The air suddenly felt heavier, the dormant eyes I’d felt since first arriving waking in agitation as something ancient and powerful entered the Valley.
“Quickly, now,” Kaos urged, “or my bargain will be forfeit as will your life.”
Fay closed her eyes on a shuddering breath. I knew without having to ask that his second comment was what forced Fay’s hands to remove the crystal around her neck. If she died, then so did Rohak, and I knew, no matter how much she tried to deny it or suppress her feelings, that she would never willingly sacrifice Rohak. His safety, his life, came before all else—before knowledge, before destroying a tether, even before her own life.
“Fine,” she whispered, thrusting the crystal in my direction. I took it with shaky hands.
“Wait here,” Kaos commanded before stepping through a swirling black vortex, he and Fay disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Rohak
Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhhh.
My brush moved in soothing strokes down Balios’ back and hindquarters, slowly and methodically brushing out his coat after a long and grueling ride through the fields that surrounded Vespera.
Ever since Faylinn left, my mind and heart were in turmoil. Nothing was as it should be; a piece of my very soul was missing, and my body was reacting accordingly.
I had trouble sleeping and eating, and my concentration was absolute shit. The world was in muted greys and blacks, even though I knew it was supposed to be filled with color.
Everything was shit without Faylinn.
I’d leaned heavily on Sol’s and Felix’s council over the past few weeks, interjecting and assisting where I could, but knew I was of very little help inside the city.
Which is why, when the opportunity arose to take a trip outside Vespera’s walls and visit with the farmers and villagers that lived in the province’s outskirts, I took it immediately.
The wind in my face as I pushed Balios hard down the cobbled streets that turned to gravel and then dirt helped clear my mind, even with the pang of loss and sharpness of missing Faylinn a constant stabbing.
I immersed myself in work, connecting with families concerned about another attack from Solace and those dealing with Mage Sickness. The collapse of the mines hit our rural and poor populations the hardest; it was only a matter of timebefore the crystal stores we had in the city ran dry, and then we would all be fucked.
One problem at a time.
Hopefully, Faylinn would find something in her research that would help ease that burden. Otherwise, the sickness would kill us all if Solace didn’t do the job first.
I grunted at my quickly darkening thoughts, the previous joy of the day flitting away like wisps on the wind.
Balios snickered and shook his mane, reacting to my foul mood.
“I’m sorry,” I rumbled quietly, stroking his coat with both my brush and hand. “I just miss her.”
Balios whickered softly, agreeing with my statement or calling me an idiot. I wasn’t sure which.
The sky was slowly bleeding to black as night quickly approached, the last vestiges of day hanging by a thread as pinks and oranges turned to deep violet.
Balios chuffed again, and I sighed, throwing the brush into the bucket at my feet before reaching into my heavy cloak for a sugar cube.
“You did well today, boy,” I whispered quietly, stroking his soft nose as his velvet lips mouthed at my open hand, gobbling the small treat in seconds. Balios blew hot air from his snout, his lips ruffling with the motion as he tried to search my cloak for further treats.
I laughed lightly at his antics, enjoying the smell of horse and straw as I leaned my forehead against his.
“What a pathetic excuse for a General I’ve become,” I lamented with a shake of my head. “Forty-four and I’m pining for a woman like I’ve never gotten my dick wet before.”
The problem was I’d never felt like this for another person—this all-consuming love and devotion, the need to protect, need to be close to her. It was debilitating and liberating in the same breath.
The air in the stables suddenly grew heavy, putting intense pressure on my chest. Balios threw his head in agitation, clearly feeling the same change.
“Whoa, boy, whoa!” I said, reaching up to grab his neck and pull him back down into waiting, comforting hands. “Easy, Balios, easy.”
