“Thank you. And I’m going to go apologize, so wait here.”
Armannii did not speak to Diomedes or Blanndynne for several hours after they’d left Hessland’s. It made the first meal less than tolerable, as Armannii took his food and ate it away from the other two.
But after another hour bereft of conversation, Diomedes finally drew the line.
“Wait here,” he muttered to Blanndynne, passing her and catching up with Armannii. “Let’s talk,” he said, and while Armannii did not acknowledge him, he did not try to outpace Diomedes. Once they were a fair distance away, Diomedes stopped Armannii. “All right, let me have it.”
Armannii chuckled darkly, glancing back in the direction they’d left Blanndynne. “Where do I even start?”
Diomedes shrugged, waiting for Armannii to begin. He clasped his wrist behind his back, preparing for the rant. It didn’t come, at least not at first.
“Why? Why didn’t either of you tell me?” Armannii asked, his voice softer than Diomedes had expected it to be. It sounded like all of the air had deflated out of the elf.
“I didn’t see a reason why.” Diomedes held up his finger when Armannii opened his mouth to argue. “The first time she did it was when the bandits attacked us. She used it to save her life. And I understand that we should’ve told you, but I want her to have the chance to learn, to grow. She can’t do that if we’re telling her what she can and can’t do.”
“But controlling someone’s mind, Diomedes? I can’t believe you’d think that was okay to begin with.” Armannii shook his head, disappointment filling his voice. It caused an uneasy sensation inside Diomedes.
“I’m not going to make you understand, am I?” Diomedes sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, Diomedes watched Armannii strangle his bow in a tight grip.
“No. There is no world in which what she did is okay. Not in any way, shape, or form.”
“And you don’t at all see the kind of power she holds? That doesn’t mean a thing to you? I mean, to control a person’s will, especially someone as strong as Hessland, is an impressive feat.”
“Absolutely not.” Armannii shook his head. “You don’t earn respect, let alone any sort of trust, from controlling another person. It’s wrong. Immoral.”
“Yeah, you’re one to talk about immoral. You swindle people out of money all the time and don’t think twice about it.” Diomedes hadn’t intended for his words to come out as sharp as they had. “I say give her some slack. She’s still figuring out how to live a life of freedom. You have to let her make some mistakes.”
“She’s made them, and it sounds like neither of you see it as a mistake. You both—you’re basically celebrating it. I just don’t understand how.”
Diomedes remained stubbornly silent, staring at Armannii.
“I came off harsh, I know. And as soon as I’m done here with you, I’ll go apologize to her. But I can’t let her keep doing this.”
“And who are you to tell her what she can or can’t do?”
“I’m her friend. I care about what she’s doing and how it’s affecting the people around her. You care about her. Doesn’t it matter that this could lead her down a dark descent?”
“What do you mean?” Diomedes asked, keeping the curiosity out of his voice, though he could sense its presence.
“The only people meant to have this ability are sirens, and even they refuse to use it on others because they see the damage it does to control someone else’s life so completely. They had an entire civil war because of it. And you think she’s going to come away unscathed?” He pointed back toward where they’d left Blanndynne. “No. She’s going to hurt other people like Hess, and she’s going to find it harder and harder to stop.”
“Okay.” Diomedes licked his lower lip, clicking his tongue. “When I get a chance, I’ll talk to her.”
“Thank you. And I’m going to go apologize, so wait here.”
Even though they were no longer in the Dark, Diomedes kept the sight rune glasses on the bridge of his nose. It made navigating the Black Forest less of a hassle, which was necessary with most of his focus on his inevitable reentrance into the castle. In the first full day of traveling back from the portal toward Cyanthia, he’d split his attention between what he was going to say to Blanndynne when he got the chance and how he needed to present the information they’d found to the council. It left him with a splitting headache. Diomedes even found himself repeating some of the same phrases over and over again, often mixing up what he wanted to say to Blanndynne with what he wanted to say to his father. It got even more obnoxious when his mind began playing out scenarios for how each would go, only to jump to the worst conclusion: tears from Blanndynne, and disinheritance from his father.
The thought of his father had him tensing for his reaction already. How could he just walk back into the swell of royal life? The last time he had seen his father, he and Armannii had been thrown into the dungeon like common thieves.
“Careful, Didi,” Armannii said, a smirk on his face as he slowed down to walk beside Diomedes instead of Blanndynne. They’d spoken, and apparently Armannii had apologized, although Diomedes could still sense tension between the two.
Blanndynne kept going, leaving the two men enough distance to have a semiprivate conversation.
“What?”
Armannii patted his shoulder, cocking his head to the side as he glanced at him. “You’re clearly lost in a maze of thoughts.”
