Mages Deceit: Hidden Gems Saga, #3

By Stephanie C. Marks

Some betrayals run deep…

Opal and Jade are equals in almost every way, but only one of them will be promoted within the Order.

For Jade, this is her second chance at redemption. She is dismissed as untrained and volatile, so she'll have to prove her worth and step out from the shadow of her sisters.

Opal, believing Jade will destroy all she has worked for, will push herself far beyond her limits to earn the title and keep her sister at bay.

When Castian Brightflame comes to train Opal, Jade finds the handsome and enigmatic elf to be an excellent mentor; and foreign emotions cause Jade to wonder if there is more to life than proving herself to her sisters.

But dark secrets from their past will be revealed, and they must either heal or risk descending into madness. If these sisters don't find a way to work together, they'll lose everything they love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie C. Marks
• Release date: Feb 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9781736539637

Book preview

Prologue

***Baerdun***

Apounding on our door startled me out of sleep. The person waking us tried the handle, but thank the gods Opal and I thought to lock it. Once my brain woke up, I groaned.

The sun isn’t even up, May! Ruby shouted as my arm snaked around her waist and my lips brushed the side of her jaw.

Mayryn yelled through the door. Ye have a busy day. The time for kissing is later!

Ruby blocked her soft, pale skin from my caress with a robe, souring my mood. We hadn’t been together for days now. I’d been missing Ruby, and May had pulled us apart again. Being their mate wasn’t easy.

She tried to stand, but I surged over to yank her back onto the mattress. She shrieked, then giggled when I planted a dozen small kisses across her neck. I’ll see ye at the cording, mo grá.

She arrived on the arm of Kailu looking like it was where she belonged. They’d tied her long black hair into a soft braid and clipped silver-painted wildflowers into it. In place of her previous vestments, Aiuna sent new robes. Silver threads swirled like ocean currents across the cuffs and hem of the finely tailored crimson cloth, the embroidery a hand span wide. Her new silver cincture looped across her waist and rested on her broad hips. The cords were kept parallel by the Aiunite sigil, and they fell to just below her knee.

The ruby axe pendant I’d given her matched, but the beauty of the gem could never do her justice. Her silver-rimmed eyes met mine, and her rose-stained lips curved upward. I’d never seen her paint herself. She didn’t need it. Her smile alone took my breath away. Ruby hadn’t ever realized how stunning she was, and it was one of the things I loved about her.

Rokian’s robes were the same as Ruby’s, but instead of the feminine embroidery, golden fabric edged his hem and cuffs. It took a moment to remember I held Rokian’s cords, and I sat them atop a pillow next to the alter in a neat loop.

Ruby’s breath caught, and she eyed me in my uncomfortable robes. I’d sworn they’d never get me to wear skirts, but here I was. The Goddess herself left them for me—a wordless command—so I was stuck wearing them.

Ruby snickered while running the tips of her fingers across the smooth fabric covering my chest.

It’s . . .They’re green, she said.

I’d been training with Ciara as an enforcer, and my clothing matched the color of their uniform. But from what I’d seen of Aiuna, she probably just liked how it looked. I preferred this shade anyhow.

Aye, if my Goddess commands it. I said. Ruby’s silken skin warmed the back of my fingers as I grazed them across her cheek. If someone had told me a few years ago I’d be standing here today, I’d no have believed it.

A female voice projected from near the picture window. Neither would I, Brother Ironbeard.

Ruby stiffened for only a moment, but I could feel her nervousness. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head in reverence. She hadn’t had the same amount of time with the Goddess as I had. My hands hooked beneath her arms, and I hoisted her to her feet.

Power rolled off Aiuna, but she didn’t act like a goddess and hated groveling.

She’ll no have ye bow tae her, mo grá.

When she came close, the sheer force of her power made my mate shrink away for a moment before she forced herself to straighten.

If I thought you unworthy, sister, you would not be here today.

My hand pressed against the small of Ruby’s back as I willed my strength to her. Last they’d met, Aiuna asked Ruby to choose between us, and she chose me.

