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I sighed. “What am I supposed to say? What if he’s right?”
“Don’t you be like that, too!” Gia cried. “My brother has never cared about anyone the way he cares about you. We have to find a way for you to be together.”
I sighed again. “If you have any suggestions, I’m listening.”
When she fell silent, I gave her a look, and she winced.
“There’s still time,” she said quickly. “We’ll find a way. Maybe Augusta will take him back.”
“And what if she does?” I murmured. “Then he goes back to being a royal prince, and who am I?”
“Definitely none of that!” Gia exclaimed. “Look at Renley! He doesn’t have a title or position. He’s no different in rank from Luna.”
I gave her a skeptical look. It had taken a few days, but I no longer felt awkward arguing back to a princess. “I think you’re forgetting that Renley is Calistan, and from what I gather, he’s a close ally of their new king and queen. Things are different in Calista—it’s basically a new kingdom. Is there anyone of high rank? Since your marriage, you’ve become part Calistan, too. And that’s given you freedom to distance yourself from being a Tartoran princess. But I’m only a very junior member of the Tartoran Mages’ Guild. I don’t have any alternative position or home to offer Nik. If he does finally reconcile with his family and take back his rightful place, how can I ask him to give it all up for a second time?”
Gia linked her arm with mine. “I’m sure it will work out. It has to.”
I sighed and nodded, not wanting to dispute her words a second time. Especially when I was holding on to the same nebulous hope myself.
My eyes lingered on Nik’s back, taking in the breadth of his shoulders and his easy stride, before slipping sideways to where Hayes and Amara walked, their heads bent close in conversation. Nik had been there for me from the start—from before I was even activated—and I desperately wanted him in my future too. But hadn’t the same been true for Amara with Hayes? Their case proved that love wasn’t always enough. You couldn’t build a life together if circumstances forced you apart.
I tried to move forward to walk with Nik, but as usual he outmaneuvered me, and I ended up in the lead next to Amara. She took the opportunity to quiz me on what I had learned during the epidemic—an ongoing process that was being completed in snatches whenever we had the chance.
“It’s not the teaching program I’d planned for you,” she said. “But there’s no denying that these constant crises are pushing you to develop your power far faster than an ordinary apprentice. You may be lagging behind on academic learning—Hayes tells me you still have plenty of memorization to do from both the anatomy and general medical texts—but you’re far more capable than the average first year apprentice. Catching up on academic learning can happen easily enough later on.”
“Even if I’d had my books with me on the island, I don’t think I would have had the chance to open them,” I said. “I feel like I barely drew breath the whole winter. But I promise I’ll make more of an effort once we’re reunited with our possessions. You left the bulk of them in storage in Eldrida along with Acorn, didn’t you?”
Amara nodded. “I’m looking forward to that reunion myself.”
“Have you missed the freedom of having your cart, Acorn, and an open road in front of you?” I asked. “I’m afraid taking me on as your apprentice has proven far more disruptive than you expected.”
Amara gazed ahead at the walls of Eldrida, which were growing larger before us.
“A year ago I would have been itching to be off again after so long. But I actually haven’t even thought about it. Although I will be glad to get to the capital.”
“Really? I thought you didn’t like Tarona?”
“It feels different now,” she said thoughtfully. “So much is happening and changing in Tartora, and the capital is the hub of it all. In the past, I’ve always felt certain that the place I was most needed was in the smaller cities and towns. But now I feel needed in the capital. I suppose it’s all this business with Grey.”
She shook herself slightly and smiled at me. “Don’t worry. Once everything has been resolved, we’ll be back on the road again. I haven’t forgotten that I promised you your apprenticeship wouldn’t be spent at the Guild.”
“About that…” I paused before continuing. “A year ago I thought differently, too. I’m not saying I want to be at the Guild, necessarily, but I now recognize how hollow my old prejudice against it was. If we need to stay there for some reason, I wouldn’t consider it a betrayal.”
Amara’s eyebrows lifted slightly, her eyes distant. “I’ll bear that in mind.”
The sun was lowering toward the horizon as we approached the city, but the gates didn’t close until sunset, so we joined the main western road without concern. But when we reached the gates, we found them closed and barred. Only a single door, cut within the left gate, was propped open. And standing in front of it were four armed guards wearing stern expressions.
Amara and I exchanged a surprised look. On our previous arrival at the city, the gates had been wide open and unmanned. On that occasion, the anomaly had been due to the storm, but this situation seemed almost as unusual.
“Are the gates closed for the day already?” Amara asked carefully, the others remaining silent as they clustered close behind us.
“That depends who’s asking,” the guard at the front said aggressively. “What’s your business in Eldrida?”
“We’re travelers seeking rest and shelter before we continue our journey,” she said, making no mention of our identities.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Nik and Gia had melted to the back of our small group, the other three attempting to block them from view. I quickly looked front again, hoping I hadn’t attracted any attention.
“And what brings you traveling in these remote parts?” the same guard asked, clearly taking note of our lack of trading goods.
