Chapter 2
What a Guardian Knows
The dinner ended up being a much livelier undertaking than the daughter and father had originally anticipated. With the addition of another mystic and her guardian, there was a lot to discuss, and most of it was enjoyable. Easton seemed to have an endless number of questions for Caden about his nearly twenty years away from Solona and how he had managed it. Iris knew that this was because her father was leaving the next day, and he was trying to get as much information about the outside world as possible. His nervousness about the trip was translating into a long series of questions that seemed to entertain Callie and make Caden feel uneasy. When Iris had first met Caden, she had felt incredibly intimidated. Now that she knew him a little better, she was very amused by how cute he was as he tried to get Callie to help him respond to the barrage of questions from Easton. Iris’s father wasn’t much taller than her, and he was very thin, yet he seemed to be scaring the seasoned guardian.
She leaned over to Callie as Easton pushed his plate out of the way, placed his elbows on the table, and leaned forward to begin a new series of questions about the druids. Her father was way off topic now because the druids were not part of the negotiations at all, and Caden did not have much experience with the druids, as he tried unsuccessfully to point out to the excited merchant. Iris smiled as she whispered to Callie, “It’s almost like watching a griffon being intimidated by a dog.”
Callie laughed, “More like an elephant being terrified of a mouse.”
Iris’s smile faded as she turned her face to Callie, “I will have to tell my father that you think of him as a mouse.”
“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like—” Callie looked mortified for a moment. Then Iris’s face creased into a wide grin. “Oh, right, you are messing with me. I don’t know how long it will take to get used to that.”
“I take it they don’t have much of a sense of humor in Sumaria.”
Callie opened her mouth to talk, then quickly shut it again. Iris could almost see the way her thoughts were spinning as the young woman considered how to talk about the place where she used to live. Finally, she shook her head. “There was laughter, but when you aren’t sure there will be enough food to eat for your family or when you don’t know when the government will shut down your village, it is difficult to find much humor during the daily routine.” She looked at Iris from the corner of her eye, “They certainly don’t have your sense of humor there. Not the Sumarians.” Callie seemed to have something on her mind with that last statement, but her friend was too entertained by the look of confusion that had creased Callie’s face.
Iris giggled into her hand, then tried to pass it off as a cough. “Well, I think you are acclimating nicely. So,” Iris knew she was about to ask a loaded question, but it was one she had waited a full month to ask, “what do you think of your homeland?” Her eyes took in the many expressions that passed over Callie’s face. She was fascinated by just how inoffensive Callie seemed to be in nearly everything she said. That didn’t mean Callie wasn’t incredibly blunt at times, but when socializing it was almost like the young woman always picked the right words to keep the peace. Clearly, she had not grown up in Solona.
“Um, well,” she looked at Caden and slipped her hands between her knees. Iris tried to keep from laughing at how adorable Callie could be, and how obvious she was. “I can’t say that I agree with a lot of the way things operate here. The government certainly isn’t as horrible as the one back… there, but I don’t like the way guardians are treated.”
Iris raised an eyebrow, causing Callie to start blushing furiously. “I mean, they are people too, not tools…” her voice trailed off.
Iris burst out laughing, “Well, gods bless you, but you are just quite a breath of fresh air.” She reached over and pinched Callie’s hot cheek. “And if I were at all prone to wanting a relationship, I would be incredibly jealous of you. I can see why you would throw tradition out the window for him.” She winked at Callie, whose face seemed to turn an even brighter shade of red. “But I have to admit, I am incredibly shocked that Caden reciprocated. He is somewhat infamous for being stony and indifferent to advances.”
A low voice cut into their conversation, “It is easy to turn down someone who feels entitled. It is something else entirely when you have someone who forces you to care as much about yourself, and is willing to die to make her point.”
“What?” Iris and Easton looked at each other, then at Callie.
With a shrug, she said, “I spent most of my life as an apothecary and don’t believe anyone is disposable.” She looked at Caden, “Well, maybe the Unwashed.”
It almost sounded like he was purring as Caden laughed. Iris noticed his hand move a little toward Callie, and it took everything she had not to lean over and see what he was doing under the table.
Easton’s attention was on what Callie had said. “Surely you never really had to worry about them. Caden is one of the best and longest-serving guardians. And if you didn’t know that you were a mystic, they would have had a difficult time tracking you down.”
Callie looked at her lap, “We encountered them, and it wasn’t something that I care to recount.”
