Chương 11: Fed and watered

Ch 11: Fed and watered Felix eventually opened his eyes. He was lying on a sturdy bed with clean sheets and a pillow as soft as down. He sighed and rolled over, trying to remember where he was and what he'd been doing. There was pain in his shoulder. A little in his leg. He felt stiff and generally run down, his throat dry and eyes crusted with sleep. He sat up and took stock of himself, taking a glass of water from a nearby table and pounding it back with a satisfied sigh. Then it all came pouring back.

A dead ship and crew.

An island filled with mages. Assassins and a beautiful princess, an invisible palace and a life now out of his control. The test. The words that Isavey told him. The life of suffering with no God damn reason at all. He stood and paced across the rug-covered, marble floor, taking in a beautiful bedroom with more space than his father's house. He couldn't deny the feeling of truth in the girl's words. But that didn't mean he had to accept it all. Not until he had proof.

He'd known plenty of liars who could sell a thing with a quarter or half truth. And even if Isavey wasn't lying, she and her people might just have their own wrong ideas, or maybe magic worked different here on the isles than on the continent. Anything was possible. Eventually he noticed clean clothes laid out on a nearby chair. There was a wash basin, pristine looking towels, and a bunch of… scrubbers. He stared at his dirty, bloody, ripped shirt and pants, then eventually stripped.

As he dipped the scrubbers in water and touched one to his skin, he paused, and really paid attention. It was luke-warm, perfectly pleasant. But did that make sense? Wouldn't it have at least been a little cool sitting there in the open air? Was it really his skin warming anything it touched? Was it possible he never noticed?

"Felix?" He jumped at the feminine voice and a gentle knock at the door. He was about to call out he wasn't decent when it bloody opened. Isavey walked right inside. He stood naked as the day he was born, and the girl's eyes raked him before she turned.

"I'm… so sorry. I should have…" She dashed out and nearly slammed the door. Felix tried to laugh it off. A day ago he would have—the knowledge that taking a woman was impossible layered him like armor, the lack of possibility stripping him of any anxiety or concern. But now? What if what Isavey said was true? Didn't that mean he could 'drain' his mana? Didn't it mean he could remove enough safely he could finally be in complete control? That he could be… free?

He finished washing and dressing, pleasantly surprised at the soft but loose hanging fit of the colorful shirt and shorts. He grabbed the handle and took a breath, hoping he didn't look ridiculous. Isavey and another young woman waited outside. They sat close and leaned together like friends or sisters, speaking low and stopping as Felix stepped outside. They both stood and bowed their heads. Felix did the same.

"I'm sorry again. For the intrusion. I thought maybe you…"

"Don't mention it." He smiled like it didn't matter.

"I'm feeling much better now. But uh, do you have any food? I'm starving." Isavey smiled and rang a bell from her pocket, and in moments a brigade of young women were carrying trays and plates and cups as they swarmed and filled the nearby table. He was about to sit and dig in when the other young woman by the princess stepped forward and dropped to her knees. Right in front of him.

"I thank you, stranger, for protecting Lady Amadi. It is my responsibility to keep her safe, and I…failed in my duty."

"This isn't necessary," Isavey said as if embarrassed.

"You didn't fail anything, Cara. I'm the one who told you to stay at the palace. If anything…"

"In failing in my duty," interrupted the young woman sharply, "I dishonored myself. And my family. If you hadn't been at her side, I don't want to think…" she shook her head and looked on the verge of tears. Felix had no idea what he was supposed to do. The girl was covered almost completely in the thin fabric, hiding basically everything but her face. She seemed young, pretty like all the women here to his eyes. He shrugged at Isavey and lowered himself to put a hand on each of the girl's slender shoulders.

As he did, though, he realized she was stronger than she looked. There was lean muscle under all that silk. But she was still tiny compared to him. He lifted her back to her feet and smiled.

"You're welcome. We'll look out for her together, aye? I expect our princess is a troublemaker." He winked, trying to be charming. The girl nodded enthusiastically, like he was just stating facts.

"The Lady is truly incorrigible. She ignores my orders. She intentionally tricks me to be on her own, even at dangerous hours. She…"

"Cara!" Isavey's dark eyes were wide, her face pink.

"That's enough. Our guest doesn't need to hear how you…" Cara gestured at the princess with an exasperated arm, in a kind of 'do you see what I mean?'

"I am her sacred guardian, appointed by our lord and the gods themselves. And she speaks to me like a servant. It's extraordinary. She knows nothing of violence." Here the girl looked almost excited as she turned back to Felix.

"But it's clear you do. So I am truly grateful to have you by her side, Wizard." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Isavey was glowing red now. She played with her hands, adjusted some of the plates around the table. Whoever this slip of a girl was, she obviously had considerable authority and meaning to the princess. Cara was almost Isavey's physical opposite, save for how pretty she was.

Where Isavey was dark in complexion, Cara was pale skinned with bright green eyes. She was lithe and thin and shorter, with little curve except in her hips. She looked far too small to be any kind of 'protector'. But something in her eyes made Felix think otherwise. He was pretty sure there were knives under that slip of a dress, and that Cara wouldn't hesitate to use them. No doubt she was chosen because she'd be underestimated. The best assassins always were.

He reached out and took the girl's hand, shaking it like he would a man's.

"I'm glad to be at her side, too." Cara looked confused but not displeased, shaking Felix's hand like she took the cultural act with complete seriousness and wanted to get it right.

"Well." Isavey cleared her throat.

