Good night?” Nela asked with a smirk. Lisa looked at her embarrassed and Nela started laughing. “The others think you’re in bed sick. So if you want to sleep it off…” She said and lisa shook her head.
“I’m not tired.” She replied and Nela raised an eyebrow.
“As you wish. I’d get out of those clothes though, you definitely look like you’ve pulled an all nighter still in them.”
“Thanks.” lisa said pulling them off and tossing them into the basket. “Have you all eaten? I’m starving.” She said as she pulled on some fresh clothes.
“Bet you are…” Nela said and they both giggled. “Come on, Mira&rs
Lisa spent the next few days training harder with Nela and Alix, Jame’s replacement although his idea of teaching was definitely less orthodox than Jame’s. Every time lisa did anything Magical he seemed to cheer and praise her and she grew very quickly exhausted by it. She never thought she’d admit it but she couldn’t wait for James to return from wherever the hell he was.Nela and lisa were walking back along the ramparts from training on the third day when they heard the sound of riders. As they moved further up towards the Upper Castle lisa knew it was phillip though she couldn’t say how.They watched as the riders went though and lisa noted the small boy who looked to be fast asleep tight in phillip’s arms and resting against his chest.
Lisa woke to the sound of someone knocking on a door. She could feel phillip’s arms tight around her and the skin of her back against his chest.“Wait here.” He said before kissing her head and getting out of bed. He threw on his trousers and went to the main door in the other room.When he came back he had a handful of notes in his hand.“What are they?” She asked sitting up with the sheet wrapped round to hide her nakedness.“Dispatches.” He said as he sat on the bed to read them. Lisa watched his face but said nothing until he frowned.“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” She asked.
Over the next few days phillip was busy in preparing the army and ensuring they were ready for war. It made lisa nervous to think that there was now a real tangible enemy and they were about to ride off to fight them.“There’s a party tonight. A goodbye party of sorts.” phillip said as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms that morning. “It’s at the Courtyard.”“Are you asking if I want to go?” She asked.“No, I’m saying you should.” He replied.“Don’t you think it’s a bit risky?”“It’s a private party, and it’s not like you’ve not b
The army set off at first light. Lisa, Nela, Indi, and Mira rode with the back part of jame’s core battalion. The High King and phillip rode up front but phillip kept moving back to check on each brigade.They set up camp before dusk and were almost immediately joined by a second army, it’s leader and personal guard riding through and kicking up dust onto everyone as they road to the High King’s tent.Phillp scowled when he saw the banners. King Ide, he thought of all people it had to be him that answered the call first. But of course it was.Ide waltzed into the High King’s command tent and gave a sweeping bow before looking around at everyone.“King Ide you’re most welcome.&rdqu
They threw her onto the back of horse and she struggled against the bindings. In her mind she kept trying to connect not only to phillip but to her Magic but it was useless. It was like someone had shut the door on it and locked it all away. Every time she tried to reach out a piercing, white hot pain ripped through her and for the first time in a while she was scared for her life.They rode the horses hard away from the camp and up a hill to where they’d clearly set up in a cave. The hauled her off letting her hit the ground hard as she fell. She sat up and looked at them from the dirt but she knew she was defenceless.“Did anyone see?” Someone asked and a few men shook their heads.“Good. And you’re sure you weren’t followed?”
James paced waiting for them to return. He’d felt the Magic, or rather the attempt to disturb it. He saw the horses approach and expected phillip to bring the girl directly to him but he didn’t.He took her to his own tent.He scowled thinking of how insolent phillip could be sometimes. Grabbing what he could he rushed over there, knowing that he couldn’t let his pride get in the way of saving the girl.Phillip laid her on his bed while Ridley stood at the door awkwardly.“What do you want me to do?” He asked.“Get James.” phillip ordered. “And get a damn healer.”
Lisa opened her eyes, aware that she was in a tent and that there were thick fur throws over her. It was dark but she could make the outline of almost everything in the tent. She shifted slightly and felt the pelts against her skin, realising that she wasn’t wearing anything except her underwear and she recoiled with fear.“It’s okay.” Phillip said moving to her side so she could see him. “You’re safe.”“Where are my clothes?” She asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.“The Agnai cut them off you.” He replied.Lisa blinked and then looked away. She remembered the cave now. And the men who had all slit their throats. She remembered how she
The army travelled further towards the coast and Lisa felt the air getting more and more salty the nearer they got. A part of her couldn’t wait to see the sea even though she knew that with it would be war.She ached to spend each night with phillip but she forced herself to sleep alone. To be alone. She knew she needed time to heal, time to forget. She had already forgiven him because after all he hadn’t betrayed her but the anger at what the High King had tried to get him to do was still there and it was raw. And the awful emptiness she felt without her Magic was practically unbearable. All she knew was that she didn’t want phillip to feel it too, she didn’t want him to know the pain that was constantly ripping through her, so she locked herself away, locked her emotions away and she shut herself off from him.