Thane didn’t eat breakfast with me. He said something about meeting with Captain Elaris to go over a few things. I hadn’t been in much of a mood to eat—or talk—when I sat with my friends. Lyra eyed me warily, while Fenric, Taila, Nessa, and Darius spoke animatedly around us, laughing in bursts that felt too loud, too far away.
In the distance, the training grounds echo with the rhythmic clang of swords meeting in sparring drills. The occasional barked order from Rian, Jarek, or Garrick cuts clean through the outpost morning.
Lyra and the others have already joined our squadron to train with Garrick. I head toward the field where Valen and I usually train.
As I pass the stables, I see him.
Thane.
He stands beside his black stallion, fastening the buckles of his saddle, preparing to leave. Overhead, Xaroth circles, slow, silent loops through the bright morning sky.
I slow, my steps faltering, my stomach twisting in a way I didn’t expect.
Thane is dressed in his usual riding leathers—but thesleeveless set he wears in summer—the morning sun catching on the flames of his Elemental tattoo curling up his upper arm. His sword rests against his hip, always within reach, always an extension of him.
I didn’t expect to see him here. Or the weight that hit my chest at the sight of him preparing to leave.
Gods, there is still so much space between us. Like a ravine. Wide and impassable.
I tilt my head, arms crossing loosely as I approach. “You’re going somewhere.”
My voice sounds off—like it’s not sure how to reach him anymore.
His hands don’t pause on the straps, but I see it—the subtle shift in his shoulders, the faint tension that gives him away. Like he already knew I’d find him before he left.
“The capital,” he says, still adjusting the saddle. “It’s been too long since I met with the council. There are reports of Shadow Forces pressing north. Rowena has been handling things, but I need to show face.”
A faint frown tugs at my lips. It makes sense. Of course it does. Thane Caelum doesn’t just belong here. He belongs to the realm.
To the war.
But I don’t like the idea of him being gone. Even for a few days. Especially not now. Not when we’re finally talking about the bond.
Whynow?
Maybe I thought that feeling the bond would make things clearer—give me answers. Instead, it just made the silence between us louder and I have more questions than before.
I want to ask him not to go. But I don’t. Because what right do I have to ask for anything when I’ve only just stopped pushing him away?
And, if I’m being completely honest, I’m afraid he won’t stay if I ask him. And gods, I don’t know what I’d do with that.
So instead I force a casual shrug.
“And when will you be back?”
His eyes flick to mine. Flat. Emotionless.
“A few days.”
A few days. That shouldn’t mean anything. Thane has traveled to the capital before. To other parts of the realm. He’s left the outpost plenty of times since I’ve arrived here. Sometimes gone for a few hours. Sometimes for a few days.
But today, it does mean something.
He looks calm. Too calm. Like the space between us doesn’t ache for him the way it does for me.
Maybe it doesn’t.
Or maybe . . . he’s better at hiding it. Like everything else.
