The dim light slices between the dark curtains, giving the far side of the room a punctuated silver glow. Beside me, Ryc shifts, curling an arm beneath his pillow as he rolls onto his stomach, his breathing deep and even.
It’s surprising to find him here.
More oft than not, he’s already set off. Ready to face the day by sunrise. After yesterday, he more than deserves a day of rest. Slipping from the bed as carefully as possible, I rise, stretching stiffness away. As I cross the room, making for the fireplace with a haste prompted by chill, I snag a bit of tinder and kindling from the box to add to the embers.
The tinder takes, bright orange flames dance to life, and my hands seek their warmth. A flash of vibrant green against my wrist in the firelight catches my eye and draws a heavy sigh from me.
Yet another veilflower bracelet.
A shiver races along my spine and tiny veilflowers pop open along the vine. Their blue glow casts the pale of my skin in an eerie light, one that seems to pulse in a slow, metered rhythm.
It reminds me of a heartbeat.
Resisting the urge to thrust my wrist over the fire and burn it away, I curl a finger and snap it. It vanishes in a burst of dark blue smoke.
I’ve yet to understand what it means.
And I’m inclined to believe I’m not going to understand until I’ve mended my soul. I’m serving as an open doorway between the other half of my soul and this realm. These little bouts of magic—these flare ups—they’reher… not me.
She maybeme, but I do not know her.
And gods only know how much I’ll change once we meet.
Rising, I meander to the line of windows and, peeking between curtains, I stifle a gasp.
Ollora has been blanketed in white.
It’s an astonishing sight.
The view from these windows… it’s no longer the north lawn with a few peaked rooftops peering over the curtain wall. It’s a view few others will ever see… the whole of western Ollora.
I pause, my eyes narrowing.
It’s the view Ryc shared weeks ago… the night on the balcony.
Peeling back the curtain, I search and reach for the door handle. Cold radiates through the glass, chilling my skin, but it doesn’t deter me. I step out into the frigid morning air, caring little for the snow beneath my bare feet.
As I wander toward the balcony railing, I stare in awe at the landscape before me. A pristine view of the vine-covered courtyard and temple, deep green against soft white. The curling shoreline of Kevus Lake lies beyond. With parts of the North Docks visible, many ships’ masts stand tall above snow-blanketed rooftops.
Instead ofhearingthe Daxing beyond the wall, Iseeit. It roams in a lazy wind through the city, a dark ribbon stretching to greet the blues of the lake. Billows of white rise from chimneys, countless homes fighting off the first touches of winter.
This isn’t the first I’ve seen snow.
But it is the first I’ve been granted thetimeto admire it.
“Little love.”
I turn to greet the soft call as Ryc appears in the doorway, an open letter in his hands. With a smile, he steps onto the balcony.
“I didn’t hear you wake,” I say.
“The arrangements I spoke about a couple days ago? They’re ready,” he says, nodding toward the letter.
“You’ve found a way to Illa Ysari?” I ask, surprised.
He chuckles, nodding. “Wear your armor and pack what you need. We leave within the hour.”
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