I stumbled back, my hand flying to my throat. Whatever Zeke answered was lost in the pounding of my pulse through my ears. That couldn’t be right. I must have misheard.
Zeke had chosen Tartora for his apprenticeship in order to seek information on power mages, not for me. He had arrived long before I did—long before I even knew I was going to the Guild. I shook my head, still stumbling backward. It couldn’t be true.
But Dara and the raiders knew about my family. The insidious thought crept into my brain. Was it so impossible Annora had heard rumors as well? Had she heard a single power mage remained and that he had two daughters the same age as her own son?
She was right when she said Zeke was irresistible. She had sent him to sniff me out, and as soon as I turned up, I fell straight into his trap.
A branch brushed against me, and I nearly screamed, only just cutting the sound off in time. I trembled violently, waving my hands frantically to ward off anything else that tried to touch me. I needed to get away.
Chapter 23
Cadence
Fleeing through the garden, I stumbled and slipped several times before kicking off my dancing shoes. Giving the lighted building a wide berth, I fled through the rows of tents, heading blindly for the river.
Everything fit. Zeke—who always knew what was going on—was waiting in the courtyard the day of our arrival to greet the new apprentice with unrivaled power. How many times had I clung to the thought that he noticed me before he knew anything about my power? But it was all a lie. He had known from the beginning, had been searching for me even.
And those first weeks, while Airlie was still there. He had been more circumspect then, paying court to us both, perhaps trying to work out which of us was going to prove more valuable. But she had seen through him and had tried to protect me. And I had rejected her.
The tears fell faster. The edge of the river forced me to stop, but my thoughts barreled on.
Once Airlie left, his attention had grown more concentrated. Of course it had. Especially after he received a demonstration of my ability the night he activated me.
I ran an angry hand over my face, swiping away the tears. Like a lovesick fool, I had been so close to agreeing to go with him.
No one else was in sight, but I still felt exposed. Ducking beneath the trailing branches of a weeping willow, I found a wooden bench, tucked within its protective cover.
I sat, my eyes now adjusted to the moonlight which glinted off a small spur of the river which inched almost to the edge of the seat. The shallow stretch of water lacked the current of the main river, and I could easily imagine Karielle and her siblings playing under and around the tree as children, splashing in and out of the water.
I looked down at my bare feet, now covered in dirt and muck. If I stretched them out fully, I could just dip my toes into the edge of the inlet.
But as soon as my skin touched the river, my stomach rebelled. Instinctively, I recoiled, and the feeling faded. Moving more cautiously this time, I reached for the water again. And this time I also reached with my ability.
Sure enough, there in the water, was a trace of tainted power. I wanted to leap to my feet and run to warn everyone, but I made myself wait and analyze it first.
Not wanting to miss any warning signs, I had fallen out of the habit of shaping my ability into a shield. I was unprotected now, and yet my reaction had nothing of the severity of our first day on the Viridian. Even searching with my ability, I couldn’t sense the tainted power at all until I made contact with the water. Whatever was here in the Celadon, I didn’t think it was warning of an imminent attack.
I ran the matter back and forth in my mind. Three attacks had now happened on or near a river—if you counted the one in the Guild where Lawson had escaped up the river. But the Viridian and the Celadon were half a kingdom apart, and I had found no trace of tainted power between them. Which meant it must be the rivers themselves bringing the power so deep into Tartora. And this branch of the Celadon flowed from the same source as the Viridian—Lake Aterra.
I stood, bunching up my skirts and running for the front doors of the manor house. Every time the raiders intruded on Tartora, they dragged tainted power with them. That must mean they were coming from an area where it congregated. The lake, perhaps?
Two footmen gave me a surprised look, but no one tried to stop me as I barreled through the front door and up the stairs toward my temporary room. All I had ever needed was somewhere to start looking, and this lead was good enough for me. Maybe I could even track the tainted power back to them.
I stripped off the gown, changing into dark clothes that would hopefully help me stay inconspicuous. I left the dress draped carefully over the bed while I shoved my most practical clothes into my bag. Thankfully I had packed some basic survival tools as well—the same ones I had always taken on my hunting trips with Airlie.
Food would be a problem, however. Without her bow, I would only be able to scavenge edible plants—and those only until the border. Pushing aside a brief moment of guilt, I decided to stop by the kitchens on my way out. They would be chaotic with the ball underway, so hopefully I could stock up my bag without drawing too much attention.
I paused halfway through securing my bag to wonder if I should be talking to Evermund before I left. It would be difficult to extract him from the ballroom, but I might be able to send a message with a servant, asking him to come out.
After a moment’s consideration, I resumed wrestling with the clasps of my bag. This was not going to be a sanctioned departure. Evermund had said he would approach the king if there were no other attacks between the ocean and this estate. And that hadn’t been the case.
I was on my own.
No sooner had I thought the words than a knock sounded on the door. I froze, unsure if I should answer. It sounded again, louder this time, along with a familiar voice calling my name.
“Cadence? Cadence, are you in there?” Zeke sounded worried.
My anger surged afresh, and I marched over and pulled the door open.
He stepped back, the momentary relief on his face replaced almost instantly by confusion.
“What are you wearing? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” His eyes traveled past me into the room, widening as they reached the packed bag on my bed. “Are you leaving? What’s going on?”
“I heard you,” I said, quivering in anger. “I heard you and your mother talking.”
Color flooded his cheeks, and he swallowed.
“I’m sorry, Cadie. I—”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.
The color drained away, leaving behind a stricken expression that pinged at my heart despite my intentions.
“I know it was wrong of her,” he said. “She should never have done it. I’m furious with her myself.”
“Wrong of her?” I gaped at him, breathless at his effrontery. “And what about you? You’re the one who looked me in the eyes and pretended to be my friend. Who told me only days ago that you didn’t want secrets between us.”
“I don’t!” He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
I tried not to notice how adorable he looked in his confusion. Even my anger was hard to hold on to when he looked so thoroughly bewildered. But then, he must be an excellent actor to have played his role so convincingly for so long.