“Of course it is,” Caspian whispered, pulling her into his arms. His mind spun as she held him back tightly, as if he might disappear at any moment.
She relaxed slowly until he felt her gently pull away. “Not here,” Keira whispered.
Caspian sighed as he released her.
Her bond with her guardian was so strange. Caspian had never seen him offer praise nor affection as a father might, but he could not deny that the wizard cared for her, often more than was even necessary. Though there was no doubt his expectations of her were high, he had spent hours seeing to her education. It was clear they had formed some sort of bond, however unusual the circumstances. He knew Keira did not want to disappoint him, and even more, that she did care for him. It was no surprise, seeing as they had spent so many years in the tower, with only each other for companionship. Yet she did not trust him, especially not with the knowledge of what they had become to one another.
That night, they dreamed as one of a future where they could love openly, travel widely, live freely. A future filled with hope and wonder and each other.
That night, Ignatius did not sleep at all. He had heard every word spoken in the stables that day. Being inexperienced in love and parentage, he had been entirely unaware that they had grown to love one another as anything more than a brother or sister might. Though he thought about the matter for the rest of the afternoon and the evening, by the time both Keira and Caspian were asleep, his mind was very well made up.
As he left the tower under the cover of darkness, Ignatius was firm in his resolve that he could not let these events carry on. He had not raised his ward for all these years, teaching her his ways, only for her to abandon all his efforts, her own future, when she was barely more than a child. Perhaps she would be morefortunate than himself and would find love one day. In fact, he wished her such happiness. But what did a child know about such things? What had he known all those years ago?
Caspian woke the next morning, early as always, but he sat up with a start. Every one of his belongings was missing. No, he realized, not missing. They had been packed away into a single bag sitting in the center of the frayed rug. Resting on the top was a piece of parchment. Dread pooled in his stomach as his feet touched the ground. He took the paper and read.
It was a letter of enlistment into the king’s army. His name was signed at the bottom in his own script.
A great breath moved through him as he rubbed his brow. His mind was troubled not with concerns for his own wellbeing or the perils of war. His worries were reserved for how it would break Keira’s heart for him to go, and more to know it was Ignatius who had arranged it all. No matter what she said, she loved the old man. Worst of all, this was Caspian’s fault. If he had only listened to her. If he hadn’t been such a fool.
Yesterday as they’d spoken in the stables, their future had seemed so open, endless pathways stretching before them. Now he held his future in his hand. Definitive. Decided.
It was a long while before Caspian climbed down the ladder, the pack already slung over his shoulder. The red wizard was standing in the stable doors, waiting for him. The sight held no great surprise. Caspian realized he had even been expecting to find him there.
They stood eyeing each other for a long moment.
“The war offices are three miles south of here. You are expected to report by midday,” Ignatius said at last.
Caspian nodded slowly.
Ignatius paused, as if thinking of something more to say. “Remember what you have learned here,” he said. “Always trust your intuition.”
Caspian moved to step around him, but Ignatius stood in his path, raising a hand.
“Let her sleep.”
Caspian eyed the old man. “She’ll never forgive you for this.”
“Perhaps, but it is for the best, for both of you.”
Indignation stopped him in his tracks. He had planned to leave here without allowing his anger to get the better of him, to at least move through this terrible situation with his pride intact. But to say that this was the best forhim? “Sending me away to the front is what’sbest for me? Risking my life every day, worrying that Fate won’t bring me back to the woman I love, that’s what isbest?”
Ignatius remained impassive in the face of his mounting anger. Caspian wasn’t sure what else he expected, or what might have been better, but somehow, Ignatius’s cool demeanor only made everything worse.
Insults and bitter comments flurried through his mind, but Caspian kept his mouth shut. They wouldn’t fix this. The old man would suffer his own consequences for this choice.
“You are a strong young man, and intelligent,” Ignatius said to his back. “You’ll do well. When your service is done, you will have opportunities and respect, a soldier’s pension from the crown. You will have something to offer her.”
Caspian turned.
“Her place is in the Arcanum. Let her finish her studies. When you return, when you are both ready, you can build this fantasy of yours. I will not stand in the way.”
He held the wizard’s gaze for another moment before he fixed his pack on his back and made his way down the road.
Keira woke much later than usual. Her head was still heavy as she lifted herself out of bed. As she made her way downstairs, something about the hour seemed wrong. Usually, if she overslept this way, it meant missing breakfast. Yet, the table wasstill set with a steaming meal. That seemed terribly charitable of her guardian, a characteristic she had never thought to attribute to him. Even more for such a gesture on a morning when she had suspected him to be rather put off.
Stranger than strange, Ignatius remained in his seat by the fire, watching as she came down. His dark, unruly brows were not furrowed in disappointment or judgment or even anger. Something far worse glimmered in his eyes, stealing her breath away: guilt.
She stopped halfway down the stairs, frozen. “Where is he?” Keira choked out as dread tightened around her throat.