Aiuna glanced at me and grinned, pleased to see me wearing her garb. How is the adjustment, Brother Ironbeard?

I gestured to my robes. Interesting . . . tae say the least.

And you, Ruby? she asked. Your sister put on an impressive show to claim your mate.

I winced at the mention of Opal. Ruby knew I wanted all of her—whichever part she gave me—but occasionally struggled with my relationship with her sister. It was her body either way, so she knew it wasn’t logical, and she was getting better, but jealousy still happened.

I’m . . . good . . . great, actually. Thank you.

Aiuna flashed a gentle smirk. And Opal?

Ruby looked between us. Her gift is darkened, but we are looking for a way to solve the problem.

The Goddess’s head twisted to Rokian. Darkened by?

Rokian chimed in. She destroyed a shade, Aiuna, and somehow its darkness tarnished her gift.

Aiuna’s entire body locked as she froze into place, unblinking. And you did not think it necessary to share this with me, why?

Rokian glanced to Kailu, as if begging for help, but Kailu only bit his lower lip.

The cleric took a deep breath. I . . . I . . .thought it something we could handle on our own. The council is working on examining the relic that it was attached to.

My heart leaped into my throat at the rapid change in Aiuna’s disposition. Her knuckles had turned white as she balled her hands into fists and took a few moments to calm herself. This oversight could have been catastrophic. We will discuss this at your next devotional.

It was all over in only a moment but was enough to make my hair stand on end.

She turned back to Ruby. We are here this afternoon because of you, Love. Opal is one of my magi, and her disposition is not fitting for this position. When she is here, she may temporarily stand in your stead, but the ultimate decision regarding your future clergy will be yours. Aiuna’s eyes flicked back to Rokian. Is that understood, Cleric Sylrel?

He folded his hands and inclined his head. She glanced over his shoulder, and an impish smile crossed her face when she glanced at Kailu. She stepped off the dais and circled him like a predator while running a single finger along the sky-blue shirt stretched across his wide shoulders.

Her tone was sultry and slow—almost a growl. Master Kailu. It has been much too long.

Ruby and I stiffened in shock at the second sudden change in demeanor, but Rokian didn’t move. Instead, he waited for her to finish with his mate.

Kailu chuckled. Much too long? It is a pleasure to see you again too, Aiuna. I believed you were . . . displeased last time we met. He stared down at her with a glint in his eye. When she pouted and rested her hand against his abdomen to fiddle with a silver button before moving close enough she could kiss him, my jaw slackened. Rokian snickered at my expression.

Displeased? With you? Never, she purred. She snapped her teeth as if she would bite, then sauntered to the altar. When she turned back around, he winked at her.

What was that? I hadn’t meant to project the thought. Everyone in the room heard, but—to my relief—no one commented.

Aiuna wiggled her shoulders as if to shake away a feeling, then lifted the cords off the tray, returning to the business at hand. Is this something you want, Ruby? A life of service to others? To follow the guidance of Cleric Sylrel? She winked at Rokian.

My mate’s muscles tensed, so I lowered my guards and let my gift wrap her in a calming embrace.

Yes, Goddess. I will always serve you, and your younglings, to the best of my abilities. I am privileged and honored to have Rokian Sylrel as my master.

Ruby’s arms shook when Aiuna handed her the cords, black with thick spirals of gold intertwined among the threads. Rokian clutched her wrists, Aiuna raised a single eyebrow, and I swallowed a rising growl in my throat. He’d been too rough about that and didn’t need to be touching her. I swiped the thought aside. We weren’t living under a mountain, and I didn’t need to act like a feral dwarf. Our pairing was new, and I’d keep working on it. Aye, they were family, but they had something between them I could never give her.

If anyone heard me chastise myself, they didn’t show it.

Rokian’s gaze locked on Ruby. "No one in this room doubts your abilities, except you. No one would think less of you if this is not the path you wish to follow."

