Jistan

“An unmancer is a perfect addition to your team,” Tivon said as he stuffed a scroll onto one of the shelves behind him. Books and scrolls filled every inch of shelf space in the walls of the biomancer’s office. Even his desk was littered with parchments. Jistan had no idea how he kept track of it all, but somehow Tivon always knew how to find what he needed.

“Yes, I don’t think we’d be able to pull off this heist without someone who could break through magical protections,” Jistan agreed, pacing over to a row of books about the Mancer War. He scowled at them, thinking of what was happening along Casland’s borders at this very moment.

“You were lucky to find Shaielle. And this Q person, who is an electromancer, you say?”

“Yes. So that makes four members of my team. I need to talk to—”

“Wait, four? You, Shai, Q, and who else?”

“Why, you, of course. We’ll need a biomancer with knowledge of the Obsidian Chest’s whereabouts.”

But Tivon was shaking his head. “I am not a thief. I’m not even a soldier. I belong in libraries, not out there getting my hands dirty.”

“I need you,” Jistan insisted, turning to face him. “Not only for your abilities, but because I need a companion I trust.”

“You don’t trust Shai?”

The prince frowned. “She’s been with The Cliq for years. Dishonesty is probably in her nature, whether she knows it or not.”

“But her experience as a thief makes her invaluable. I can give you all the information you need. I don’t see why I need to go.”

“Tivon…” Jistan didn’t want to use his authority as prince to command his friend, but he would if he had to. This would be Jistan’s first time taking a long expedition outside the palace without his father, and he wanted a close friend along for the journey.

Their discussion was interrupted, however, when someone poked their head into the office.

“Prince Jistan!” Aladia exclaimed. “There you are. I need to talk to you.” She sashayed into the room, giving Tivon a look. “Leave us.”

Tivon grew rigid, throwing a glance at Jistan.

The prince scoffed. “Lady Aladia, do you think it’s appropriate to dismiss a man from his own office? Let us talk out in the corridor.” He moved for the door, but Aladia held her arm out to stop him.

“You’re his superior. He’s supposed to do as you say. And if I ever become your wife, he’ll have to get used to obeying me as well.” Aladia smiled Tivon’s way, her features beautiful but haughty.

Tivon grabbed the lapels of his jacket and forced a smile at Jistan. “It’s fine, Your Highness. I’d like to fetch a cup of tea anyway.” He came around his desk and passed by them, shooting a dark look at Aladia behind her head. Jistan smirked at that.

When the door closed, Aladia sat on the edge of Tivon’s desk, sighing. “If I become Princess, I’ll have to teach the servants around here how to behave.”

“Tivon’s not a servant, he’s my friend,” Jistan said, irritation dripping off him. He wasn’t a saint himself, but Aladia was on another level of nastiness, the worst he’d seen in a highborn lady. He’d have to convince his father he could never marry her.

“I’m sure it makes you feel better saying so.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Anyway, I came because I have wonderful news.” She grinned at him.

He was scared of what she considered ‘wonderful news’. “And what would that be?”

“Your father told mine all about this quest you’re about to go on. And they both agree you need a powerful darkmancer on your team.” She scooted closer to him. “So we get to spend the next several weeks together! Isn’t that great?”

Oh, Goddess, no. Jistan tried to contain his grimace. “Oh…I-I thought you were going back to Lyndree with Lord Jefros in a few days.”

“Father said I can go with you instead!” She clapped her hands together.

He clenched a fist by his side. “But this trip is sure to be dangerous. Very, very dangerous. Surely you wouldn’t want to risk your life, being a highborn lady.”

“You seem to think I’m as weak-minded as other ladies. Do you see me wasting my days fanning myself or prancing around in pretty dresses? No. I’m a battle mancer. I hone my magic as often as I can. Now I get a chance to use it.”

He couldn’t argue with the fact that he needed a darkmancer on his team. But this one… “I could easily find someone else. You don’t need to take this risk.”

She leaned even closer to him, until their arms almost touched. “I need this quest as an excuse to get away from my parents for a while. My father expects so much from me, and my mom…she just goes along with whatever Father wants. She’s like his puppet, and it’s hard to watch.” Her eyes appeared troubled as her fingers fidgeted.

He sighed, hating that he felt sorry for her. “If you join me on this quest, you’ll have to work with me and my team. You have to follow my lead. Can you do that?”

“For you, I’d do anything.” She stood, running a finger down the front of his tunic. “And during this quest, we can spend more time getting to know each other.” She looked up at him through her long eyelashes. Her beauty might have captivated him, if he didn’t know the ugliness beneath it.

He stepped back out of her reach. “Well, if you really want to come, I can certainly use someone of your skill. And while you and I learn more about each other, you can also get to know a long-lost friend of mine, who I’ve recently reconnected with. She’s an unmancer, and she has joined the team as well.”

That dropped the grin off Aladia’s face. “She? A female unmancer?”

