he can feel it too. It doesn’t take long for us to reach his rooms after that, and a familiar door comes into view. Shifting my weight in his arms, he frees a hand and the door opens with a flick of his wrist.
“Oh, Grayson!” I hear Jayne shout out, except her voice is not the happy, motherly tone I’m used to from her. “There was nothing I could do! I’m so sorry!” Her devastated declaration makes a piece of my heart break for her, and as we enter the living room, I see her with her face buried in her hands as she kneels by the lounge chair, her back heaving from the force of her sobs.
The other magicians file in around us, and immediately shift uncomfortably as they see the sobbing woman on the floor. Glancing up at Grayson’s stricken face, I simply put my hand on his chest and nod towards Jayne. He understands what I’m asking, and gently lowers me to the floor. Wincing slightly, I take a couple of seconds to get my balance before slowly walking over to the maid. I kneel by her side and place a hand on her shoulder.
“Jayne—” I don’t get any further before her shocked face pops up, her eyes red from crying as she runs them over me, seeing I’m still in one piece. Crying out, she throws her arms around me and pulls me into her bosom, clutching me hard enough to create bruises. I’m still not comfortable with casual touch, but I try not to flinch and I don’t say anything. Besides, this is Jayne, and if she needs this, then it’s the least I can do after what happened to her earlier. Someone in the room coughs and she raises her head, narrowing her eyes.
“I thought I had lost the closest person I had to a daughter, excuse me if I show a bit of emotion!” she growls, before realising whom she’s talking to. She quickly gives a half-hearted bow of her head. “High Mage.” Normally, this would be enough to have me snorting, but her words are like a blow to my chest.
I know I must have had a mother, but I have no memories from before I was enslaved at the age of eight. I don’t know how this is possible. Maybe there’s something wrong with me, hiding my memories from my consciousness. When I was a child, I’d sometimes have dreams of a woman embracing me, her heat keeping me warm during the coldest winters. However, I’ve never had a mother figure in my life, so for Jayne to say that…it leaves me speechless and makes my heart pound painfully in my chest. She brings her attention back to me, placing both hands on my face as she scans it for signs of injury.
“You’re okay? They didn’t hurt you?” she asks, leaning back a little so she can take in the rest of me. I shake my head, and I hear her mutter that I look exhausted before she raises her gaze to mine again. Her bright blue eyes are sparkling, and for a moment I think she’s going to start crying again. “When they dragged you out of here—” Throwing her arms around me, she pulls me into a tight hug again. I can hear the others moving restlessly behind me, realising this isn’t going to be a quick reunion.
Grayson comes into my line of sight, and I widen my eyes at him, gesturing towards the tearful maid with my head, my arms trapped by her hug. For such a small woman, she’s surprisingly strong. Grayson just grins and shrugs, giving me a ‘what can I do about it?’ look. Glaring, I mouth, “Traitor,” which makes him laugh. Jayne pulls away from me and spins to look at the mage, narrowing her eyes on him.
“Grayson, do you want to explain where you’ve been while the underworld descended upon us?” She steps towards him, and I watch in amusement as his cheeky expression drops and he holds his hands up in defence as the small woman advances on him. “What is the point of being your maid if I’m not going to get the benefits of having a high mage around? A tiny smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, which quickly drops as she places her hands on her hips.
“This is amusing, is it? Putting me through that?” I can hear the pain in her voice, and Grayson looks devastated