Chapter 6
Captain Carmichael
I had a sinking feeling in my gut as I walked up the stairs. The resounding sound of my footfall echoed around me like the beat of the drum. By the time I reached her door, I was unashamed to say there was a slight tremble to my hand.
Something was wrong. My years in the cavalry had taught me to rely on my gut instincts, and right now they were screaming at me.
So by the time I softly knocked and did not receive a reply, my heart had pushed itself into a racing beat.
“Isabel,” I called.
She didn't answer.
I opened the door warily, shoulders tensed. That's when I saw it: an empty room. Her bags were gone and the door to the balcony was wide-open, buffeting in the wind.
My eyes opened wide, heart pounding with fear. I ran over to her bed first, placing a hand under the covers to check if they were still warm.
There was a bare trace of warmth left in them.
I shifted quickly towards the swinging balcony door, catching it in one hand before a wild gust of wind could slam it closed.
Striding out onto the balcony, my footfall reverberating over the wooden beams, I pressed my hands into the railing and stared down and all around, eyes as wide as saucers.
That's when I felt it: a slight charge of magic. Running my hand carefully over the railing and picking up a few splinters for my trouble, I detected a faint charge of magic.
It was relatively fresh, fresh enough that I could feel it charging over my tongue with a slight tingle.
Shifting forward quickly, I leaned over the railing, checking for any sign of movement. Then I saw it – far in the distance, a horse. As I concentrated, I heard the thump of the horse's hooves.
Somehow I knew it was her. I recognized the magic, if that made any sense. As I ran my hand along the railing once more, for some reason it felt of her.
Isabel Mason....
I didn't have time to finish that thought, instead I acted. Quickly grabbing a hand to the small vial of pure ether around my neck, flicked open the lid and threw some ether into my hand.
With a single word reverberating through my throat, I jumped at the railing, slamming both hands into it as my spell took charge.
I leapt right off the railing. Even though we were a good 10 meters off the ground, I didn't hesitate. As I sailed down through the air, magic charged around me, sinking deep into my feet.
With a thump, I struck the ground, but I did not stumble. My bones did not spring from my legs and splinter through the flash in a jagged mess of blood and skin. Instead magic charged and rippled all around me, cushioning the landing so that instantly I pushed myself forward and ran.
I headed around the side of the inn, head darting to and fro, tongue running over my teeth. I could still sense her magic. It was faint, barely there, almost indiscernible, but as I focused on it using another spell to aid me, I pursued.
It led me to the stables, and there I saw that one of the horses was missing. Not just any horse, mind you, but my own horse.
Without thinking, I grabbed the next best beast, threw myself on top, and kicked her into a sprint.
I could see hoof prints in the dust, and I followed them, pushing the horse into an ever faster sprint.
I had not paused to tell my men what I was doing. There simply wasn't the time. I knew in my heart that Isabel had left. Just as I knew in my heart that if I did not reach her something else would.
I hunched my shoulders down, clutched the reins tight until my hands were white with the force, and I narrowed my eyes. I focused on getting to her.
…
Isabel Mason
I wanted to tell myself what I was doing was the right thing. I wanted to tell myself it was the only way to ensure my safety. So why did I keep turning on my saddle and staring with wide eyes behind me? Why did my heart beat with a flutter? Why were my hands so sweaty, and why couldn't I get the thought of him out of my mind?
For some reason, though my brain was telling me to escape, my heart did not agree. It was beating so hard and fast in my chest it seemed more powerful than the horse's hooves.
I forced myself to turn around. I brought a hand up and pressed it flat over my neck. Then I let the fingers wander up to my bruised cheek.
It was really quite painful now. When I had the time, I would have to stop, find the right herbs, and make a poultice to spread over it. But right now I had no time.
As I set off on that horse, I naturally headed home. Where else was there to go? And yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a terrible plan. It would not take Captain Carmichael long to figure out where I lived. Neither would it take anyone else long.
Though I wanted to tell myself that Mister Bates and his hateful men would leave me alone now that I had left their company, did I know that for sure? Worse: who had sent that Shadow maker last night? If he had known enough about my ability to threaten me like that, I doubted he would leave me alone. The same went for his employers.
It was clear that somebody out there knew who I was and knew I was just as valuable as Captain Carmichael kept insisting. They wouldn't leave me alone.
I started to slow the horse down as we climbed a ridge. It gave a startling view in all directions, showing the town far below and a sparse grassy plain opening up before me, leading to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada ranges.
