Faust agreed. “So, Alimphis could have chosen us as king candidates.”
“That is the logical explanation, yes.”
“Do you know of more king—” Faust halted and faced the door. That sky magic he felt from before had landed outside.
“What is it?”
Faust slipped his glasses back on as the door chimed. “Someone quite powerful just arrived—a sky stone user.”
Terrence raised his eyebrows in fascination.
A ruckus came from the hallway.
“Please wait, I will get him,” Yoan pleaded.
Heavy boots came closer, and the sound of armor clanked as well. Faust hadn’t felt strength like this from anyone but a Volant and the Blessed, Relan. Faust flexed his hand, debating whether to gather magic to him or not.
The door swung open. “Lord Clare, I have come to escort you to the castle.”
Faust stared. The blond man was tall, with pale skin, broad shoulders, and bottle-green eyes. Sky blue surrounded him, but there was a high concentration of the color near the man’s shoulders. Sky blue must have been the common aura in the Kingdom of Roltan. Windilum carried red auras, but Alios carried more. Both he and Konrad had purple auras, and Emoris and Lathil had two shades of green auras. There had to be a reason behind these auras, and he needed to figure it out. Not everyone carried one.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of such an escort, Lord Samuel Verdine,” Terrence said. “It must be urgent for you to arrive personally.”
“You know damn well why I’m here, Lord Clare,” Samuel snapped. “Lathil and Panos Acker were sighted near our borders just days ago, and I arrive to learn you are meeting with someone from the Kingdom of Alios,” he said. “Our king has called you back to duty, and you will remain in Whitrose castle where we can protect you.”
Faust pursed his lips. Panos rarely left his border city of Elyon. Emoris placed him in charge of training their knights. Faust paused. Now it made sense. The knights were just a cover-up—they served Emoris all along. He should have seen it! Konrad must have.
“Lord Arcus must accompany me,” Terrence said.
Samuel turned his cold gaze upon Faust. “The Alios merchant. I do not approve, and neither will the king.”
“He will have to,” Terrence clipped. “He is my guild’s new patron.”
Samuel clenched his fists.
Faust sat, stunned.
“I expect him to be treated with the same respect I am given,” Terrence said. “I will introduce him to our king. King Roland will want to hear what Lord Arcus has to say ahead of the King of Alios’s arrival.”
Samuel glared. “Get ready. We leave immediately.”
Terrence stood and brushed himself off. “I will be out after I pack. We must stop at my estate before we head for Whitrose if you plan on keeping me there long-term, Lord Verdine.”
Samuel grumbled. “Fine. I will have the Volliare head there first.”
Terrence turned toward Faust. “Please join your allies outside, Lord Arcus. They will want to see you are well.”
Faust stood and took one last glance at Samuel. He walked past, and the sky-blue aura nipped at his own magic as if testing him. It felt familiar, like the magic he’d felt during the storm. Faust shook it off and moved to the front of the store.
Rene stood right by the corner. “Are you unharmed?”
“I am fine.” Faust touched the historian’s raised hand. The sky stone fell back into Rene’s palm. “I have secured us a meeting with the King of Roltan, and I am now the patron of the Guild of Masters.”
“Must you accelerate things?”
Faust stared at Rene. “Konrad is missing.”
Rene gripped Faust’s shoulder. “First chance you get.”
Faust nodded. He would use the next available opportunity to contact his brother. Faust glanced to Ignas. “Will you accompany me to Whitrose? I know we only discussed coming this far.”
Ignas shared a look with Zara. “Anything for you, gorgeous.”
Faust relaxed. Good. He didn’t think this Samuel would be an easy ally.
“When do we leave?” Zara asked.
“Once Lord Clare is ready,” Faust replied.
Ignas looked to Zara. She made way for the door and disappeared. “Your coin won’t cover this part of the trip,” Ignas said with a teasing grin.
Rene flicked a sky stone into his palm again.
Of course Ignas would use this opportunity to monopolize him. At least he’d keep him safe. He really didn’t mind it, but he did love to aggravate Rene when he could. “Within reason,” Faust said and shifted his weight to add to the charade for Rene, enjoying the way the historian fumed.
“Deal,” Ignas said, stalking closer.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Faust stared at the small window in the room he shared with Ignas on the Volliare. Light peeked through the thick curtain, signaling the dawn of a new day. He hated to leave the warmth of Ignas’s arms, but he needed to contact Konrad. It had been days, and he wasn’t certain he’d wake early like this again.
Faust turned his head and admired his sleeping mercenary. How Ignas could sleep barely clothed in this weather was beyond his comprehension, but perhaps the warmth he emitted kept him warm. Faust wiggled out of Ignas’s arms and grabbed his short cloak and boots. Ignas grunted in his sleep, and Faust smiled. He kissed Ignas’s forehead before slipping outside into the hallway.
He tugged his boots on and blew into his hands. Winter was still months away, but it felt like it was getting colder with each passing day. He would have to advise Terrence to figure out how to heat the Volliare more when they stopped. If it was cold like this without winter, the winter months must have been unbearable.
Faust winced the more he walked, cursing Ignas. He swore the man knew no boundaries, but then again, he didn’t stop Ignas either. The attention Ignas gave him was addicting, and it felt like it could blossom into more than lust. He wanted to keep Ignas for himself. Faust laughed to himself. Konrad would tell him to get his head out of the clouds.
Faust took a sweep of the area and chose an unassuming storage room. He waltzed inside and took up residence behind some crates. He pulled out his water stone and concentrated. It flashed, and a small spiral of water fanned out into a circle.
He waited.
And waited.
And continued to wait.
Faust’s heart raced. Konrad was usually quick to answer his water call.
His stone caught the magic he sought, and Faust watched his brother come into focus, Konrad’s short dark hair a mess, his brown eyes tired, and his skin paler than Faust’d seen in years, but he was alive. He sighed in relief, slouching against the crate.
“Are you safe?” Konrad asked first, his voice laced with sleep.
Faust gave a small smile. “Yes.”
“I will be in Roltan soon.”
“I am sorry.”
“You defended yourself in every situation that was brought to my desk,” Konrad said. “When Lathil pursued you with Miklos, I snuck out with a few knights and my servant, Wim. I feared Emoris would hurt him otherwise. It did not leave me much time, but all you have done is accelerated my plan. That being said, I do need you to lie low until I get to you.”