Edgar opened the door. "I'll see if I can get us some clean clothes. You need anything else?"
"I don't think so. Thank you."
He shut the door.
The parchment was wet, and I gingerly unrolled it. The ink was smudged, but I could still make out the names Rada had written on it. The name listed for the first heir in Mantello was Mardiana Acardi. He wrote notes beside the names about where to find them. Mardiana spent every morning on a bench across from the bookstore in the village. I'd sat on that same bench the time I came to Mantello with Bastien and Nick.
Nick had squished grapes with the local girls during the festival. He was drunk on wine by the end of the evening. I smiled at the memory and wiped away the tears that normally followed after I'd thought of him.
The steam from the shower seeped under the bathroom door. Bastien was singing again. This time it was a Beatles' song. "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah … "
I chuckled and removed my socks. My feet were aching and cold. My body protested as I laid back on the floor. The water turned off, and Bastien was still humming. I imagined he was drying off.
A few moments later, the bathroom door flew open, and I sat up. Bastien strolled out, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"That felt great," he said, stretching his hands over his head, the towel inching down a little below his waist. His skin wasn't completely dry, his biceps and abs glistening in the light from the lamp on the table. I couldn't help but stare at his glorious torso.
"You should take one," he said, breaking the spell the ripple of his muscles had on me. "Mantello has the best showers. The water is always hot."
"Sounds great." I scrambled to my feet, darted to the bathroom, and snuck another look at Bastien in his towel as I shut the door. I leaned my back against the door, the steam engulfing me.
Okay, calm down. It's just Bastien. A. Partially. Naked. Bastien. I sighed.
By the time I'd finished with my shower, Edgar had returned. He knocked on the door, and I eased it open a crack to let him pass me the clothes he'd found.
A cloud of steam followed me out of the bathroom. The nightgown I had on looked like something a princess would wear. I'd prefer pajama bottoms and a tank top, but at least it was clean. I had the bed to myself. Bastien and Edgar were on mats on the floor.
Bastien was already asleep. I pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. Edgar was mud-free and in a white linen shirt and loose pants. "You're clean. Where did you shower?"
"Never you mind about that." He gave me a mischievous smile and rolled onto his side, his back to me. I hadn't noticed it before-how could I with all that hair he had when I first saw him-but he was a good-looking guy. Especially when he smiled. I could see the females of any species falling for him.
I rested my head on the flat pillow and pulled the rough blanket up to my chin. The window was cracked open, the Mantello breeze pushing the sheer curtains in and out, and I stared at the ceiling.
I hated quiet moments like this. It was when all the worry would catch up to my mind. And regardless of how tired I was, I couldn't sleep.
Edgar came over to the side of the bed. "You're awake."
"Yeah, my mind is whirling." I sat up and rested on my elbows. "Edgar, what are you? Are you a Sentinel … wizard?"
"I'm a guard. Some children with wizard parents are born without magic. I happen to be one. We tend to go into services where magic isn't needed." He turned his hand and showed me a scar the shape of a cross between his thumb and index finger. "When we graduate our academy, we're branded so we can jump the gateways. My scores were higher than any guard before me, so Merl recruited me to be a spy for him." He held out a cup to me. "Drink this. It'll help you sleep."
The cup was warm when I wrapped my fingers around it. "What is it?"
"Fey Water," he whispered. I hadn't noticed his eyes were such a dark green before. There was pain in them, as though they'd seen horrible things.
I took a sip from the cup, and it was as if a fire went down my throat and blazed through my body to my stomach. I coughed. "That's not water."
"Well, of course not." He returned to his mat. "It's Fey Water. There's magic in it. Pretty potent stuff."
The walls were breathing in and out, and I felt dizzy. I fell back against the pillows.
"Just lay there and don't move. You will sleep soon."
I couldn't move if I wanted. My eyes closed, even though I tried to keep them open.
Several or tons of hours later, I couldn't tell, I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. Beautiful birdsong came through the open window, and the scent of something delicious just recently cooked wafted in the air. I stretched my arms above my head and opened my eyes.
