She rises from the cushion, moving closer, and her white eyes narrow as she tilts her head. "Your bond. The one I sensed at the Masquerade. The one the gods saw fit to forge between you and that human woman." Her frown deepens. "Why can I feel the magic lashing out? Unfinished. Angry."
My hand goes to my chest instinctively, pressing against the tight knot of agony that's been living there for two weeks. "She left."
"Left?"
"Ran." The word tastes bitter. "The morning after. Before I could—before we could talk about what happened. About what it meant."
Serai's expression shifts, something almost like pity crossing her face. "And you haven't seen her since?"
"No."
"You've tried to find her?"
"Every gods-damned day." My voice comes out rougher than I intend, frustration bleeding through despite my best efforts to keep it locked down. "I've searched the city. Gone to every market, every quarter, every festival. I don't even know her full name. Don't know where she lives. She's just—gone."
The tightness in my chest flares, and I grit my teeth against it.
Serai studies me for another beat, then nods slowly. "The bond started forming, didn't it? When you were together."
"Yes."
"And now it's incomplete. Reaching for something it can't find." She moves to one of the shelves, her fingers trailing over various objects—crystals, vials, small carved idols. "That's why you're in pain. The magic doesn't understand separation. It only understands connection."
"Can you help me or not?"
She glances back at me, one eyebrow arched. "So impatient."
"Serai—"
"Yes, I can help you." She pulls something from the shelf—a crystal pendant hanging from a thin silver chain. The stone is pinkish-red, translucent, and it catches the light in a way that makes it look like it's glowing from within. "Come here."
I cross to her, my pulse kicking up despite myself.
She holds the pendant up between us, letting it dangle from her fingers. "This is a tracing stone. I use them for finding lost objects, lost people, lost connections." Her white eyes flick to mine. "Since the bond has already started forming between you and her, the magic will recognize the thread. I can tie this stone to your bond, and it will guide you to her."
Hope flares in my chest—sharp and almost painful.
"It'll work?"
"If the bond is strong enough, yes. And from what I'm sensing—" She reaches out, pressing her palm flat against my sternum, and I feel a pulse of warmth spread through my ribs. "—it's strong enough."
The warmth intensifies, becoming almost uncomfortable, and I grit my teeth as Serai closes her eyes. Her lips move soundlessly, words in the old tongue that I don't understand, and the crystal pendant begins to glow.
Faintly at first. Just a soft shimmer of light.
Then brighter.
The glow pulses in time with my heartbeat, and the tightness in my chest shifts—twisting, pulling, like something inside me is trying toreachthrough the stone.
"There," Serai murmurs. She opens her eyes and pulls her hand back, letting the pendant swing freely. The glow remains, steady and warm. "It's tied to the bond now. To her."
I stare at the stone, watching the way the light flickers and shifts.
"How does it work?"
"The glow will intensify the closer you get to her. And when you're near—very near—it'll pull. You'll feel it." She presses the pendant into my hand, and the warmth of it seeps into my palm. "Don't ignore the pull, Lorenth. The bond is already unstable. The longer you're separated, the worse it'll get for both of you."
Both of us.
