Book 2 - Chapter 22

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to stay outside,” Mara said.

After Noah and Ken captured the conduit, the battle quickly turned into a rout. Ciri and Mara turned their attention to the remaining Tollmen. Between their spells and the guards’ efforts, the rest surrendered or died within minutes. Whatever injuries they’d sustained were healed shortly afterward, making the entire operation a decisive victory from start to finish.

That only left the question of what to do with the prisoners.

At first they scavenged enough rope to bind their hands and legs, but when Ken noticed the Tollmen muttering under their breath, he recommended splitting them up. The guards cleared the wooden buildings, making sure no others were hiding inside, then separated the four survivors across them. By the time they finished, clouds had gathered overhead to blot out the light, and a hazy drizzle had begun.

“I’ll speak to the conduit, then,” Ken said, nodding toward the building where she was being kept under guard.

“I will come in as well,” Ciri added.

“You sure? You don’t have to,” Noah said.

“I will not be taking part in the interrogation,” she clarified. “Once the guards finished clearing this building, I looked inside. There is a small private office in the corner. I would like to look inside.”

Noah nodded. “As long as you’re comfortable with that.”

“Why don’t Noah and I patrol the camp?” Mara suggested. “All this blood and noise might draw monsters’ attention. Someone should keep their eyes on the treeline.”

“A good suggestion,” Ken agreed.

“As long as you don’t mind the smell.” Noah gestured to his boots, still covered in muck.

Mara shrugged. “It’s fine. The rain’s washing it off anyway.”

“Keep an eye on the other buildings too,” Ken warned. “Your guards seem well trained, but all it takes is a second of distraction for someone to break free.”

He’d know better than anyone, Noah thought as they began their patrol.

They heard the door close behind them before Mara spoke again, keeping her gaze straight ahead. “Thank you. I don’t like interrogations.”

“It’s okay,” Noah assured her.

“I’ll kill if it’s the right thing to do,” she continued. “But there’s something about torture…” She trailed off.

“For whatever it’s worth, I don’t think Ken is going to torture that woman,” Noah said. “It’s not his style.”

“It’s not?”

“No. He’ll scare them into thinking he might, but I don’t think he’d actually go through with it.”

“Would you?” she asked, turning to him.

Noah recalled the man he’d captured in the forest. The fear in the man’s eyes was still fresh in his mind. He hung his head as he remembered the relief he’d felt when he didn’t have to follow through to make the bandit spill the Tollmen’s secrets.

“No,” he said finally. “I couldn’t do it.” He met her gaze for a moment, then looked away. “If I wanted to preserve my male ego, I’d tell you that torture is a terrible way to extract information. People will say anything to make the pain stop.”

At least that’s what Lucien taught me, Noah thought.

“And if you didn’t care about your male ego? What would you tell me then?” she prompted gently.

“I’d say that I just couldn’t do it,” he admitted. “Ken taught me to kill. I’ll kill if I have to. But… torture?”

“If we become evil in the service of good, we have lost our way,” Mara said softly.

“Yes. That. Exactly that.” Noah nodded. “Well said.”

“I can’t take credit for it. It’s from the temple. Mother and Father insisted I go regularly as a child.” She cracked a small smile. “I guess some of the lessons stuck.”

They walked in silence after that. When they reached the next wooden building, Noah listened carefully at the door, silently hoping he wouldn’t hear screaming. Hearing none, he opened it a crack and peered inside. Two guards stood beside the captured bandit, speaking in calm tones. If not for the ropes binding the Tollman to the chair, Noah might have thought they were three friends catching up.

“Looks like things are going well,” he said, stepping back toward Mara.

“You’re a good man, Noah.” Mara smiled, her blue eyes meeting his.

For a long moment, they simply looked at each other. The drizzle had turned to steady rain, but the night was warm enough that neither felt cold. A pang of longing hit him as he watched droplets slide down her porcelain skin, along the bridge of her nose, and fall from her lips.

“I’m not sure you know me well enough to say that,” Noah said, looking away before he did something rash.

“No, I do.” She resumed walking. “Don’t get me wrong. I know you have secrets. I do too. But I’ve seen enough to know you choose to do what you think is right, even when it’s hard. That’s not something you can fake.”