Edgar stared down at me. "You shouldn't speak in your sleep."
Startled, I sat up and glanced around. "Wh-what did I say? Where's Bastien?"
He scowled at me. "Which question would you like me to answer first?"
I shrugged. "Bastien?"
"He went to buy a Mystik Observer. It's an underground newspaper. You can get arrested for just having it in your possession." He went over to the table and picked up a slice of bacon. "Calina made breakfast. You should eat. When Bastien returns, we'll be on our way."
"Wait. Why would he do that? It's risky."
"Bastien can take care of himself."
My feet were tangled in the sheets, which meant I'd had another restless night, but I couldn't remember a thing. "You didn't answer my other question."
"Let's just say"-he smiled around a piece of bacon-"if Bastien ever doubted your feelings for him, he no longer does."
What the hell did I say?
He threw his head back and laughed.
Bastien opened the door carrying a newspaper and mug with steaming liquid inside. "You're awake," he said, stating the obvious.
"Um, yeah, I was just going to get dressed." I grabbed my clothes from the chair. Calina must have had them cleaned and folded for me.
"Here." Bastien handed the mug to Edgar. "Calina said it's a fireball coffee."
The mention of the drink reminded me of Arik. He loved the stuff. Said the coffee was made with chocolate and hot spices. A Djallican girl behind the coffee bar in the Asile castle's game room had offered him one. We were on our way to the exit that led to some ancient ruins-an outdoor theatre where the Mystik Games were once held-to train with my battle globe. It had rained on us that day, and I'd fallen for Arik.
Back then, staring at Arik in the rain, I would've never believed I'd be where I was now. Life changed so quickly. Sometimes what might look right just wasn't. And we weren't. But that didn't change the fact that I cared about Arik. I missed his friendship. Missed my battle partner.
And then, there was Bastien, with his eyes on me as if he could read my mind. He lifted a smile, and it reminded me that I'd apparently done a sportscaster thing while I was sleeping and given him and Edgar a play-by-play of my feelings for him.
"Is something the matter?" Bastien asked.
My eyes widened, as I realized I had been standing there staring when I should be getting dressed. "No. Just enjoying the view." I glanced at the window and the sheers were closed. My cheeks burned.
Oh gosh.
"It's even better when the curtains are open." Bastien winked and slid the sheers to one side. "Get dressed. Wear your hair down. The images of you flashing across the various screens around the Mystik world have it up. And you may wish to hurry, or your breakfast will be cold. We should be on our way soon."
After shutting the bathroom door, I leaned against it, trying to remember what I'd dreamt about last night. I did witness Bastien in all his bare-chested-towel-only glory. There was no telling what played out in my dreams, or what I mumbled while getting some serious REMs. All courtesy of Fey Water.
When I'd dressed and returned to the room, Bastien and Edgar were in deep conversation, their empty plates between them. Their tall frames didn't fit at the tiny table, and they had pushed it over to the bed. Edgar was on the mattress, Bastien on one of the chairs, and the other one sat empty for me. The Mystik Observer lay open in the middle of the table. My stomach rumbled, so I took the empty seat and picked up a piece of toast.
"So, what are we talking about?" I took a bite.
Bastien pointed out the top article in the newspaper. "We can't use the tunnels any longer. Haven guards discovered an entry and are searching them for you."
"Then what are we going to do?"
Edgar lifted his mug. "We're splitting up."
I dropped the remainder of my toast onto my plate. "No, we're not. That's a bad idea."
Bastien placed his hand on my knee. "We must use the gateway. It's faster. No one knows that Edgar is with us. He'll go to Esteril and gather the heir's blood there. I've contacted the French Sentinels to meet me in the Senate Library. They'll be on their way back from delivering your father to the Shelter. I trust them to get me into Couve safely, where I'll gather our heir's donation."
"And me?" I didn't like this idea. And I didn't like that it made sense for them to go without me.
"You'll stay here and find Mantello's heir." Bastien squeezed my knee as if it would ease my worry.