Page 102 of Apprentice to the Villain

Becky barked a laugh and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Grandmother!”

Her grandmother’s brown eyes twinkled as she pulled a strand of hair from her pulled-back bun. The gesture made Becky feel like she’d swallowed something thick as she twined her fingers together.

Renna leaned down and kissed her mother on the cheek, too, then smiled up at Evie. “Mother, this is Nura Sage’s daughter, Evie.”

Ramona’s eyes widened, a gasp sounding on her lips. “Oh my. There is a likeness between them, isn’t there?”

The pleasant smile on Evie’s face was forced, and her fingers were squeezing into her palms in a way that looked painful.

Becky couldn’t take any more. “Enough, Mother. You’re torturing her. Where is her mother? Where is Nura Sage?”

Renna frowned. “Rebecka, do not be rude. I still expect you to use your manners when under our roof.”

Becky’s face heated, the sensation climbing up her neck; she felt like she was a mere child once again, scolded for stealing a cookie. But the next thing she knew, Blade was objecting. “Excuse me, Lady Fortis, but you will not meet another person on this continent with better manners than your daughter.”

Oh, she wished he hadn’t done that. Because now her mother’s and her grandmother’s hawk eyes were on him. Sharp and shrewd, they assessed him as Renna asked, “And who might you be?”

Blade didn’t cower, merely stepped forward with a gentle bow. “Bladen Gushiken, Lady Fortis. Of the Gleaming City Gushikens.”

Bladen?Becky snorted into her hand, and she watched Blade’s eyes dart to her at the sound. There was a look of astonishment on his face, like he couldn’t believe it had come out of her.

Renna looked impressed. “A politician’s son for a partner, Rebecka? And here I thought you had no interest in such pursuits.” Her mother made a point to be aware of all the noble families in Rennedawn. Of course she’d know Blade’s family name immediately, his father being one of the king’s valued advisors. Even more reason why Blade should’ve kept his mouth shut.

Becky waved a hand through the air. “Mother, he is not my partner. He’s merely a colleague: a beast trainer at the office.” He wasn’tmerelyanything, but Becky couldn’t say that—not when it could so easily be used against her.

Blade seemed to take it in stride, though. “It’s true, my lady. I have no association with my father any longer. I am disowned with no footing in society. No title. I am a beast trainer, nothingmore, and certainlynotyour daughter’s partner.”

Renna absorbed the information with a nod. Becky frowned, and Blade grinned as he tacked a word on the end: “Yet.”

Her mother laughed, and her grandmother whistled, eyeing Blade like a prized piece of meat. “I’ll tell you, if I was sixty years younger…”

Becky’s eyes flared, and Renna chuckled behind her hand. “Rebecka, please reconsider. Good with animalsandcharming are the most admirable traits.”

“The arms.” Her grandmother whistled again, and Becky buried her face in her hands.

“Deadlands bury me,” Becky grumbled.

When she finally peeked up, Blade was grinning so wide she thought he’d split a lip, and her mother and grandmother were smiling right back. “So, Mr. Gushiken, I take it the dragon currently destroying our lawn is yours?”

From two decades with her mother, Becky knew when she was trying to change topics. “Nura Sage, Mother? Your dearest friend? Where is she?”

Renna brightened. “Of course. Forgive me—too much excitement. It riles the blood.” Evie was wringing her hands so hard, Becky half expected water to escape them. “Your mother was with us for some time, Evie. It’s been such a blessing to have my dear friend so near again. But I’m afraid she is away with one of our healers at our second home by the Lilac Sea.”

Becky was incredulous. “Why would you send her away? Don’t you know the king is looking for her? The danger she’s in?”

Renna’s eyes flared, too, as she stood to match Becky’s height. “I have known Nura longer than you’ve been alive. I have seen her at every stage of life, and you do not know the ghost she was when she fell at our doorstep. Even the boys were appalled. Right, Roland?”

Roland fidgeted with his glasses, wincing. “She was ratherworse for wear, but the poor woman has been through a lot,” he said gently.

“She was vacant behind the eyes. A husk. The woman I knew was full of laughter and light, but it was as if all those things had been sucked right out of her. The specialist said he’d never seen a person so badly mutilated by magic. We tried everything we could to help her but eventually decided to send her to the very best place with the very best care, and by all accounts, she is improving.” Renna exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders. “Now that her daughter is here, I will have word sent for her to return at once. She should be here in two days’ time at most.”

Renna looked at Becky then, motioning toward the corner to speak privately. She followed her reluctantly, rubbing at her arms as her mother spoke in hushed tones. “When Nura returns and the rest of your coworkers leave, might you consider staying, even just a few extra days?” Her mother was so hopeful, it hurt.

Becky sighed, running a finger over her loose strand of hair. “I can’t just forget what you did, Mother, no matter how much you want me to.”

In her mother’s desperation for a cure to the Mystic Illness, she’d taken it upon herself to extend an invitation to King Benedict, to see if their combined resources might lead to a solution. Becky had been a different person then, with her colorful clothes and her unbound hair—even her glasses had been brighter, a magenta pink to match the flower on the front door. Her greatest crime was being eager to please.

The heir to the Fortis family’s magic had to be perfect. She’d been chosen by the land to inherit. Her oldest brother, Raphael, had been angry at the revelation, and by all accounts it should’ve been him. But Becky had been born with exceptional gifts. This land called to her, and she called to it.