heels. The two sailors I had noticed earlier turned away from the main mast as we stepped up onto the deck and both saluted Claighan. He shook his head. "That is enough of that. We sail to Deichelle. Can you get us there by morning?"
One of the sailors stepped forward. "You will be eating your breakfast there, Master Claighan. Now—" he cut off, staring past us in surprise. We turned together and found a dozen of the king's soldiers trotting along the harbor toward the Swifts' pier. They saw us, but in the same instant Claighan cried some word of command, and the Swift leaped forward into the small waves of the strait. I looked back and saw both of the other Swifts darting away as well, pulled as if on strings out into the water and already speeding south with sails full. Sailors on the other ships looked about in confusion, but as I watched they shrugged it off and returned to their duties.
Claighan clapped me on the shoulder, then tightened his grip. "Wind and rain, you're shaking, boy. That was a close call, but things shall get better from here on out." I looked over and up at him, hoping to show him my gratitude, but his eyes were on something far off and they bore none of the confidence his words had expressed.
He looked back to the harbor quickly dwindling behind us. "Although, with Seriphenes in the capitol...." He trailed off, his eyes grim.
I ducked my head. "That danger, at least, is behind us."
He squeezed my shoulder again, and nodded. "Indeed. Indeed. Now we must prepare for the dangers ahead."
I sank down on the deck, leaning against the railing, "There has been nothing but danger since you turned your eyes on me, wizard."
He sighed. "It is a fair accusation." For a while I thought he was going to say more, but he fell silent. I watched him.
After a time I said, "Who was it that I killed?"
He flinched away as though I'd stricken him. His grip on my shoulder tightened in something like a spasm, and then he let his hand fall away. "I do not know his name," he said, "but he was a captain of the King's Guard."
I nodded. Pain blossomed high in my stomach, and I felt it reaching up into my chest. I blinked, and my eyelashes glistened a bit. I swallowed and found my voice to ask, "Why?"
Claighan lowered his eyes. "Do you remember what I said on the road to the City? About your being too physical a spirit and that causing problems in your training?"
I nodded slowly, and he nodded back. "I had a solution planned. I meant to demonstrate for you how creativity and will can do something easily that physical force can only do with effort."
"You...." I sighed and shook my head. I caught my breath. "You were supposed to thwart the robbery."
"Indeed."
I felt my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands. My fists were clenched so tight my knuckles hurt. I closed my eyes. "You set it up. You were going to teach me a lesson."
"Indeed."
"And you fell asleep."
For a long time he said nothing. He caught his breath with something that sounded like a sob. He let it out with something like a sigh. I waited another heartbeat for him to say again, "Indeed."
I opened my eyes to meet his gaze. My chest ached. My shoulders ached. I said, "You have made me into a murderer."
"And a fugitive of the king's justice," he said. "And once more someone else must pay for my mistakes. It is deeply unfair. But I attempted too much. I strove too hard. Eventually even a wizard's body fails him."
"You fell asleep," I growled. "And now an innocent man is dead."
I expected him to flinch again at that. He didn't. He didn't sob, either. He held my gaze for four heavy heartbeats, then he raised his chin half an inch, and every trace of uncertainty melted from his expression. "I do what must be done," he said. "It is a tragedy. But one innocent death will pale to nothing against the threat that is coming."
I felt my jaw fall open. My fists at last relaxed, fury fading in the face of the wizard's madness. "Nothing?" I said.
He nodded
One of the sailors stepped forward. "You will be eating your breakfast there, Master Claighan. Now—" he cut off, staring past us in surprise. We turned together and found a dozen of the king's soldiers trotting along the harbor toward the Swifts' pier. They saw us, but in the same instant Claighan cried some word of command, and the Swift leaped forward into the small waves of the strait. I looked back and saw both of the other Swifts darting away as well, pulled as if on strings out into the water and already speeding south with sails full. Sailors on the other ships looked about in confusion, but as I watched they shrugged it off and returned to their duties.
Claighan clapped me on the shoulder, then tightened his grip. "Wind and rain, you're shaking, boy. That was a close call, but things shall get better from here on out." I looked over and up at him, hoping to show him my gratitude, but his eyes were on something far off and they bore none of the confidence his words had expressed.
He looked back to the harbor quickly dwindling behind us. "Although, with Seriphenes in the capitol...." He trailed off, his eyes grim.
I ducked my head. "That danger, at least, is behind us."
He squeezed my shoulder again, and nodded. "Indeed. Indeed. Now we must prepare for the dangers ahead."
I sank down on the deck, leaning against the railing, "There has been nothing but danger since you turned your eyes on me, wizard."
He sighed. "It is a fair accusation." For a while I thought he was going to say more, but he fell silent. I watched him.
After a time I said, "Who was it that I killed?"
He flinched away as though I'd stricken him. His grip on my shoulder tightened in something like a spasm, and then he let his hand fall away. "I do not know his name," he said, "but he was a captain of the King's Guard."
I nodded. Pain blossomed high in my stomach, and I felt it reaching up into my chest. I blinked, and my eyelashes glistened a bit. I swallowed and found my voice to ask, "Why?"
Claighan lowered his eyes. "Do you remember what I said on the road to the City? About your being too physical a spirit and that causing problems in your training?"
I nodded slowly, and he nodded back. "I had a solution planned. I meant to demonstrate for you how creativity and will can do something easily that physical force can only do with effort."
"You...." I sighed and shook my head. I caught my breath. "You were supposed to thwart the robbery."
"Indeed."
I felt my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands. My fists were clenched so tight my knuckles hurt. I closed my eyes. "You set it up. You were going to teach me a lesson."
"Indeed."
"And you fell asleep."
For a long time he said nothing. He caught his breath with something that sounded like a sob. He let it out with something like a sigh. I waited another heartbeat for him to say again, "Indeed."
I opened my eyes to meet his gaze. My chest ached. My shoulders ached. I said, "You have made me into a murderer."
"And a fugitive of the king's justice," he said. "And once more someone else must pay for my mistakes. It is deeply unfair. But I attempted too much. I strove too hard. Eventually even a wizard's body fails him."
"You fell asleep," I growled. "And now an innocent man is dead."
I expected him to flinch again at that. He didn't. He didn't sob, either. He held my gaze for four heavy heartbeats, then he raised his chin half an inch, and every trace of uncertainty melted from his expression. "I do what must be done," he said. "It is a tragedy. But one innocent death will pale to nothing against the threat that is coming."
I felt my jaw fall open. My fists at last relaxed, fury fading in the face of the wizard's madness. "Nothing?" I said.
He nodded
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