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“I’m what?” Alex said, a second before Garrett could. “I’m not.”
“Yes you are. Not, unfortunately, a very powerful one. It’s a sort of empathy, mainly passive, I don’t think you project much. But you always know what other people need, don’t you? And then you feel the need to do something about it. Which sounds exhausting. What was my point? Oh, yes.” Lorre made a small shooing motion at the knights, who found themselves abruptly lifted and wafted away down the hillside. “Alex is mine now.”
King Carillon’s face turned a malicious shade of scarlet. “We’ll see—”
“No, we won’t. You might be able to fight Garrett but you don’t want to fightme.” Lorre smiled. The world, for an instant, threatened to fall. Garrett felt it in the rocks, in the threads of the universe, in the bowing of strings under pressure. “But, as it happens, Alex won’t want us to fight, because he loves you, which I don’t understand, but if we have a war it’ll make my Second unhappy, because Alexismore or less an infant magicianandan empath, so—”
“Infant?” Alex whispered. Garrett shrugged, simply giving in to whatever was happening now.
“So,” Lorre finished, “you’llgo home, and tell everyone your youngest son is off being a magician, isn’t that nice, you’re very happy to be on such good terms with the School, andIwon’t let my Second throw this very pointed spear at you, which, incidentally, is a very impressive piece of sorcery, well done, Garrett, andwe’llgo back to the School and leaveyoualone. Mutual leaving-alone. No one has to die. I hate that. It’s messy and I could be talking to a basilisk instead, to see what that’s like.”
King Carillon seemed to want to explode, making furious teakettle noises, but ground out, “Fine.”
Garrett said, “One more thing.”
Everyone looked at him. Lorre sighed.
Garrett took a deep breath. Squeezed Alex’s hand. “You don’t hurt anyone else. You don’t cause harm to anyone else. Not ever again. Not a page-boy, not a maid. Not your sons, or your grandchildren.”
“Or Garrett’s family,” Alex said. “No retribution.”
Garrett wanted to kiss him. “If you do, we’ll know. And I make good spears. Out of iron.”
“And now I’ve made you proud of that,” Lorre complained. “Yes. Also that. What Garrett said.I’llknow. So behave. But I honestly don’t care if you go invade the barony of Valpres, if you’d like an outlet, so feel free to go off and do that.”
This time Alex’s father only managed a nod.
Lorre wiggled fingers at him. “Good-bye, then.”
King Carillon spun his horse around, bolted down the hill, caught up to confused knights at the bottom. Shouting drifted back, profane and indistinct.
“Well,” Lorre said, to Garrett and Alex. “This is fun.” He had Garrett’s spear in one hand, twirling it like a drummer at play. “I should threaten kings more often.”
“You really shouldn’t,” Garrett said weakly. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t need to lie for me,” Alex breathed. “I know you don’t—magicians don’t like to…”
“Who said I lied about anything? I didn’t. I hope you know that means you’re living with us now. And joining Garrett’s classes. And doing the shopping, because Garrett would be happy eating onion stew. And helping heat the floors in winter.”
The look on Alex’s face was beyond description. “I’m…I really am…I could be a…”
“Not a very strong one, I said. Don’t expect much. I’m going back to the Snow Forest to get everyone else. I was in a hurry. You two, put Garrett’s spear someplace where I can study it, and then talk about whatever you need to talk about before we get back. We might stop on the way for apricots.”
In the abrupt absence of dramatic Grand Sorcerer presence, Garrett looked at Alex. Alex, having been handed the spear on Lorre’s way out, looked back, with some anxiety.
“Um,” Garrett said, blankly nervous now, after everything.
“So.” Alex shook his head, shook the spear slightly, laughed: astonishment, not amusement. “I’m…some sort of magician…and I get to learn from you…”
“I’ll have to figure out,” Garrett said, still nervous about too much, “how to even teach you. I don’t think us being, um, together, is a problem as such—Lorre obviously doesn’t think so—and if you’re never going to be that powerful, and you have a different sort of talent, anyway…”
“I actually do like my job,” Alex said, a bit tentatively. “I know I pretended not to. But what you said…yes. I do.”
“Oh. Yes. You should keep it. You like people. Lorre wants you to do our shopping, so money might be a thing that you need. And, you know, I’d guess helping people also helps you practice. Your gifts.” He rethought this statement. “Did I say you should keep it just because I like seeing you happy?”
“You did now. And I love you.” Alex handed him the spear, took Garrett’s hand again, put his free hand into his pocket. Took out his pebble, tossed it up, caught it. “I think your last enchantment worked better than you planned. Healing. A lot of things.”
“It’s not that powerful.”
“I thinkweare,” Alex said. “Let’s see what else we can do. Building the School, helping my people, answering whoever needs answers. You and me, together.”
“You and me,” Garrett agreed, “I love you,” and kissed him right there on the road, with a spear and a pebble, in a world overflowing with magic, with the sun overhead and the happy conviction of bedrock under their feet, for the future, for them both.
THE END
