Elyse smiled and let a bit of wickedness show. “Yes, but I’ll be fighting alongside you,” she said in a saccharine voice. Then she looked down at Manny.
“Can you wiggle your fingers?” she asked.
Manny grunted and twisted his fingers into a vulgar gesture.
Elyse chuckled and nudged him with her boot again. “Don’t give me that. You didn’t sense any of my attacks. Learn to listen to your magic, and then you can insult me all you want.”
“Deal,” Manny choked out.
Elyse reached down and shook his limp hand. “Deal.”
30
Killian
Killianambled through the halls of the house. Elyse had left him to train two hours ago. Killian could hardly blame her—riffling through endless stacks of books was hardly his idea of fun either. At least wielding a sword and practicing spellwork yielded actual progress.
He stomped down the grand staircase and out to the gardens, hoping Elyse was still outside. As he pushed open the double doors, he ignored the nagging feeling that nipped at his chest, telling him something was wrong.
Out in the gardens, there were no signs of Elyse. The main courtyard was empty aside from the flowers in full bloom. Killian’s boots tapped along the stone pavers as he crossed the courtyard. He rounded the shrubbery, his ears alert for signs of grunting or daggers slashing through air, but he heard nothing.
Again, that nagging feeling. Elyse had proven enough times that she could be self-sacrificing—or even vengeful enough to disregard logic. There was a small chance that she’d gone on some secret, dangerous mission on her own. Killian tried to remind himself that she was different now, and not as reckless.
He wound his way through the rows of hedges and manicured flowers, trying his best to keep his worry at bay. The gardens felt endless, until he finally reached a break in the hedges that led out into the lawn.
Elyse sat on the grass, a vision of black and silver against the verdant landscape. Her legs were folded in front of her, and her wrists rested upon each knee. She sat tall with her shoulders rolled back and her chest lifted toward the sky.
Killian let out a breath. Why had he been so worried? He nearly laughed at himself for being so neurotic as he approached Elyse slowly. She didn’t stir as he stepped beside her, though he knew she could hear his boots shifting in the grass.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d still be out here,” he said into the breeze. Not an accusation or a grievance, but a coaxing. An invitation to discuss whatever was on her mind.
Elyse still didn’t speak, so Killian dropped to the grass beside her. He sat close enough that their shoulders grazed.
“It’s beautiful,” he said as he gazed down the hill. The city lay spread out below them. He spotted the library, where they’d traveled to earlier in the week, and the surrounding university halls. Killian guessed there weren’t many places in the continent where you could peer down on an entire city as he did now, where it was far enough away to see the whole thing, but felt close enough to touch.
“We have nothing.” Elyse’s voice was nearly a whisper, broken and flat. Like a note played on a piano in need of tuning.
Killian looked at her, searching her face. She held no expression, her attention pinned on nothing in particular.
“We have the Blade of Hanael,” Killian corrected gently.
“We have nothing,” she said again, more despondent this time. “The Blade is useless if we can’t get near Lazarus, if we can’t protect ourselves from him.” She turned her face toward him then, despair heavy in her eyes.
“There’s still a week left,” Killian answered. It felt like an empty gesture though. He’d been having the same thoughts for the past few days. If they hadn’t found anything helpful yet, what good would one more week do? Still, he kept his expression strong, pouring encouragement into every word. “We could find a solution tomorrow, or tonight even.”
Elyse shook her head and faced the city again. Her nostrils flared, like she was fighting back tears.
“Have faith,” he murmured. “Faith and hope are what Lazarus is trying to steal from us. You can’t let him take those, too.”
“You cannot rob me of something I’ve never had.” Elyse spoke the words with so much bitterness, Killian felt his heart shatter. Unable to stop himself, he tucked a strand of that beautiful silvery hair behind her ear.
“Never?” he asked, letting a hint of playfulness into his voice. “I believe it took a great deal of faith to proposition me for a blood oath. And an immense measure of hope to raise me from the dead.”
Elyse shifted. Her jaw ticked slightly as she pondered his suggestion. “I think you’re confusing faith and hope with stupidity,” she said finally.
Killian let out a quiet laugh. He leaned closer, until he could feel the heat of Elyse’s skin pulsing back at him.
“You, my beautiful witch, are many things. Stubborn, hotheaded, and arrogant, to name a few. But you are not stupid.”
