Even with the snap of brisk morning air, heat bloomed across my cheeks. “I’m sorry, but I don’t regret helping.”
He sighed, pushing off the tree trunk securing my tent to the ground. “I know, Ro. I don’t think his decision was entirely to do with what went down, though.” He began stalking off. I watched him meander through the tents until he disappeared from sight.
Not the haranguing I’d imagined was coming my way, which I supposed I should be happy about. But I’d rather be scolded until his voice was raw than see the worry overcome his dark eyes, knowing there was nothing I could do to remedy it. No amount of perfectly targeted arrows or stolen goods could fix this, which made me feel utterly helpless.
Dipping into my tent, I shot straight for my bed and tossed my weary body on my cot.
Rav and Radhak may not have banned trips to Windguard solely because of my actions, but I couldn’t help stewing. Now that my aching body was finally at rest, my mind decided I should still suffer. Logic told me I shouldn’t have risked exposure for an animal. People have ridiculed me all my life for my decision to care for animals in ways that some would consider extreme or not worth it. My gift was not one of elements or visions, not of bending time or shifting. A small gift, a less than Lesser magic, but I couldn’t ignore it. How could I live with myself if I turned a blind eye to a suffering creature?
Skilled with a bow? Absolutely. Adept at thieving? Obviously. Talents I was proud of, but didn’t fulfill me. Even with those, I tried using them for something good. Taking from those who oozed wealth, making a difference in the lives of those with nothing. It was something, at least. Something more than helping injured birds find safety to rest, or donkeys with gashes. How could I be blessed with magic if it wasn’t meant to be my heart’s calling? Yet at every turn, I was judged or looked down upon for acting on it.
It made me feel insignificant. Like whenever I did what I thought was right, it wasn’t. Or wasn’t enough.
The tent flaps fluttered open and a tiny familiar body flew down to nuzzle into my pillow against the crook of my neck. “Hey, buddy. Did you have fun with Mira?” His scales might not be soft against my skin, but they were comforting, nonetheless.
He nodded. “She shared all of her food with me, and I showed her my air spirals.”
“Hm, sounds like a good day. Am I going to have to worry about you weighing down my shoulder?” Even in the darkened tent, my finger found the bulge of his belly that faced upward and poked. He playfully nipped my finger in response.
I chuckled, then got into a comfortable position and let the world fade.
The mood in Radhak’s tent had everyone tense. The air felt thick, hard to breathe. Even Braxius, tucked under my hair, remained still.
Mira’s partner Dante had finally traveled down, bringing with him an update on the dark magic consuming the northern part of Argora Vale.
“Where the land had previously healed, and produced crop yields, it’s now tainted soil again. The black veins almost pulse with life, as if actively leaching nutrients, or whatever it seeks for from the ground. It’s spreading more from the Pass, reaching deeper into the kingdom, and I’m still clueless as to why.”
The darkened bags under his eyes indicated he hadn’t slept much lately. Knowing he could now morph into a beast at will still didn’t take away the impressiveness of how fast he’d raced across the kingdom.
“There’s no getting past the spread to see the source?” Queen Nora asked, arms folded before her. Since I’d last seen her at thereception, she’d chopped her hair to where it sat just above her shoulders. Another bold move to set her apart from the norm of royalty. Loved it. She wore a sleek outfit, with leather in all the appropriate places for battle. Not the expectation of a traveling queen, but then again, that’s why I liked Nora so much. Down to earth, ready to work and problem solve. Kind of made me feel guilty for stealing from her palace on her wedding day and giving those items to the poor in South Harbor, but I was sure it would get her stamp of approval, so why bother mentioning it?
“No. You’d get shriveled up once you stepped beyond the spread. Jasper has attempted to gain aerial views, but it travels through Witches Pass, and he’s not able to make the journey in one go. And since I haven’t been able to spare him while evacuating those in Devera, the town that’ll most likely be touched by the curse next, we don’t have that answer,” Dante replied, massaging his chin roughly, like he felt guilty for not being able to accomplish that task yet.
Radhak sighed, eyes fixed on the map before him, which gained more markings each time it opened. “Do we have any reports from Windguard’s side of the pass? To see if it’s spread that far?”
“Sources say no one travels beyond Anjorri anymore, the midline of Windguard, but we don’t know why,” Rav added. “If it was because of the curse, I’m sure we would have heard about it by now.”
“Do we know where the kidnapped magic wielders have been ending up?” Melody, Nora’s stepsister, interjected. It wasn’t long since we’d rescued her from abduction, and clearly that event still had her shaken, judging by the worry in her voice. The beautiful, curvy blonde had accompanied her sister, looking much more the part of royalty in her finery than the queen in leathers. A russet red dress fell to her shins, paired with ridingboots. At least she was somewhat practical, even if it seemed she had delicate sensibilities throughout this conversation.
Rav shook his head and answered blatantly, “No, and I don’t think we’ll be getting answers soon. Since we were successful in shunting the operation out of Highcrest, we’ve essentially cut ourselves off at the knees. The care for magically blessed abductions in Windguard is nearly non-existent from majority of their people. In fact, some are convinced it’s a good thing, and since we have such limited intel from within its borders, we don’t have any new leads to go on.” I could hear the simmering undertones of his frustration. We cared more about Windguard than their own king and people. My father had been wise to leave that dreadful place behind.
“Unless there’s activity stirring in Highcrest again?” Rav faced Nora.
Nora dropped her folded arms to her hips. “Luckily, no. We’ve sent out a proclamation telling people to be on the lookout. We chose not to release that it’s only magic wielding people who are victims, but have encouraged neighbor to look out for neighbor. It’ll cast a wider net that way. Nick doesn’t want the kingdom to feel divided. We are all one people.” She spared her glance around the room, receiving nods.
Already a leader in her own right, standing tall and convicted in a room of experienced men. Way to go, queenie.
“So what does this mean? Where do we go from here?” I asked Radhak.
His face remained frozen, wrinkled in contemplation. “According to Dante, there’s too many citizens left to relocate them all here. We’re barely holding it together as it is.”
“Nick and I have come up with a possible solution. There’s a town near the forest along the northwest boundary line. Half the town is essentially vacant. Buildings haven’t been tended to for some time, though. It may not be much, but it’ll be a roofand walls. If your people are willing to pitch in.” She focused on Dante. “We’ll have a good number of shelters come winter.”
Dante nodded, tension dropping from his shoulders. “If they’re permitted to use magic, it’ll go faster.”
Nora approved. “The town we’re moving them to has a mostly magical population that remains. Those who fled long ago did so because of magical beasts sleuthing the borders.”
Dante tensed. Maybe he took offense to the term ‘beast’.
