The party gave Char and Rath an alibi, albeit a shaky one. Char hoped it would be enough to remove suspicion from them until he could get Iris out of the mountain. They’d snuck into the barracks a couple of hours after rescuing Iris, promising their mother they’d try to come back later in the day, but they had to show up for breakfast in the mess hall and act as normal as possible in the meantime.
As normal as Char could act, knowing Iris was still unconscious in his childhood bed.
“Back to army food.” Rath sighed, pushing what passed for scrambled eggs around his plate. “I don’t think these even come from chickens.”
“We’ll be eating Mother’s cooking again soon enough.”
“Why don’t we just skip out now? She’s probably awake.”
Char shot Rath a look. He knew they needed Kelnor to see them here, and they had to be careful about visiting their mother. Keeping Iris at her house was risky.
“Ugh, my head,” Srot groaned, dropping onto the bench across from them.
Char glanced around to make sure nobody was looking and handed Srot the key under the table. “Tell Kara thanks.”
“Yeah, sure.” Srot pocketed the key and yawned. The dark circles under his squinting eyes spoke of a bad hangover. “You two don’t look like you got much sleep.”
“Neither do you,” Rath commented. “So, you and Kara are back together.”
Srot shrugged. “She’s a great girl. What about you and Misa?”
Rath shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Char! Rath!”
Srot winced at Kelnor’s bellow. He crossed his arm over the table and rested his forehead on them. “Here we go.”
“Hey, Kelnor,” Rath called out, giving their commanding officer a winning smile. “Great morning, isn’t it?”
Kelnor stormed toward them and planted his feet in an immovable stance, his red eyes hard. “Where were you two last night?”
“Could you keep it down?” Srot moaned.
“Srot’s girl had a party,” Char replied, keeping his voice casual and his muscles relaxed. “We were there all night.”
“I know about the party. He asked for permission to go. You two didn’t. And you don’t look hungover.”
“Ah, well, you see,” Rath leaned toward Kelnor and dropped his voice lower, “last night was more about the girls than the booze, you know?”
Char could have sworn he saw Kelnor’s lip twitch.
“And I assume these girls will attest to the fact that you were at the party all night?” Kelnor asked. “Without slipping out around, oh, say, midnight?”
“There might be an issue with that.” Char glanced over at Rath and gave him a sheepish grin. The truth always made for the best lie. “I don’t really know the names of all the girls I danced with.”
Rath laughed. “Neither do I. Every time I looked, it was another girl. He was attracting them like flies. Were you wearing a new cologne or something?”
“I think it had more to do with the fact that you weren’t letting go of Misa, so they had to go elsewhere.”
“Either way, we’re missing something very important here. Something happened around midnight that we weren’t a part of.” Rath turned to Kelnor again. “Was it more fun than spending the night dancing with beautiful women?”
“You two.” Kelnor shook his head, a definite wry smile on his lips now. “I know you did it, but I have no way of proving it, so you’re off the hook—for now. Better hope it stays that way.”
Rath frowned. “You’re talking in riddles. What is it we supposedly did?”
“Just keep your noses clean and your heads down.” Kelnor turned to go, and Rath opened his mouth again.
Char gave him a slight shake of his head. They didn’t want to overdo it.
Rath winked and spoke anyway. “Is it okay if we pop out to see Mother again?”
Char held his breath. Kelnor was already on to them, but maybe this would throw him off. They knew better than to give him something this obvious.
Kelnor sighed. “That poor woman deserves better than you two. Fine, go see her. I’ll be too busy today to babysit you anyway.”
Char kept his exhale quiet, watching in disbelief as Kelnor walked away. As far as schemes went, this one was paper thin.
“What are we waiting for?” Rath shoved his plate away and leaped to his feet. “Let’s get some real food.”
Srot groaned, his face still on the table. “Do you have to be so loud?”
Char stood and patted Srot on the shoulder as he passed him. “It’s Saturday. Get some water and go back to bed.”
He and Rath were out of the barracks and back on the street in a matter of minutes.
Char was nervous. Fortunately, there were no greetings from passersby this time. Most of the partygoers were still asleep or hungover, recuperating for another party tonight. Char wasn’t interested in going out again, and for once, Rath wasn’t trying to talk him into it.