She gave him a lopsided grin. Rokian, how is this different from what you have already done for so long? You raised me, guided me, taught me kindness, loyalty, and devotion. I have always looked up to you. If Aiuna had chosen anyone else to guide me on this journey, I would not have accepted.

He blushed at the compliment, and she hugged his neck. When he straightened, she wrapped her arms around his thin waist and cinched the cord atop his hips. In a single act, she’d given away part of her freedom. She’d taken a new master only days after a new mate. Parts of this wouldn’t be easy, but it was my burden to bear. The elves didn’t even realize this was an issue for me.

Aiuna took her time looking over her cleric. Her eyes darted between Ruby and Rokian, then she touched her fingertips to the shoulder of Rokian’s robes. You have a question, she said to Ruby.

Will you tell me what the silver rings around my irises mean?

You will learn when it is time.

I sighed. No one in the Order ever gave a simple answer to anything.

Rokian only shrugged his shoulders in response to my glance. Seconds later, the spot Aiuna touched on his robe became inky and bled down his sleeve and across his torso. In moments—except for the gold at the cuffs and the hem—his crimson robes became black to match the twists in his new belt.

The Goddess swept a brown curl off of his forehead with her pale hand. His breath skipped at the caress, and his eyes closed as her fingertip ran down the side of his face. When his eyelids fluttered open, he searched her eyes and his face softened.

His voice was airy when he responded to something unsaid. "Always, Aiuna, I am honored to serve you." Holy Nijun, she was pure ambrosia to these males.

As if he knew Rokian would become light-headed, Kailu stepped behind his mate without touching him, a protective posture, but not meant to reduce his authority. Ruby’s hands pressed against her cheeks as she tried not to cry.

Aiuna blinked slowly and straightened, as if realizing she had business to attend. You have each earned what I have bestowed upon you today, she said before looking at Ruby and me. And it appears the two of you have some semblance of control now. Although your gift has not darkened to the extent your sisters has, please be cautious while learning about this . . . new development. Congratulations again on your union.

When she vanished, Kailu’s eyes lingered on where she had been seconds earlier. Ruby reached for Rokian, but his mate grabbed him first and kissed him with fiery passion. They shared an intimate moment, closing their eyes and resting their foreheads together.

Kailu stroked his lover's cheek and whispered, I am so proud of you.

Whatever had happened seemed to be extremely important. But they kept acting as if I’d spent my life in the Order, leaving me to ask hundreds of questions. I scratched my beard and held up my hands, hoping for an explanation. Ruby only shook her head. Since she wasn’t talking and the Cleric and his mate were busy, I pulled her closer.

Have I told ye silver looks incredible on ye?

A grin spread across her face. Not today, no.

We stared at one another a moment and lowered our shields just enough to allow the threads of our gifts to meet. I sighed and closed my eyes, savoring the contact. When we were done, the males had finished whispering to one another.

Any of ye care tae tell me what I’m missing? I asked.

Rokian brushed his shoulder as if sweeping away lint, and his mate wrapped his arms around his waist from behind.

Aiuna has made me her personal Herald, Rokian said.

Kailu growled in his ear, and the hairs rose on the back of my neck at the power behind the sound. Ruby bounced to contain her excitement, but it bubbled over anyway.

Black is exquisite on you, Love Kailu whispered close to Rokian’s ear.

I straightened and clamped my lips into a thin line to keep from grinning at his foreign behavior. Those two were stoic and reserved their displays of affection for when they had privacy. We had a few males that openly loved each other in our community, but not many. The elves had a mindset that seemed unusual to me when it came to love and intimacy, but something about it warmed me. I would have hated if they’d contained themselves on a day that seemed this important.

Are ye no longer our cleric? I asked Rokian.

As long as she deems me fit to hold the office, I am, he said. But also, she has given me the honor of carrying her messages where required.

Ruby’s hands clasped in front of her, and she begged, Oh, please let me announce your new position to everyone this afternoon! In her excitement, it all came out as one word.

Kailu put a hand on his mate’s shoulder and winked at me. No. I am going to do it.

