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Less than a week later, Kendra finally got a taste of freedom. The group had finally made it to the outskirts of civilization where the famous faces were free to browse the new town they found themselves passing through.
Furs and heavy clothing bundled up every person milling about, and Kendra finally felt justified about wearing every single piece of clothing she had just to feel warm. Despite the fact it wasn't even snowing today—a rare break as they traveled further North in winter—the chill bit her cheeks.
The town itself had a crowded feel, like they had just kept squeezing in more wooden buildings as the population grew. She kept finding herself having to contort down tight alleyways and meet bizarre dead-ends. Thankfully, the close quarters fostered a crowd that was useful for concealment, and that made it easier to let her guard down.
It was nice, after the past few weeks of travel, to be around all the locals. She loved most of her group, but it could get grating to live and breathe with the same seven people day in and day out. And of course, there was the whole thing with Garreth...
Unfortunately for Kendra, she was actually paired with Garreth and Eve for this excursion.
Garreth and Kendra hadn't really talked to each other since she had pushed him away. He was acting like nothing had happened, except for the fact that he never looked at her anymore. Sometimes she looked at him after someone's bad joke, but he stared straight forward. She would avert her eyes, something unpleasant curdling in her stomach. He looked just fine.
Meanwhile, Kendra was suffocating. She didn't know from what. There were a myriad of reasons she could be drowning but she pinned it on the monotony of their traveling. That was the least scary, easiest-remedied of all her fears.
So, she embarked on this expedition into town with little in mind except the desire for novelty to cure her of her ailment. Already, she had indulged her curiosity by visiting a few stores selling clothing and other odds and ends, and now the tavern with its big red letters and sound of music enticed her.
The tavern's doors were rickety and opened easily with a push. Garreth trailed behind her, holding the basket of supplies she had bought earlier. Eve bounded ahead and ran to the bar. The warmth of the inside thawed their frozen faces, and Kendra flexed her fingers as they regained feeling.
The patrons of the restaurant paid them no mind, and all Kendra got was the nod of the bartender. She could rest easy.
Laughter and jokes filled the atmosphere and a musician played the guitar on a small raised platform. It reminded Kendra of the tavern back home. Every Saturday night, the local band played music until the sun rose. Her heart squeezed with longing.
Lacquered wood ran the length of the bar, and Kendra traced her finger along one of the rivulets. Garreth took a seat beside her and set the basket on the counter. Eve had already inspected the bar area and had left, presumably to investigate every crevice she could find.
The barmaid's braids flew as she rushed to tend to the new customers. "Anything I can get you two?"
"Any honey? Or something to soothe a sickness?" Garreth asked.
Kendra bit her tongue. The bartender ran her rag down the counter as she clicked her tongue. "No honey, I'm afraid, but I do have some tea that John swears cures every ailment."
"It does!" The faint shout came from the group of men playing cards in the back and laughter soon followed.
"Perfect." Garreth smiled and inclined his head. "Thank you so much."
"Of course, darling." The bartender winked and disappeared to a back area. Was that wink for Garreth? No, she didn't care. Anyway...
Kendra sighed and untied her fur cloak before setting it onto the only other open seat beside her. "I feel fine. I don't need any tea."
She didn't like the group treating her like she was one misstep away from disaster. Sure, maybe she wasn't telling them everything about her sickness complications. Sure, if they knew what she did, their treatment might be justified. But, they didn't. So their glass-handling needed to stop.
Garreth furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "The tea isn't for you—I'm going to join a choir. These pipes need to be well-lubricated."
Wincing, a small smile broke through Kendra but the grief and sadness that had accompanied all her interactions with Garreth since Terrabelle smothered it.
Garreth had sprung back to normal capacity faster than she could. He was normal. His mood had taken a 180. He was no longer the broody man of their long trip, but closer to the original, charming Garreth she met. Of course, she could see the cracks in his demeanor—imperceptible, small, but sharp enough to inflict a paper cut.
However, he was doing better which meant that Kendra was right when she had severed whatever impropriety had festered between them.
...Kendra wasn't doing better, but she chalked that up to her crushing secret instead of some secret crush.
So it was safe to say, despite the guise of normalcy, Kendra wasn't happy that she was with Garreth during their time in the town today.
Eve helped with her incessant questions and allergy to silence, but so many emotions grappled inside Kendra's gut that she hadn't had time to understand lately and wouldn't have time to understand later, and the confusion and overall agitation at being near a trigger of all those emotions was overwhelming.
She has thought that setting the record straight with Garreth, apologizing and distancing herself from whatever they had been would have made it easier to compartmentalize and journey on, free of sticky, slimy emotions.
