The Sartious Mage (The Rhythm of Rivalry) Read online

  I knew that whatever that look was, it couldn’t have been good. It served to remind me that word of my kidnapping couldn’t have reached too far from the palace yet, but it surely would soon. News like that spread quicker than the most contagious illness, for no one is immune to the curiosity of a juicy rumor.

  I came into a cluster of houses all touching sides with each other. The road twisted through them.

  I had the next part of my plan figured out by then: avoid people, get as far south as I could, find something else for Lisanda to wear, and make sure her hands were bound before she woke up. I didn’t want to deal with the strength I’d seen when she’d moved that massive wardrobe.

  The hardest part was getting different clothes for Lisanda. I still had no idea what I was looking for. Even if I had money, it wasn’t as if I simply could ride up to a tailor’s shop with an unconscious princess on my horse and ask for something that might fit her.

  “The Sartious mage is stealing the Princess, for they’re in love!” It was a man with a lute. He’d stopped his playing to bellow the sight he saw.

  This was the first person to recognize me. It wasn’t so easy to escape this time. The roads were narrowing and more crowded with people on foot. When the lute player shouted, a few others turned and gasped.

  A man with a round stomach tried to stop me by standing in front of Bam. “Is the Princess sleeping?” He peered closely at her. “What’s that around her waist?”

  I slipped my arm around her stomach to hide the Sartious ring. Meanwhile, I tried to force Bam around the heavy man, but the horse reared up instead. It startled the man so that he stumbled back and fell. I gave Bam a kick to speed off.

  There were even more people around the next turn. I navigated through them as best I could, but some had to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled.

  I came to an alleyway between houses and eagerly turned Bam down its path. It twisted left and right. The sounds of shocked people quieted behind me the farther I went. It was only then that I realized how lucky I was that no guard had found me yet.

  Soon, every guard in The Nest would be searching for me. I needed to be less conspicuous. The horse was no longer the best method of transportation, I sadly knew.

  I looked around as I went for something—anything—I could use to cover Lisanda, knowing I would be on foot very shortly.

  The winding alleyway forked a few times. One way led me to a small nook that people obviously had used as a place to dispose of unwanted possessions. There were rotted planks of wood, cracked barrels, and some sort of bunched up sheet in the corner—that should work.

  With the help of my wand and some minor concentration, I turned the Sartious ring that was holding Lisanda to me into dust. I swung my leg to climb off Bam, sliding Lisanda off next. I sat her against a wall and glanced around to tie Bam to the nearest thing I could find. There was a boarded cellar door attached to the side of a building.

  I took a quick look inside the one window nearest to me to find that the building obviously was abandoned. Many empty bottles and even more broken ones were scattered along tables.

  I wrapped Bam’s rope around the handle to the cellar door, gave the Princess one more glimpse—she hadn’t moved—and then eagerly investigated the bunched up sheet I’d seen earlier.

  It was an ugly blue-gray color, dirty and soaked from rain. The material was very rough, so much so that it must’ve been used as a tarp, not a bed sheet. Careful not to touch my clothes with its dripping mud, I straightened it to get a better look. It was a riddled with tears and small holes, but I didn’t care. It was just what I needed.

  The sheet was far too wide and tall, so I ripped off a few ends where there already were long tears. I tried to shake it to remove at least some of its grime, but it didn’t do much good.

  Just from handling it the little I did, my hands were covered in filth. I brought it over to Lisanda and stood her up, holding her against me to keep her on her feet.

  It wasn’t an easy process, wrapping the tarp around her. I eventually found it easier to lay her down on the tarp and roll her body instead. I covered her shoulders to her knees, wrapping the tarp around her three times in total. Her arms were stuck inside of it.

  The last step was to keep it from unwrapping. I used leftover strips from the original to tie around her, making her look like a packaged gift of some kind—a filthy, clumsily packaged gift made by a child who’d fallen in a mud puddle while trying to deliver it.

