Ortai Legacy

10 - Reservations (L)

"How much could I get for selling my polearm?"

Mark grabbed the weapon like he thought I might snatch it away. "It's irreplaceable."

"So, it's worth a lot?"

"You said the weapons were part of the spell that brought you here, correct?"

I nodded, worried I might know what he was getting at.

"It's entirely possible they'll be necessary to send you home."

"Of course they are." I leaned against him with a sigh, setting my head on his shoulder. As soon as I'd done it, I felt strange. Guilty. He probably only liked me because of the magic that bound him into my service. The moment his friends dispelled it, he would hate me as much as they did. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He gingerly rested his hand on my leg.

"You being forced to be my Knight."

"My ancestor swore allegiance to yours. It isn't your fault." His tail snaked around my waist, pulling me closer. "And I'm glad I'm your Knight. I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

It would be a lie to say I wasn't glad to have someone so devoted to me in such a dangerous place, but it wasn't right to enslave someone else's mind forever. Even trying to do it for a few moments had turned my stomach. "I don't want you to be my thrall or whatever."

"I'm obligated to protect you, which I would do willingly if I weren't enchanted."

"You can't know that."

"The Knight bond doesn't affect my mind. Think about it--down in the dungeon, I didn't trust you. I thought you were mad and dangerous. Why would a spell make me think that? And before you assume that I'm lying about what I thought, how could I lie to you if the bond controlled my thoughts?"

That was a good point. At least, kind of. "If the enchantment's only goal is to keep me alive and unharmed, it would obligate you to do anything necessary to save me, including lying."

He groaned. "Liza-"

Click. The door to the hall unlocked and opened. Harker slipped inside, quickly locking it behind him. As he turned toward us, I was frozen in place while terrified fire scorched my veins. Mar'kost's tail tightened around my waist, preventing me from getting up even if I'd wanted to.

Harker stepped around the couch. "Even if you aren't an Ortai, I shouldn't have hurt my teammate's friend. For that, I apologize."

That was what he apologized for? Hurting his teammate's friend? Not hurting a poor, confused girl suffering from a delusion because she was terrified to admit that magic and aliens were real? The urge to shout at him was so strong that my throat burned, but fear clamped my mouth shut.

Mar'kost took my hand and squeezed. "She accepts your apology, but she doesn't feel up to talking at the moment."

I didn't accept Harker's apology, and I resented Mar'kost for trying to accept it in my stead. If only I could force the words out, I would tell them both.

With a nod, Harker walked past us into his bedroom. The door clicked shut, releasing some of fear's hold on me.

"Why'd you say that?" My voice was weak even to my ears. "And why didn't you care when he was shouting at me? You even said you only got angry because my telepathy affected you."

Frowning, he lowered his voice. "It isn't that simple. I did care, but I thought the shouting might snap you out of your dream delusion. Besides, from my point of view, all he'd done was shout, and I suddenly felt like I wanted to kill him. Your telepathy was the only thing that explained it, so I said as much. That doesn't mean I like seeing you upset."