Diamond in the Rough - Vivienne Savage Page 0,15

“Aiding and abetting an assassin. That isn’t the only reason why I needed to speak with you. The wraith Rosalia encountered—I’m the one who took her life.”

The older woman raised one slim-fingered hand to her temple. She sighed. “Then I fear your work is soon to become even more complicated.”

Rosalia looked back and forth between them, waiting for someone to provide answers. “I don’t understand. Xavier should be able to banish her, shouldn’t he?”

“It isn’t that simple,” he said.

“As he is the source of her desire for vengeance and the cause of her death, no magical spell cast by Xavier shall harm her,” Elora said gently. “She takes her power from him and will draw strength from his spellcraft.”

“His dragon’s breath. He can breathe fire.”

“Magical fire breathed from a dragon is no better than that summoned by elvish hands. This vile ritual has bound her in eternal slavery, and it feeds on the very bond between murderer and fallen.”

“He didn’t murder her. He defended himself.”

“That matters none when it comes to ancient, primordial magics. He slew her, and their lives are irrevocably connected. No act from him can harm her spiritual body, whether he uses magic spells, rings, or potions. This is why the creation of a wraith is absolutely forbidden.”

Dread dropped a lead weight in the pit of Rosalia’s belly. Every time they took one step forward, another dilemma pitched them five steps back again. “You said I dispelled her for now. How long do you suppose it will be until she reforms?”

“A day or so, perhaps. But she’ll have to find you. I suggest you both get moving now and into the desert. She won’t be able to tolerate the heat of day in the open desert.”

“About that…” Xavier cleared his throat. “I may have killed two more along with her, by fire.”

“Then if I know my former pupil at all, you had better be thankful neither of you burns easily. Visit Bonare and let him know that you both need waterskins of freezing.”

“Elora, can I ask one last thing before we go?” The severity of the situation hung heavy in the air until it was nearly tangible, the taste bitter and overbearing in Rosa’s mouth. Despite the sudden turn to urgency in the atmosphere, Rosa had just one more question.

“Of course, darling. What is it?”

“These clothes I wear and the armor you’ve given me—how are they in my size?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Elora’s smile provided the answer she already knew in her heart. “They were all your mother’s. She left them here for you.”

7

The Way

Rosalia and Xavier set off shortly after they bid farewell to Elora. They collected the last of the guild’s gifts for the journey from Bonare along with enough provisions to wander the desert for two weeks, but even that wasn’t enough for Rosalia to feel prepared for what lay ahead. They had been traveling for several hours now, the silence that hovered between the pair and all the things left unsaid a loud contrast to the unbearably silent desert night.

Only two minutes earlier, she’d stumbled in the dark on loose pebbles in the sand and he’d caught her hand, keeping her upright as if she were weightless. He’d yet to let it go. Her gaze flickered down to where their hands were joined, fingers entwined so perfectly it was almost as if they were two parts of a puzzle, always meant to fit together. She’d realized sometime around hour three of walking in the dark with Xavier that she wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to accompany her on this journey, and that had to mean something, didn’t it?

The moon hung high in the night sky, a half crescent that illuminated the land they traversed with a soft, silver glow just strong enough for them to make do without any artificial forms of light. At some point the landscape had changed, tree line thinning away into nothing as dirt paths turned into sand dunes. The cold was just as intolerable and merciless as expected, but the man beside her radiated heat.

Greedily, Rosalia moved closer to bask in his ambient warmth. She wasn’t sure how much longer they had to go before her exhaustion caught up with her, but she was willing to follow so long as it was Xavier leading the way.

“I’ve been thinking,” Rosa cleared her throat, feeling as if she had swallowed a handful of sand. “Maybe once the eyeglass is safe, we could revisit our conversation about a family.” There was no