Twin Curse(9)

But she just smiled. "Show me around?"

There wasn't really much to show, but Lyall dutifully took her over the  small yacht. "It's fairly small," he found himself apologising. He  showed her the wheel, the small cabin that protected the captain in a  storm and briefly lifted the hatch down to the sleeping cabin, saying  offhand, "The sleeping quarters are down there."

She wanted to see of course, so Lyall helped her down the stairs. He  would have stayed up top, but he was worried she would lose her footing  with the rocking of the boat and slip on the steep staircase.

The room was small, with a bunk bed against one wall, and a few cupboards against the other.

"You sleep on the boat?" she asked him with interest.

"Sometimes. Depends where I'm going and how long the trip is."

She seemed satisfied with that answer and was happy enough to come back  up on deck and watch as he cast off and raised the sails. He didn't take  them far, just for a short sail around the harbour. Then he anchored a  little way off the shore, away from the hustle and bustle.

Brianna glanced up at the sun, then frowned. "I'm going to be late for my afternoon shift."

"I arranged it with Syrid, you have the afternoon off," he told her. "So  you have no excuse for not relaxing and enjoying yourself."

She stared at him for a moment, and he wondered then if she guessed his  news. But then she laughed and said, "Oh, gee, you make my life  difficult, Lyall."

He grinned and instead of responding, opened the picnic basket.

Elsian had outdone herself. Lyall pulled out a red and white checked rug  and spread it out on the wooden deck. Then he arranged the white china  plates and the cutlery on it and served a piece of Elsian's special  apple pie for each of them. He hesitated for a moment over the bottle of  wine she'd included. He didn't often drink, but he poured them each a  glass anyway. This could be classified as a special occasion.

They ate in companionable silence. After the pie, there were  strawberries and cream, followed by little individually wrapped  chocolates. Finally, when they could eat no more, they leaned against  the railing and looked back towards the harbour, finishing off the last  of the wine.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Brianna asked finally.

"Is it that obvious?" Lyall asked ruefully.

Brianna turned and smiled at him sadly, and though he was sad for the  expression, it gave him some hope that she was beginning to care about  him.

"Will you miss me?" he asked impulsively.

"Lyall," she protested.

"Brianna," he put a hand on her arm and looked seriously at her.

She seemed uncomfortable but didn't pull away. Finally, she sighed. "Of course I'll miss you," she said gruffly.

Lyall couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad."

"Well, you shouldn't be." She punched him playfully, but with a hint of a  sting. "Are you planning on coming back?" she asked more seriously.

He sighed. "It's complicated. I want to, but I don't know if I can."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means; I don't know."

"Great."

They were silent for a moment, then Brianna opened up a little for the  first time. "Back in my village, there's a boy I was supposed to marry."

"Supposed to?"

"Yeah, supposed to. But I couldn't, so I ran away instead."

"Do you think you'll ever go back?"         

     



 

She laughed. "I don't know."

"Touché." Lyall smiled.

He should have been upset that she had someone waiting for her, that she  didn't seem certain about anything, but in actual fact, he felt more  positive than he had since they had met. So positive, in fact, that he  did something completely reckless.

He leaned across and kissed her.

Her lips were warm and soft under his and after a moment's hesitation,  they parted just enough that he could taste her. He pulled back long  enough to see the dreamy, contented look in her eyes before kissing her  again. A longer, more drawn out kiss this time.

She pulled back this time, but only far enough to say softly, "Lyall?"  Her lips were parted and her voice breathless. She didn't need to say  anymore. The question in her eyes was the same as the one in his heart.  How far were they going to take this?

He knew now why some mages threw caution to the wind and took a chance  on someone they barely knew. He could have slept with her now without a  second thought, and he suspected she would not protest. In fact, the way  her body arched towards him suggested that she was feeling the same  intense feelings he was.

"Brianna," he groaned and kissed her again. His hand slid to her waist,  but he dared not take it any further. Much as he wanted to, now was not  the time. He needed a clear head, and to know her a little better,  before he made that decision. He'd seen too many of his friends trapped  for life all because of this impulse.

The kiss, though. Well, there was nothing wrong with kissing. And the  rug Elsian had provided was thick and soft. Somehow, they ended up lying  side by side, not touching except for their lips. She tasted like  chocolate, and he wondered if he did too. The thought made him smile.

He had no idea how long they lay like that, but he was breathless and  more than a little dizzy when she pulled back. She reached out a hand to  touch his cheek, smiling a little in wonder. He smiled back.

Eventually, reluctantly, he said softly, "I should get you back to the inn."

"Do we have to?" she asked.

He was sorely tempted. They could stay here, squeezed into the narrow  bunk bed. He didn't have to make love to her, they could just lie in  each other's arms.

But he didn't quite trust himself. "I think we'd better," he said  ruefully. "If I wasn't leaving tomorrow … " He let the suggestion hang in  the air, and she smiled. He squeezed her hand, then stood up and pulled  up the anchor and sailed them back to shore.

She packed the picnic basket, and both of them were more composed by the  time they disembarked at the harbour. He took the basket from her, and  they walked hand in hand back to the inn. He said goodnight to her at  her door, kissing her politely on the cheek, not trusting his  self-control to do more. "Goodbye, Brianna," he said softly.

"Goodbye, Lyall," she replied, turning away to hide the tears in her eyes.

Crossing to his door and closing it behind him was harder than he had imagined, but finally he was alone in his room.

He would come back for her. No matter what his father decreed, he would come back.





"You're late," King Balen said flatly. "Five days late, in fact."

"I hope my reasons for being so will make up for that transgression, sir," Lyall said.

His father raised an eyebrow. "They would have to be very good."

"I found a mage on the mainland."

His father's brow drew down. "A mage? On the mainland?"

"Yes, sir." He wasn't going to give any more details until his father relented.

His news was surprising enough that forgiveness was automatic. "I take  it not someone from the island?" Almost a repeat question, but with a  subtle difference. A mage from the island would be there against his  father's express commands. No mages left Isla de Magi without his  permission, and he rarely gave permission.

Lyall shook his head. "No, not from the island."

His father's frown deepened. "Did he recognise you for a mage?"

"She," Lyall corrected. "And no, she didn't. She appears unaware of her magical power."

She?" His father raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "If she's not from  here, if she is, actually, a spontaneous appearance of the magical gene,  then it would make sense I suppose. But it should not be possible.  Everyone who was even related to a mage came to the island with us. So  where has she come from?"

Lyall took the question literally. "I could not get her origins from  her, although admittedly, I did not pry much for fear of arousing her  suspicions, but she is from outside the city. Some small outlying  village, I expect."         

     



 

"You talked to the woman then?"

"I thought it best to try to find out as much as I could before reporting back, sir."

His father frowned. "You took a big risk, Lyall. She may not appear to  be using magic, but since the only mages who were left on the mainland  were the others … "

"I understand the risk, sir, but I took all the precautions. She was  working as a serving maid in the inn I usually stay at. No magic had  been used there aside from mine. Why would a mage work at an inn? It  seems highly unlikely she was hiding anything, and far more likely that  she has no idea of her power."

"I'm surprised you didn't just ask her outright." The sarcasm in his father's voice grated on his nerves.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to ignore it and respond  calmly. "There would have been no purpose to that. And I figured you  didn't want her scared off until we found out a bit more about her. I'm  happy to speak to her if you wish, though, I believe we have developed  somewhat of a rapport."