Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 88: Mending Wounds

I felt my smirk sink slightly. There wasn't much of a point hiding that information now that we were close to an escape attempt. "Toren spotted a strange building upon entering this zone," I said. "He thought it might have been a store. We didn't have much left to lose, so I took a gamble. It paid off."

Hraedel looked at Toren Daen, who was eating his food with morose slowness. The young mage had that contemplative look he wore whenever he brooded. I wondered if he realized how much he displayed his thoughts on his face.

"He's a strange one," Hraedel said. "Even for an ascender. That music he played..." the man shook his head.

I sympathized silently. I'd been affected by emotion rioting spells before in the courtroom, specifically in my legal battles against Highblood Patamoor. The ability to enflame emotions was banned from the court floor, but between a highblood and an unblooded? The rules became guidelines. Suggestions.

What Toren had done wasn't like that. There was an element of alien influence I could feel when emotion-altering spells touched my mind. Yet what flowed into me when Toren played his violin... my emotions were my own. I felt compelled to believe him when he said it was hyper-sympathy.

"He looks young," Hraedel said absently. "How long has he been an ascender?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to reply, then paused. I hadn't actually considered Toren's supposed inexperience. He worked so fluidly and acted so maturely that I often forgot his age.

It felt unbelievable that the young man had only been an ascender for a month or so. He acted as if he had years of experience under his belt. Sure, there were times when his inexperience showed, but those times were few and far between.

And he had no academy training, either. Most ascenders would look down on another mage for not going through the conventional channels. But if he was as skilled as he was without academy training...

"He's always been a solo ascender," I said in response. I couldn't afford any sort of doubts in Toren, especially now that we were about to rely on him so thoroughly for our escape. "I went on an ascent with him before this. He saved my life more than one time."

Hraedel took a liberal swig of booze from his wineskin. "Damn. Solo at that age. He might've saved our lives holding that bridge," he said. "Just have to trust him again, I suppose."

I watched as Alandra spilled something on Jared's light chainmail armor. She rolled her eyes, saying something to him. The shield said something back, gesturing wildly at his soaked armor. Alandra shook her head, then grabbed his tunic and began to haul him off to the bathroom nearby.

I began to laugh lightly, seeing through her ploy. Sure, there were cleaning supplies in the bathroom she could use to clean off his armor. But I knew they would be in that bathroom for quite a while.

My laughter died off as my eyes met with Dima's. There was a coldness there that drained that bit of amusement from me like water through a drain.

"What's stopping you from getting with Dima again?" Toren's scathing voice bounced around in my skull.

Alandra had finally worked up the courage to make a move on Jared. I'd watched her steal glances at the shield for years, subtly hinting at her feelings. And now, in the uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring, she was finally taking that step she needed.

And what leader could I be if I didn't set an example for those who followed me?

I snatched Hraedel's wineskin from his hand as he began to tilt it back, earning an affronted shout. I ignored it, tilting it back. Warm, burning brandy washed down my throat. The alcohol churned in my stomach.