I loved this land; it coursed through my blood. Every time I paused long enough to let nature in, it felt as though it charged me with power. Years ago, even weeks ago, I’d thought that was natural. Now I brought an unsteady hand up, flicked off the sweat and dirt, and stared at my palm. There was magic running in my blood, and it wasn't normal. It was so rare there could very well be no one else on Earth who had the same ability.
For the first time I allowed myself to truly think about it. Why had this happened to me of all people?
I tried to shake my head and return my hand to the reins, telling myself to get over it. But get over it I could not. The thoughts I'd been pushing away since I had first met Captain Carmichael and he had revealed the truth about my ability now flooded in. It felt as though I would drown under them. A quick slick of sweat covered my brow and my breath came in unsteady pants.
Any more of this and I may very well topple off my horse and be trampled to death under its hooves. Which would definitely resolve this current predicament, but not in a particularly satisfactory manner.
Just as I began to slow down and truly question where I should go next, I heard horse's hooves. As soon as I did, my heart exploded. It had never beat so hard. It felt as though it would tear out of my chest and jitter on the ground.
Twisting my head this way and that, I tried to discern where they were coming from. I quickly realized it was from behind me.
Though I could easily push my horse into a sprint and try to outpace them, I quickly judged that whoever was behind had every intention of catching up. If the beat of their horse hooves was anything to go by, they were pushing their beast far beyond its capability.
I gave a shudder in my saddle, turned around, clutched my reins, and got ready to run.
That's when I heard him calling my name.
“Isabel,” he roared.
Even though his voice was far off, I recognized it.
I shifted around in my saddle so fast I almost fell off.
I saw him coming up the rise of the hill, his eyes narrowed, that strawberry blond hair fanning out behind him, his brass buttons and scabbard catching the morning light.
“Isabel,” he roared, voice like a shot from a cannon.
Automatically I stopped. While I could outpace a normal man on horseback, Carmichael wasn't normal. And even though he was far away, I swore I could see his eyes glinting with anger and determination. Carmichael was possessed with such fine determination that he could push anything from his path, even if it were the Sierra Nevadas themselves.
“Isabel,” he roared one final time,
finally catching up to me, horse skidding as he brought it to a rest beside me. Then he launched off the saddle, grabbed me, and pulled me to the ground.
I was so surprised, I said nothing. Instead I looked up at him with wide open eyes.
Before he could scream at me once more, he stopped. His eyes narrowed and locked on my left cheek. “What happened to you?”
I said nothing. I was still too surprised. I could feel the anger rippling off Carmichael, and the determination glinting in his eye was more powerful than any I had ever witnessed.
He helped me to my feet, then surprisingly took a respectful step back.
He didn't stop looking at my left cheek though. He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing, eyebrows peaking in what almost looked like concern. “Who did that to you?” He nodded towards me.
I let two trembling fingers press against my left cheek. My eyes were still wide, my lips gently parted, surprise stopping me from saying a word.
“Isabel?” His tone dropped, the anger giving way to a gentle but steady tone. “Why did you leave? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out here?”
Finally I managed a stuttering breath. “I...” I went to tell him what had happened to me, but now it sounded so foolish.
He narrowed his eyes. “What? Tell me who did that to you,” he demanded once more, voice twisting in anger. Not at me – that part was clear – but at whoever had struck my cheek.
Pressing my teeth into my lips, I let my eyes drop. “It doesn't really matter. It was simply made clear to me that I can't travel in your group anymore,” I said weakly as I brought my hands up and rested them around my middle.
“It was Bates, wasn't it?” His teeth ground together, flashes of white underneath his pared back, bloodless lips. “How dare he.”
I didn't answer.
“But why did you leave? You should have come to me directly.”
“It wasn't Bates. It was one of the men who works for him. Mister Franks, I believe his name is,” I said weakly. “It doesn't matter though.”
Carmichael snorted. “Doesn't matter? How many times do I have to tell you that you potentially hold the security of this country in your hands?” He said matter-of-factly.
I shivered at his statement and shook my head.
“Why did you leave though? You should have come to me directly,” Carmichael insisted again.
I slowly looked up at him. “He said you'd been sent away on some matter, said nobody would care if...” I trailed off. I couldn’t finish the rest. The more I thought about it, the more pathetic I seemed, and I truly hated feeling pathetic.
Carmichael pressed his lips together and all of a sudden lost his anger. It happened so rapidly, I couldn't help but glance over at him, my own eyes narrowing in confusion. He was such a powerful man, with such a powerful personality, that when he lost that power for just an instant, it truly shocked me.
