‘I can see that,’ Ezer said, and glanced back over her shoulder at the dormitory door. ‘Do you need me to deliver it to someone inside?’
Surely he had a Matched, or at least someone he hoped would be.
‘No.’ He cleared his throat. ‘It’s … for you, Minder. Consider it a lifeline.’
Her eyes widened.
She hadn’t been given a gift since she was a child, before Ervos lost himself to the betting and drinking.
The box was wrapped with a silk bow, no larger than the palm of her hand.
She lifted the lid, and felt her brows raise on instinct.
‘It’s … a rock.’
He’d given her arock.One that could have fit easily in the palm of her hand.Gods, the ways of the Sacred were strange.
‘Notjusta rock.’ Arawn’s blue eyes were eager, like he was letting her in on a secret. ‘It’s aSpeaking stone.’
She turned the stone over, and sure enough, it had a freshly glowing rune that looked like twin tailed stars encircling one another, never quite touching.
‘Right …’ Ezer said slowly.
He sighed. ‘It’s so we can speak to each other, Minder.’ His brows furrowed, like he’d practiced this speech and it wasn’t coming out right. He reached into his own pocket and revealed a matching stone. ‘Kinlear and I used to use them as children. It stretches across the entirety of Augaurde. So that, no matter where you are …’ He swallowed. ‘You can call on me. Should you need me.’
‘Oh,’she breathed.
Gods, was it hot in this hallway?
She had the sudden urge to roll up her sleeves.
‘May I?’ he asked.
She wasn’t sure what to say, what to even do, so she scooped up the stone in her box and held it out to him.
But instead of taking it from her, he curled her fingers around it.
‘What are you?—’
‘You’ll see,’ Arawn said. Their eyes locked. ‘Patience, Minder.’
The stone began to grow warm in her grasp, or maybe that was fromhisskin, too hot over hers.
And then she could have sworn …
‘See? A Speaking stone.’
His voice filled her mind.
She yelped and dropped the stone back in the box like it was on fire.
He chuckled.
‘They’re runed to share internal thoughts like conversation,’ Arawn explained. ‘All you need to do is squeeze it. And … I’ll be able to talk to you. Any time at all.’ He cleared his throat again. ‘To help, I mean. To answer questions, or … be an ally.’
It was a thoughtful gift. A verypersonal,close gift. And she didn’t know what to make of it.
Yes, it trulywastoo warm in this hallway.
