The Unmage Read Free

the halls of Mage Guild Island. Despite the brevity of the meeting, many of his questions had been answered. But now he had even more. Would either his mother or Rorik tell him the truth?
     
    “ DID MY FATHER curse Santos Nimali?”
    “I have no idea,” his mother replied. “And if he did, I’m sure he had good reason to.”
    “Primus?” Timo turned to Rorik. “Did he?”
    Rorik sighed and looked over at Arabella, who frowned and shook her head.
    His mother had led them here, to her apartment. As soon as they’d closed the door to her sitting room Timo had asked his question. Now he glared at his mother, who ignored him and went to sit in her favourite chair. Rorik shrugged and sat on the settee across from her.
    “Who exactly is the Primus here?” Timo said.
    Rorik stiffened and turned to him. “When it concerns you, I defer to your mother,” he said.
    “How exactly does this concern me? It happened years before I was even born.”
    “It’s about your father,” his mother said. “So it concerns you.” She looked up at him, her mouth a thin line. “Go and tell Annya that you and Primus Rorik will be dining with me. And have her bring tea.”
    “Then you can practice the spell I taught you yesterday,” Rorik said. “I’ll expect you to show me before we dine.”
    Timo clenched his fists. He knew that look on his mother’s face—he would get no answers from her. Not today and probably not ever. And Rorik, that spineless old man, did whatever his mother told him.
    “Practice your magic in your old room,” Arabella said. “There’s nothing in there that I’ll miss if you ruin it.”
    “Yes, Mother,” Timo said. Of course she didn’t care about anything in his old room. He wasn’t even sure she cared about him . He turned and left the room so his mother and Rorik could discuss the meeting, so his mother could instruct Rorik to tell her son nothing.
    “You let her stay!”
    His mother’s voice and she was very angry. Timo paused and took a step back towards the open door.
    “She was already there,” Rorik said. “Was I supposed to tell her to leave the room?”
    “Yes! I told you I never wanted Timo to meet her. She’s clever and devious and will try to use him against us—against Mage Guild.”
    “Are you worried that if Timo realises he has another option he might not do what you want?” Rorik asked. “I don’t think she was being devious when she helped me.”
    “You have no idea what she did to you,” his mother replied. “She might have cursed you.”
    “Arabella,” Rorik scoffed. “That’s too weak an argument for even you to use. You know she has no magic. Just this . . . unmagic. Besides, in fourteen years not once have any of them—Kara Fonti, Santos Nimali, or Reo Medina—ever tried to attack us. I believe Santos has told us the truth. They simply want to live in peace. Why can’t you let them?”
    “She killed Valerio. I will never forgive her for that.”
    “In self-defence,” Rorik said. “Even the witness accounts state that.”
    Timo frowned. This was why he wasn’t allowed in the Hall of Records.
    “They were manipulated,” his mother said. “Probably by Inigo.”
    “Arabella, I saw to them myself. The witness accounts are valid.”
    “I won’t let her have him.”
    “In a few years he’ll make his own decision,” Rorik said. “There is nothing you can do about that. But if you keep lying to him, he will never choose to become your Journeyman.”
    “He will. I will make sure he has no other choice.” There was a pause. “Why is it taking Annya so long to bring our tea?”
    Guiltily, Timo found Annya and relayed his mother’s instructions, hoping his delay didn’t get her into trouble.
    He stepped inside his room and closed the door, leaning against it.
    His mother expected him to be her Journeyman! He couldn’t imagine anything more unappealing. With almost two years before he had to choose, he hadn’t thought about which Mage he might