Page 8 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

“Psychiatrist. Another overachiever. She would have been happy if I followed in her footsteps, but I didn’t want to go to medical school. The only one sensible among us is my sister. She’s a software engineer and loves it.”

“You have a sister?” Alric demanded.

“Yeah,” Cameron said slowly, not quite sure why Alric seemed surprised. “Annoying as hell.”

His companion’s face immediately fell. “You’re not close?”

“Super close, actually. But then, most twins are.”

“Twins?” Alric just stared at him, his blue eyes stunned and wide. For a brief moment, Cameron swore he saw a ring of gold flash in Alric’s eyes. Trick of the candlelight, maybe? And why the extreme reaction over being a twin? Yes, twins were kind of rare, but certainly not unheard of.

“I’m sorry, Cameron,” Alric said, as if suddenly realizing he was acting strangely. “I’m glad you’re close to your sister and have someone you can talk to. My hope is that you find something that matches who you are in here.” Alric placed his hand over his heart and smiled. “You deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks. I guess that’s why I’m here…in Europe. I thought backpacking and seeing new places would help me get a little perspective. Figure some things out.”

“How long were you planning to be in Sonthofen?”

“Just another couple of days. I popped in for the festival and some hiking. From here, I’m heading west to Zurich and then I think maybe south to Turin.”

Alric’s expression turned dark and he shook his head. “That won’t do at all. Tomorrow, you must come with me to tour Burkhard Castle. It’s truly the crown jewel of the region. I’d hate for you to miss it.”

Cameron chewed on his bottom lip and bumped his glasses farther up his nose. It was tempting. He’d hoped to tour a few old castles while in Europe, and Alric had said Burkhard castle was closed to the public. It was a unique experience and it would give him a chance to see Alric one more time.

“You said it’s your family’s castle. You sure it’s not a problem for me to visit?”

“Absolutely not. You’d be most welcome.”

A sly smile spread across Cameron’s lips. “Will your friend be there too? Ravi?”

Alric sighed heavily. “Yes, but I promise to protect you from him.”

“Oh, he actually will be there? I was messing with you.”

“Ravi’s a member of my cl-ah, family. He lives at the castle as well.”

“Ah.” Cameron lifted up his wine glass and held it out to Alric. “Then I accept your offer to escort me through your castle.”

Alric’s smile was beautiful as he picked up his glass and lightly clinked it against Cameron’s. “Excellent. I believe you shall love it.”

Food started arriving, and they fell into easy conversation about less serious topics. Alric told him more stories about dragons and mages, explaining what the different banners meant. Cameron simply wanted to close his eyes, curl up in his blanket, and drift off with his full belly while listening to Alric’s wonderfully deep voice.

When the food was cleared away and the bottle of wine empty, Cameron found himself smiling and petting the blanket on his lap, so very tempted to buy it. Handmade from this soft wool, the blanket had to be incredibly expensive. He just couldn’t rationalize it.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I purchased the blanket for you,” Alric said as he slid out of his side of the booth.

Cameron’s head popped up and his mouth fell open. “What? Why?”

“Because I thought we had a very wonderful day, and I wanted you to have a memento of the day. Something to remember me and Sonthofen by.”

There was no way in hell he was ever going to forget Alric Burkhard.

“Alric…” he said, but couldn’t manage the rest of the words to tell him he shouldn’t have. He did appreciate it and had wanted the blanket desperately.

“If it’s too much to manage with your things, I can arrange to have it safely shipped to your home.”

Cameron’s fingers automatically tightened on the blanket. No way he was letting this thing out of his sight from now on. “Thank you. It’s perfect. It will keep me warm all across Europe and home again.”

Alric smiled, but there was a new stiffness to it. He helped Cameron fold the blanket again before they left the restaurant. They wandered to Cameron’s hotel. The noise of the festival still echoed through the city as people prepared to party late into the night. He was only slightly tempted to return to the celebration, but the weight of the food and the day of walking had left Cameron exhausted. He was ready to stretch out in bed and sleep for several hours.