“Sure, but—”

“Noah.” She cut him off. “Take the damn compliment.”

“Okay, fine. Thank you.” He chuckled, drawing a smile from her. “But by that logic, you’re a good woman, Mara.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah. You could be living a life of luxury, sitting in some mansion while someone hand‑feeds you… I dunno, grapes or something?” He grinned as she laughed. “The point is: you saw an injustice in that warehouse and you didn’t back down. You pursued it personally and relentlessly. Even though it put you in danger and resulted in you standing in the rain in the middle of the night—”

“Technically, it’s closer to morning at this point,” she interjected.

“You ass.” He nudged her.

“I’ve been called worse.”

Recognizing his own words thrown back at him made him laugh again. “Fine. I’ll stop complimenting you then.”

“Oh no, please, continue.” She grinned. “It was just getting to the good part.”

“You couldn’t handle the good part.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Try me.”

Sighing theatrically, Noah stopped, placed both hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him. “Mara, you’re as beautiful as you are stubborn. You’re brilliant, talented, and relentless in your pursuit of what’s right.”

She met his gaze without flinching, her smile widening. “Thank you, Noah. That was one of the best compliments anyone has ever paid me.”

Another pang of longing hit him as his eyes drifted to her lips. They parted slightly as they leaned closer. His heartbeat started to thunder in his ears before—

Bang!

The sound snapped them apart. They turned toward it, dropping into fighting stances. Noah drew his knife and crept toward the next building, Mara close behind with her grimoire in hand. When they discovered the culprit was a squirrel that had knocked over a spear, they both relaxed.

Fucking squirrels, Noah thought, frustrated as he opened the door to check the next interrogation.

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“I have a question,” Mara said when he emerged.

“Ask away.”

“Did you really throw buckets of shit at the conduit?” She grinned.

“Yes, Ken and I did.” Noah grinned back as they walked toward the third building.

“I can’t believe that worked. Nobody’s ever fought a conduit like that. Not that I know of.”

“I don’t recommend it as a strategy,” he said, then paused as the memory resurfaced. “Although… the tar we threw after the shit might be worth looking at as a weapon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tar is sticky. If I could throw a clay pot of it at a conduit, it’d get all over them. Blocks their magic shield if they have that spell. If not, it might gum up their grimoire, make the pages stick together, make it unusable.” He shrugged. “Worst case, you light it on fire.”

She shook her head in amazement. “You call me brilliant, and yet your mind works in ways I can’t begin to imagine. I’d tell you you’re crazy and it’ll never work, but you somehow turned eggs and firevine powder into a weapon. And that’s not even mentioning your… crossbow, was it?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Mine broke back there, though. I’ll need to build a new one.”

“If you give me the designs, I’ll have my family’s artificer create a new one for you within the day.”

He hesitated. “Mara, that’s very generous of you…”

She sighed, already knowing. “…but you can’t risk the designs getting out.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Is it a money thing? I’ll pay for them.”

“It’s not that,” he assured her.

Mara pursed her lips. “While I wish you felt differently, I respect your choice.”

“Thank you for being understanding.”

“How about a compromise? I’ll give you free rein over my family’s workshop. You can build whatever you want and destroy the designs afterward.” She offered a small smile. “It’s the least I can do, given that your equipment was destroyed helping me.”

He considered it, then nodded. “Deal.”

They reached the third building shortly after, checked on the interrogation, and then began the walk back toward their starting point. Mara fell silent as they went, her brow furrowed in thought. Noah didn’t press her; she’d speak when she was ready. He focused instead on scanning the treeline, staying alert for threats. By the time they reached the building again, the rain had picked up. They stepped inside together, grateful for even a moment’s shelter from the rain.

“Why don’t you check on Ciri and see what she’s found?” Noah suggested. “I’ll check in with Ken.”

“Wait.” Mara stopped him with a hand on his chest. “After the warehouse, you asked me if I was going to be okay. You’ve been through a lot in the last few hours. You got your revenge for your brother. I know you said that’s what you wanted, but… are you going to be okay when we go back to Crownspire?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said—then shook his head. “Actually, that’s a lie. I’ll have nightmares, and I’ll talk to Ciri about them. But eventually I’ll be okay.”

