Spin the Dawn(78)

The Autumn Palace. It felt so far from here, both in distance and time. The red sun was less than a month away now, and I still had much work to do on Lady Sarnai’s three dresses. What reception could we look forward to when we returned?

I was the imperial tailor, he the Lord Enchanter. Edan would be busy advising the emperor…and I’d be pretending to be a boy again. Even if we didn’t have his oath to worry about, how could we be together?

Edan didn’t say anything further, which made me nervous. The silence between us was charged, like waiting for lightning to strike. Every extra beat grew heavier, so that being near him was like brushing against fire. It was only so long before I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sendo used to scare me with stories about the Ghost Fingers,” I said with a shudder. I hadn’t believed in ghosts when I was a child, but the last few months had changed much. “He said that Lake Paduan was once home to a great civilization, an ancient city of treasure beyond our imagination. Legends of it spread, and men grew greedy. But they could never cross the water—storms and dangerous conditions would force their boats to turn around.

“Then one day, a ship made the crossing. It was the first to trespass on the islands for hundreds of years, so the city welcomed the men as a sign from the gods. They posed as traders, but they were really barbarians who had used magic to reach the city. At night they killed everyone. The residents became ghosts; the lake rose, flooding the city until only what we know as the Forgotten Isles remained, and the barbarians were cursed to be demons, rich with treasure but never able to leave.”

“A high price to pay for their greed,” Edan commented. “The people of the city didn’t deserve what happened to them. You know the story well.”

“I didn’t know it was real.”

“Your brother got part of it right.”

“Which part?”

“The part about the ghosts,” said Edan. “If you see one, be wary. If you touch one, you will die and become a ghost yourself.”

The warning brought goose bumps to my skin. “What about a demon?”

“If you see a demon,” Edan said darkly, “my advice would be to run.”

“Will we encounter any there?”

He paused. “We must prepare for that possibility.”

I swallowed. I’d learned by now that Edan was always prepared, but the gravity of his tone meant that what lay ahead was going to be very dangerous indeed.

“And how are we going to cross the lake?” I asked.

“We’re going to fly.” Edan pointed at the carpet I was weaving. “On that.”

I was incredulous. “You mean we could have been flying this whole time? You could have told me that before I climbed that mountain!”

Edan shook his head. “Magic must be conserved. And Lake Paduan is full of—surprises.” A cloud passed over his face. “I’ve been there. It is a place not easily forgotten.”

“Why were you there?”

“An enchanter’s training is shrouded in secrecy,” he said, “but we are tested much as you are—trials of the body, mind, and soul.”

“And one of them was on the Forgotten Isles?”

“The last one.” Edan hesitated. “We had to drink the blood of the stars. It is the final test every enchanter must take.”

The blood of the stars! “What happens when you drink it?”

“Your powers increase a hundredfold, and you are gifted with a thousand years of life,” replied Edan softly. “It is the aspiration of every young enchanter. We are so foolish in our youth. So eager to believe we can change the world. And I was younger than most when it was my turn.” He paused. “More reckless, too. Most who take of the stars do not survive. I was lucky…or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.”

I pursed my lips. Immortality and power, in exchange for being a slave. Of course, they probably didn’t call it slavery in the oath. How strange Edan’s youth must have been.

“Why would you want to become an enchanter?” I asked.

“We don’t think of being bound to the oath as a sacrifice, but as an honor. It is an honor to use our powers to better this world.”

“But you might have a terrible master.”

“That is the balance of fate. We are not invincible, and our numbers dwindle as new eras dawn and people forget about magic. When you have served as long as I have, it is impossible not to grow disillusioned with the oath.” His voice fell soft. “It becomes impossible not to wonder if you might be happier without magic.”

His gaze bored into me, deep and penetrating. Melting my resistance.

“I know one thing, Maia Tamarin—being with you makes me happier than I have ever been.”

I couldn’t fight my heart any longer. “I’m glad you became an enchanter,” I said fiercely. “I know you’ve suffered, far more than you let on. But if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you.”

I picked the flowers from my hair and buried my face in them, inhaling their scent. Somehow, I swore to myself, somehow I will find a way to set Edan free. Then, so softly that I almost didn’t hear myself, I whispered, “You may court me.”

Slowly, Edan traced a finger over my lips and kissed me, then moved on to kiss every freckle on my nose and cheeks until I was intoxicated by the sweetness of his breath.