Rokian beamed. Ruby told me that Kailu didn’t like crowds, and too many people gathered around him at once made him ill. It most likely had something to do with his gift—which no one would completely explain to me.

"So . . . Master Kailu?" Ruby raised her eyebrows, hoping to prompt him.

He laughed. Not a chance, Priestess Windsong.

Rokian’s eye twitched, and his hand rested on Ruby’s forearm. You forgot your shields again. The others were sensitive to the hum of our magic when it ebbed and flowed between us, so we always needed to pay attention to our guards.

Are you ready to go, Priestess? he said.

We exited first, to be greeted by an excited Mayryn and Lucy. I hadn’t expected Olog to come, as he was Opal’s master, but he leaned against a pillar, his lip stretched over his tusks in a wide smile.

Have you all been here the entire time? I asked.

The red-haired dwarf grabbed Ruby’s hands and jumped up and down, her braids bouncing with her. I’m so proud tae have ye as our new priestess. We havena had one in . . . well, no since I’ve been with the Order.

I stepped back when Rokian’s boot jostled the door jamb behind me. The others watched him in silence, unsure of how to react to the color of his robes. Kailu nodded to Ruby when she shot him an excited glance.

She held her arms out as if presenting an over-sized present. "I would like to be the first to introduce my master, Herald Sylrel."

Olog’s fingertips pressed against his temples as he stared, and Mayryn covered her mouth with both hands.

I dinnae think I’m grasping the importance of this position, I sent to Ruby.

Ruby nodded. His earlier explanation was humble, especially for him. A Herald serves as the right hand and adviser directly to the Goddess.

Rokian gripped her shoulder and pulled her forward into the conversation. Her tension would be imperceptible to anyone else, but since it matched mine, I put up my walls just enough so as not to create an echo. If our emotions were similar while constraining the gift that looped between us, it intensified to even the distribution of our magic. The result was an amplified version of whatever the feeling was. And if released without control, it could be deadly, both to us and others.

The muscles in her back tensed, and she wiped the sweat from her palms off on her robes. Only a few years ago, I was a blacksmith working in a mediocre town on the main continent. Today, I stood beside a Priestess and personal Herald to a goddess. There was nothing that could have prepared me for her—for any of them.

She extended her fingers to me. They folded around mine, and tugged me closer. You belong beside me . . . always.

Chapter 1

***Opal***

"M o ghaol," Baerdun said into my mind. The term of endearment made me shiver, and he purred it straight into my thoughts every time I arrived.

Ready to play? I said as my arms wrapped around his neck.

It had been a long time since we’d done any field training, and he missed it as much as I did. This was far from playing, but since we both needed to be in the right mindset, we approached it in the most lighthearted way possible. Adjusting to our combined magic would take experimentation. There was no precedent for this. Now that we shared our power, it had doubled. And since our bond was a fluid—almost living—thing, we needed to expend it on a regular basis. When our gifts were strongest, if we allowed them to twist and flow together . . . Well, we required a lot of time alone. Although neither of us minded, we had to adjust to all the new variables, or having a normal life would prove impossible.

His arms wrapped around my waist, but I pried them away and turned him by his shoulders before whispering, You’ve got to catch me first. Start counting.

I didn’t need a head start but enjoyed the game anyway. As Baerdun counted with his eyes closed, I climbed the stone at the edge of the beach and crossed my legs. The scrape of the rough granite against my fingertips reminded me I could now wield my sister’s elemental powers on top of my own. Since we’d learned it was possible only less than three weeks ago, it seemed prudent to start with something small. It took more focus than using my own magic, but creating a single fissure in the weathered rock should have been easy.

Opal, stop, Ruby said.

Maybe I should have given her more time to pull away; she’d only just passed control to me. It was difficult sharing a body. It often led to feeling like you couldn’t be alone, even though that wasn’t usually the case. We mostly stayed out of each other’s business. But when one of my sisters spoke, I listened, even if they were annoying.

I sighed. What? Aren’t you at least curious?

