“I knew it!” Lo declared, triumphant. “Evie, tell me everything. Do I need to sit? I’ll sit.” And he dropped onto the sofa with grace.
I sighed heavily. Then crossed the room and sank beside him, shame prickling through me like thorns.
“I saw Selena and Kael together,” I began quietly. “In the necropolis. In Henrich’s alcove. It was… disturbing, to say the least.”
Lo’s expression twisted through shock, disgust, and unholy delight. “Kael? With Selena? He despises that woman.” Then his eyes lit, the gleam of gossip igniting like candle flame. His smirk curved wickedly. “How was it? Rough? Tender?”
I recoiled, stomach turning. I looked down, fingers twisting in my lap, my mind betraying me with the memory of Selena’s moans and how manly Kael had looked from that angle, hands digging into her hips, thrusts rough but slow.
“Why the face, darling?”
“The thing is, Lo, right before that…” I drew a shallow breath, feeling the sting behind my eyes. Why were there tears already? “Kael was with me.”
Lo’s jaw dropped. A slow, delighted smile spread across his face—Lo, ever the gossip’s patron saint—but when he caught the tremor in my voice, his brows knit in concern.
“What happened?” he asked softly, taking my hand.
“We kissed. And it wasn’t a polite kiss. It was akisskiss. Tongue, hands… teeth…”
“Teeth?”
“Then he just… left.” My throat tightened. “And I found him with Selena after.”
“Now why in the gods would Kael do that?”
“That’s exactly my question!” The words burst out sharper thanI’d meant, trembling with the frustration of twelve restless nights. “Is there something between them I should know about?”
Lo tilted his head, thinking. “They’re close, yes, but Selena was never an option for Kael. If anything, he despises her.”
“It didn’t look like that,” I muttered, lips pulling into a pout before I could stop them.
Lo reached up and brushed his fingers along my cheek, voice softening. “Oh, darling…”
I looked away. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. I’d done enough sulking for twelve days.
“Anyway,” I said, forcing lightness into my tone as I rose to my feet, “I’m headed to the mountain today. I need to finish that map.”
“Well,” Lo sighed with mock tragedy, standing as well, “I’ll be running after our shared tormentor, standing by beautifully, as usual.”
I looped my satchel over my shoulder and headed for the door. He followed me out, and we walked side by side until our paths forked.
“Good luck today!” he called after me. “And, you know, be safe.” He gave me one of his dazzling smiles.
I descended the grand staircase, each step loosening the tightness in my chest. Talking about it had eased some of the pressure in my head.
Perhaps a nice morning hike would steady me. Dwelling on a blight threatening cattle and crops seemed a far kinder task than dwelling on Kael Forloren.
Behind the Bracks’farm ran a narrow trail, carved by goats climbing the hillside and skirting the woods. If I followed it, it would lead me to the forest’s edge, a plateau where herds usually grazed in abundance. There’d been reports of more black vines higher up, and I meant to see them for myself, to take samples and record what I could.
It unsettled me how silent my powers had been since the Academy Ball, since that release Kael had triggered in me. Should I be grateful? The man shattered my heart, but praise be, at least the echoes had gone quiet.
The climb was steep. With every turn, Befest shrank behind me, its spires swallowed by mist and distance. Far away, the ocean glimmered pale and endless, and for a moment, its hush seemed to seep into me. I should have done this sooner.
The higher I went, the stronger the wind grew, threading cold fingers through my hair. My breath shortened, and I had to pause often, perfect moments to catch the view, to let the ache in my legs remind me I was still alive. Magi were no hikers, but we did appreciate a good vantage point.
I crossed a slender brook, its water bright and restless, probably a branch of the higher stream that spilled as a small waterfall into the woods below. A path curved beyond, used by merchants crossing the mountains. I followed it, rounding a great stone streaked with moss, until the world opened before me in a quiet, waiting pass.
I gasped when I saw dark vines surging from beneath the rock, digging into the path. They continued underground, reappearing between the trees. I followed my gut and stepped toward them. The blackness squelched underfoot, pulsing with a dark energy I could feel in my bones.
