Sentinel: A Light Mage Wars Novella (The Light Mage Wars) by Nancy Northcott Page A

zinged through him. Again. Damn it.
    " There's mud in the middle of the path for the next ten yards or so," he said. "But there's enough dry space on the edges for one person with a few inches to spare. It's only a few dozen yards to the road, but do you want to go on or turn back? Or, since there's no one else out here, we could just translocate across."
    " I can't," she said easily. "I can't summon an image of any kind of destination."
    He should 've realized. Translocating without at least an inkling of a visual could cause problems ranging from nothing happening to a mage ending up far from the intended destination. He could translocate them both–
    " We can go on," she decided. "Let me walk behind you with a hand on your shoulder." Hesitantly, she added, "You'll be like an extra cane. If that's okay."
    " Sure. Why wouldn't it be?"
    Saying nothing, Caro slid her hand up his arm and across his back, and just that fast, h e was as rigid as her cane. Shit. Good thing she couldn't see it. Because she was still touching him, he tightened his emotional defenses in case she sensed his arousal.
    If she noticed, she didn 't comment. "Ready," she said.
    They walked the edge of the track in silence.
    A few minutes later, they were past the mud. Rick stopped so Caro could move back to his side. "It's dry again here, but Caro, why wouldn't it be okay to use me like a cane?"
    She bit her lip. After a moment, she said, "Some people don't...adapt well."
    " Some people are idiots." Like Asshole Jerald, who'd probably inspired her comment. "We all have to lower our expectations when dealing with them."
    " This is true."
    Damned if her bright smile didn't warm him inside the way the sunshine warmed his face.
    " Have dinner with me," he said.
    " I can't tonight." Her reply came fast, abruptly. With no further explanation. Her face around the sunglasses tensed.
    He 'd moved too quickly, forgotten her allergy to reporters. Best to regroup and ease back into her good graces. He still had ten days left to file the story. "Some other time, then."
    " Sure."
    She sounded relaxed, but he sensed her hesitation. Her barriers were subtly rising.
    " I'll send back the answers to your questions tonight," she said.
    " Take your time. I don't plan to submit the story until after your demonstration. It'll be a stronger piece when you've proved any doubters wrong."
    A lso, he was afraid the interview questions were the first item on a three-item checklist, with her demonstration being next and cutting him loose coming after that.
    Caro grimaced. "No pressure, though."
    " There shouldn't be," he said firmly. "Modesty's all well and good, Sunshine, but the one constant in all the press is that the work itself was great. Remember that."
    They walked in silence a few more paces. "The parking lot's just ahead," he said. "Anything else I can do to help you get ready?"
    Caro shook her head. Tugging him to a halt, she asked, "Why are you helping me with this, Rick? Why do you care?"
    " Because I hate injustice." Meaning that emphatically, he let her feel his intensity in the magic. "You got a trainload of it dumped on you."
    " So you're crusading against injustice?"
    " Sometimes." Like with the "Furthermore" column. His royalties and other backup jobs, bartending and construction, produced far more income, but he held onto the column anyway. It was his only chance to be a voice for mages who lacked cushy connections.
    But she couldn 't know that now. In a lighter voice, he added, "Not to mention that you look great across a café table."
    She pursed her lips, obviously considering, and he asked, "Why else would you think I'd be doing it?"
    So far, he hadn't outright lied to her about wanting to do a story on her brother. At least not in so many words. He preferred to keep it that way.
    " I just–" Her free hand clenched into a fist. "I don't want anybody feeling sorry for me, that's all."
    " Feel sorry for you?" He shouldn't be shocked by that, not after what he'd