Very, she said. "But not that . . . please. Wind, water, fire—whatever else you want to try. I’m begging you, not that. It’s too destructive." She had spent her life harnessing and mastering her gift, and I would respect her judgment. There were plenty of other things I could do—for now.

Fine.

But the seconds spent talking with her stole away the time I had to cast anything new. Baerdun finished and reached for his axe, only to find me sitting an arm’s length away, gazing down over the edge of the rock.

Ach, rubbing it in, are ye? Yer little trick willna save ye tonight, mo ghaol.

I winked at him, and in one long stride vanished into the void. That spell was unique to magi and the reason why most of us trained as warriors. Now that I controlled it with only a thought, he didn’t stand a chance of capturing me. When I stepped out in front of the forest, I waited for him to catch up and searched for a place to hide in the dense vegetation.

Once deep enough into the woods to not be seen from the plains, I moved between the ancient oaks, looking for a wide branch to support me. After squinting and shifting to better see the one I’d chosen in the fading light, I opened a void. I emerged onto the limb with confidence, but my ankle twisted and I hissed as my thigh scraped the bark. My fist closed around a knot, and I pulled myself up to wait for him to come into view.

Are you sure you want to be doing this right now? Jade asked.

What in the nether are you doing here? Petra hadn’t let her out in as long as I could remember. If Jasper finds you . . .

Pfft. Don’t pretend you are worried about me. Anyway, Petra sent me. That darkness the beast left behind can make your gift do things you don’t expect. And since I’m a bit more familiar with it . . .

I’m fine. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather be alone with my mate. She was ruining the game. He was close, but I struggled to focus.

It’s not all the same to me. You don’t need to be playing games when the tarnish the shade left on you is unearned. It isn’t like you’ve even had time to adjust to it.

Go away! I snapped. She quieted, but it wouldn’t be over that easily. Jade was much too stubborn for that. Her voice might have been an annoying fly in my ear, but at least that was all it was. Petra would never let her out. She was too unstable.

Baerdun squatted to examine the detritus where my trail stopped. But when my gift pulled through the bond, he took a moment to listen to the hum of our shared magic. My lip ached from me biting off a snicker as he twisted his chin over his shoulder.

He glanced into the leaves, and I summoned my shadowshards. The forearm-length daggers pulsed with crimson light that would streak through the darkness when I leaped for the strike. Tonight, they were darker than usual. They glowed the color of drying blood but were dimmer than they’d ever been.

My gift hummed while I forced my energy out, as if announcing my presence. As soon as my feet touched soil, Baerdun dropped his axe, put a palm to a tree, and vanished.

Who’s doing the hunting here? I asked.

His laughter sounded in my head, disorienting me as he zipped through the roots themselves. I’d barely gotten to see him use this spell a few days ago. He used it with such grace, like he’d been practicing his entire life. I took a moment to appreciate it unfolding, which gave him enough time to snap my buttocks with a thin branch. I squealed in surprise, making me lose track of him as he slid through the root system of a dense cluster of trees. Fog swirled around my ankles, then spread like a blanket over the forest floor. The clouds thickened and expanded until they enveloped me, blocking out the ambient light of the full moon.

My lips pursed in disappointment. Sparring didn’t seem to be in his plans for the evening. I’d missed summoning the blades every day for the solid two years without my gifts, and now I wouldn’t get to use them tonight either. With a sigh, I opened my fists and let the shards fall. They vanished before they could hit the ground.

I conjured the matching bow instead and savored the cool caress of the void surrounding the grip. An ice-cold black arrow materialized in my left palm, warmed in an instant by my touch. I loosed two bolts in a circle, willing them toward trees I’d noted as he engulfed me in fog.

My gift streaked behind each arrow, guiding them, but not sighting my target lowered my accuracy. One of them struck with a solid thud, and I released the bow from my grasp. Like the blades, its light flickered out before it vanished. The tips of the arrows that had pierced the trunks oozed a trail of inky black sludge down the bark. Void. In a few moments, the opening would be wide enough for an eldritch to emerge.

