Gabel paused in his tracks and let out an awkward laugh. “There are plenty of merchant guilds and big cities on the way to Drachium. We could stop by the guilds at any time during the journey to have our wounds treated or hire mages working for mercenary groups for short periods of time. However, there are no big cities on the route from Anatol to Livadon. Since we would not be able to find a suitable place to have our wounds tended to if needed, it would be tough to travel without a mage.”
“What if…” Maxi trailed off. It was not until they reached the top of the stairs that she managed to muster the courage to finish her sentence. “What if…I was to g-go with you?”
She could feel the knight’s wary gaze studying her in thedark. She wanted to look confident, but she was unable to conceal her shaking hands.
“The commander would not allow it,” Gabel replied after a long silence.
Knowing he was right, Maxi clenched her mouth shut. Yet the idea remained even as she returned to her chambers.
Curled up in bed, Maxi mulled over how she could convince Riftan. Though the knights had not dared to suggest it, it was clear that they privately considered bringing her. Their hopeful gazes when they caught her at the door had told her as much.
Her heart fluttered anxiously. She could not send Riftan to a place swarming with monsters without any kind of magical support. Even if he were adequately outfitted, she would still be beside herself. She could not allow him to leave without a mage to tend to them in case of an emergency.
Gnawing her lip, Maxi waited for Riftan to return. No matter how staunchly he opposed the idea, she would not concede this time. She would not send her husband into danger unprotected.
The sun began to rise before she knew it, and Riftan had still not returned.
Maxi drifted off to sleep and woke to the sound of Ludis entering the room. She looked taken aback when she saw Maxi sprawled on the bed wearing the same dress she had worn yesterday. Maxi leaped up and rushed over to the maidservant.
“L-Ludis…has the lord g-gone out already? I have not been asleep long, and I did not hear him enter….”
“His lordship slept in the knights’ quarters last night, mylady.”
“Where…is he now?”
“He is currently meeting with a merchant in the drawing room.”
Maxi looked haggard from lack of sleep, but she rubbed her bloodshot eyes and hastily combed her hair with her fingers before she flew out of the room. As she descended the staircase, she saw Riftan and Aderon sitting across from each other in the quaintly furnished drawing room. She stopped with four steps left to go and listened to their calm voices echoing softly down the corridor.
“It would be difficult to hire a mage anywhere in the continent at the moment. You would likely have to go to the Mage Tower, but it would not be easy with all their rules. Even if you were to succeed, it would take more than ten days for them to get here.”
“We can’t wait that long. Use your guild’s trade channels to send a message to the nearest territory, and…”
Riftan trailed off when he spotted Maxi. She took a step back, steeling her nerves, then briskly descended the remaining steps and strode into the drawing room. Riftan’s face was taut with tension.
“We are still in the middle of a discussion. Leave us.”
“R-Riftan…please, let me join you. You are looking for a mage, are you not? If that is so, I could—”
“I said leave us.” His voice was grim.
She glared at him, then turned her attention to Aderon. “Will it be possible to f-find a mage…in three days’ time?”
Flustered, the merchant looked back and forth between Riftan’s menacing face and Maxi’s determined one beforesaying evenly, “I am sorry to say…that the probability is slim. The Earldom of Loverne and the Barony of Louvain are the only territories near Anatol. And as you may know…the Earl of Loverne is not a man who would hand over one of his mages, while the Baron of Louvain only has one mage in his service. So it is unlikely for the baron to send him as a mercenary.”
“Y-You mean to say that it is impossible?”
“Maximilian!” Riftan bellowed sharply, losing his patience. “This is not a matter for you to meddle in! I have told you to leave us.”
Despite stiffening reflexively at his intimidating tone, she stood her ground and met his gaze. “I am…your wife, so how is this a matter I cannot m-meddle in?”
“This has nothing to do with you,” he snapped.
Her heart stung and her face fell. She felt like a child dismissed by a parent, but she clenched her fists and raised her voice as she said, “Of c-course it concerns me! I…I am a mage! Are you not aware of that? I—”
“Shut your mouth.”
Riftan spoke in the low growl of an angry beast.