  With her lying on the ground, I tested the knots a few more times. She started moving her mouth. She let out a soft moan before her eyes opened.

  I frantically untied the bandana around my neck, shoved it into her mouth, and tied the other end around the back of her head.

  The sun was low but still managed to find our nook. It gave a glisten to the light brown color of Lisanda’s eyes as they peeled open. It was the first time I’d really noticed her face. Her nose was perky but soft on the edges. Her cheeks and chin were the same way, subtly pronounced.

  “Lisanda, my name is Jek Trayden. You’re in The Nest and safe. You’ll remain safe and unharmed as long as you cooperate. Right now, I have a gag in your mouth—”

  “Ith fwety!” Lisanda interrupted, making a sour face. She was still on the ground with me kneeling over her, unsuccessfully trying to sit up.

  “What?”

  “Ith fwety!” she repeated.

  “Oh, yes, it’s very sweaty. Six days without a wash, it’s probably some other things as well.”

  She groaned and muttered something unintelligible.

  “What?”

  She thrashed in a moment of annoyance, blatantly looked down at herself, then back at me.

  “The tarp?”

  She nodded, giving it another look with anger burning in her eyes.

  “Yes, it’s very disgusting, but I had to cover your wedding dress.”

  This time the thrashing was quite violent. She even screamed. Luckily it was heavily muffled by the gag. It wasn’t a scream of fear but of pure anger, matching the look on her face.

  “You’th thruined ith!”

  That’s what she cared about? That I’d ruined her wedding dress? “Aren’t you wondering who I am and what I’m doing with you?”

  She thrashed again, looking right at me as she muttered something I had no hope of understanding. It certainly wasn’t a question, though. It sounded more like an insult by the tone of it.

  I waited for her to calm down. It would be dumb to think I was safe here, but I did feel that the odds of someone stumbling upon us were quite low. It was worth extra time to explain the situation while I could. I needed her cooperation to make this work.

  There were two rumors I’d heard about the Takarys. One was that they always had money with them. I would see about that later. The other was that they never lied. It already seemed that King Danvell had proved that wrong about himself, but it was still to be tested for Lisanda.

  “If I remove the gag, will you scream?” I asked.

  She’d given up trying to sit up. Now completely supine, she closed her eyes with defeat and nodded at me.

  I put her head on my lap to untie the knot. Her hair was thick and so close to black I had to squint to see the brown in it. I slowly pulled my bandana from her mouth, ready to shove it back in the moment I heard anything louder than a whisper.

  She said nothing, breathing quickly like her breath had been held.

  Finally she uttered, “Get me out of this disgusting tarp.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “Now,” she said quietly with a look of such blatant contempt.

  I couldn’t believe she could be so demanding in her current position. I looked at her incredulously.

  “Don’t raise your eyebrows at me. Get me out. Now!”

  She was so assertive, I almost found myself reaching to untie it…almost.

  “The tarp stays on…unless you have the coin for new clothes?” I hadn’t seen a purse on her,
but ladies like Princess Lisanda were known to be secretive in the way they carried money.

  She humphed and turned away from me. “So this is about money? It sure is a stupid way to get it. My father will have you killed for this.”

  I noticed again how deep her voice was. It gave her a robust sound, rich and melodic, especially with her lively accent.

  “This isn’t about money,” I said plainly.

  “Then what? Why did you take me?” Her eyes widened. “You were in the dressing room. I remember now. You were spying on me! You’re nothing but a lowlife reprobate. If you touch me—”

  “I have no interest in you.” I quickly stopped her. “Your father promised me something but didn’t deliver. Now I’m going to trade you for it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re delusional. My father keeps his promises.”

  It hadn’t even crossed my mind that she might not believe me. I’d even envisioned her sympathizing once I’d explained it. Everyone understands the feeling of a broken promise, at least that’s what I’d figured.