"If you're done talking about me like I'm not in the room. Shall we eat something? I'm hungry, too." Felix grinned, then pulled out a chair for Cara. She stared as if completely baffled until he helped her to sit. ** Isavey had thought her humiliation at its peak when she stared directly at Felix's manhood. She had literally never seen one except on an infant. Apparently, they… grew in proportion. Then her guardian had… said everything she said. Isa stared daggers at the girl who was really more like her sister.

Cara ignored her and kept on finding food for Felix like she was feeding a new pet.

"Tell me about killing the other wizards, please," she said, forking over some buttered yam.

"Spare no detail. I want to know everything." Felix glanced up at Isavey with a mouth full of roast pork. She rolled her eyes.

"Cara, can we please not discuss death and violence at the table? Our guest is eating. And it was a terrible experience. I don't even want to think about it."

"You see what I mean?" Cara shook her head.

"Soft as cheese." Isavey almost stuck out her tongue, but she didn't want to seem like a child in front of Felix. She still had no idea how to think of him. Thinking about him at all brought a kind of confusing heat to her face. She'd been worried her father would be angry about the temple. That he'd think Isavey was wasting his time and attention with some useless foreigner. Instead, the High Mage had come to visit while the man slept.

His burned hand was wrapped in linen, his usual, affable swagger replaced with a cautious scowl.

"So?" he'd asked with no greeting.

"Where is he, then? I'm supposed to check on him. Or so says my puffed up, annoying cousin."

"He's resting," Isavey said with a disapproving glare.

"And your cousin happens to be lord of our house. And even if I were the great and powerful High Wizard Hasha I might be a touch more careful how I…"

"Yes, yes, don't bore me." The big man who was really like her uncle had barreled past her, wielding his stomach like a cushiony club. He cracked the door and watched Felix sleep for a long minute, then sat at the table and gestured for Isavey to sit down. He shook his head and sighed, staring out the window.

"Never seen anything like it, Isa. Not ever. It was like…" he'd mimed a ball with his hands.

"There were no cracks. None. His spirit is a fortress of fire. I gave up. Didn't even really try to get in, and still it burned me. If I'd lingered, or if I'd pushed…" He'd held up his hand, and Isavey had no idea how to understand it. There wasn't a fire wizard on the isles who could cause the man such damage so quickly.

"What does it mean, uncle? How could such a thing be possible? You're the strongest water caster on the island." Isavey called all her elder male kin uncle, though in the case of Hasha she meant it. The big man shook his head.

"And you say he's a dual? And opposites? By the gods, his water mana must be dry as my first wife's…" he glanced at her and cleared his throat.

"I mean he must have no water mana at all." Isavey was used to the man's crudeness and recognized it, though in this particular case didn't understand it. She'd told him (and Cara) all about the attack before the first bridge. He'd listened with a curled fist and barely contained rage, snapping at Cara for not being there.

"Isn't that your one and only job? To protect the daughter of our lord? What use are you?" Cara had stared at the floor, already feeling utterly guilty and ashamed, even though it wasn't her fault. Isavey had jumped to her defence, possibly even cursing before she remembered herself. Hasha had laughed and apologized, squeezing her hand and saying he'd get to the bottom of it all.

"Don't worry, Isa. We'll find out who did this. Though I suspect your father has his ideas. But you'll be stuck in the palace grounds awhile, eh? The foreigner is a good excuse. You're officially in charge of him. Make sure he's house trained." She'd smiled politely and promised to inform him when the foreigner woke up, and keep him informed so he could speak with the king. He'd patted her hand and made to leave, but stopped at the door, meeting her eyes with even more unusual seriousness.

"There's change brewing on the island, Isa. I feel it in my bowels. We might need this fire wizard. Take him back and test him again. Do whatever you have to. We'll untangle this mystery together."

"Yes, uncle." Isavey smiled and touched the man's hand to her forehead, and he cupped her cheek and winked before he went off. Now, Isavey sat politely watching the foreigner eat enough for two. He gorged like an animal, apparently no shame at all about stuffing himself in front of others. He was a fire wizard, that was for sure. And she couldn't tell if she was disgusted, or fascinated, or…well she had no idea what she was. When Felix finally finished, he sat back with an uncovered burp and a wide smile.

"My God. That was something." He looked between her and an almost equally fascinated Cara.

"Oh I'm sorry. Should we have said some kind of prayer or something first? I'm not much used to royal houses." Isavey shook her head and smiled, gesturing for a servant to fetch the man water. And preferably something to clean his greasy chin. She had no idea how to talk to him. Or how to convince him to go back to the temple and try their test again. Especially after how he'd reacted to everything she told him. The experience still confused her. Angered her. Strangely, maybe shamed her.

How could she know how ignorant he was? Or how ignorant his people were? And to accuse her and the islanders of not doing something! How were they responsible? And yet somehow… she'd suddenly felt responsible. Like Felix was right, like they could have done something. But she reminded herself he was just some rude, foreign soldier, with no conception of what this island was, or why it even existed. Still, he was her charge. He was not at all unpleasant to look at—except when he was eating.

And after protecting her from those assassins, she felt bizarrely safe and comfortable in his presence. She felt the same strange trust, a desire to be close. Maybe even touch him again. The thought brought another annoying flash of heat to her face, and chest, and down to her gut. She took a breath and tried to think of some combination of words that would move them to 'so about your magical ignorance', to 'we are going to try and channel your mana', to 'and now it's time to test again'.

Hopefully without offending or sending the man into another fit. She licked her lips and was preparing for her first attempt when Felix cleared his throat.

"Alright, princess." He smiled at the servant who'd brought him a towel.

"Your polite prisoner has been fed and watered. Let's go try your damn temple again."