“Who said I would do that?”
Malcolm scoffed. “It’s you. Just be smart. Wait. Who am I talking to? Just do something that Rowan would think is smart.”
“Thanks,” Laric said. “But I don’t think we have to worry too much. We have a weapon that I don’t think even Talia can prepare for.”
“You and I both know that’s not true, much like you and I both know that there is no telling what she has prepared for.”
They said their goodbyes, and Laric headed toward Rowan’s home to meet her. They needed to move quickly because he didn’t know how long they had before that potential he’d caught a glimpse of would move. Every so often, Laric would still see something from Sashaak that would show him that Talia remained in place, or at least what he thought was Talia. But then it would fade. Perhaps it was just that his connection to Sashaak had faded, making it difficult for him to see much more, but the link to him from Sashaak had started to shift a little bit.
“You look like you’ve got a purpose.”
He turned to see Xavier leading a trio of horses down the road, heading in Laric’s direction.
“I might have something of a purpose, why?”
Xavier snorted. “A man has a purpose like that, it suggests he’s going to do something, and it might be dangerous. Curious what you have decided to set off and do.”
“I am going to deal with a threat to the town.”
“Sure you can do that?”
Laric shrugged. “I’m sure that I need to. Not sure that I want to.”
Xavier offered a hint of a smile. “Good. I brought the horses.”
“Why?”
“Figured you were going to leave, especially after I saw you talking to Essan and his boy. Kind of thing that makes me think you’re going to do something foolish. But then, with you, I’m not so sure that would be foolish, now would it?”
“Why would you come with us?” Laric asked.
“Because I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried about what this mage might do to the town. I’m sure you’re worried about the possibility of others like her coming, and while there isn’t a whole lot we can do about that, we know that this one certainly poses a threat. That about the long and the short of it?”
“That’s about it,” Laric agreed.
“So I’m going to guide you—figure someone who knows the land might be useful—and I’ll let you and your new friend deal with whatever needs to be dealt with. Besides, I consider it a bit of a curiosity in what you can now do.”
“I’m not so sure that I do anything.”
“Well, that’s the curiosity.”
“And what about you? What can you do?” Laric asked.
Xavier winked. “We’re going to have to see, aren’t we? Now, are we going to go and get Miss Adams, or are you going to make me do it on my own?”
Chapter Thirteen
As Laric and Xavier headed toward Rowan’s home, Laric could still see—and feel, for that matter—some element of Sashaak circling, as if Sashaak were just waiting, prepared for what Laric wanted to do. As he stared through the dragon’s eyes, he did not see anything more. Everything seemed empty.
Increasingly, however, he couldn’t help but feel as if that emptiness might be a problem. It might mean that Talia had gone somewhere else.
“I never much cared for Adams,” Xavier said, though he said it mostly to himself as they approached Rowan’s home and paused outside. It was a nicer house, in a quiet section of the city. Smaller than Malcolm’s, but closer to their family shop.
“Why not?” Laric asked.
Xavier offered just the slightest shrug. “Selfish, I figure. He’s always a pain to deal with when it comes to trade. Always too eager to try to get the best of us, and never knows the dance.” He looked over to Laric. “You know what I mean by the dance, don’t you?”
“Malcolm’s father made mention of it at one point. He said that when trading, a merchant needs to try to find the best for both parties, especially if you’re going to keep doing trade with those parties.”
Xavier nodded. “Exactly. You don’t burn bridges, as the phrase goes. You want to make sure that you continue to build. Adams never really cared much for that, and so it started to bite him in the ass. Not that he ever saw that.”
“Why?”
“He always got last choice of items.” Xavier gave a small chuckle. “Took him a while to notice, but I think he got the hint. Not that it changed his way of doing business. Anyway, maybe you should go and knock.”
Laric headed to the door, where he hesitated. He heard shouting inside, and for a moment, he tested with a detection spellslip, but he didn’t pick up on anything he needed to do about it.
He knocked, and the shouting cut off immediately. When Mr. Adams came to the door, he glowered at Laric. “I’m sorry, but my daughter is indisposed at this time. Both of them are. And I think it’s time that they get back to more traditional—”
“I’m going with him,” Rowan said from behind her father.
Mr. Adams turned, facing her. “You are not leaving here without my permission. And I do not give it to you to go running around with some boy in town, doing who knows what, and who knows where, for hours—and even days—at a time.”
“We’re studying,” Rowan said, which Laric was thankful for. He had known that there was a difficult relationship at home, and he had seen it to a certain extent, but Rowan had always been quiet around her father and never talked about him much. This bit of spine was good to see from her, and he knew that it was for the best. “And we’re going to keep studying, because we helped keep the city safe. Now, if you don’t want the city to be safe, maybe I can alert—”
Her father rushed toward her.
A wave of panic worked through Laric as he thought that her father might do something terrible. Then he felt the spellcraft form build. There was a strange feeling of resistance, and Mr. Adams grunted.
