“I’m your Royal Scribe.” He smiled, though a shadow passed through his features. “My father was High Scribe, then later demoted after Irene’s departure.” Sol couldn't help but notice the way he referred to his father in past tense, a spark of sympathy growing in her chest. “I’m sorry.”
He looked her way. “Politics are brutal. It’s something we all know when we choose our sides.”
“There’s sides?”
He nodded. “You’ll see soon enough. It’s something best experienced.”
A shiver snaked through her, steering the change of subject. “And what of the others?” She cast a glance around them and toward the trees where the other three had disappeared. “I know basic stuff, but…”
“We all have different duties. Both as Rimemere soldiers and part of your Court.” He stood and held out a hand to her.
“I, as a Water Dancer, oversee the ports at least twice a week, or used to at least…not sure if we will return to our old duties. Anyway, as your Scribe, I provide information and knowledge. Sawyer,” Alix continued as Sol stood, “is your Combat Leader. She will be the line holder and commander were we ever to go to war. As a Fire Wielder, and part of the Yarrow lineage, she is also Royal General of the Rimemere troops.”
“It’s still bizarre to think she’s my cousin,” said Sol, brushing the dirt off her breeches. “I didn’t even know I had an aunt, aside from maybe a vague mention of her.”
“I’m sure Irene had her reasons for keeping everything so guarded. I wouldn’t let it get to you.”
The ruffle of trees prompted her to look up, ready to bolt if those beady black eyes emerged from the foliage. But instead of black and soulless, they were silver and steel.
Sol released a breath and all her anxiety with it when Cas appeared in the clearing. “All seems well,”he said. “We didn’t see anything.”
“I really don’t think my birthmark has anything to do with those things.” Sol bounced on her feet. “It probably just flared with the weather.”
“Well, no harm in checking, Princess,” Nina said, stepping through the trees with Sawyer close behind. The Earth Caller cast an apologetic smile her way. “Sorry—Sol.”
And although she fought it, Sol returned the gesture before settling herself back into her tent with the zipper open, sure to keep in sight of the Wielders for the rest of the night.
The next two and a half days passed by in similar ways. They traveled, rested, ate, and repeated. During their breaks, Sol took advantage of the stillness and asked questions, most answered by Nina and Alix, while Sawyer and Cas dozed off. Sol learned Rimemere had been deemed a myth only because ancient enchantments kept it hazy in human minds, while Wielders all had an unspoken, collective agreement to keep the birthplace of their magic hidden. The more non-Weilders who learned of it, the more risk of developing tension within Erriadin that wasn’t needed—according to Alix, civil unrest amongst the Wielders was enough without adding humans with no connections to them into the mix.
It was during the final night that Sol’s birthmark flared again, and Nina was not having it. The occurrence was bizarre enough, even without Jinn being spotted this time either, she was condemned to ride with Cas the rest of the way in order to be Warded.
She had seen his Wards once briefly at the Hound, right before Sawyer tried to incinerate her face with a fireball. At least, that's what she thought it had been. But seeing the magic up close in a less chaotic headspace was—breathtaking. Almost more distracting than his arms around her waist.
Almost.
His horse, Lilah, was gentle, much more so than Nina’s, but still required occasional guidance with the reins. So, she was confined to a very limited range of motion, unless she wanted to melt into the ground with embarrassment.
Ifshe leaned back, she would be pressed into Cas's chest. To either side, his forearms dug into her hips. Forward and her lower back would??—
To busy herself, Sol quickly learned that Lilah responded to pats and gentle caresses, so she spent a long while doing so in silence, her eyes fixed on the shimmering violet orb of lightning rods around them.
“So, you have Shadows and Wards?” she asked, lacing her fingers through Lilah’s mane. “Is it common to have two?”
Cas adjusted his grip on the reins. “Yes, I’m a Dual Wielder. And no, it’s not common.”
“Is it difficult to have both?”
“Sometimes.”
She blinked at the sparks of lightning “And what happens if I touch the—the Ward?” She itched to reach out and trace the sparks with her fingertips.
Behind her, Cas shrugged. “Depends on my mood.”
“Does that go for your Shadows?”
“Mhm.”
“Is all magic… responsive like that?”
