"We'll come back."
It sounded like a promise, but Briar heard the uncertainty underneath. They were riding into corrupted wilderness to reinforce a seal holding back ancient horrors, witha mad king hunting them and Ferria escaped to gods-knew-where. Coming back felt more like hope than certainty.
"You're quiet this morning," Eliam said after they'd been riding for a while, the Star Court now just a glimmer behind them.
"Just tired."
"You barely slept."
"How would you know?"
"BecauseIbarely slept." His hand found her waist, steadying her as Phaeon navigated a rough patch. "And because I know you."
Do you?she wanted to ask.Or do you know the warmth and assume you know me?
But she said nothing, just let him guide her horse with practiced ease, his body close enough that she could feel his heat even through layers of winter clothing.
They rode in silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Soon the Star Court had disappeared behind them, the crystalline spires swallowed by distance and trees. The landscape had shifted gradually from the manicured gardens and careful pathways to something wilder, denser. True forest now, the kind that had grown without fae hands shaping it.
The trees here were massive, their trunks wider than three men standing shoulder to shoulder, their canopy so thick that the sunlight filtered through in scattered beams. Moss covered everything—rocks, fallen logs, the lower branches of trees. The air smelled of earth and decay, the natural rot of leaves and wood returning to soil.
It was beautiful in a raw way, untamed and ancient. But there was something else too, something Briar couldn't quite name. A heaviness to the atmosphere, a sense of watching eyes. The forest felt aware, though whether it was hostile or simply indifferent she couldn't tell.
"How much further today?" Sian asked from behind them.
"Another few hours," Thaine called back. "We'll make camp before dark. I know a clearing ahead with good water."
Briar shifted in her saddle, her thighs already aching from the constant motion. Phaeon plodded along steadily beneath her, unbothered by the rough terrain or the close press of trees on either side of the narrow path.
"Doing alright?" Eliam asked quietly.
"Sore, but fine."
His hand found her leg, thumb rubbing small circles through the wool of her pants. The touch was meant to be comforting, she knew, but it just made the warmth pulse in response, made her question whether her body's reaction was hers or the magic's.
She shifted slightly away, pretending to adjust her seat, and felt him tense beside her.
The afternoon wore on. They stopped once to rest the horses and eat a cold meal of bread and dried meat. Briar wandered a short distance from the group, stretching her legs, trying to work out the soreness from hours in the saddle.
"First day is always the hardest," Sian said, appearing beside her with a water skin. "Tomorrow will be worse, but by the third day your body starts to adapt."
"Comforting," she muttered, but took the water gratefully.
"I try." She glanced back toward where Eliam and Arion stood on opposite sides of the small clearing, both watching her with identical intensity. "They're not subtle, are they?"
"Not even a little."
"For what it's worth," Sian said carefully, "I've known Arion for a very long time. I've never seen him act like this about anyone."
Briar didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing. Just drank her water and tried not to think about the way Arion's light had flickered when she'd pulled away from his touch this morning, or the hurt in Eliam's eyes when she'd shifted away from his hand on her leg.
"Mount up," Thaine called. "We've still got a ways to go before dark."
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of trees and shadows and growing fatigue. By the time Thaine finally called a halt in a small clearing beside a stream, Briar was ready to fall off her horse. She managed to dismount with only minor awkwardness, her legs protesting every movement.
"You did well," Eliam said, already moving to unsaddle Phaeon before she could do it herself.
"I sat on a horse for eight hours. Not exactly an achievement."