“Yes, a powerful one at that. Her name is Shai. I look forward to the two of you meeting.” He bowed his head to her, then turned to take his leave. Tivon would be happy to see them gone when he returned. Especially Aladia.

Jistan smirked, thinking of how mentioning Shai had rankled Aladia. He wondered how the personalities of these two girls would mesh during their quest.

* * *

The prince went into the courtyard the next day when a servant told him guests were arriving through the front gates. He hurried down the front steps and across a massive sundial carved into the white stone of the anterior palace grounds. In the middle of the sundial rose a stone statue of the Goddess, which had been created by a geomancer—someone with earth magic—generations ago. The statue acted as the sundial’s gnomon and had been enchanted by a heliomancer to tell time even if the sun wasn’t out.

Jistan’s face broke into a grin when he saw Shai and Qiara dismounting horses, rucksacks of belongings slung over their shoulders. Two guards and a stable boy flanked them, the latter waiting to take the horses away.

“You’re back!” Jistan said as he went to them. “Does this mean you both accept my offer?”

Shai nodded as Qiara said, “Yes, we do, Your Highness.”

He clapped his hands together. “Excellent! You have any trouble with Madame Kalyssah?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle, my prince,” Shai replied, her smile tight. Qiara flashed her a look, then stared down at her boots.

Jistan figured there must be more to the story, but he could delve into the whole truth later. He looked around. “Did your mother not come with you, Shai? Where is she? She was welcome to stay here too.”

Shai frowned. “She’s going to stay where she is for the time being. It was her choice.”

“She’s going to stay in a den of thieves?” Jistan was incredulous.

“She’s only their cook. She doesn’t steal for them.”

Like you did, he thought, but wasn’t foolish enough to say out loud. “Oh. Maybe she’ll change her mind by the time we come back from our quest.”

“Maybe.”

He swept a hand toward the entrance of the palace. “Shall we head inside? Q, one of the servants will show you to your temporary quarters. You may join us for dinner when the bell chimes at the first evening hour. Shai, I will personally escort you to your quarters.”

Shai nodded as they headed into the palace, and Qiara was led away in a different direction when they entered the entrance hall. Shai followed him as he went upstairs to the third floor, and he noticed how withdrawn she was as they walked down the hallway to her room.

“This will all work out for the best, you’ll see,” he assured her. “I’m glad we’ve been reunited, Shaielle Breanon.”

She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Me too. It’s just…are you sure your father approves of me being here? What if he wants me to stay banished from the palace?”

“When your name was mentioned, there was no recognition, so I doubt he remembers you. He may not even recognize you if you run into him. Besides, the only reason he banished you and your mother was because he had no need for your mother’s service as handmaiden after my mother died.” His throat closed as he remembered the woman who’d raised him.

Shai lifted a hand as if to comfort him, hesitated, then dropped it. Maybe she thought he wouldn’t approve, but he wouldn’t have minded. He never got the chance to share his grief with her before she left all those years ago.

“I hate that we were forced to leave the day after her death,” Shai said, tears springing to her eyes. “I wanted nothing more than to be here for you during your time of need.”

“I know. I wanted you here too, but it’s not your fault.” He recalled how he’d begged and screamed at Father to let Shai stay, but the emperor wouldn’t hear of it. Jistan had never understood why, and he’d always suspected there must be something he was missing. But he never found out what. So he lost his mother and his best friend in a span of twenty-four hours. It also hurt him knowing Shai lost a lot that day too, such as safety and the only home she’d ever known.

Shai wiped her eyes. “Well, I’m here for you now, if that makes up for the past.”

He swallowed down the lump in his throat and smiled at her. “It does. And I’m here for you as well. I can only imagine what you’ve been through over the years.”

She averted her eyes from him. Apparently, she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

He decided to change the subject. “Anyway, as I was saying, you have a reason to be here now, if by some miracle my father does remember you. He won’t banish you again, especially now that the Treasurer told him how useful you are. He’s impressed I found an unmancer who can break into our Royal Vault.”

She grinned sheepishly at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He stopped in front of an open door to a large bedroom with lavish furnishings and a passageway to its own private privy. “These are your quarters. The wardrobe is stocked with clothing in your size. Servants are always around if you need anything, or I could get you your own personal handmaiden—”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” she quickly replied in an annoyed tone.

Stupid me, Jistan thought. Of course she doesn’t want a handmaiden when her mother used to be one. “Right, my apologies. Er, I’ll be just down here, in my room at the end of the hall. Let me know when you’ve settled in.”

“Thank you for all this, Prince Jistan.”

“My pleasure.”

She started to turn away, stopped, then faced him and bowed her head slightly. Jistan opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t have to bow to him, but she disappeared into her room, glancing around at the elegant furniture. He stared after her until she closed her door.

An old memory popped into Jistan’s head then, when the two of them used to play like they were royals: I am your prince, and you are my princess. You will always be my princess.

After their brief talk, he already felt that familiar connection to her as he had all those years ago. She was the missing piece fitting back into his life again.