  Actually, if anyone had gone through life without feeling the crushing disappointment of a shattered expectation, it was probably a princess.

  “It’s true,” I explained. “He promised me a cure but wouldn’t give it to me once I did what he asked. Instead, he tried to—”

  “I don’t care. I don’t believe you. Take me home now and I may ask for lenience when they decide your punishment.”

  “I’m not taking you back until I know the cure will be given to me.”

  “Cure? Are you sick? Get away from me.” She tried to wiggle the other way.

  “It’s not like that.” I sighed and stood up to pace around. This was going nowhere.

  I realized the problem was that I was actually listening to her and responding, as if I could convince her to cooperate through logic. But logic was lost on this one. It reminded me how much I missed Harwin. I hoped he was somewhere safe and not frightened.

  She still was wiggling on the ground while she berated me through closed teeth.

  “Do you know how much my dress cost?”

  I didn’t want to know. I was trying to think about more important things. Could I get her on the horse again and test my luck? No. I couldn’t have gone more than a few miles, and I had too many more to go. I was sure to be seen by a guard before I got much farther. I was right the first time—I would need to take her on foot.

  Unfortunately, that meant we were going to have to spend the night somewhere before we got out of the city. Micah Vail, the King’s adviser, had warned me against it, but I didn’t see an alternative.

  “Are you listening? It’s worth more than your life!”

  “Quiet, I’m trying to think.”

  She gasped, muttering something under her breath. I looked at her and noticed the bottom of the wedding gown falling below the tarp. It would need to be cut. I decided to try a different technique than my first one. It was time to get assertive and hurry this along.

  “I don’t think you realize that you’re the captive.” I gave her a glare.

  She stopped wiggling.

  “I’m kidnapping you. But if you stay quiet and cooperate, you’ll be back home soon.” I continued before she had a chance to respond. “Now, I see that your dress is too long for the tarp. It needs to be cut. Do you have a knife?”

  A dumb question, I realized right away. I’d been on too much of a roll to stop myself before it came out.

  “You would be dead right now if I did,” she snapped back coldly.

  I ignored her. “The fabric looks soft. I think I can tear it.” I knelt down.

  “Fine! Rip it! It’s already ruined, anyway.”

  Now we’re getting somewhere, I thought, ripping the end of the dress off. “Your face and hair are still too clean and…”

  I was going to say pretty or perhaps perfect, but the compliment would’ve felt strange. I caught myself before it slipped out. I was merely trying to point out that she still looked too much like a princess when I needed her to look like a commoner.

  “Well, we’re going to have to dirty you up.” I wiped my hands on her tarp, but she recoiled from me when I brought them toward her face.

  “No, no, no.” She squirmed back.

  I easily walked after her and got her with a few good wipes across her cheeks and forehead first.

  “No! Ugh, disgusting! Stop! Blugh. Don’t touch me!”

  I accidentally grazed her lip, and she immediately started spitting. I rubbed the last of it in her hair while she was distracted.

  “There we go,” I said with a breath of relief. There was nothing princess left about her. I hardly recognized her, even.

  “I’m even dirtier than you now! Ohhh,” she pouted. “It’s so disgusting.” She tried to take her hands out of the tarp, thrashing about as she twisted. Suddenly, she screamed. I shoved the bandana back in her mouth and tied its other end behind her head.

  Discouraged, I sat down beside her and wiped my hands on my pants. “You told me you wouldn’t scream. Now you get the gag.”

  She pouted some more, but at least there were no tears. “I hathe tha gag.”

  “And you’re going to wear it until I believe you’ll cooperate.”

  “I wanth thu thand.” She pushed herself off the ground as far as she could. “Helth me thand.”

  I figured she was asking to stand. Hesitant to touch her dirty tarp, I kept away from her as best I could while I wrapped my hands around her petite body and lifted her to her feet.

