They reached a steep hill layered in wet moss and stacked rock which he used to climb up. “From what I’ve learned, magic can grow with continuous use,” he commented. “Is it not similar to training your body and mind?”
Dyna climbed up behind him. “Well, yes. The more it’s used, the stronger you become and the more magic you can wield—” She slipped on a patch of moss, and he caught the back of her dress before she landed on her face.
He rolled his eyes and hauled her upright. “Watch your step.”
She muttered her thanks and followed after him, taking his exact path. “Everyone has a limit and using too much magic can deplete it.”
“Essence regenerates itself,” he countered.
“True. The elves and the fae draw Essence from nature, but the mages draw it from themselves. It’s their life force.”
Cassiel remembered that from his lessons. He didn’t care to listen to his teachers when they droned on about boring subjects, but magic had been one of the interesting ones.
“Therefore, using copious amounts of magic all at once and completely depleting their Essence is fatal,” she said. “Without it, they cannot survive. So, mages train their Essence to grow in strength and quantity, but that too has its limitations. Not all can wield endless amounts of Essence.”
He leaped up onto another boulder and glanced over his shoulder to check on Dyna’s progress. She had fallen behind. Her short legs could not make the jump to him, and he wasn’t inclined to take her hand when it meant exposing her soul again.
When he didn’t offer his help, she searched the hill for another foothold. She grabbed a thick vine and tested to see if it would hold her weight. That made him feel like a lout. He held out his hand, but she ignored it. The vine went taut and held as Dyna hauled herself up the hill, using exposed roots and boulders as footholds. He watched her climb, mildly impressed that she made it to the top without slipping again.
She disappeared from view for a moment then popped her head over the edge, smiling down at him. “Coming?”
He smirked. With one flap of his wings, he soared the rest of the way up and landed beside her. “Would it be fatal for you should you expend all of your Essence at once?”
She shrugged, biting her lip. “Possibly, but I am not a trueborn sorceress.”
“Sorceress?”
“A female mage.”
Cassiel frowned at the odd term. He had not heard it before. As he thought of it, there was no mention of female mages in his studies of the Magos Empire. It was stated that only the men used magic. But she could use magic, so how…
Eh, he wasn’t in the mood to argue about it. He nodded for them to keep walking. They eventually came upon a brook cutting through the forest. It was shallow, only a couple feet wide.
Dyna stopped to take a drink and refill their waterskins. “Whenever I use too much Essence, I’m left fatigued, and I may faint. I’ve trained to develop my strength further, but something hinders me, as though I’m running with shackles on my ankles. My power won’t ever be as potent because of my human heredity. It is difficult for me to harness Essence, but I’m grateful that I can do anything with it at all.”
She held up a hand and her fingertips glowed a faint green before the light faded. From what he remembered the manifestation of Essence took on the color of auras. It fit perfectly that her aura was green. It was a color that represented healing and a connection to nature.
“Does it tire you to unveil the map?” he asked as they jumped over the brook.
“Not at all,” she said even though fatigue had settled on her features. He was not convinced it had anything to do with the hike.
“If it tires you, stay close to me.” A flush rushed to his face when he realized what he had said. “I mean, stay close to the map. If you should faint, it will delay us further.”
Dyna stopped walking, and he drew back when his wing brushed against her. He cringed at the sensation zinging through his wingspan. Celestials never allowed others to touch their wings. It was the source of their divinity and might. A point of vulnerability. The only thing that kept them from becoming human.
Dyna often moved near him, careless or uncaring of subconsciously touching him when he was accustomed to avoidance. No one in Hilos approached him. She didn’t seem to mind him though.
Cassiel tried to avoid getting too close to her, in any form. Be it proximity or company. But the map forced him to be near her. The weight of it in his pack, the faint hum of its power was a sense of security. Having it on his person, assured they wouldn’t run off without him. And because he couldn’t stop staring at the glowing island. Even after knowing the map existed, seeing it for himself and holding it in his hands, he still wondered if this reality was a dream.
Dyna studied him as if she could see him in a way he wished she couldn’t. “Thank you for your concern, Prince Cassiel. As for the use of Essence, I don’t mind it in the least.” She strolled on, leaving behind the subtle honeysuckle scent of her hair.
He watched her go, again left wondering who she was. Dyna was such an odd human. Too kind. Too curious. Too confounding. Not someone he expected to be trekking across the world with. Yet here they were, tied together by some chance.
Lost in his thoughts, Cassiel forgot to keep up with her. At twenty paces, her petite form slipped through the trees and the journal’s hum faded away.
Chapter 18
Cassiel