But, it really hadn't. Sometimes it didn't just work to push everything down. Though, Kendra tried very valiantly. And she would keep trying. She only had so many tools in her repertoire for dealing with this kind of stuff.
Shouts came from a back table as someone won the jackpot. The guitarist ended their set. Kendra sighed.
Vanessa had told her that time healed all. It was still unclear if Vanessa would be proven right.
Right now, it just felt that every day meant a day closer to the Sphinx's ziggurat. A day closer to their doom.
The barmaid returned with the tea and twirled one of her braids around her finger. "Is that all?"
"Yes, thank you." Garreth slid the coins across the counter and slid the cup to Kendra. She waited until he revoked his hand before she took it.
The tea itself was much different from Terrabelle's—which Kendra had come to tolerate, but a lot closer to the tea Kendra had grown up on. It was room temperature, even a little cool, and she knew then that the bartender had retrieved the liquid from the root cellar. Just like home.
It tasted delicious.
"Thank you," Kendra said. It was one of few words she had spoken directly to Garreth lately. One of very few kind ones. She sometimes just wished he'd go away. Or that he had never come.
If he had stayed behind in Terrabelle, she could've even left all this turmoil behind there, too. To an extent. And for a while. It would have come up later but it wouldn't have been crowding her mind during the build-up to the most daunting rescue mission she had ever been a part of.
It made her feel like she was failing all of her grandparents' tenets of being a good sovereign. She wasn't being impartial or unemotional or clear-headed or kind or intelligent.
She was being something that made her want to crawl under a rock for a while and come out once the sun would shine again.
"There's no need to thank me," Garreth said. "It's the least I could do."
The piercing thought that she should just be grateful shattered her line of reasoning.
Her fingers tightened on the glass cup. The tears came fast and easy lately. It was just another way she felt completely out of control. She blinked them away.
While she hid her turmoil, another man picked up her fur cloak, put it on the counter, and sat in the newly-empty seat to her left.
There was a whole array of seats at the bar unoccupied save for her and Garreth. His choice was annoying at the least and suspicious at the most. Garreth narrowed his eyes.
The barmaid returned in a flash. "Are you here for something to drink, mister?"
"I'll have what she's having," he said, gesturing to Kendra. The barmaid nodded and left.
The man swiveled in his seat to face Kendra and immediately raised his hand to block his eyes. He had dark hair and a gorgeous face. "Goddamn, you shine like a lighthouse."
He could see her light? Smothering her smile, Kendra tried to suppress her giddiness. This proved his allegiance to magic! However, provided that they were still passing through lands that outlawed magic, it also proved his condemnation. That was perfectly fine, though. Excitement lifted the rain cloud that had been following her around all afternoon.
Light glinted off the rings on his pale fingers as he ran his hands through his black hair. They were not like the wedding bands that normally adorned fingers. The dark metals reminded her of a rock from a geologic textbook Vanessa had shown her—obsidian. He slowly removed his eye-shielding hand and squinted at her.
Kendra raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
He chuckled and held out a hand to shake hers. "Where are my manners? I'm Ronodin, the love of your life. Or at least for the foreseeable future."
The wink he gave didn't dent the displeasure in her face. Her hand did not meet his, and his arm eventually fell limply by his side. Garreth's strangled voice interrupted the silence. "Kendra, you want to leave?"
"No," she answered, clipped. It was childish but in addition to her curiosity at a fellow magical creature, she knew this man was making Garreth uncomfortable. It was a little satisfying...for reasons Kendra did not want to examine.
"The lady wants to stay, but you can leave." Ronodin grinned. "We'll be okay."
Garreth narrowed his eyes. "I am not leaving her alone with you."
Kendra shot Garreth a glare. "Be civil." She smoothed her skirt. "Hello, Ronodin, I'm Kendra. If you are aware of this...lighthouse, may I ask what your business is here in town?"
"You're my business." Ronodin gave her a smile. It wasn't very genuine, but it invited curiosity. There was no clear malice, but mischief—he had the same look Seth got when he was trying to prank Kendra. "Genuinely. I know your brother Seth."
"Does he know you?"
"Oh, yeah. We go way back. I was looking for him, but it seems I've found you instead. Much easier on the eyes, I must say. It's like fate by the Queen's design."
Garreth's displeasure was evident in his snort. His hands gripped the edge of his bar with strength.
Kendra lowered her voice and excitement crept into her voice. "You follow the Queen?"
"Follow? No, not really." Ronodin inspected his fingers before flicking his hand out. Kendra's face fell. "From the times I've met the old hag, she's not someone I hold in my good graces. And vice versa, for that matter."