  To my surprise, she nudged me with her shoulder and started into a sprint. She managed to run several steps before losing her balance and falling. She wiggled violently on the ground in an attempt to get back on her feet but was unsuccessful. Then the screaming started again, of course muffled by my sweaty bandana.

  I shook my head in frustration. I missed Harwin.

  Chapter 7: Thigh Purse

  I stood over her with my arms folded. “I’m going to give you one more chance to cooperate,” I told her. “If you yell or try to run, the gag will stay in permanently, and you’ll remain bound to me by Sartious Energy.”

  I took out my wand and squatted to wiggle it in front of her face.

  “Ith you.” Her eyes seemed to hold recognition.

  I untied the bandana. She finished what she wanted to say. “You’re that farm boy who almost married my sister. You’re the Sartious mage.”

  “Jek Trayden, as I mentioned. Are you finally ready to cooperate?”

  “If you take this tarp off me.” Finally, her voice didn’t have the same demanding tone, although it was still far from pleading.

  I wanted to work with her instead of against her so badly that again I considered it for just a moment. But I decided otherwise.

  “If I had anything to replace it, I would. With your coin we could buy some clothing and even sleep in an inn.”

  She sighed loudly. “Fine. Will you stand me up? How rude of you to leave a lady lying on the ground.”

  I helped her up once again.

  “Now, where’s your purse?” I asked.

  “Why don’t you pay? It’s your fault I’m out here.”

  “I don’t have any money with me,” I answered. “Otherwise, I would.”

  “You probably don’t have any money at all, by the look of your clothes.”

  What was wrong with my clothes? It was the second time their quality had been brought up, but they really weren’t that bad. Sure, they stood out in comparison to an immaculate wedding gown, but a trip through the southern end of the city easily would demonstrate how much worse clothes could be. There were many who wore what I would call rags because of their rips and stains.

  Perhaps the people in the palace hadn’t seen true poverty. I figured that must be it.

  This was no time for a lesson, though. Instead, I said, “It doesn’t matter how much money I have. The fact is, I have none with me. Unless you want to stay in that tarp and sleep outside, we’
re going to need that purse. Now, where is it?”

  She scowled. “Only if we visit an inn with a place to bathe.”

  A quick bath did sound wonderful, and it was her coin anyway. “I promise we will.”

  “If you want me to cooperate, you won’t make promises without keeping them.”

  “I intend to. You will have a bath.”

  She pushed her dirty face toward mine, straining her neck to look up at me. I took a step back, only because I didn’t want the mud on her tarp to touch me. She stepped after me, stopping only when I did. Her eyes were menacing, like she gladly would pull a knife if she could.

  Lisanda was so close I felt her breath against my chin when she spoke. “If you’re lying to me about the bath, you’ll pay for it. I will not remain in this filth.”

  I’d never seen someone take cleanliness so seriously. It was somewhat startling but also made me realize I could use that to keep her cooperating.

  “You’ll receive new clothes, have a bath, and sleep in a bed—your own bed.” Although she’d be bound to it, I decided not to mention. “I promise these things.”

  “Fine.”

  I rolled up my sleeve and squatted near her. “Now, where’s this purse of yours?”

  “Why are you doing that? Get away from me!” She stumbled backward, nearly falling.

  Bam whinnied. He’d seemed disinterested by our whole exchange until now. I figured he was just as hungry and thirsty as me. I walked over to untie him so he could return to Goreng’s.

  “Get it yourself, then,” I told her as I undid Bam’s rope.

  “I’m trying.” She shifted her shoulders to move her arms somewhere, her face clenching. I turned my focus to finish with Bam’s rope, petted his mane, and said goodbye as he trotted off.

  “Why did you just do that?” Lisanda asked. Her tone was more curious than anything else.

  “We’d be too conspicuous on him. We’re going on foot the rest of the way.” When Bam turned a corner, I looked back at Lisanda. She still was struggling to reach for her purse, wherever it was.

  “Can you get it?” I asked.

  She let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t reach it.”