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Ignatius stepped to the side slightly, placing himself directly in front of me. Inclining his upper half, he offered me his hand. For a moment I stared at it, trying to overcome the feeling that I was reaching for a hissing viper.
But Grey’s presence loomed beside me, and his warning rang in my ears, so I hesitantly extended my own hand and allowed Ignatius to clasp it in his. He was murmuring empty words of welcome, but I could barely follow enough to nod and smile in the right places.
Most of my attention was focused on the tendril of power he was subtly sending into me through our hands. It took everything I had not to rip my hand from his or throw up my wall to drive him straight back out. But I knew I couldn’t afford to reveal myself yet, so I stayed still, allowing him to plant a false truth inside my mind.
His words, which had previously only been a background noise, came into sharp and sudden focus. I wasn’t sure why I had been so tense and worried when this family, the Constantines, were ready to welcome all of us into the life of peace they ruled over.
Ignatius let go of my hand promptly, moving to the next in line. Not that I blamed him. He clearly meant to greet us all individually—a truly gracious gesture—so he could spare only seconds for each person.
How delightful that there was no need for the scheming and deception I had expected. Peace and rest sounded perfect after the tension of the voyage. And Nik could stop skulking in the shadows as well. The Constantines wouldn’t care that Grey didn’t approve of him.
Of course, Grey himself might be a problem. I would need to tell Ignatius about his true nature as soon as I had the opportunity. Once he was taken care of, I would have no need to worry further. Clearly everything he’d said was lies—these people would never burn the crops of strangers across the sea or send storms to destroy them.
I relaxed, wishing only that the uncomfortable, twisted feeling in my stomach would go away. I was sick of niggling thoughts, and layers to everything. I was ready to—oh!
Pulling up my wall, I pushed it through me, driving out the unfamiliar power that was tainting my thoughts. Within seconds, my mind was clear again, a horribly familiar, slimy feeling taking the place of the peace I had felt moments before.
I recalled my thoughts of only seconds ago and shivered. I had been on the verge of telling this stranger about both Nik and Grey. It was unnerving the way the deception left my other thoughts and memories intact, and yet that one central truth reshaped everything else around it.
I looked behind me and saw Grey’s followers had formed themselves into a line, eagerly holding out their hands for Ignatius’s greeting. I glanced across at Grey, expecting to see him furious. He must know what his cousin was doing, that he was taking Grey’s people and making them his own.
Grey’s expression remained calm, however, only a note of speculation in his eyes. He must have been expecting something like this. I supposed it was the only way the Constantines would allow a foreign group to enter their island, so Grey couldn’t prevent it.
I did, however, notice that Ignatius made no attempt to take Grey’s hand. Even earlier, when they had first greeted each other, they had clasped arms and slapped backs, their hands carefully touching only sleeve and jacket. If Ignatius didn’t know for certain, he was certainly aware of the possibility that Grey was a powerful healer who knew how to mesmerize. Apparently he wasn’t willing to risk receiving what he so happily dispensed.
Had he not considered the possibility that one of the rest of us might have the same ability? Apparently he couldn’t fathom that anyone—even the long-lost Grey—would have shared the skill outside their family line.
Was he checking for affinities, at least? Should I prepare myself for his already knowing I was a healer, and a powerful one at that?
On reflection, I thought he remained unaware. Surely he would have reacted in some way if he’d checked. I’d done mesmerizing myself, and it was a subtle, difficult skill that required concentration. And Ignatius was mesmerizing many people in quick succession, our numbers meaning he could afford only seconds for each person. My experience told me he would be highly focused, not having the time or capacity to check for anyone’s seeds.
Not that it would have mattered that I was a powerful healer if I hadn’t also been able to make a wall. I might know how to mesmerize, but ten minutes ago, I would have had no desire to use my power against any of the Constantines.
“Delphine.” Grey placed a hand on my shoulder, the edge of one finger brushing against the exposed skin of my neck. He lowered his voice before continuing. “I hope you know you’re my most trusted follower. If we’re going to save Tartora, we’ll need to stick close together and trust each other implicitly. The Constantines can’t be trusted.”
As soon as he finished the words, he stepped back. My eyes flicked straight to Ignatius, to find him looking our way, a frown on his face. It had been a brief interaction, and he was occupied most of the way down the line of new arrivals, but he must have been keeping an eye on Grey.
I wasn’t surprised, though. He was a tricky man, and he must view everyone else with the same suspicion he knew he deserved. It was a wonder Grey had come from such an unpleasant family.
Something niggled at the back of my mind, and I jerked back in distaste, throwing up my wall again and purging my mind.
Breathing deeply to calm the disgusted shivers, I considered what I’d just learned. A mesmerization could be broken by hard evidence to the contrary, but it could also be overridden by a contradictory mesmerization.
I worried at the inside of my cheek. Grey had accepted that his followers were no longer his—at least for the moment—but he had taken the risk of reclaiming me immediately. I understood why, of course. I was both his most valuable follower and his greatest weakness. But in taking such immediate action, he had brought me to Ignatius’s attention.
Even as the Constantine continued down the line, still clasping the last of the hands in ostensible welcome, I felt his eyes flicking several times back to me. He must have been wondering why I alone was the one Grey had touched.
Would he risk testing me? If his power was equal to Grey’s, he had strength to do it. But would he take the risk of my sensing his probing? Testing an activated mage wasn’t the same as checking the seed of a child. It could be done without physical touch, but I had always felt it in the past.
I felt no such intrusive probe now, so I could only assume he had decided to bide his time. Instead, he directed his companions to find beds for the new arrivals throughout the city.
“We can accommodate a few of you at the manor house,” he told Grey, “but not all of you, unfortunately. Perhaps five or six of you can accompany me.”
Grey nodded and gestured for five of us to come closer. I was unsurprised to be one of those selected but disappointed Ida was not. Instead Grey chose an eclectic mix, including some older and some younger. I hadn’t seen him showing any particular interest in the other four previously, but they all came willingly enough. Given the way their eyes glowed as they looked at Ignatius, I suspected it was only a matter of time before Grey found a surreptitious way to renew his control over them.
Ignatius gave no visible sign he was aware of the danger, however, his false smile spread across us all equally. The others had started to disperse into the surrounding streets, walking in small groups, each led by a single local. Only our group had three locals at its head, since two of Ignatius’s acolytes had remained at his side.
They led us up the largest street which ran in a straight line through the settlement. I would need a higher vantage point to see the settlement’s full size, but it seemed to be a large town built at the base of the island’s one mountain, cushioned between the slope and the sea.