She nodded slowly. “You really love her.”

“I really do.”

“Okay.” She stepped in and wrapped her arms around him, not caring that he was soaked. “Just know that if you ever want someone to talk to… I’m here.”

“Thank you. I will. And same goes for you.” He held her tightly for a long moment before letting her go.

They went in separate directions after that—Noah toward the long tables of the mess hall, Mara in search of the office Ciri had mentioned. His blood ran cold when he spotted Ken and the guards standing beside a body laid flat across one of the tables. Disbelief washed over him when he realized the conduit wasn’t moving.

“What happened?” he asked as he approached.

“She’s not dead,” Ken clarified, catching the look on his face.

Noah frowned and stepped closer. “She’s… not?”

“No. Just deeply asleep.”

Unable to see her chest rise and fall, Noah held his hand beneath her nose until he felt the faintest whisper of breath. “Huh.”

“We—” Ken gestured to the guards “—offered her a choice: death or cooperation. She chose the latter.”

“We’ll be taking her to Braemont,” one of the guards added. “We know a few people there we can trust. They’ll use her information to root out anyone still working with the Tollmen.”

“Then what?” Noah asked.

The guard shrugged. “Prison, probably. If she behaves, they’ll let her volunteer with the temple. Maybe she’ll find religion and make amends.”

“That’s… surprisingly humane. Thank you.” Noah turned back to the sleeping woman. “How did you get her to sleep like that?”

“I mixed a special concoction before we left. It slows the body’s functions to a minimum. Useful if your conduits are injured or run out of healing spells.”

Like a medically induced coma, Noah thought. “And to wake them up?”

“A simple tea made from ground korrith beans.”

“And you can get those in Braemont?” Noah asked, unfamiliar with the name.

The guard gave him a strange look. “In abundance. They come from the Summer Fae Empire—shipped straight there.”

“Clever,” Noah said, moving on. “What about the other prisoners?”

“We were about to offer them the same choice,” the second guard said. “I think they’ll take it.”

“Don’t let me stop you. And… thank you for everything.”

With curt nods, the guards moved off down the rows of tables. Despite their heavy boots, their footsteps barely made a sound on the wooden floor—another reminder of their training. Noah waited until they were gone before turning to Ken and switching to Fae.

“Did we learn anything useful?”

“For the guards? Yes. For us? No. She says she doesn’t know where Rennick Vael is, and I believe her.”

“Did you see how she used the magic shield spell? I’m pretty sure it’s the same one from the Rookhaven grimoire.”

“I had the same thought.” Ken nodded. “I asked where she got her grimoire. She said Vael gave it to her, but that it originally came from the mysterious benefactor who hired the Tollmen to kidnap people. Payment instead of gold.”

“And she doesn’t know who the benefactor is.”

“No. She only dealt with Vael.”

Noah frowned. “But since Mara is working against Vael, that rules her out as a suspect. Meaning we could probably tell her everything—the Rookhaven grimoire, the Ferrum Vale plot, the Tollmen connection.”

“Perhaps,” Ken conceded. “Unless she is the benefactor, covering her tracks and using this as an excuse.”

“I don’t think so. You didn’t see her face at the warehouse.”

“No, I didn’t.” Ken folded his arms. “I’m only asking that we be careful. There is more to her than meets the eye. I’ve never seen human guards trained that well, and she had eight of them—plus the funding to launch this expedition without hesitation.”

“If not this, then what would convince you?”

“If we found Vael and questioned him ourselves. Without interference.” Ken gave him a pointed look. “You are developing feelings for her.”

Noah went quiet. “Maybe,” he admitted.

“Do what you want with those feelings—embrace them, ignore them, talk about them. But keep a level head about this secret. It’s too important to risk.”

Noah took a slow breath. “Fine. It’s only a few more weeks until the King and Queen know anyway. Then it won’t matter.”

“Actions have consequences. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Remember that when I am gone.”

“When you’re gone?” Noah raised an eyebrow.

