AllFreeNovel
Share Us
~12~
Gabriel recognized thepeace offering—and Nic’s deep reluctance to dwell on her disappointments—for what they were. Taking her slim hand, which still felt too cool to him, lacking her usual fire, he walked with her. It bothered him profoundly that he’d drained her of that fire, of her intoxicating rose-infused wine-red magic, leaving barely a flicker of fire within her.
But he didn’t say so. He was learning, he supposed, not to lay his qualms on her. Nic, in her characteristically passionate fashion, was all in. No matter what it was or what he asked of her, she gave him everything of herself. Whether compelled by the Fascination, the bonding, or her quintessential self, she simply didn’t have it in her to do anything halfway. He couldn’t stop her or change that. In all truth, he didn’t want to. As much as he’d love to save her pain, he also wouldn’t change anything about her.
All he could do, he was slowly beginning to realize, was to do his best to reciprocate. He could right the balance between them by giving her everything of himself in return. So he walked with her down the arcade, joining her in marveling at its beauty both in overall form and its minute details. When they reached the door to the north wing, he hesitated, remembering well how it had been entirely severed long ago.
“Maybe we should stop here,” he ventured, “wait for daylight.”
“Your moonlight gives us enough light to see. Just look already. You know it’s there. You feel it,” she replied implacably.
“How do you know?”
“You said so, back in the arcanium.”
“You trust me that much?”
She gave him an owlish look. “I obviously trust you with a great deal more than that,” she replied, lifting her free hand and rotating her wrist, still bearing the imprints of the silver rope. He flushed at the memory—in chagrin and desire—and had to get a grip on himself. “It’s you who needs to learn to trust,” she continued. “Trust what your wizard senses tell you.”
“Is this part of believing, like my thoughts shaping the magic?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled sunnily. “Also, I can feel it through you.”
Hmm.Braced for an onslaught of marsh water, he opened the door. On the other side, a huge, high-ceilinged ballroom echoed, empty, the smooth marble floor perfectly dry. “Marble,” he observed wryly. “No wonder this was the first wing to sink.”
“Was it?” Nic wandered into the ballroom, turning in circles, head tipped back. Moonlight silvered her slim form as it poured in the floor-to-ceiling windows. They were all missing glass but appeared to be framed in the same style as in the master suite, including doors that would open onto terraces. “I think the ceiling is painted, but it’s too dark to see exactly what it is.”
“According to family lore, yes. The last denizens of House Phel moved out when the north wing sank. The rest of the manse slowly followed.”
“You didn’t tell me there was a ballroom here.”
“I didn’t know,” he admitted. “It’s funny. I never imagined my ancestors having social events like balls.”
“Why not? House Phel was a High House. For a time, it was the highest of them all. Seeing the magic you’re capable of, what the arcanium can do, I understand that very well now.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of that remark, so he put it in the back of his mind to mull over as he followed after her exploratory perambulations. “As you’ve so often observed, House Phel is in Meresin, surrounded by wetlands and far from Convocation Center. This location isn’t exactly the center of society.”
She was peering at a raised dais in an alcove. “For musicians,” she noted. “We could fit an entire orchestra in here.”
“What house would I be mortgaging our orange crop to?”
Laughing, she patted his cheek. “House Euterpe, but they’re second tier, so it would only take a few trees’ worth.” She sighed wistfully. “It’s an expense that can wait.”
“What about the wedding?”
She canted her head. “What about it?”
“Isn’t having a ball part of the festivities? I assumed that’s why you asked if I danced.”
Narrowing her eyes, she studied him. “I assumed your non-reply was a no.”
It was, in fact, a no. “I grew up farming, not gracing ballrooms.”
“I’m not criticizing,” she replied mildly as she continued to the far side of the vast room.
“If you can teach me to raise an entire manse, I assume you can teach me to dance,” he said, catching up to her.
“Well, a great deal ofthatwas your wizard’s intuition,” she said, making her doubt clear.
