He let out a quiet sound of disapproval before settling on saying, “Resourceful.”
“Necessary,” I said, shrugging. I brushed the unidentified flecks of gore from my skirts with trembling hands, the cold water doing little to ease the lingering horror. I rambled to get my mind off the work. “I insisted they use some of the money I left behind so my little brother could enjoy warm baths. City life doesn’t much agree with Tegil. He prefers plants to most people. I think he’d be happier in the countryside.”
“Not a soldier, then.”
“He has two sides. One, too soft, and the other likes to pick fights. I’ve always tried to be the shield between him and the worst parts of this world, but he seems determined to face them down himself. My other brothers have the…privilegeof being soldiers. They work for a lord in Larethia,actually. They send coin when they can, but their pay isn’t high because they’re not Assembly-trained mages.”
Emrys gave a small grunt that might’ve been amusement at my obvious sarcasm at the privilege of being a soldier. He dipped beneath the surface, soaking his hair, then emerged and began working his tunic up over his head beneath the water.
I looked away to give him privacy, but not before I glimpsed a long, pink scar that stretched the length of his ribs down his back. I’d seen the crisscrossing of marks on his forearms, but from where I stood, I couldn’t tell if the rest of his body bore a similar history. It wasn’t fresh, but even that glance made me ache for the pain it must’ve caused him.
Who had he saved, or what had he lost, for a blade to have come that close to his heart? It was easy to forget the cost of power when the man bearing it never complained.
Since I was deep enough for modesty, I removed my overdress and focused on scrubbing the neckline. “My mother is a mage, an empath like me. My father was a guard for the Assembly,” I said, quieter now. “He was respected. Lost a leg in an accident at the keep. That’s why he retired.”
Emrys turned slightly toward me again. “Difficult.”
“It was,” I said. “He used to be very skilled with the sword, so it crushed him not to be able to fight anymore. But my being offered an opportunity to work for the Assembly gave him hope that my future might be better.”
“You care for your family?”
“Very much.” It wasn’t my parents’ fault that love had gifted them too many mouths to feed in a city that rejected their relationship. It wasn’t their fault that my sister’s farm had fallen on hard times or that none of us had been offered proper training so we could earn at our full potential.
I ran my fingers through my hair, ducking my head beneath the water to rinse it clean. When I emerged, I asked him, “What about your parents?”
He was quiet for a moment as the current eddied gently around us. “My mother died shortly after our birth from a fever. Bronwyn’s while we were teens. And Euros passed a few years ago,” he said after a moment.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“Don’t be.” His eyes flicked toward me, unreadable. “Euros and I had a contentious relationship, and we never knew our mother. Though she was said to have been a wonderful woman.”
I could feel his attention flick to the jewelry I hadn’t taken off, even for this. I’d picked up on undercurrents of discord between the twins and their father from chatter amongst the nobles at the festival, but it wasn’t my place to pry.
“After meeting Sabha, I’m guessing she elbowed her way into your hearts?”
“Can’t deny her easily.” His tone held the smile I couldn’t see while he was turned away from me.
I let the silence settle again. The sky slowly turned violet as we both kept scrubbing, soap in hand. Then Catrin let out a snore so loud that a frog leaped from the riverbank in protest.
“She’ll be mortified.” I laughed before I could stop myself. “Let’s pretend it never happened. She’s lucky no one recognizes it as her snoring amongst all the others in the camp.”
Emrys turned and raised an eyebrow. My heart skipped a beat as his eyes traced a path over me, searing my skin on their journey.
I cleared my suddenly parched throat. “We should probably get out before she starts sleep-talking again.”
“About that soldier she’s had an eye on?” he asked lightly, watching me over his shoulder.
Heat rushed to my face. “I never said that.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. It was the kind of smile that said he liked seeing me blush.
He began making his way to shore wearing only his trousers. I should’ve looked away, but I couldn’t. In the fading light, his body was power and scars, carved muscle and strength, all held together by an otherworldly willpower I’d experienced firsthand.
I followed slowly, wringing water from my sleeves along the way so I’d be at least partially dry before I made it to shore. Before I could get close enough to truly admire him, he’d already changed into a fresh, dry shirt.
Emrys grabbed one of the towels next to Catrin. Turning his broad back to me, he methodically dried his hair and face as he moved upriver again. When I reached the shore, Catrin stirred but didn’t wake, mumbling something about “pauldrons” before turning over on her mossy bed.
Emrys hissed, “Catch.” His boyish grin seemed to push back the encroaching shadows of night. A towel propelled by magic came flying my way.