Caden moved a little closer to her, and Iris got the impression it was an instinctive gesture; he was trying to protect Callie from something, even though there was no danger now. “Callie may not look it, but her talents are considerably greater than the Council realized when she was stolen from the kingdom. I do not know who her parents were, but she was able to reattach a man’s leg when she was 15.” He watched the reaction of the father and daughter, a thin smile on his lips. “When I say that she nearly killed herself, I do not mean with a sword or other tool. And she did it more than once during that first week when we left her village.”
Iris looked at Callie with awe. The young woman was nearly a year younger and yet clearly had been able to do far more than Iris had ever considered. Suddenly wanting to turn on lights and put them out seemed incredibly childish. She moved forward on her seat, “So what did she do? Conjure an Aeton? Electrocute one of the Unwashed? I know! Did she make one of them burst into flame?”
Easton’s hand covered hers and his stern voice cut into her excitement, “Iris. That’s quite enough.”
Iris looked at him, then back at Callie. It was only then that she noticed how uncomfortable her new friend was, but this time Iris didn’t find it funny. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just—”
Callie shook her head, “It’s okay. Hopefully you’ll never experience anything like that.”
Caden gave Iris a half grin, “It’s only natural to be curious. You must be dying to try more with your own abilities, but of course they are a little bit more guarded about mystics using their powers in the country. Especially for someone who might have a different kind of power.”
Uncertain exactly what Caden meant, Iris felt that he was likely just trying to make her feel better since Callie was so gifted. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, she tried to put that line of questioning to rest. “Not all of us have natural ability. I am quite happy with the talents I do have, and they are considerable. I mean, I can design a phenomenal living room combination from scratch. That’s not something that most people can do.”
Callie seemed to perk up a little, “I’m sure you do just fine at magic. You just need a good teacher.” She threw a glance at Caden while she said it.
With a cold laugh, Iris shook her head, “No, that is not even remotely true. All you need to do is ask Madam Louise. I’m sure she will tell you that she has never seen anyone with less natural abilities than me. And at this point, I’m starting to turn it into a point of pride.”
The frown on Callie’s face was as much confusion as displeasure, “Surely your teacher wouldn’t disparage you.”
“Oh, really?” The frustration and annoyance at her teacher had been building up, and at that point Iris didn’t feel that she could keep it bottled up any longer. “Every lesson begins and ends with her pretending to sympathize with my inability to even conjure a light in the palm of my hands. Followed swiftly by her talking about what a natural she was. She thinks that the best way for me to learn is to continue to review the theory of magic.”
Caden rested his cheek on his hand. “I thought that was the focus of lessons in school when you weren’t supposed to do magic. There is a lot that cannot be covered in theory, and I know that Louise knows that. She should know how important it is to teach you the boundaries of magic in a practical method, not just in theory.” He seemed to be waiting for Iris to say something, but she couldn’t quite understand what he was getting at.
“Yeah. After hearing about it for 10 years, I have no interest in listening to it now. I’m supposed to be doing magic, but because of my inability to do even the most basic spell, she refuses to teach me anything else.”
Caden was about to speak when Iris’s father cut in, “Why didn’t you tell me this?” Easton was looking at his daughter with a hurt expression.
“Oh, um, well,” Iris suddenly felt incredibly guilty. It was exactly what she had been avoiding saying in front of him because she didn’t want him to know that the lessons were little more than torture. Madam Louise had come highly recommended from the queen and several of Iris’s mother’s close friends. Now she was pretty much contradicting all of them. Out in public. “I guess I just don’t really care about magic anymore. It doesn’t help me or the business, and it’s not like you can force yourself to be something you aren’t. I may be able to do magic, but it’s not like it is strong in my family. Mom wasn’t gifted in it either and—”
Caden sat up with a scowl, “Who said your mother wasn’t gifted?”
Iris looked nervously at her father. His jaw was clenched, and he was looking at Caden with what his daughter recognized as a warning.
Caden folded his arms across his chest. “I see. You are afraid if her daughter reaches her full potential, you will lose her, too.”
“Caden!” It was the loudest Iris had ever heard her father speak to someone other than her. His hands were balled up in fists.
Caden shook his head, “Easton, I understand how you feel, but we both know this isn’t right.”
“And I don’t believe it is any of your business. What would you know about any of it anyway? Being a guardian does not mean you know everything. You definitely do not have any idea how tortured Mia was about her powers.”