Slowly, stutteringly he let out the softest of laughs. “I would have expected more from you,” he said.
I wasn't sure if it was an insult, then he looked up at me and there was the softest smile on his lips.
I stood there and I stared at him, possibly for the first time actually looking at the man rather than the uniform and bluster.
He caught me staring at him and he reciprocated. Seconds passed, passing into a minute before he bothered to say anything. He cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose you've made my decision for me,” he said suddenly.
My eyebrows crumpled. “Excuse me? What does that mean?”
He dipped his head back and turned towards town. I watched him as he narrowed his eyes. It was clear he was thinking of something. “What is it?” I asked softly.
“It's time to leave, Isabel Mason.”
I gave the slightest shudder. “I don't want to return to that group,” I said weakly but seriously.”
“Neither do I.”
I blinked. “What do you mean? Isn't it your duty?” I began.
He shot me one of those looks, and I pressed my lips closed immediately.
“My duty is to my country. Peace first,” he said, voice reverberating on the word peace. “Not something I can achieve when at the beck and call of Miss Campbell. Plus, the rest of my men will be more than sufficient to ensure her safety. The higher priority task is to take you to Washington.” He looked directly at me.
My lips parted open gently. I wanted to shift my gaze off him, but I couldn't. In that moment it was locked on him as if someone had tethered it there with the thickest and sturdiest of ropes.
Slowly his lips curled into a smile. “You look stunned, Isabel.”
Isabel? It was the first time he’d deigned to use my first name. That tiny little fact shook through me sufficiently that all I managed was to press my lips closed. Then I realized what he was saying. “You mean we are to travel to Washington together? Alone?”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “You are devilishly quick, Miss Mason. Your reasoning skills surpass that of the finest scientists and thinkers, to be sure.”
My eyebrows compressed hard together forming a deep furrow. If there was one thing that could make me forget the bruise on my cheek and my current predicament, it was this insufferable man's insufferable attitude.
His lips still curved into a smile, he nodded at me, then he shifted his gaze and stared at his horse. “We will travel to Washington together. However, I will take my own horse,” he said.
“But won’t you get in trouble for abandoning Miss Campbell?”
He considered me for a few seconds, then shrugged his shoulders. “A far worse fate is to let this country slip into a war. A far worse fate is to stand by and do nothing.” He looked at me seriously now. Perhaps he was trying to convey more in that moment than his words and expression could. There was a certain sparkle behind his eye. It wasn't friendly. It wasn't charm either. It was something else entirely.
I couldn't help but be drawn in by it.
“Now, Miss Isabel, you have your bags. I don't suppose you have any food in there, water, or any other supplies? Medicine maybe? Raw ether, on the off chance?” He said hopefully.
I glanced back at my bags. “I have clothes and shoes, a few select medicines, two canisters of water, and some dried fruits.”
He nodded resolutely. “That will suffice until we reach the next town. Fortunately I have money with me, and even without it, if I reach an official bank or government office, I can claim some. All that leaves now is for us to mount our horses and go.”
I blinked back my surprise. “Already? Now?”
He laughed. “What do you expect? Should we stand here on this ridge chatting forever?”
“No, it's not that. I just—”
I stared down my hand suddenly. I couldn't say what I was thinking – that if we were to leave like this so suddenly it would make this whole predicament even more significant. The fact that Captain Carmichael was willing to abandon his duty, to abandon his men, and to drop everything to take me to Washington as soon as he could... why, it was one of the most frightful things I could think of.
I shuddered, wrapping my hands tightly around my middle.
He looked at me, eyes darting down to my arms and up to my face. “I will keep you safe,” he said simply. Then he nodded at the horses. “Now it is time to leave.” He turned around and walked over to my horse, checking the saddle and reins before mounting it. Then he sat astride it and stared down at me. For a few seconds he said nothing, then he shifted his head and indicated my own horse. “It is time to leave,” he said once more.
And so I mounted the horse and we rode off into the morning.
…
Captain Carmichael
I had found her, and I could not deny the sense of relief that pulsed through my heart at the sight of her.
She was fine, save for a nasty bruise across her left cheek. I should never have let Bates and his men anywhere near her. The more I thought of that the more my teeth ground together.
&nbs
p; At least it had forced my hand. Now there was no way I was going to go back to Miss Campbell and her party. I understood how serious this situation was. I would not stop until we reached Washington.