Teryn gave her a wry grin. “That didn’t seem like admiration.”
“Trust me, it was.” Cora shifted her fingers to the pale tresses near his brow and brushed a strand off his forehead. “I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I like it too?—”
No, no. Valorre charged back into the clearing and made a beeline straight between Cora and Teryn, forcing them to step apart. He sidled into Cora, herding her away from Teryn.We have work to do.
With a roll of her eyes, she mouthedsorryat Teryn, who merely chuckled at Valorre’s odd behavior.
Come, Valorre said, stopping only once they’d reached the other side of the clearing.Let’s find your Forest People.
Cora was about to settle in and focus on her next test when Valorre let out yet another snort. Shaking his mane, he said,I am still much taller than him.
The morning sunhad fully risen over the Cambron Mountains by the time Valorre settled down enough for Cora to concentrate. He’d asked about a dozen times whether Teryn could see him blushing, to which she’d reply that he couldn’t blush. To that, Valorre just had to know if she wascertainly surehe couldn’t. She was almost of a mind to find the Forest People without Valorre, but the threat of her not needing his aid was enough to get him to relax.
After reconnecting with all the elements, she placed her hand on Valorre’s soft hide. Her palm thrummed in response, sending warmth radiating down every line of herinsigmora. She glanced briefly at her forearm, where the geometric shapes spanned from her palm to just below her bicep. Her gaze settled upon the spiral that marked the skin above her elbow crease. Beside it, new shapes had taken form, a crescent moon, a few small triangles. She recalled when she’d noticed the spiral. It had been the first tattoo that hadn’t been physically marked upon her. Instead, it had formed on its own, something that had surprised her but not Salinda. Ever since, more tattoos had grown, particularly after the tragic night last summer.
Despite being a Faeryn tradition, herinsigmorahad taken on a life of its own. Cora now knew she had no fae blood, neither Elvyn nor Faeryn, yet her tattoos continued to grow with her magic, just like they did for the other Forest People. Even apart from them, Cora’s body, her magic, remained entwined with those who’d trained her. They were family. They were a piece of her heart and soul. She could find them.
She let this confidence wash over her as she closed her eyes and settled her attention on her heart, drawing on her love for Salinda and Maiya. She pictured their smiling faces, felt their warm hugs, heard their encouraging words. Doubts shot through these imaginings, bringing questions of whether they’d be happy to see her again or if they’d condemn her for not visiting sooner. Or if they’d be upset that she came back at all, because of their rules about royals.
They are family, Valorre said.You don’t need to doubt them.
She let his words bolster her confidence, and she breathed her doubts away. Returning to thoughts of Salinda and Maiya, she settled deeper into her affection for them. For the strong guidance of a mother. The love of a sister. The loyalty of family. She lingered here, fueling her magic with emotion. Then she let her mind drift from her foster family to the camp in general. She sought the scents of woodsmoke and herbs, imagined the sounds of those waking from slumber. Memories of whispered voices, hushed steps, and the comforting clatter of cookware flooded her consciousness. The memories were so vivid, it was like she was there. Trulythere.
Whether it was just a memory or a glimpse at their location, she knew not, but an internal nudge told her she was on the right track. This was how to find them. How to feel them.
She let her memories sharpen yet turn yielding at the same time. She opened herself to alterations, to imagine the camp’s surroundings without shaping the location from physical recollection. All the while she kept her heart tethered to her love for the commune that had raised her, for Salinda and Maiya, for her other friends and acquaintances, for how they’d taught her to be the witch she was today.
Something warm and heavy pulsed in her chest, blooming outward and flooding her arms, her palms, tingling herinsigmora. It pulsed back at her from her connection to Valorre, from his soft flank to her palm, up her forearms, and back to her heart. The circuit continued, a pulse of loving energy.
I can feel them too, Valorre said.I feel the camp. I hear it. Smell it.
Excitement rushed through her, but they needed to see something too, if they wanted to travel there. Preferably something outside the camp, so they didn’t show up out of nowhere like apparitions.
There’s a lake, Valorre said.My brethren have seen it. They’ve passed the lake and the camp. The two locations are close.
Cora’s concentration nearly faltered at that. Valorre could sense fellow unicorns when they were nearby, but if the Forest People were in the region of Khero she expected them to be, he was sensing his brethren from a much farther distance than usual. And…communicating with them? But how? Was this a side effect of the tear in the Veil?
Yes, Valorre said.I remember now. I have always sensed my kin when nearby, like all fae can.
Cora recalled Etrix saying something similar, that the Elvyn could sense their kin. But for Valorre…
All unicorns are connected. Brethren. Kin. And now I can sense them easier than I could before.
That’s…amazing, Cora said.
There would be more time to marvel at such a connection, but for now she pushed her awe aside and settled back into her meditative state. His vision of the lake filled her mind. Frost marked the shore while the lake’s glossy surface reflected a cloudless sky. She couldn’t be sure how long ago this vision was from, but that didn’t matter. The location was important. Keeping her heart wrapped around her warmest emotions, she poured all her attention into that image. She imagined how the earth would feel beneath her feet, how the water would sound as it lapped upon the shore. Valorre did the same, his concentration strengthening her own, until the location felt real enough to touch.
Real enough to step into.
With a deep breath, she took a step…
And rooted herself at the edge of the lake.
Awe fell over her, but it was interrupted by an icy breeze that bit her cheeks, much sharper without the protection of the woods. She glanced at Valorre, who seemed far less surprised as he looked out at their change of location.
“We did it,” she said.
Of course we did, came his smug reply.I am quite talented.