Or talking at all.
There was too much at stake if anybody overheard them.
Char didn’t know how he’d sneak Iris out, but he had to figure it out, and soon. It wouldn’t be long before Kelnor wondered why he and Rath had a sudden bout of homesickness and decided to check it out for himself.
Although his mother could buy them some time, if needed. She’d done it before. And now that she knew the full story about Iris, she knew how much more important this secret was compared to the things Char and Rath were usually begging her to keep quiet.
She hadn’t unshuttered the windows yet. Char eased the door open and held his finger to his lips for Rath to keep quiet in case she was still asleep, but her humming drifted to them from the kitchen, along with the tantalizing smells of a homemade breakfast.
They grinned at each other and headed inside.
She was standing at the stove, flipping a pancake. Each of them gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she smiled. “I’m still mad at you.”
“Why me?” Rath pouted. “Char’s the idiot who fell in love.”
“I am not in love.”
“Set the table,” their mother intervened. “You have a few minutes before she’ll be out.”
Char’s heart skipped a beat. “She’s awake?”
Rath laughed and slapped him on the back. “You are so in love.”
Char rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the faces Rath kept making at him while they set the table.
He hadn’t expected Iris to regain consciousness yet. Using large quantities of magic day after day would wear any mage out, especially one who had just discovered her magical ability and didn’t know how to control it. Then there was the torture the king’s mage put her through, and the deplorable state in which the magic school kept her—to keep her weak and manageable, he guessed. If she had to keep using her magic to heal herself and stay warm, she couldn’t spare any to escape.
He wondered if she even remembered anything about last night.
“I expect you boys to behave,” their mother said. “That girl has been through enough without you two acting like animals at the table.”
“We don’t act like animals,” Rath protested.
“You’re right. Animals have manners. Sit down already.”
“Yes, mother.” They spoke in unison, and they took their seats in unison, but Char was the only one whose stomach did a backflip when he heard Iris’ voice.
“Um, hi.”
Rath’s hand landed on Char’s shoulder to stop him from getting up again.
She was standing in the doorway, her brown eyes nervous. The locks of long hair falling loose over her shoulder were wet and a darker shade of brown than the chestnut brown Char knew, and his mother’s old nightgown and robe hid the amulet and the frame he knew behind baggy, shapeless fabric.
But she was still beautiful, and Char’s heart was off, racing out of control.
“You don’t love her, remember?” Rath whispered.
Char shoved Rath’s hand away and cleared his throat. He didn’t love her. He just… really, really liked her.
“Iris, honey, come sit here next to me,” their mother was saying.
Char felt a sudden urge to jump to his feet and pull Iris’ chair out for her. He resisted and darted a glance at Rath, but his brother hadn’t noticed.
“‘Honey’?” Rath asked their mother, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t mind him.” She shot Rath a warning look and then turned a sweet smile on Iris. “Feel better after your bath?”
“Yes, ma’am, thank you.” Iris’ voice was soft, her brown eyes flicking from Char to Rath with some anxiety.
Char swallowed and looked down at his plate, picking up his fork. This was bad. She’d barely spoken at all, but the sound of her voice made his mouth dry.
“None of that. Call me Elera. Rath, don’t you have something to say to this young lady?”
“Why me?”
“Apologize.”
Rath groaned. “Okay, fine. Iris, I apologize for threatening to kill you. Is that good enough?”
Elera pursed her lips. “You could sound a little more sincere.”
“Well, what about you? You threatened to kill her yesterday, too.”
Elera sighed and turned to Iris. “You’ll have to forgive me, Iris. I lost my husband a few years ago to a human mage, and I was a little upset when I found out my sons were involved with one.”
“A little?” Rath snorted.
“It’s okay,” Iris intervened. “I can understand how that would bother you.”
Of course she would excuse that, Char thought. Nobody but her would accept a simple apology for multiple genuine death threats.
Rath kicked Char under the table and smirked at him, then shoveled a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. Char kicked him back.
“I promise I taught them better than this,” Elera said, a note of resignation in her voice. “Go on, start eating. You need to put on some weight.”
Iris’ stomach growled so loud that everybody looked at her. She blushed and dropped her eyes to her plate. “Sorry.”
