Amaryllis hesitated before sighing and reluctantly placed her hand in his. His tone had left no room for her to say no.

She bit back her disappointment. She had already taken up too much of his time, and even requested he meet her in secret like they were having a sordid love affair. It would do no good to his reputation were he to be found speaking to her like this. Yet she wished for more time with him. Amaryllis brooded over her selfishness, alternating between chastising herself and feeling like a petulant child for wanting more.

His hand was warm, comforting in a way she didn’t expect. She wasn’t worried walking these woods. After the salamander attack when she was little the patrols had increased, and magical devices had been installed at the walls to prevent similar incidents from occurring. The only danger out here was her tripping over something, but the moonlight was enough to prevent that.

Still, she felt more at ease walking with him hand in hand than she had earlier wrapped in her shadow cloak.

Sir Vincent stopped when they reached the edge of the forest. She started to pull away when he suddenly clasped her hand tightly.  Amaryllis gave him a puzzled look and tried to figure out what expression he was making. The moon was behind him, making it difficult to see anything beyond the outline of his head.

“I have some more stories,” he stammered. Sir Vincent cringed, inadvertently clenching her hand tighter. She hid her smile by pressing her lips firmly together. She was pleased to see she wasn’t the only one who got a bit flustered. “What I mean to say is, can we meet again like this? Only if you want to. I wouldn’t want you to risk doing anything improper or . . .”

He said the last few words quietly as if realizing that the very meeting they were having now, and suggesting to meet again like this, were the epitome of improper. Amaryllis gave the hand holding hers a squeeze, fighting past the nervous fluttering of her heart.

She would likely never see this man again once his order departed, not with her father’s staunch refusal to let her debut into high society in the capital. If this was truly the only chance she got to get to know her savior better, to spend time with a man who seemed to enjoy her company, then she didn’t want to let it go.

She did not want to regret this by giving up and staying quietly in her room like she always did. Opportunities were rare in her life and she refused to let this one pass her by. Couldn’t she just have this one thing?

“I want to,” her answer was quiet, but resolute.

“Then,” he cleared his throat and his grip on her hand relaxed back to where she could pull away, although she chose not to. “Let’s meet here an hour and a half after you leave the banquet tomorrow. I should be able to get away by then, and you won’t need to wait alone in the cold again.”

“I didn’t mind waiting,” Amaryllis murmured before blushing when she realized she had said that aloud. “And you’re a guest of honor for these banquets. I shouldn’t keep you from everyone celebrating you and your achievements.”

“They wish to see how they can use me, or brag about meeting me,” Vincent snorted, a scathing edge to his voice. “I’d rather be out here.”

“Okay,” This time she was unable to stop the smile his words elicited. “Then until tomorrow, Sir Vincent.”

“Until tomorrow, Lady Amaryllis.”

He drew her hand up, delicately placing a kiss on the back of it before letting her go. She turned to hurry back to the annex. She knew there was little chance of a servant catching her, but she still felt the need to rush. Her heart was racing and she could feel the flush from her cheeks spreading all the way to the tips of her ears. While she was delighted to get to meet Sir Vincent again, and that he wanted to meet her, she was far too embarrassed to let him see further evidence of how flustered she’d become.

These emotions and reactions were all so new. She felt naïve and inexperienced and completely out of her depth. But also excited and happy and something else that she couldn’t quite discern, not yet. She decided to figure that out later. For now, she would just enjoy what was happening. There would be plenty of time to ponder over it all after the celebrations were over.

As she reached the door she turned back and tried to pick out his dark form in the shadowy forest. Despite her best efforts she saw nothing. She lingered for a moment, just in case, before going inside.

Amaryllis slipped off her robe, careful to brush the back free of dirt and leaves from when she had leaned against the tree. Her nursemaid wasn’t very attentive, but she didn’t see the need to take the risk of her late-night walk getting noticed. Her shoes were usually scuffed or muddied from her walks in the back garden so thankfully there was no need to worry about them.

She slid into her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Sleep seemed very far away in spite of the late hour. Amaryllis placed her hands over her chest, feeling how her heart still raced beneath her fingertips.

It all felt like a dream. Her savior had grown into such a dashing and accomplished man. And now he was here, back within arm’s reach. So different from the young boy who had traded treasures with her, but somehow still similar. He was a knight she felt at ease with despite his intimidating size and aura. He felt straight out of the legends of old. A commoner who had risen above his station to go on to heroically fight off monsters to protect others.

Amaryllis had often dreamed of such a knight coming to save her; to sweep her off her feet and help her escape her gilded cage. She knew that was impossible of course. Legally, she was her father’s property until he married her off, and after that she belonged to her husband. Duke Lavalham would wed his daughters based on what gain he could get, politically, financially, or both.