Kendra's jaw dropped. "You've met her? How? Is there a physical form? You have to tell me more."
"All in due time, darling."
Garreth shoved his palms into his eyes. Drama queen. This was something good and exciting. He just needed to get over himself for the moment. If Kendra could deal with the flirtation, so could Garreth.
Ronodin smiled. "Why don't we go meet up with your brother?"
Kendra stood from her seat. "Yes, of course! Garreth, please go find everyone else. I'm going to go find Seth."
Garreth stood up. "Kendra, wait for me to get Eve and we can all go. It will take a second. Don't go without me."
"I will be fine without you," Kendra answered, annoyed.
He winced. "I know. But what if this Ronodin guy tries to mislead you? Please, I just want to help."
Ronodin chuckled. "If I wanted to do anything, you would not be able to stop me, pipsqueak."
Garreth glared at him.
"Fine." Kendra massaged her temples and shoved her seat back under the bar with a screech. "Just don't take too long. I'll be waiting outside."
Garreth nodded and with a quick scan of Ronodin, he left to go find Eve. Kendra and Ronodin left the Tavern.
The wind blew her hair back and hit her cheeks as she stepped outside. Despite the current absence of falling snow, ice and frost covered every inch of ground that didn't have an overhang. Kendra shivered despite the heavy coat she had on.
She sat down on the porch outside and watched the locals busy about.
Technically, they were probably citizens of Stony Vale. But, being so near the mountains and so far from the kingdom's citadel, Kendra doubted tax collectors or knights ever came out this far. In a way, these people were completely independent. Maybe it was nice to be removed from the news of the rest of the world.
The doors slammed as Ronodin followed her and leaned against the nearby column. "You would not believe how long I have been waiting to meet you."
Hope unfurled in Kendra. It was incredibly rare for her to ever meet someone who had the knowledge of magic this man had hinted at. He was a wild card, and she had satiated her need for novelty.
"Well, now you've met me."
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Eve knew where Seth had gone and so they found themselves outside of a new storefront. Then, she ran off to go tell Warren and Vanessa about their new friend.
"Seth's probably still in the shop," Kendra said, sitting on the bench outside the wooden doors.
Ronodin moved to sit down with Kendra, but Garreth unsheathed his knife and kicked his foot onto the seat next to her.
Ronodin pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. "I guess I'll just stretch my legs instead."
Garreth smiled, and took a seat beside Kendra. "That would be good."
Kendra blew out a breath and stared at the ceiling as she counted to ten. The jealousy had grown old quick. "Subtlety. Subtlety, please."
"Yeah, Garreth. Chill out." Ronodin inspected his nails and flicked his hand out.
"I don't get it." Garreth splayed his hands out. "We're going for subtlety, yet we let this random guy come with us? Kendra, we literally know nothing about him."
She opened her mouth to talk, but Ronodin held up his hand.
"I got it."
Kendra raised her eyebrows at that. One did not simply cut her off.
"The thing you don't understand is that Kendra and I are friends by the natures of ourselves," Ronodin said. "The arts are a part of me, just like they're a part of your friend, Kendra. When a part of you is not wanted, you're going to want to be with people who are okay with that."
"Okay, I get that, I guess," Garreth said.
Kendra sighed and rubbed her temples.
Garreth turned to Kendra. "But, Warren said ma—people with the arts can be good and bad just like...um...humans can. So, Ronodin having this talent doesn't mean he's trustworthy."
"I'm still human," Kendra said. It was a pedantic rebuke, but she wanted to stop having this conversation.
"Yeah, I just. Don't know another word for like...I mean, my dad always said not human."
"Well, your dad thinks I'm a demon."
Ronodin's smile lit up. "Relatives can be fickle. My aunt absolutely despises me for my talent in the arts."
"How horrible, I'm sorry," Kendra said. At least her family didn't supported her and Seth. "She doesn't deserve you."
"Kendra." Ronodin's lips quivered with mirth. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."
Kendra smiled. She was glad her words helped him.
It was difficult to have magic. In Fablehaven, they tried to create a different environment. But, ultimately, that was gone.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the wooden shop doors swung open and Seth walked out with his satchel full of goods. He didn't see them.
"Seth!" Kendra said.
The fibers of his long coat scraped the wooden floor as he turned to her voice. His smile melted into a frown. "Ronodin, why the hell are you here?"
Garreth smiled. "Finally."
Seth dropped the bag and approached Ronodin. This was weird. Ronodin had made it seem like they were friends.