Elera’s blue eyes turned to Char. “When was the last time this girl had a decent meal?”
His mouth fell open in surprise. “How should I know?”
“What day is it?” Iris asked.
“Saturday,” Elera replied.
“Oh. No wonder.”
Char’s eyes wandered back to Iris. She was cutting her pancakes, not looking at anybody, and he got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized what she was about to say.
Elera frowned. “How long?”
Iris glanced up at her. “Last Sunday?”
The uptick at the end of her statement made it seem more like a question, like she’d done something wrong and was worried about the repercussions, but a wave of guilt washed over Char.
“‘Last Sunday’?” Elera repeated. “Char! Do you mean to tell me you didn’t feed this girl at all?”
“She didn’t eat breakfast the morning after we found her,” Rath defended Char.
“Because you were talking about killing her,” Char pointed out.
“And then, after that, she was out of our hands.”
“Well, eat as much as you like, Iris,” Elera told her. “I can always make more. Char, Rath, you have some shopping to do today.”
“Shopping?” They exchanged baffled glances.
“Yes, shopping. You can’t expect her to keep wearing my old clothes.”
Char hesitated. He’d rather face down Kelnor than argue with Elera. “Mother, we can’t really do that.”
Her brow furrowed. “And why not?”
“Kelnor is already breathing down our necks about where we were last night,” Rath explained.
“She’s a prisoner of war. It’s too dangerous to keep her here for long, and if anybody sees us buying clothes for her—”
“Then I will do the shopping, and you can stay here,” Elera interrupted Char. “I need a new outfit, anyway. Rath, you can come with and say you’re buying something for your new girlfriend, what’s-her-name.”
“Misa.”
Elera raised an eyebrow. “Misa? I thought you were over her.”
Char smirked. “They were dancing together at the party all night.”
Rath kicked Char under the table. Char kicked him back.
“So, you did go to a party.”
They froze, pinned under Elera’s sharp blue eyes.
“Uh oh,” Rath muttered.
“You left this girl in the magic school’s dungeons while you were out drinking and dancing?” she thundered.
“It was our cover,” Rath argued.
“And I got the key to the magic school and directions to find her from the girl throwing the party,” Char added.
“Hmph. Well. That’s a little better, then,” Elera said, still wearing a disapproving scowl. “So, where do you plan on hiding her?”
Char opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “I… haven’t gotten that far.”
Elera shook her head. “Just like your father. You’ll be safe here for a few days, anyway,” she said, turning to Iris. “No need to worry about that.”
“Thank you.”
Iris offered Elera a shy smile, and Char gulped, looking down at his plate as his heart took off again. It was just a smile. It shouldn’t affect him so much. How many girls had smiled at him at the party last night?
None of whose names he remembered.
He found himself stealing glances at her while they ate. Elera and Rath kept the conversation going, and Char engaged with them as necessary, but he couldn’t really focus. Iris’ smile came with greater frequency and ease as the minutes passed, and the tension left her shoulders, too. Somehow, that made him relax.
He didn’t love her. Did he?
“Well, I’ll just wash these dishes, and then we’ll go,” Elera finally said, pushing her chair back and standing.
Iris followed her lead. “Oh, I can do the dishes.”
“Nonsense. You are a guest in my home—”
“I really don’t mind. Please. As a thank you?”
Char only saw her expression in profile, but he knew he could never say no to that smile. And if Elera agreed, then he would be alone with Iris that much sooner.
“Well, if it means that much to you,” Elera said. “What’s your favorite color?”
Iris’ brown eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, um…”
“You don’t have a favorite color?” Rath asked.
Iris shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Never mind,” Elera intervened. “I’ll find something nice for you. Char, help her with the dishes.”
He’d never been more excited to do the dishes.
He pushed his chair back and stood, his movements calm and measured, and went to Elera, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Yes, Mother.”
She smiled at him and headed toward the door. “Come along, Rath.”
“Coming.” He hopped to his feet, winking at Char. “Remember to behave.”
He darted out of reach before Char could punch him in the shoulder, and then he was gone, leaving the kitchen in silence and Char with a girl who made his heart clamor.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBVjnG5T7f