Caden leaned forward, “I probably have a much better idea than you do. I was the one who brought her back after she froze her baby brother in the bath because she didn’t want to hear him cry anymore.”
Easton’s mouth hung open for a second before he sat back and folded his arms. He pursed his lips and seemed torn about whether to say anything else. It was obvious something was on his mind, but a single look at his daughter, and he simply swallowed hard. “She never told me that. I—I had no idea. Then…” He bit his lip, then forced himself to say, “I take it you know about her actual abilities then. And you know how much she was tormented by it.”
“I do. I also never forgave the king for sending her to the negotiations because of it. Had I been in the country, I would have vetoed it and threatened to leave the Order if he went ahead. As it was, I only learned about it months after she died. I want to say that I feel better about his daughter, but since our last meeting, I fear for the direction she is taking the country.” He placed his hands on the table and looked at Easton directly in the eyes. “Believe me, I know why you are trying to protect your daughter. I really do. But this is not going to end well for either of you.”
Iris noticed her father could not hold the gaze as he looked down at his hands to speak, “I don’t think that is your decision to make.”
Caden sat back, “It is not, but I will not ignore my duty either. If you continue to put her at risk, you know I will have to discuss it with the queen.”
“No!” Easton slammed a fist down on the table. “I will not let them take my daughter! Is this how Freya repays me? She swore!”
Caden held up his hands. “She does not know I am talking to you, nor does she know what you have done with your daughter. I did not even know I would be dining with you until a little while ago. None of this is planned. That said,” he looked sternly at Easton, “I cannot let you risk her. Better that she receives preparation than to fall apart.”
Iris’s father looked absolutely beaten.
Caden’s eyes seemed to soften a little as they shifted over to Iris. “If you would like, I can test her powers. If she doesn’t have the ability, I won’t say a word and will leave it to you to rectify what you have done.”
Easton looked at his daughter, then at Caden. The nod was barely perceptible.
Caden’s yellow eyes were almost terrifying as his gaze shifted to Iris’s eyes. “Iris, if you would.” He held out his hands to her.
Iris look at the large hands, then she looked at her father. “I don’t understand.”
Caden’s voice was warm as he reassured her, “It is just a test to see if you have your mother’s… unique ability. She was always terrible at basic magic, could barely do anything most mystics can. And it was because of what she could do. Any magic Mia used was more difficult magic that most cannot achieve in their first 10 years. If you will permit it, I will check to see if you are,” he paused for a second before selecting the right word, “similarly gifted.”
Iris looked at her father again. He looked up, his eyes sadder than she had seen them in a long time. “It’s alright, Iris. It would be best to know now if you are truly as unhappy as you said. I’m so sorry.” He put his face in his hands.
Iris frowned and looked at Caden, “I don’t know what has happened, but I don’t like the way you have treated my father.” The room was starting to shift like the heat emanating from the floor, and she began to feel uncomfortably hot. Pushing those feelings down, she took a drink of water.
There was pity in Caden’s voice as he looked between the pair, his hands still extended. “And I apologize for forcing him into this, but it should not have gone on this long.”
“He didn’t know that she was making me absolutely miserable.” Iris felt the anger welling up in her.
“Nor did he want to. He knew what your mother’s talent was, and he knew that this was going to be difficult for you, not that he knew the extent. He has been hoping that the....”
“Curse,” Easton muttered beside her. Iris looked at him, but her father could not return her look. “Please, Iris. He is right. I did not want to think that… I just want you to be happy. I should have known you weren’t happy after you drove Madam Louise away the first time. That should have told me what I needed to know, but I have been hopeful…” his voice trailed off.
Caden’s voice was soft, “He has been hoping that you did not have your mother’s skills because it is definitely a burden. If you will place your hands in mine, I can examine your gifts.” His hands were still in the same pose, unmoving. It was obvious that he had been through this many times before that moment.
Iris looked at Callie, who just shrugged. “He didn’t do this with me. He seemed to know what I could do.”
He looked at her with a lopsided grin, “I had years of watching to get an idea of what your talents were. The fireball was still a surprise.”
“The what?” Iris’s eyes went wide.
Caden looked back at her, “Every mystic is able to do something different than the rest, just sometimes it is more shocking.”
“Mystics can make fire?” Iris was looking between Caden and Callie with distrust.
“It is amazing what you can do when no one tells you that you can’t do it.”
