The Archmage Unbound Read Free

the meaning of the words.
    “Yes, all afternoon. When I came back to check on
you just now I got a bit worried, you were sort of transparent and you looked
as though you might start to float away. I started yelling to get your
attention and I tried to grab your shoulder but I couldn’t get a hold on you.
My hand went right through you.” She paused and slapped my arm. “You seem
perfectly solid now though. What were you doing?”
    “I’m not sure,” I said idly. “I was monitoring
Cyhan’s progress out of Lancaster… I think.”
    “You’re not sure? It took me several minutes just
to get your attention; you were looking straight through me as though I wasn’t
even there. Were you able to tell if he went the right direction?” she asked.
The wind had died down and her hair was lying calmly across her shoulders now.
    “I’m sure of that. He went south, heading toward
Albamarl. If he’s planning to double back he went an awfully long way before
changing directions.” A stray thought passed through my mind, her hair
looked better with the wind in it. A sudden playful gust picked a lock of
hair up and tossed it about. Did I do that? I wondered but I couldn’t
be sure. I hadn’t used my power; the wind seemed to move of its own accord.
    “Focus, Mordecai.” Ariadne snapped her fingers in
front of my face. “Your eyes were drifting away again. Am I going to have to
talk to Penny about you?”
    “No I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just trying to get used
to some of my abilities.” In truth I really wasn’t certain. “What did you
want to talk to me about… before I frightened you?” I forcefully drew my mind
in on itself and began walking toward the main keep.
    Ariadne kept pace with me as she responded, “I
wanted to ask you about Marcus. How has he been?”
    Her brother hadn’t returned to Lancaster after the
end of our battle with Gododdin’s army. His goddess had refused to heal Penny
when she was mortally wounded, ostensibly because Penny and I had broken the
bond that shielded my mind. That refusal had led Marc to reject her and the
resulting void within him had left him despondent and a bit lost. He had been
staying with me at Castle Cameron since then but I hadn’t been able to draw him
out much. Naturally his parents and siblings were worried about him.
    “He’s about the same,” I replied. “I convinced him
to have a few drinks with me and Dorian the other day but he wasn’t very
jovial.”
    Her brows pinched together in an expression of
concern. “I wish he would come home for a while. Maybe I could talk some
sense into him.”
    I sincerely doubted having his younger sister
nagging at him would help, but I didn’t dare tell her that, instead I used my
considerable powers of misdirection to rephrase my thoughts. “I don’t think
having your father lecturing him would help much right now.” I do seem to be
gaining some wisdom as time goes on.
    “You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Will you be
staying for dinner or returning home right away?”
    I honestly hadn’t given it much thought. My focus
had been entirely on how to handle Cyhan when I rode out that morning. I was
pretty sure Penelope expected me home for dinner that evening though. “I
hadn’t planned on staying this late actually. But if you like we could have
dinner here tomorrow evening. I’m sure Dorian would like an excuse to visit
his mother as well.” Dorian was living with us in Washbrook now, serving as my
seneschal and master at arms.
    “Is Rose still staying with you? If so you should
extend the invitation to her as well,” Ariadne added, giving me an impish
grin. She seemed to like Rose Hightower; she had looked up to her as a young girl.
I suspected she had some ulterior motive though. I didn’t doubt that she was
plotting to fix Rose and Dorian up together. Penny had similar ideas though I
wasn’t sure I approved of their meddling, as far as I could tell the two of
them would be just fine if