Ken chuckled. “Yes. Someday these adventures will catch up to me. And on that day, you’ll have to figure this out yourself.” He waved off Noah’s protest. “Go check on Ciri for me. She’s been back there awhile, and we’ll be leaving soon. She’ll want to pack anything valuable she’s found.”

“Sure,” Noah said numbly.

He shook his head as he crossed the mess hall toward the front door. Before he reached it, Mara stepped out of the office, gave him a small wave, and slipped outside. Assuming she was checking on her guards, he let her go and headed into the office to find his Fae girlfriend in her natural state—hunched over a book.

“Anything interesting?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Without looking up, she nodded. “Yes. I assume you have spoken to my father?”

“Yeah. He thinks this group is—”

“Related to the one in Rookhaven, yes.” She closed the book—he recognized it as the conduit’s grimoire. “This appears to be an almost identical match, but with several additional spells. Its existence implies the ‘experiments’ continued after Rookhaven, perhaps at another camp.”

“Shit.”

“I did not share this hypothesis with Mara. However, I believe the Tollmen may have been facilitating these experiments—kidnapping individuals for testing.” She paused. “Additionally, Mara asked if I would be comfortable with you and her becoming sexually intimate. I said yes.”

The whiplash made Noah’s brain stall. “Hang on. Hang on.” He waved his hands. “What?”

Ciri tilted her head. “I said the Tollmen likely—”

“No, the other part. Not that the first part isn’t important, just… go back.”

“Mara asked if I would be comfortable with you and her becoming sexually intimate. I said yes.”

He blinked. “You’re sure?”

“So long as you tell me afterward, yes.” She said it matter‑of‑factly. “You know how I feel about her.”

He glanced toward the door, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. “But… what about the secrets we have to keep from her? Or the fact that we might have to break things off when we return to the tribe?”

“Both are valid concerns if your intimacy with her becomes long‑term. But neither is a reason not to try.” She studied him. “Unless you are no longer interested in her?”

“No, I am.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just want you to know you’re my first priority.”

“I know. Æven thyræl quoris velæn.” She smiled. “If you wish to speak to her privately, she may still be outside. I will pack my things and join you shortly.”

“Æven thyræl quoris ænthor.” He kissed her softly.

Ciri melted into him for a long moment before abruptly pushing him back, cheeks flushed. “You should go. Talk to Mara.”

“Right.” He kissed her once more and left.

He found Mara a minute later, standing just outside the mess hall. The rain had stopped, and the first rays of morning sun were beginning to crest the horizon, brightening the forest around them. When he approached, she turned with a practiced, neutral expression.

“So,” Noah said, stopping a few feet away.

“So,” she echoed.

“I talked to Ciri.”

“Ah.” A flicker of nerves crossed her face before she smoothed it away. “And?”

“And I’m interested.” He stepped closer. “But I have a question first.”

“Oh?”

“Why me? Don’t get me wrong—I’m flattered, and I think you’re incredible, and I’d love to do this with you, but…” He searched for the words. “It’s not like I’m some wealthy lord.”

“You have something far more valuable than money, Noah.” She closed the distance and rested a hand on his hip. “You have a good heart. You’re the first person who’s ever seen me for who I am—not my title, not my family, not my wealth. That’s the kind of man I want.”

“You’ll have to share me,” he warned, even as his hand slid to her lower back. “You could have someone all to yourself.”

She chuckled. “I made peace with sharing a lover a long time ago. My family’s always wanted to marry me off to some lord, and Almighty knows they all have concubines and consorts and harems.” She brushed his hair from his face. “At least this way, I get to choose.”

“Is this going to mess anything up with your family? Or your future?” he asked, even as his lips drifted closer.

“Let me worry about that.”

The last of his hesitation crumbled. He kissed her lightly, then more firmly. Her hand slid to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. He felt her groan as much as he heard it, a haze of desire clouding his thoughts. His hand drifted down to squeeze her hip; the other traced her shoulder blades.

“We should stop,” she said, breathless as she broke the kiss.

His green eyes met her blue ones, glowing in the morning light. “Having second thoughts?”

“Not about us.” She shook her head. “I just think we should get out of the bandit camp and somewhere safe before we have sex.”