Months ago he had suggested I might accompany him to the nomad kingdom after his graduation, but he hadn’t mentioned it since, and I hadn’t brought it up either. If we hadn’t found Airlie by then, I couldn’t abandon the search. And if we had found her…
My thoughts sputtered and died. I spent so much time thinking about finding my sister, I rarely considered what might come next. She would still be Evermund’s apprentice for well over a year. I couldn’t find her only to immediately leave her again. But how would Zeke react if I told him that?
And what about your own future? a small voice asked in the back of my mind. Power mages are well understood among Tribe Nicabar. They might be the only ones who can help you master your ability.
I pushed the thought aside. Zeke might be my friend, but Tribe Nicabar owed me nothing. If they welcomed me in, something would be expected in return, and I wasn’t ready to make that kind of commitment.
“Even the apprentices who aren’t going seem busy,” I said to fill the awkward gap in the conversation. “Master Colton is remaining behind to run the Guild, but Bryce and the others have been as scarce as the rest of you.”
“Apparently Colton has assigned them to help Hayes—since he’s the one representing the healing affinity on the tour.”
“Oh, right. That makes sense since he doesn’t have apprentices of his own.”
“A good thing, too,” Zeke said with a rueful grin. “If seconds weren’t barred from having apprentices, no one would ever take on the role.”
“Can you imagine if they did?” I shook my head.
The promising proficients who undertook terms as seconds to the affinity heads already had enough on their plates without apprentices of their own. As well as standing in for the heads in their absences and completing much of their administrative work, they also conducted a majority of their apprentices’ training for them.
It was one of the less subtle ways in which the Mages’ Guild stretched the requirements imposed generations ago by the crown. Mages who activated someone committed to personally housing and training the new apprentice. It kept strong mages from growing too rich and influential, but it was a significant inconvenience now that strong mages were in short supply, and the kingdom needed them to activate all promising candidates. So classes weren’t allowed, but no one took issue with the apprentices of the affinity heads being trained as a group by their influencer’s second.
“Bryce has been green with envy,” Zeke said cheerfully. “He and the rest of Colton’s apprentices keep complaining about how they have to do all the work but are going to miss out on all the fun.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Is it going to be fun, though? The work isn’t about to stop. We’ll be traveling constantly, always setting up and packing up camp. And you know Masters Drake and Augusta aren’t going to do any of that work for themselves. And Evermund will likely be kept too busy to do anything himself either.”
Zeke grinned down at me. “You’ll see. Travel has its own rewards to make up for the extra effort. Always a new vista and new experiences. There’s nothing like the adventures that arise while you’re traveling.”
I gave him a skeptical look but didn’t respond. He had grown up with that lifestyle, so he probably felt bored and stifled after two years at the Guild. But for me, the months here hadn’t yet dulled the novelty of living somewhere so large and bustling.
“I’ve no doubt that once we’re gone, Bryce will enjoy ruling the roost back here, at least,” I said instead. “Not only will the rest of the Triumvirate apprentices be gone, but many of the senior mages as well…”
My words trailed off as I froze, closing my eyes against a wave of nausea.
“Cadie?” Zeke gripped my arm, but I ignored him, pushing away all distractions.
Grasping at the sensation of wrongness that produced the ill feeling, I propelled my senses outward, trying to track down its source. My awareness raced through the nearby sections of the building.
But I found nothing out of the ordinary. And before I could seek further, it was gone.
I let out a huff of frustration.
“You felt it again?” Zeke’s eyes darted around the courtyard.
I nodded. “But it disappeared before I could pinpoint it, just like the other times. I don’t understand where it could be coming from.”
“Never mind.”
I could tell Zeke’s reassurances were shallow, masking his own unease, but I didn’t have any words of comfort to give him.
“I don’t like leaving the Guild when there might be someone—or something—here.” I resumed walking toward the apprentice entrance, but slowly now.
“You’ve scanned the whole building time and time again,” Zeke pointed out. “What else can you possibly do? The entire royal family as well as most of the Triumvirate—not to mention you—will be on the tour. That’s where you’re needed.”
“Yes, of course.” But I bit my lip, still not happy about the situation.
We wove between two rows of wagons which had been wheeled into the courtyard the day before. Already most of them were filled with a vast array of items, with several of the wagon trays covered in sheets of lashed down canvas. The food would be loaded last, but anything else—clothes, tents, cooking supplies, spare parts, tools, bedding—was being sorted and stowed now.
Evermund had packed his own clothes—two packs to my one, given the formal garments he would need—and all three bags had been collected by a harried looking servant the day before. The servants were all working even harder than the apprentices, and those staying behind must be looking forward to our departure. Although many of them were to accompany the tour, of course—either riding ahead to prepare each new campsite in preparation for the main tour group, or else following in a second collection of wagons at the rear of the cavalcade.
The main palace courtyard had been left clear of vehicles, ready for the imminent arrival of the remaining delegation members, but every other spare spot around the building was stuffed full of more wagons. And the ones I had seen were already crammed with the items needed by the party from the palace. The entire undertaking was enormous and demonstrated how seriously King Marius took this opportunity to connect with the nomads.
The complicated logistics of the operation could have been a nightmare for me, given my efforts to monitor all movement around the palace and Guild. But thankfully the people pouring in and out of the palace grounds bringing supplies for the tour came almost entirely from other guilds. Most guilds had a handful of mages assigned as liaisons, but they didn’t do menial tasks such as delivering goods. And as long as the people coming and going through the gate had only weak abilities, I could easily relegate them to the back of my mind.
When the delegation members arrived, however, they stood out. This time I was prepared for it and didn’t panic. Instead I monitored from afar as my friends joined them, along with a constellation of blazing power from the senior members of the palace and Guild.
As well as my friends, Annora was also instantly recognizable thanks to the number of times I had tracked her from afar in the last few days. I hadn’t mentioned to Zeke how often my thoughts—and my ability along with them—dwelt on his mother. I wasn’t sure if it would offend him that my friendship with him wasn’t enough to make me trust his tribe.