“I think I understand how that works,” Iris mumbled. Caden tilted his head to the side, causing her to laugh a little. “I don’t mean in a way that defies reality, just kind of rebelling against…” Remembering she was talking to a guardian, Iris let her voice trail off.
He gave her an understanding smile, “I promise that you will be safe, you will stay here, and I will not let go of your hands until you are ready. I am already bonded, so you don’t need to worry about that either.”
Iris had no idea what he meant with the last sentence, but it was clearly meant to put her at ease. Hesitantly, she stretched her arms out towards him. Her hands had barely touched his when she began to have terrifying visions. The world seemed to be engulfed in death, and spirits flew around her in a blistering wasteland. There was strong pressure on her hands, and suddenly Iris was looking into Caden’s eyes. They were soft and pitying. Realizing that she was shaking, the young woman had no idea what had happened, but she was terrified of letting go.
“It’s okay. Hold on as long as you need.”
A drop of sweat ran down her face. A white handkerchief pressed against her temple, and Iris was suddenly aware of Callie trying to make her comfortable. The sounds of the restaurant came back into her ears, and suddenly life seemed to resume a sense of normalcy. Squeezing Caden’s hand, Iris was scared that if she let go, the world that she had seen would drag her down into it. His fingers stroked the palms of her hands. “It’s okay. You don’t belong there, you belong here with us.”
“What—where was that?”
Caden’s eyes shifted to Easton, who was staring at his empty plate. “Easton, I will leave this for you to deal with, but she is at least as gifted as her mother. I understand if you cannot talk to her tonight, so I will give you until the day after you return to talk to her. This needs to be dealt with because I can see she is close to the brink. I don’t know how close, but too close if I could see that much in that short a period of time.”
“Caden, I—” Easton closed his eyes. “Thank you. I know what you are risking, so thank you. I will talk to her when I get back.”
“In the meantime, it is probably best to stop the lessons with Louise. That woman has lost her way, and I think it is time she retires.”
“I do not think I will have time to—”
Caden held up a hand, “I will talk to her tomorrow in your stead. Now, I think that you two should spend the rest of the night trying to enjoy yourselves. The panic will subside soon, and she is going to have questions. I am sorry that I cannot help you there.”
“It’s alright. After 21 years, I know how to distract my daughter a little.”
It was a testament to how terrifying the experience had been that Iris did not have anything to say to that. Easton finally looked at her, his eyes showing just how hard he was fighting to keep tears back. He patted her head, and suddenly the world felt real. Iris relaxed a little and drew her hands away from Caden.
“Caden,” Easton turned his attention back to the guardian. “Could I ask a favor of you?”
The guardian looked over at the father but said nothing.
“Would you be willing to check in on her once or twice? Or maybe three times. Every day.”
“Father,” there was a warning tone in Iris’s voice.
The guardian smiled as he stood up. “You don’t need to ask me to do that. I am also concerned for her well-being and would do so even without the request. You don’t need to worry about her too much, though. She will have a peer to talk to. Although,” he paused and looked at Iris, “I do have a question. When did you meet another guardian?”
Iris frowned, “You are the only guardian I’ve met.”
“No, you’ve—” he looked at Easton and closed his mouth. “Alright.”
Easton looked at his daughter, then at Caden. “Why do you ask?”
“I thought… don’t worry about it.” He smiled down at Callie. “Now if you will excuse us, I think it is time we head home and let you two have the rest of the evening to prepare.”
Callie seemed uncertain what to say. She didn’t know what had just happened, but she was clearly concerned. With no way to help, she looked at Easton. “I hope you have a pleasant trip. And Iris, I will see you tomorrow.”
Caden offered his hand to Callie, and she stood up. Slipping an elegant shawl over her shoulders, Caden pressed the small of her back, steering her toward the door. Iris watched as they left, and she couldn't help but notice that he didn’t remove his hand all the way through the restaurant. If anyone else noticed, it would have become a huge scandal. But everyone knew who Caden was, and he was shown an inordinate amount of respect, even among the mystics. Iris was beginning to understand why.
Still a bit breathless, she turned back to the table. It was only then that she realized the guardian had dropped a small purse of money on the table.
Easton noticed it around the same time. With a slight shake of his head, he pushed his chair back. “It is time we leave as well. I know you have questions, but please hold them until I return. I will tell you what I can then. For now, please let me enjoy the rest of the evening with you.”
Iris nodded. They left together in silence.