The mystery man sucked his teeth and knit his eyebrows apologetically. "You know how terribly sorry I am to hear the news of your expulsion from the beautiful prison of Terrabelle."
Seth swung hard at Ronodin's face, but Ronodin caught his fist. A few people stopped in their way to stare.
Subtlety. Great. Now, what was going on?
Kendra quickly crossed to Seth's side and picked up the bag. Garreth did the same. Whatever was happening, she did not want to be far from her brother.
"Seth, I settled the tab, and I did not realize you had bought—" Patton's words died in his throat and he narrowed his eyes. He strode to the altercation and gripped Ronodin's hand, prying it off Seth's fist. "When will you stop stalking my pupil?"
"Men, please, I am very confused. First off, Seth, that was uncalled for. Whoever has cultivated such hate in your heart for me has truly misled you, and Patton—you still have not given me that autograph you promised."
So, he knew Patton too? Kendra knit her eyebrows. Why had she never heard of this man?
She always thought the two adventurer's reports were sparse. They hadn't told her everything.
Patton sighed and scanned the area. "We're drawing too much attention."
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"Who is he?" Kendra whispered to Seth.
Ronodin rolled his eyes. He must've heard her.
Patton had his hand on Ronodin's neck and wrist as they walked into the woods. Snow crunched under their feet.
"He's the one who sold us out to King Dalgorel," Seth grumbled. With a flick of his hand, he sent a little snowflake into Ronodin's eye.
Garreth murmured something beneath his breath, but whatever it was was probably gleeful. He didn't have to say "I told you so" in words...it came across in his smile.
Kendra sighed. She didn't know Ronodin was a horrible person. He said he knew the Fairy Queen!
The fact he had even known about her was a pretty green flag.
But, guilt did shrivel up inside her. She had wanted to follow this guy blindly, and for what? It was just another failure to add to her list—which was growing pretty exponentially as of late. But, she didn't want Garreth to know that.
And she was used to hiding things from him.
So, she straightened up and focused her thoughts on watching Ronodin. There really wasn't much she could do if things went south, as she was on a strict magical bedrest. Of course, there was a bigger issue with that whole deal...that no one knew about.
"That is uncalled for." Ronodin blinked out the snowflake attack. "I taught you that trick. And, what?"
Seth sent another snowflake to his face and Ronodin scrunched his nose to deflect it. "What do you mean—what?"
Patton let go of Ronodin and shoved him forward a bit. Ronodin turned and glared at him. They were deep enough in the woods now that any commotion wouldn't be heard in the town. Tall trees stretched their snow-covered limbs around them in all directions, making their little rendezvous seem private.
"I mean, I have genuinely never spoken to that king ever." Ronodin put his hands up in a shrug. "Why would I?"
"Not the king directly," Seth said. "But, Gavin Rose. He came to Dalgorel, bringing information about Kendra and I's magic, and told him his source was a certain dark arts master that was also a unicorn."
Ronodin was a unicorn? Kendra blinked. And he was a master of the dark arts? That sounded like a paradox.
Again, why had she never heard of him?
Ronodin winced. "Okay, so that's me. But, I have never known or talked to a Gavin Rose. And, I never even knew about your sister." Ronodin looked around and then muttered: "Definitively."
Seth put his hand at his chin. "About this tall. Tan. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Insufferable."
That was pretty spot-on. Kendra winced as she remembered their ill-fated fling. Not her best decision.
Ronodin let out a low whistle. "Shit."
Seth immediately balled up his fists. "So you did do it!"
"Not on purpose!" Ronodin dragged a hand down his face. "And, the other name he goes by is Navarog, apparently. He was in the room as I was meeting with a demon. I assumed he was some lackey. Not a snitch."
Ronodin met with demons? To recap, he was a unicorn who was skilled in dark magic who apparently counted demons as his friends...
He didn't seem real.
Kendra stepped forward. Ronodin cringed away. "Why are you telling Fablehaven's secrets to demons?"
"Wow, you are just—so radiant." Ronodin blinked a few times. The compliment fell flat. "And, not in so many words, was I telling secrets. I was looking for Seth, and I gave a short description. Added that he might be traveling with a handmaiden. That's all I said, honest. Navarog must have extrapolated a bit."
It was not public knowledge at all that Kendra was a handmaiden. She revised her initial assessment of him —Ronodin was less of a wild card, and more of a loose cannon. He was too many things that shouldn't go together. She couldn't predict how he would act.
Patton narrowed his eyes. "That was too much."
"I get that, but what were you going to do? Stay in Terrabelle forever?"
"Maybe, because we were refugees. Now we're fugitives. Thanks to you." Kendra kicked a rock. It skittered until it smacked against a tree trunk.
