in making the dust motes dance in the light. He blew them away and watched them cavort some more. Is that what we all did—move with the slightest breeze? Is that what he did with Sally and Restella? He’d have to think of his problem on the road south, since he wouldn’t be able to solve anything daydreaming in the shop.

He looked through the books of magic that Mander had originally given him. Lotto hadn’t gone through all of them before he signed up for the army. He thumbed through the old folio and found that it talked of magic as a creative force and that mundane spells could be used for extraordinary purposes. The concept felt right.

He pulled out his little handbook and read through the spells and thought of his own experimenting in Prola. He made a few notes in the margins about new applications, so he could do some thinking on his way back to Gensler.

~~~

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

~

T
HE MESSENGER SALUTED AS HE ENTERED
General Piroff’s office. General Reallo put his hand up for the message, but he placed it Restella’s hands.

“What message do you have?” Reallo felt a bit peeved about reading the message to the two generals.

“Lotto Mistad has left the city.” Restella said. The sky hadn’t even begun to darken and he had certainly taken her orders to heart. She had expected another horrible night dreaming of him and she realized that now she didn’t even need the Moonstone to feel the pull of the link towards the south.

“I hear you ordered him to stay away from Crackledown,” Piroff said.

She frowned at the amusement in the general’s voice. “The town of Harveston is on the best road into Happly. We haven’t prepared our battle wizards yet and he is to meet up with Gensleran scouts first.”

“Do you think he can do it?” Reallo said.

Restella shrugged. Did she even care? Perhaps his death would end the torment that she felt and yet she shuddered at the thought of him getting hurt.  She hated the conflict of feelings. “We need to reduce the number of wizards that the Duke of Happly employs in his army or we won’t stand a chance.  We need Lotto to attack the Ropponi wizards and then any others in Happly.” She turned to Piroff. “Can you spare any more troops from Oringia?”

Piroff lifted a piece of paper. Restella looked at the writing and it looked like a supplies list rather than a message, but then he said, “Happly expected an Oringian contingent, but Shortwell went ahead and intercepted them. Oringia is on the run.”  Piroff didn’t seem very pleased with Shortwell. “I can’t take any troops out now that he’s got them retreating. I imagine his army will delay any Oringians thinking about reinforcing Happly.” Piroff didn’t seem exultant about Shortwell’s success.

“What about new troops?”

Reallo laughed. “They will only feed the swords of our enemy.  We will train them for another month and then let them return to their farms for the harvest. But they will remember enough so we won’t have to train an army in the spring.”

Why was it always the spring? If men were willing to kill each other, why did they stop campaigning in the winter? Certainly the conditions were severe, but they were severe for all. Perhaps Restella didn’t measure up as a noble and rejected their silly protocols.

“So I’m on my own?”

“I hardly count nearly two thousand troops as being on your own, Captain-General.” Piroff said and then sighed. “Mander Hart said he had some ideas, but he wouldn’t share them. I don’t trust the man, never have.”