Xavier didn’t explain more. He didn’t need to, though. Laric understood. Who would stop the mages?
They would return. Laric believed it, especially now that he had seen the trio of mages on the mountainside that Sashaak had killed. They wouldn’t be the last ones to come. And as they came, he and the others were going to have to decide what they would do.
Laric had a vague sense of movement, and for a second, he thought he could see Sashaak, see what Sashaak was seeing, but then it passed. It was fleeting.
Could he rely upon Sashaak to help if they had to confront the mages?
And even if he could, did he even want to fight them?
Chapter Five
Once they came to a stop in the city, Laric looked all around him, experiencing a sense of unease at how everything looked and felt to him. He wasn’t sure what he wanted or needed to do, just that it all felt like he had to keep active. There was a part of him that knew if he waited too long, he was going to run out of time to deal with everything. And everything involved the mages.
Xavier worked on pulling the horses free from the wagon while Joselle and Iveris climbed out of the back. Malcolm helped both of the younger girls down as Laric and Rowan moved off to the side.
“I need to get her settled,” Rowan said to him, dropping her voice to a whisper and nodding to her sister. “And I need to have a conversation with her about everything that’s been going on. She’s probably going to want to tell our father about what’s happened, and I need to try to keep her from saying anything that we don’t want to get out.”
Laric glanced toward Joselle, wondering if he would need to do the same with his sister. “Is it really that much of an issue with her?”
“You’ve been around her. You know how anxious she can get.”
“I need to talk with Xavier. Can you take Joselle with you?”
“You might want to send her with Malcolm. Besides, I think he’s sweet on her, anyway, so he’s going to take good care of her.”
“Great,” Laric muttered.
“That’s not what I mean,” Rowan said.
He chuckled. “Oh, I know. I can have a little fun with it. I have a little fun with Malcolm too. He gets all quiet around her, which I think is somewhat entertaining. Should I find you at your home?”
“Why don’t you see what Xavier has to say? Besides, I think it’s going to be easier for you to have a conversation with him about your grandmother on your own. You might even want to include Joselle, or maybe you don’t want to? It depends on what he tells you, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t think he’s going to keep anything from us now,” Laric said. “At least, not with everything that he knows. It’s just, I’m not sure what to make of any of this.”
She reached for Laric’s arm and squeezed it. “Just give him a chance to explain.”
He nodded. Then he went over to Joselle. “You mind going with Malcolm for a little while? I will meet the both of you in a bit. I need to talk to Xavier.”
Joselle frowned. “If you’re going to talk to him about our grandmother, then shouldn’t I stick around? I have the same questions that you do.”
“I’m sure you have even more questions than I do, and I agree that you should have those questions answered, but I think I need to have a little time with him to work through some things.”
“You know what,” Malcolm said to Joselle, “how about we just take a walk? I can get you back to my house, and maybe we can ask my father a few questions.” He looked over to Laric, then back to her. “Because he may have some additional insight. We can gather more information about what sort of trade your grandmother was involved in. That way when your brother comes, we will have done some more research.”
Joselle glanced from Malcolm to Laric. “Are you trying to keep me out of this?”
“Definitely not. I’m just trying to understand things first,” Laric said.
“I can be a part of it.”
“I know. But I also have a connection to the dragon,” he said, lowering his voice, “and I don’t know what else to make of all of that yet.”
“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Joselle asked.
He shrugged. “I’m trying to better understand what she knew, and what that means for us. For me, really.”
“Oh, Laric,” she said, her voice soft.
“I don’t need that; I just want to have a chance to ask some questions.”
“All right. But promise me that you will not try to exclude me?”
“I promise.”
She looped her arm through Malcolm’s, and then they set off. Rowan and Iveris left as well, leaving Laric with Xavier, who had finished brushing his horses.
“They’re leaving you, are they?” Xavier asked.
“They’re leaving me because I have to ask you a few questions. I need to know more about my grandmother and what was going on.”
“What am I supposed to tell you about your grandmother? I told you everything. I helped transport some items for her, including her—”
“We both know that she didn’t need you to transport her.”
He let out a long, steady breath. “Let’s walk.”
“Walk?”
