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“What?”

“You said you were going to be gone for six months.”

“Well, yeah. You knew this. I told you. And then you acted like a chump and didn’t speak to me for two weeks.”

“You never said how long. You said it would be for a while.”

“That is a while.”

“Why?” he asked, finally looking at me. There was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite figure out. The closest thing I could make it to be was anger, but that didn’t seem right.

“Why what?”

“Why do you have to go? What are you leaving for? Where are you going?”

I hesitated. This was dangerous ground. He knew nothing of cornerstones, much less the fact that he was one. I couldn’t tell him that he was a big part of the reason I was leaving, because the longer I stayed, the more difficult it would be as he didn’t belo

ng to me.

“Away,” I said. “I’m going away because I have to. To learn better control of my magic.”

“Morgan’s your mentor,” he said, like he was trying to argue with me. “He can teach you.”

I shook my head slowly. “Not everything. Not this.”

He took a step toward me and his eyes were so green, like the trees in summer, and all I wanted to do was to tell him this. To tell him that when I stood by his side, I felt right. I felt even. My head was clear and my heart was clean.

He said, “What is this?”

A question that could be taken so many ways.

I took the easy way out. “It’s a wizard thing,” I said. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Where?” he said.

I looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Randall,” he said.

I turned to walk away. And made it three steps.

“Sam.”

I didn’t turn back around, but I stopped.

“The King told me,” he said.

I said nothing.

“About what happened. About how you ended up at the sparring fields.”

“Ah,” I said.

“Is it true?”

“No,” I said. “I lied to the King because I could.”

“Don’t do that. Just… don’t. You deflect. You always deflect.”


Tags: T.J. Klune Tales From Verania Fantasy