He was already laying the foundation to marry Veronica into either the royal family or to one of the heirs of another dukedom. Veronica would be a princess or a duchess, nothing less. Such a marriage might not suit Amaryllis, but there were plenty of other options her father was considering for her. He would not let her go lightly, especially not to chase after something so fleeting as love.

Realistically, the best she could hope for was a husband that was not as prone to lashings as her father. Someone who would treat her with respect so long as she fulfilled her duties as a wife. That would have to be enough. She had no say in the matter after all.

But lately, lately she had started to dream of something else. Something perhaps a bit more realistic, but far more daring.

Amaryllis reached out for a shadow in the fireplace. She imbued it with mana to create a vacuum, and drew in the heat from the dying embers. After a few minutes she pulled the shadow over and wrapped it around her hand. Everywhere the shadow touched grew warm as the heat of the dying fire was slowly released against her skin. She guided the shadow into the semblance of a glove, containing the heat and warming her chilled fingertips. Magic offered a different path forward.

No knight would dare risk going against her father to help her escape, nor would they ever feel compelled to. In the eyes of the law, she was the duke’s, and in terms of their oaths, well, they swore to serve their lords. No knight would act against a lord to help her. If caught they would be stripped of their knighthood in the best of cases, executed in the worst. Ladies were offered protection. Only protection, and that was secondary. Her father’s knights had shown her that time and time again.

But the mage’s tower was different.

Amaryllis had always thought of the mage’s tower as a mythical place. Magic had always been out of reach, and seemingly impossible to understand. It didn’t suit her. It was the highest form of education after all, and her tutors had only taught her what she needed to know. Nothing more.

As such she only knew the basics about the tower that everyone else knew. That, while it was called the mage’s tower, it was actually a cluster of small mage-made islands nestled between the western and eastern continents. That only those who had studied there for several years were allowed to be called high mages. And, most importantly to her, that they were an independent power formed to protect mages.

When the empire had fallen two hundred years ago mages were the ones who were blamed. The church, before it had split into three factions, led the charge to reclaim the land from monsters and corruption. Holy power purified the corruption, and the paladins became the saviors of the continent. When those same paladins declared dark mages as the cause no one questioned them.

Dark mages were publicly executed for their crimes, and the remnants of the imperial family and nobles readily pointed their fingers at the mages too. They had all wanted to hide the fact that their militaries had been weakened through petty territory wars over land that was largely in ruins.

The persecution quickly spread to all mages, not just dark mages. They were easier to blame than the nobles who had still managed to hang onto their positions. Most mages were commoners, making them easy targets.

The tower was created by the archmages of the time to protect their comrades. They took in the mages fleeing the mainland, and managed to negotiate a tenuous peace with the church that still held to this day. The tower had strict rules for their mages, doling out harsh punishments to the few who had stepped out of line. Harsh enough to appease the church and to scare off others who considered following in their footsteps.

Today the tower was no longer a beacon of safety and refuge. It rarely needed to be. Mages were a powerful resource for any lord, and there were not enough to fill the need. They could make a comfortable living and no longer needed to look over their shoulders out of fear of paladins or high priests condemning them. Even those who were not a part of the mage’s tower were treated well so long as they had a grasp on useful spells like shields and healing magic.

High mages of all levels were treated close to nobility. The lowest level of high mage was worth more than ten talented unaffiliated mages. They were treated exceptionally well by the lords they served. The lords knew their mages could easily find a comfortable home elsewhere should they find anything about their assignment to be lacking.

The tower made sure its representatives were clever, strong, and capable. One couldn’t be a fool. They had a reputation to maintain. It took years of study before someone was even capable of applying.

That was fine though. Amaryllis moved her shadow glove to her other hand, letting the last traces of warmth sink into her skin before releasing the shadow. She had time, and her progress wasn’t too bad. The tower still protected all the mages it accepted, even before they arrived at the islands.

So far as she knew they did not discriminate against wild mages. She’d never heard of them making a distinction between wild mages and normal mages. Although that was more speculation than fact. Just because she had never heard of that certainly didn’t make it true. That was one of many things she would need to verify.

She couldn’t rush it. The consequences if she were found out were too high. If she were caught wielding dark magic she would be killed before she could defend herself. An affinity for a different element might have given her more confidence to be bold, but fear kept her cautious. Her father would be focused on the twins for the next year or so, what with their debut and all. That would make it easier since less attention would be on her so she could take her time.

For now, Amaryllis was content with what she had. Or more specifically, she was content with her potential. It was comforting to know that she too had a talent she might excel at.