"Darling, you had been fugitives the whole time."
Kendra scoffed. Her cheeks got hot despite the cold. She took deep breaths to assuage the anger rising.
Ronodin raised an eyebrow. "The princess isn't happy."
"Have you had any more contact with Lord Rose?" Garreth asked.
"Of course not," Ronodin said, then paused. "Well, I saw his companion when they finally delivered me information on where Seth was heading. But, I haven't seen Rose since that one meeting."
Patton tapped his fingers against his thigh.
Well, this wasn't good. They weren't doing a very good job of traveling if Ronodin was able to find them. Another failure. When would it end?
"Why did you want to find me?" Seth asked.
"First of all, I have said I will always find you—"
Kendra's eyes widened in alarm.
"Never, ever say that again." Patton crossed his arms.
Ronodin rolled his eyes. "Seth needs a mentor. I've filled that role. Get over it. Second, I want to help you."
"Why?" Patton asked.
"Well, as smart as I am, I can predict that the current rhetoric of eliminating sorcerers to keep magic pure and humans separate or whatever might extend to magical creatures with human avatars. Even if they're devilishly handsome."
Seth rolled his hand in a "more" motion. "Keep going. Tell them about your business."
"I also have a side-gig scamming people using magic. So what? If they fall for it, that's their fault. But it doesn't work when they're scared to even get close to a spooky magic user. But, most importantly, I'm here because I'm a good person and Seth is my mentee."
"No, you're not. And no, he is not," Patton said. Kendra expected him to make a final decision, but the adventurer turned to her brother. "Seth?"
Seth sighed. "We need the power, right? Ronodin is strong."
"Didn't he just admit to scamming people?" Garreth asked.
Kendra surveyed the scene. Her initial impression had been off, but Seth seemed to know Ronodin very well. Plus, Patton had deferred to Seth's judgment, and he never did that unless he was sure Seth knew what he was talking about. She would do the same.
"Look, the Sphinx is getting too powerful. It's not good for anyone. I know he's already taken a unicorn's third horn before. Obviously, I'm not for that. Let me join. I'll help you," Ronodin said. He ran his hands through his hair again. "Plus, isn't it better to have me close? I know everything about you guys. I know about the Sphinx. For the sake of the queen, I have literally been to his damned ziggurat. And I want him gone."
Kendra held her breath. But, she trusted her brother on matters of importance. It mattered a lot to him to rescue their grandparents—it wasn't some prank or silly joke.
Seth nodded to Patton, and the older man sighed. "Do you at least have a bed roll?"
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Ronodin was a new change to their group. But, he wasn't what occupied Kendra's thoughts that night. She thought back to when she learned her new secret.
Three weeks ago, when Kendra had first been declared good enough to walk, she had retreated into her tent that night giddy with excitement.
She didn't have her grimoire anymore, but she could still do simple
healing and growth spells.
Long, pink stitched skin had stretched across her palms from where she had grabbed the knife with her bare hands during the battle in the Terrabellian court room. The growing skin had itched constantly, and Kendra couldn't wait to heal it quicker using magic.
She could deal with the cut down her leg and the fading bruises, but her hand cuts had threatened to reopen every time she used them. But, now, she could heal them.
That night, the giddiness had transformed into a pit of shame, fear, confusion, and frustration that manifested into the secret she carried now.
Tonight, Kendra stared at the dark fabric roof of her tent as she lay there. With the doomsday clock ticking, Kendra began her nightly, futile ritual.
She took a deep breath and thrust out her arm for the spell. Anything. To heal her now-throughly scabbed hands or to make a weed sprout or anything.
Nothing happened.
This was something she had used to dream of. Especially in the first few months of realizing the power that had been awakened in her, Kendra had often thought of ways to forsake her magic. She had thought that maybe if she had the courage to use a knife, she could do it. Maybe with a sharp rock or a sharp word. Anything would have done.
However, her problem had always been finding the source. Of course, she felt her magic in her chest. The coiling when she exercised it with spells or with out-thrust fingers. One time, Kendra had even thought she had found it. In her heart.
She had tried to build up her confidence so she could take that sharp blade or stone or comment and carve her magic right out.
The Sphinx wouldn't have wanted her anymore, and no one would run away anymore.
She could have done it.
But, she never did it.
Nonetheless, in the lead-up to the most ambitious mission she had ever been a part of, she finally had her wish.
Three weeks ago, when she had attempted to heal her bandaged hands, nothing had happened. And nothing had happened every night since, and the weight of keeping this secret only grew.
Her magic was gone.
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thank you for reading!
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