Page 107 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Lirion left it up to him, instead heading for the rescued men and women gathered in the kitchen area downstairs. The second he cleared the stairs, he could hear Maxie explaining in an apologetic tone.

“—so sorry about this, it’s just there’s not much I can do with food that doesn’t risk poisoning you.”

“Poison, really?” came a young man’s gasp.

Lirion felt a distinct need to put some pep into his step. He reached the kitchen galley quickly, before Maxie could give in to his I-must-help instincts and make even more work for Hapi.

“Puppy, please, for the love of god, find some other way to help,” Lirion pleaded when he spotted him in front of the stove, looking highly indecisive. He kept his voice low and soft so as to not rankle the already tender nerves of the people around them. “Maybe try to find enough blankets and pillows for everyone to rest. Also, everyone is going to need to double and triple up for a while. Maybe see if Malfas or Hapi need help moving their things to other rooms.”

Maxie perked up. “That’s a grand thought, there. I’ll do so immediately.”

Lirion let him go rummage in the storage closet with a sigh of relief. Safe.

Aria, of course, looked at Lirion as if he were acting oddly. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s that bad,” Lirion corrected her, while still trying to smile. Every time he looked at her, part of him wanted to cry in relief as he wrapped her in a tight hug, but he couldn’t keep doing that. She needed space and these people needed care. “He’s a burgeoning alchemist with a strong affinity for poison, and we’ve established that just him boiling water will have a strong poison effect.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him for a long moment before uttering, “Uh. Well. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“He’s very sweet, as I’m sure you’ve observed, and wants to be helpful. Just keep him out of the kitchen.” He looked at what had been put out on the counter. “Ah, making a quick dinner for everyone? I’ll assist.”

“Yes, please, and thank you. Everyone is feeling…off after the chaos of the evening. I told them I’d cook. A bit of food in their stomachs might help settle everyone’s nerves.”

He couldn’t begin to imagine how unsettled they were. Lirion had been in dark situations a time or two, and it took months to settle and truly be comfortable in your own skin again. This situation felt so much worse, and he was more than happy to give these people all the grace and space they needed. Since getting them on the ship, there had been times when one of them would break out into these heart-wrenching sobs as if they were still trapped in the villa. Others would stare blankly at nothing, seeming to have disassociated from the world around them just so they could remain functioning. It had taken a bit of coaxing to get them all below deck in the galley. The winds above deck were bitterly cold and they were all dressed too lightly.

But he understood their hesitance. Below deck made them feel trapped. Above deck, where they could see the night sky and feel the wind—even though it was cold—was freedom.

Malfas descended the stairs, taking everyone in, and gave a slight frown. His bright red hair stood up in every direction and there were more than a few soot marks on his robes. He smelled of magic and woodsmoke. “Lirion, I’m seeing a few people needing a healing session or three. How about I do the cooking while you help the ladies and gentlemen?” He turned slightly and presented Lirion’s sister with a warm smile. “Also, Aria, it’s absolutely a pleasure to meet you at last. I’m Malfas. I’m not sure if we were introduced.”

She returned his smile, but her eyes were tired. “Oh, we weren’t, but nice to meet you, too.”

Lirion switched places with Malfas and let him assist Aria, going to the nearest girl curled up in the corner chair. She sat like her entire abdomen was killing her and she had a notable bruise near her eye. A client had gotten rough, it seemed.

Lirion slowed and gentled his tone as he approached, stopping several feet away so she didn’t feel too crowded or trapped. “Hello. I’m Lirion, Aria’s brother. I’ve got a minor healing spell. May I use it on you?”

She lifted her head and smiled timidly. “Please, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Of course.”

A young man picked up another girl and shuffled in closer. “Can you heal her too? A jackass customer thought it was funny to trip her and now her wrist is swollen. We fear it’s broken.”

Lirion clenched his teeth but did his best to hide his reaction, keeping his body language loose and relaxed as much as possible so he didn’t frighten anyone. The casual abuse infuriated but didn’t surprise him. “Of course. What I’ll do is a healing spell via song, so anyone who listens to the song and is close enough to me will be healed automatically.”

He caught the eye of a few others, smiled, and waved them in closer. They all crowded around him at the same table. Aside from his sister, out of the group they’d rescued, there were four young men—none of them looking a day older than Maxie—and eight young women.

Unlike most of the spells Lirion had, he didn’t use an instrument for this. The healing spell was ancient—older than most instruments—and something only a bard could really pull off. It required a set of specially trained vocal cords, and if you didn’t manage your breathing right, you’d run out of breath partway, ruining the spell.

Of course, as a trained musician, he could handle the song with ease. Lirion sucked in a breath and began singing calmly, projecting his voice so the spell would cover most of the room. Everyone except Malfas, who didn’t need it. Even Aria approached, soaking in the song’s effects before moving to rest her head on his shoulder. The back hug was nice and reminded him of when she would do that as a child. The nostalgia warmed him, and he gave her a quick wink even as he finished the song.

“I feel so much better,” the first girl said and straightened in her chair, no longer hunching. “Thank you.”

Another young woman who’d been quiet since she stepped onto the ship looked from Lirion to Aria. “I can’t help but notice the resemblance. You and Aria are…?”

“Siblings,” Aria answered, still hugging him. “He’s my older brother.”

The raven-haired woman looked envious. “You’ve got an older brother who will come to your rescue? Damn, I was born into the wrong family.”

Actually, it was weird for an incubus to be this strongly attached to a sibling. They were very much lone wolves by nature. But, well, Lirion had always been the odd one. Aria was just too cute and had such an interesting personality. He cherished his days growing up with her. How could he not love his sister?