Birgit

  Birgit clung to the shadows as Sinja strutted away, swaying her hips like some back-alley strumpet. Did Niles find that attractive? Elves were much closer to hu man than she was, so did Niles think she was prettier? Would Niles pick Sinja over her? No, he would not betray her. But at the end of the field study, he would be free of her contract. Would he really be willing to become Sinja’s familiar? He said he would give her the first shot, but what did she have to offer that the elf could not beat?

  She should not have waited so long to act. Her feelings for Niles had only grown over the past few weeks, along with her certainty that she wanted him and not Prince Advick. But had she waited too long to confess her feelings to Niles?

  Maybe she should just go talk with Niles about this right now, but if she did that, she would reveal she had been eavesdropping. Would he think she was spying on him? She had not meant to. She had just been in the next aisle over when she heard them talking, but she could have announced herself instead of listening to their entire conversation. No, it would be better just to pretend she had not heard and see how Niles reacts. She would definitely have to keep an eye on Sinja, though, and maybe talk to Vedika about this. Yes, that was a good idea. She should go find Vedika.

  Silently slipping away from the aisle Niles was in, Birgit went to find Vedika. The library was huge, but there was a big, open central area that gave a good view of everything, so the princess was not hard to locate.

  “Vedika, I need your help,” Birgit announced in a strained whisper as she entered the aisle the princess was searching.

  Vedika turned, and her expression changed to one of concern. “What is wrong?”

  Birgit stepped closer and lowered her voice even more. “I just overheard Sinja talking with Niles. She tried to get him to tell her his world’s planar signature.”

  “But he could not do that, right?”

  “Yes, but then she tried to get him to agree to become her familiar. She offered him wealth, power, and all the decadent pleasures of the elves, including herself.”

  “And what did he say?”

  Birgit had to fight to hold back tears. “He told her he would give me a chance to bid first, but he said he would consider her offer. Oh, Vedika, what can I do? I cannot compete with that.”

  Vedika stepped up and wrapped her arms around her friend. “I see you have finally decided what you want. Do not underestimate yourself. You have much to offer. I had hoped there would be time for you to wait until after the field study was over, but perhaps it is time to let Niles know just what you want to offer. Remember, as far as Niles knows, you are still considering my brother’s offer, so it is only reasonable for him to keep his options open. Tonight, when you are on watch, find a place to talk with him alone. See if he brings up his talk with Sinja on his own first, and then let him know what you really want. But for now, you should find him and make sure Sinja has no more opportunity to strengthen her offer.”

  Birgit continued to cling to the princess for a long moment before stepping back and drying her eyes. “Thank you. You are such a good friend.”

  After taking a moment to compose herself and confirming with Vedika that she looked alright, Birgit walked quickly back to find Niles. He had only moved one aisle over and was carefully leafing through one of the ancient books.

  “Oh, hey, have you found anything interesting?” Niles asked, smiling as he saw Birgit.

  “All the books I found were interesting,” Birgit said, trying to sound happy. “I wish we had more time to explore here. How about you?”

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  Niles set the book he had been looking at back on the shelf. “I was looking for something about my world, but I didn’t find anything. But I had an interesting…”

  Niles cut off as Prince Advick’s shout echoed through the library. “Alright, I think that’s long enough. We need to get back to the hunt.”

  “Well, it looks like it’s time to get back to the adventure,” Niles said with an eager smile.

  Had he been about to tell her of his meeting with Sinja? Birgit wanted to ask him, but they were about to head into danger again, so it was best not to distract him. She could not believe how dangerous this hunt had become since they’d entered the city. She might have died in their very first fight if Niles had not shielded her with his body. He was so brave and protective. She firmed her resolve to win him over. She would not just roll over and let Sinja have him.

  The rest of the day was just as harrowing as the previous days, but their collection of crystals continued to grow. Birgit was going to be quite wealthy from her share once this expedition was over, and she would gladly give it all to Niles if that would convince him to stay with her. But she knew him well enough to know that money would not buy his loyalty.

  She was so eager to talk with Niles that she traded for the first watch, knowing that she would be unable to sleep until they had their talk in private. Once everyone else had finally retired to their bedrolls, Birgit led Niles out onto the balcony, where they would be close enough to watch over the team but still have some privacy as long as they kept their voices down.

  There was a full moon shining down on the eerily quiet city. The graceful skyline of the city was beautiful in the pale light of the moon, though there were gaps in it that Birgit knew represented buildings that ancient magic had destroyed. The warmth of the night had given Birgit an excuse to wear just her shift, ostensibly so that she could just go to sleep once their watch was over, but that had not been her only reason. Glancing over at Niles, she saw he was looking at her rather than at the city.

  Niles quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “So, um, I had an interesting run-in with Sinja at the library. She wanted me to tell her my world’s planar signature. Turns out the elves don’t know it. They used to, but they lost it in their war. So, I guess that explains why there aren’t more humans around.”

  “I am sorry,” Birgit said, moving up tight against Niles’ side. They had been holding hands, but now she reached around with her other hand to take his arm as well. “I know you hoped the elves knew more. What did she do when you could not tell her?”

  Niles glanced around to make sure they were alone and lowered his voice even more. “I was careful not to tell her why I couldn’t tell her, but then she tried to convince me to become her familiar.”

  “Oh, and what did you tell her?” Birgit asked, trying to keep her voice calm and quiet.

  “I told her I’d think about it, but I fully intend to stick with you until graduation… if that is still what you want. But after that you’ve got Prince Advick, so I…”

  “No,” Birgit interrupted, pulling Niles away from the balcony railing so they were standing face to face. “I will not have Prince Advick. I have decided he is not the man I want.”

  “But he’s a prince,” Niles objected.

  “But he is not you,” Birgit countered, reaching up to put her hands on the sides of his face and looking into his eyes.

  “Huh?” Niles asked, giving her a bewildered look.

  “I want you, Niles,” Birgit said, staring into his eyes.

  She saw his eyes widen in surprise, but then a grin spread across his face. Birgit rose on her tiptoes and gently pulled his face down toward hers. He did not resist, and their lips met. It was awkward for a moment as they moved to find a comfortable position, but then she felt his arms wrap around her, and she let her hands move around to the back of his head and neck. She felt the warmth of his embrace, his magic, and his acceptance. It was wonderful.

  Birgit completely lost all sense of time as the glorious moment stretched out for a happy eternity, but then suddenly Niles pulled back and turned, quickly breaking away and stepping back to the doorway that led to the room where everyone was sleeping. Brigit did not know what was going on, but she prepared to begin a spell, seeing how tense Niles had suddenly become. But then he relaxed and walked back to her.

  “Sorry,” he whispered. “I thought I heard something from the room, but I guess I was wrong. We are supposed to be on watch, though, so maybe we should postpone our… discussion. I am quite eager to continue it, though. You made a most excellent point.”

  Birgit felt her face heating up from more than just embarrassment. “Yes, I would very much like to continue it, too, but you are right. We are on watch.”

  When their watch ended, they woke Jabari to take the next watch and returned to their bedrolls. Birgit noticed Vedika had separated her sleeping mat from theirs, just a little, and was lying on her side with her back facing their mats. They lay down quietly onto their mats, and Birgit snuggled close to Niles.

  “So,” Niles whispered. “Shall we continue our discussion?”