They stood when they saw me, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Loelle signal to them to sit back down, and I was grateful for it. I didn’t want any questions, nor could I offer any explanations for what had happened to me, what was still happening. I felt the magic stretching through my veins, even if it wasn’t as strong as it had been in the caves. But I couldn’t properly explain the feeling, nor was I certain if this was my own developing magic or whether I was simply reflecting the glow of the caves. And when I asked Loelle, she replied that we would have to wait and see.
Wait and see. How I hated that concept. I always had.
That made me smile. Whatever else magic had done for me, it was still not powerful enough to overcome my innate lack of patience.
Wynnow invited me to sit at the campfire and offered some boiled eggs. I knew I should’ve been half-starved, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t anything other than aware of the magic. It pulsed with every beat of my heart. My heart, free of Lord Endrick’s grip. Every easy breath I drew was a reminder of my freedom from him.
“I will know when she’s hungry,” Loelle said sharply, motioning to Wynnow to withdraw the offer of eggs. “Kestra is in my care.”
Wynnow straightened up, her face pinched with irritation, yet the only logical place to sit at the campfire was on the fallen log beside her. When I sat there, Loelle pressed her lips together, something Wynnow obviously took as a victory.
“Your appetite will return soon,” Loelle explained, pretending not to be as irritated as I knew she was. “Quite voraciously at first, but that too, will pass.”
She sent a look to Tenger as she finished speaking, and he nodded back at her. “If it involves me, you should say it aloud,” I reminded them.
Wynnow smiled. “The captain and I were discussing what is the proper next step for you.”
“That’s obvious. I need to retrieve the Olden Blade, and …” Panic shot through me. “I don’t know where it is! What if that memory doesn’t return?”
“You don’t have that particular memory,” Tenger said, more calmly than I’d have expected, considering the stakes. “From what I can piece together, you made an attempt on Lord Endrick’s life, which ended with you jumping through a window to escape. Basil was waiting for you. You gave him the Olden Blade and asked him to hide it from everyone, including you.”
“And where did he hide it?”
Tenger clapped his hands together. “Well, that’s the problem. Basil won’t tell us yet, not until the Halderians agree to join in Reddengrad’s defense.”
I kicked at a pebble near my boot, wishing I had a better distraction for the frustration that was beginning to burn in my chest. “I don’t trust the Halderians.”
Tenger smiled. “You’ll trust them less once your memory from about three years ago starts to rebuild itself.”
I cocked my head, but he gave no further explanation. I asked, “Are we joining the battle too?”
Loelle leaned forward. “You’re feeling strong, which is a good thing, but obtaining magic has placed you in a precarious state. You must take some time to understand yourself, as you now are.”
“I’ll figure it out, on the way to the battle.”
Wynnow’s stormy glare leveled in Loelle’s direction became a much friendlier smile in mine. “If you are willing, my lady, I will take you over the border to Brill, where you will have refuge among my people until you are recovered.”
I tilted my head. “How long will that take? I feel fine.”
“It’s not necessary for you to go all the way to Brill,” Loelle said. “Your mind is clear of Lord Endrick’s magic now, so you should begin to sort out the real from the unreal. And within a few days, we should know more about the magic within you. Then we can determine exactly what powers you have, if any.”
I stared down at my hands, feeling the pulse of magic course through me, wondering what lay ahead for me now. I was at once nervous, excited, wary, and eager to begin experimenting with possibilities.
Loelle reached over and gave my hands a comforting squeeze, as if she sensed how I was feeling. I smiled back at her, grateful to be understood.
“Experimenting with her magic is better done in Brill,” Wynnow said. “She has many enemies here in Antora, and none in my country.”
Wynnow was right about that. I l
iked the idea of learning about magic somewhere my life wasn’t constantly at risk. “We can go to Brill,” I said, immediately hoping I wouldn’t regret the decision. Loelle obviously disagreed. Her lips were pinched into such a fine line, I barely saw them anymore.
While the others broke camp, I wandered up the hillside to survey the land. We were in the lower elevations of the mountains, so I couldn’t see to the horizon, but the view was extraordinary. The mountains here were snowcapped almost year-round, with striking peaks, rocky hills, and a dramatic waterfall that was already beginning to freeze for the winter months. Before the War of Desolation, before Lord Endrick destroyed his own people, this had been Endrean territory. A part of me belonged to this land, and despite whatever people might say about me one day, Antora was my home. I was determined to save it from Endrick’s clutches.
Even if I needed magic to do so.
Even if it meant risking my life, and losing everything I valued—
Simon.