The Choice of Magic - Michael G. Manning Page 0,197

for an awkward span of time before she finally relented. “Fine. Let’s go.” Selene took the lead, striding out the door with the pride of a thoroughbred horse. Will followed, and they she stopped when they were around fifty yards from the house. She whirled to face him. “What would you like to say?”

“First, that I’m sorry. Not for rejecting you, but for how I did it,” said Will.

“Apology accepted,” she answered primly. “Are we done?”

Will frowned. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“I’ve already told you I don’t apologize, and even if I did, do you think you deserve one?”

He waited, fixing her with an even stare while trying to keep his expression neutral. When she didn’t say anything, he finally asked, “Don’t you?” Selene still didn’t reply, but he could see uncertainty in her eyes. A full minute passed, and he turned around to go back into the house.

“Yes!” she shouted at his back. Will turned back. Her face was red. “But I can’t give you one.”

“Why not?”

“You have your stupid rules about debts and whatnot, but so do we. Never apologize. It’s been drilled into me since I was a girl.”

“It’s a good rule for sorcerers, I guess. Never apologize. They’d never be able to stop if they started.”

He hadn’t thought about what he was saying, but he realized immediately that his words could only make matters worse; yet Selene didn’t look angry—there was something else in her eyes. “Is that why you were angry?” she asked. “Because you hate us so much?”

“No,” he said flatly. “It’s because you lied.”

“I hadn’t even said anything,” she protested.

“The kiss was a lie. You were covering up what you were doing.”

“You did hear then,” she stated bluntly.

He nodded. “Care to explain?”

“I have obligations,” she told him. “But they aren’t sinister. I think you could do a lot of good if you’re allowed to reach your potential.”

“It sounded more like you were buying and selling horseflesh.”

Selene stared at the ground. “I suppose it did, but I didn’t intend for it to. The person I was speaking to is blunt and direct.”

“Who was he?”

She didn’t answer.

Will threw up his hands. “How am I supposed to trust you when I know almost nothing about you? You’ve lied about your name, kept your family a secret, and now I know you’re on some secret mission to—I don’t know what it is—enslave me?”

“To win you over, to recruit you,” said Selene earnestly. “Not enslave you.”

“Well you’re doing a piss-poor job of it,” he said sourly. “How do you expect me to trust you?”

She stepped closer. “I’ve never lied to you. I’ve hidden a lot—because I had to—but I’ve never lied, not in word or deed. I would never do anything to bring harm to you or your family.”

Will sighed. He wanted to believe her. He really did. He wasn’t even angry anymore, just tired. “Let’s just do what we came to do. I’ll trust you that far, but no farther, because you did lie and you’re still refusing to admit it.”

“How?”

He gave her the look Arrogan had often given him when he thought he was being particularly stupid. “The kiss.” Then he turned and headed back to the house.

As he went, his sharp ears picked up a murmur from her lips. “But it wasn’t…”

***

That evening as the sun began to set, they prepared to leave. It didn’t take long, however, since they had little to carry. Will put on his gambeson and left his mail in its bag. As he was belting on his sword, Selene pointed to it. “Are we having this fight again?”

Will shrugged. “I’m not fighting with you. It’s too noisy.”

“There are plenty of soldiers in the enemy camp, many of them wearing similar armor. You’ll fit right in,” she told him.

“Where’s yours then?” he pointed out. “You expect me to go armored while you walk around like an archery target? How about you wear it?”

“It’s too big for me. At least one of us should wear it.”

“It’s still too noisy.”

“I can fix that,” she countered, wiggling her fingers at him in a pseudo-mystical fashion.

His mother stepped in. “You’ve got bigger problems,” she said, looking Selene up and down carefully.

“Such as?” asked Selene.

Erisa stared at her chest. “Maybe they aren’t too big. Come with me.”

Selene blushed, and Will snickered as his mother shooed him away. “Go get your spare clothes from the other room,” she ordered.

He did as he was told and then waited while the two of them worked on Selene’s disguise.