Magic and Gold

27: Empty

I peeked around the corner of Alix's doorway, watching as soldiers walked past in long rows on the street. I wondered if Alix knew any of them. These could have been his brothers, his friends, his mentors. If I grew up in the Magia, he grew up in the Guard. He found his family there. It must have been painful to be their enemy now, watching them taunt you as they stalked past the door in perfect lines. There were so many guards now, maybe Alix did not know them all. Ralphus had increased the draft, and the new recruits seemed to be standing right outside our door. They had been walking past for days now, and on this Monday there was twice the number of guards.

I retracted into the house, and I felt a swell of worry in my chest. I could not place my finger on why, but it was there. I sat on the bed next to where Alix lounged without a shirt on. His chest was all fine, sculpted lines that I could not help but admire. He wrapped his arms around my hips. "Hey," he said lazily as he pressed his lips to my jaw.

I stayed sitting up stiffly, thinking things over. His touch was extremely distracting, so I pushed him away. He took it in stride, hanging his head off the bed as he stretched out like a cat in the sun. "What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked with a playful grin.

He was in a good mood that I was loath to spoil, but I had to answer, "I'm worried about the soldiers. Why are there so many?"

He replied, "They know I live around this area. It's not the best place to hide, but you needed a place to regain your health and this was the best option. They don't know exactly where I live, or else they'd be here." He sat up, stretching his arms out and yawning. I could see his ribs in his handsome but skinny frame. I made a mental note to force him to eat more food, even though the budget was tight. He saw me staring at his chest and winked.

I gave him a tight lipped smile. "Put on a shirt, you hooligan. You should always have one on, and not just because it's distracting. I'm trying to be serious here."

"You think I'm distracting?" He grinned at me, pulling on a shirt.

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head. "I know you're distracting. And you know it, too! So be quiet and let me think for a second." I was quiet for a second, and surprisingly, Alix was, too. "The Captain was such good friends with your dad, right? How could he not know your address? You never had to give it for your work?"

"No. I don't think so. As long as you show up for work, they don't really care where you come from." His face had been light and cheerful a second ago, but now was starting to show signs of concern again. "Are you okay, Guin? Is this paranoia another...side effect of your time in the tower?"

"No! I mean...I don't think so. I just feel like something is wrong. I feel it in my gut. I feel it in my heart. I know that Ralphus wants me there in the castle really badly. So why haven't they gone door to door? Why haven't they? Why aren't they here?" My brain felt like a ball of yarn, knitting and tangling into a deeper and deeper paranoia.

"You're starting to sound like Copper. There's no conspiracy. Calm down. They aren't here because they don't know where to go. It's okay." He placed a hand on my back and massaged in circles. "You're safe."

"Codie is at school, right?" I asked, looking around the room. It was empty except the two of us lying all alone on his bed.

"She's just at school," he replied soothingly.

"We need to go get her. Now." I stood up, pulling at Alix's hand. "Right now."

"School's almost over anyways, so sure. Let's go." He rifled through a drawer and pulled his mask on, handing a plain black one to me. "We can't be identified."