Diomedes moved away from Armannii, causing the elf to lose his grip on Diomedes’s shoulder. It wasn’t that he was upset with Armannii, not completely. He just struggled to see how Armannii was so opposed to the idea of Blanndynne practicing her incredible power.
“What is it?” Armannii kept pace with Diomedes despite him speeding up.
“The council.”
“Hmm,” Armannii said, scratching his chin. “Makes sense.”
Diomedes nodded. “I was trying to figure out how to present our findings to them.”
“And your father.”
“Yes.”
“And? What have you come up with?” Armannii asked.
“Besides a headache? Not much.” Diomedes rubbed his temple and then shifted to his eyes behind the glasses. “I have a feeling I’m not going to be welcomed in with open arms.”
“Why?” Armannii didn’t let Diomedes answer, filling in the blanks himself. “Because you broke into the vault twice, broke out of the dungeon, ran away from the castle, snuck into the Dark, broke into a grave, and raised an ancestor from the dead?”
“This is serious.” Diomedes ran his fingers through his hair, getting them stuck in a knot. “We have precious information that could change this country for the better, but it’s not useful if my father throws me straight back into a cell.”
“I doubt he’d do that.”
“He would.”
“He might.” Armannii patted Diomedes on the back until Diomedes moved away. “Your father loves you even if you frustrate him to the moons and back. He’s a father. I’m pretty sure it’s in the parenting handbook.”
“Tell him that.”
Armannii didn’t continue to argue, though it appeared as though he wanted to. Instead, he sighed. “I don’t think you have to worry about getting thrown back in a cell,” he said, holding up a finger to keep Diomedes from interrupting. “Not because your father won’t throw you in there but because B and I have been discussing what we’ll be doing while you’re in there saving the country.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“It’s not a finished plan yet, but don’t worry. It will be by the time you may, or may not, need it. We still have two days, after all.”
“Two days,” Diomedes repeated, a sensation of dread forming in the pit of his stomach at the mere thought.
When Armannii went off to check their surroundings the second night of travel to make sure it was safe to camp, Diomedes took his opportunity to speak with Blanndynne.
“How are you?” he asked, leaning against a tree as she sat down on a rock.
She looked up at him from examining her nail beds, her brow furrowed. “Confused.”
“Makes sense. What have you decided?”
“About?”
“Are you going to keep practicing?”
“Oh.” Blanndynne lowered her head, casting a glance to the side. “I don’t know. There’s a part of me that wants to continue practicing, and then another part that wants to quit altogether. I mean, maybe Armannii is right. Maybe it is wrong.”
“Could be. Depends on how you use it.” Diomedes shrugged, tilting his head to the side. “Want to know what I think?”
Blanndynne nodded emphatically. “Very much so.”
“I”—he stepped closer and lowered his voice—“think you should keep practicing.”
Her eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t said what she’d expected him to say. “But what if Armannii finds out?”
“Be more careful about who you practice on. Maybe don’t choose the guy’s friends.” He offered her a grin. “Here’s the thing. I think you have incredible potential. You just need to practice. And the thing about practicing is it gives you a chance to move forward when you fail. Don’t let this stop you from growing. Besides, enchanting someone’s mind is a difficult thing to do. Before you did it, I thought it was only possible for sirens. What you’ve proven is that you’re very capable.”
Blanndynne stuck her tongue in her cheek, a frown still on her face. “He’d be horrified I didn’t keep my word.”
“Your word?”
“When he apologized—” She sighed, tilting her chin down. “He made me promise I’d never do it again.”
“Well, I suppose you could honor that.” Diomedes shrugged. “But then again, haven’t you been trying to run your own life? I mean, he’s a good friend, and I’m sure his intentions are well-meaning, but I guess it sounds to me like he’s trying to control you.”
“Really?” Blanndynne sat up straighter. “I didn’t think—”
“I could be wrong,” Diomedes added as he shrugged again. “I just think you have a ton of potential. Take it from someone who can’t do magic. You have skill, and the only way you’re going to get better at it is to practice.”
“But is it worth practicing? I mean, the flying I understand . . .”
“I think it’s an impressive and handy skill to use. He may be my best friend, but Armannii sometimes doesn’t see the whole picture.” Diomedes paused, smirking at her. “I say keep practicing. Just don’t let him know. I have a feeling you’ll be glad you did. We all will. I mean, imagine if you had been able to enchant Otto. We probably would’ve been a lot better off.”
“I actually did try, but he was doing something in his mind to block me out. I couldn’t grab ahold.”
“But you tried. And I’m sure you learned from it, right?”
She nodded, and when she didn’t respond, he left her to think about their conversation as he went to go think about the one he’d have with the council in less than twenty-four hours.