Baerdun’s rapid movement made him difficult to trace, but since he couldn’t breathe while tree hopping, he needed to come out soon.

You have 30 seconds before my friends arrive, I told him. Can you catch me first?

While we were courting, he was all but ungifted, so he hadn’t seen many of the spells in my arsenal. He’d seen a lot of them in only the past few days but wasn’t as intimately familiar with them as he needed to be. That was another important reason to be here: to share ourselves and challenge each other to be better than we were alone.

He must have stepped out of the trees, because the volume of our hum increased. His gift reached me faster than he did, and I pirouetted as he sprinted past to grab his axe, swirling the fog.

So close, I teased. For someone so new to their gifts, he was doing extraordinarily well.

The gap of void created in the tree trunk opened enough for the eldritch to emerge, and they reached out to connect with their summoner. Every magi learned fast that the bulbous shadow djinn were not to be toyed with. To my master's dismay, they had caused me so many problems as I learned to control them. Fear drew them to their prey—it was how they hunted—and it took me a long time to conquer mine.

But a few weeks ago, that emotion died when I almost did. Later, after my union with Baerdun, we made love in the vast nothingness of the void, and when one beast streaked by, the fear vanished.

Eldritch stalked in silence, but their wail could rupture eardrums. Since I had no intention of hurting Baerdun, these eldritch would not wail, but he wouldn’t know they were present until they found him. He must have expected them after he saw me use them against his god, but his mood was playful, and they needed to smell his fear.

My friends are calling for you. Do you hear them?

He needed to get used to their vocalizations anyway—at least until we learned to shield our thoughts from the other. So, I listened and made sure he did too. The sound they emitted had the cadence of language, like many voices speaking at once, yet not like any Neuralian language I’d ever heard. One moment it sounded like a distant howling wind, and another like the crackles of an angry flame. Its ancient, primal quality commanded their summoner’s attention and was impossible to ignore. It was a sound that, until recently, sank into my bones and sent a chill up my spine. Tonight, it sounded different from what I’d heard previously—there was more to the noises. The sounds were separated into words. A language of its own sort.

Baerdun tensed for only a second, and I threw up my shields so that his fear did not bleed into me. That was all they needed to find him. When he called out in surprise, I didn’t worry. They were most dangerous once they pulled you back to their home, and based on our position, he had a few dozen feet to struggle.

Xionos, he cursed as his axe struck a tree with a hollow thunk. His boots shuffled in the leaves. Then the forest went silent.

Smart. He conquered his fear, then relocated. They would have to find him a second time.

"Well, since ye released yer hounds . . ." he said.

Ajax charged out of nowhere and slammed into me, knocking me into the dirt. He would never hurt me, but 200 pounds of dire wolf lying over your back made escape difficult.

Get off me, you goofy mutt! I wiggled beneath him and earned no ground. Baerdun would catch me while I struggled if I expected brute force to move Ajax. The fog thinned, and my mate strode toward me, a devilish grin across his face. Two eldritch rounded on him at the same moment. But the third . . . The third just hovered in place and . . . watched.

Baerdun moved into the center of a copse of trees, and roots lashed around him in defense, catching only shadow. Even a warrior had fear, and although it might not stop them from charging onto a battlefield, their emotion made the monsters stronger. His feet slid as they yanked him to the nearest opening. When he was within a few body lengths of the portal, I banished the eldritch with a thought, and he dropped into a pile of leaves with a grunt.

Ajax perched atop me like a cat on a windowsill, even though I shoved at him. Baerdun approached again, a smug look on his face. I pretended to struggle to let him get close enough to touch.

It was cute that he thought he’d won. When he squatted down to look at me in triumph, I cast the next spell—I sublimated. The overgrown farm dog dropped onto my clothing as I rolled out into the needles and leaves as only a wisp of shadow.

But instead of being aware of my location like I always had been, everything became black and silent. My shadow zipped around in panic, but my gift didn’t drain as it usually did. When I passed through something, I paused in surprise.

Its sound reverberated through me, a familiar cadence, one I’d heard only minutes earlier. There was sound . . . in the void. The creature slid its claws over itself, trying to detach me.

What are you? the eldritch said. When my body reformed, I couldn’t see the beast but knew exactly where it was. It swiped, forcing me to jump, then sublimate again.

In a panic, my thoughts flashed to my mate.

Chapter 2

***Jade***

Baerdun’s knees crunched in the leaves as he bundled my trembling figure into his arms. Whatever had just happened shook Opal badly enough to pull me out into her place. It wouldn’t be long before Petra figured it out and came to drag me back inside.

What happened, mo ghaol? he asked as he checked me over for injury.

Get away from me! I said, pushing myself from his arms and curling into a ball. He stayed on his knees and stared, dumbfounded at the response. If he made one inappropriate move, I would put him down.

Clothes . . . I need my clothes . . . please, I said.

He stumbled across the forest floor and retrieved them for me. I snatched them away in my panic. I’ll tell you once I’m dressed, all right? I circled my finger in the air, gesturing for him to look away. His arms folded over his chest, but he was respectful of my wishes. His worry traveled through that blasted bond of theirs, making me shake as my britches slid over my hips.

Mo ghaol, he said. Something feels . . . off. Are ye all right?

Shivers traveled up my spine at the term of endearment, and he clutched at his gut. He’d felt my disgust. This was going to be impossible.

The sublimation pulled me into the void, I said.

He moved closer, forcing me to take a step backward. His guard rose, reminding me to put mine into place. Maybe the next admission would distract him.

An eldritch spoke to me, I said.

He stared, unblinking, as he processed. We need tae go see Rokian and Olog about this. He moved in a wide circle around me and stooped to pick up his axe. While he strapped it on, he whispered something to Ajax, who scampered away. A deep exhale curled my shoulders, and my palms hugged my elbows tight.

Go ahead of me, I said. I need a few minutes to think.

Baerdun didn’t move, instead facing me with his thumbs hooked into his belt. I’ll no hurt ye, he said. The idea that he thought he could was humorous. Have we met?

We have, but it was brief. My nostrils flared, and the corner of my mouth lifted at the memory. It had been best that Opal stepped in when she did, or who knows what would have happened? We all had perfectly good reason than to believe he’d stolen our gift, and I don’t think most people would have blamed me if I had killed him back on the mainland.

He extended his hand. Then, it sounds like we should have a proper introduction. I’m Baerdun, and ye are?

I took a step backward. It isn’t important. How did you know?

Because neither of yer sisters have contempt for me like what’s coming off ye. Have I wronged ye somehow? Did Petra no ask yer permission tae become my mate?

My fists balled at my sides. You aren’t my mate!

His hands popped up. Yer right. I’ll try again. Did Petra no ask yer permission tae stay bound tae me?

He waited for a response, and his gift prodded at me, testing my guards. I didn’t need them. They dropped, and my gift rushed into him. He drew a gasp as I connected with the seed of my gift that I had planted in his mind when we first met. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped to the ground. I’d only agreed to the union because having him around gave my sisters access to more magic. If they were empowered, we were all safer. It didn’t matter who he was to my sisters. He had no right to violate my space like that. If he tried it again when he woke, I would kill him.

They would come for me—it was impossible to hide from wardens that lived inside your own head. As much as it disgusted me that any part of my system felt they needed a male, killing him wasn’t damage I was willing to do. So, I ran.

The sun was rising when I finally spotted Lerwick. Farmers were in their fields, caring for their livestock. I could get breakfast, a change of clothes, and a horse before heading to Barnacle Point.

And go where? Petra said.

Damn it, I said while sitting down in the middle of the field. It wasn’t rational thinking, but I’d been a prisoner for so long.

I didn’t hurt him, I said.

Petra sighed. "I know. You were scared, and you lashed out. Had you taken a moment to read him, or talked with him, you would not have felt unsafe. You know what they do to psymancers that use