He nodded and flew down to join them. Lucenna waved her hand and from her satchel came out a miniature replica of her tent. It spun in the air, flashing with a golden powder as it expanded and grew until it was once again a large tent. It floated away and landed on the ground a good distance from their campfire.
Rawn and Cassiel went to walk around the tent, studying it. Dyna ran her fingers through the glittering gold remnants hovering in the air.
“How do you that?” Zev asked
Lucenna shrugged. “It’s a simple spell made with pixie dust. While Stardust creates limitless space, pixie dust changes the size of an object.”
“And the inside of your tent is enchanted with Stardust.”
She nodded. “My satchel, too. I’m able to carry a limitless number of items.”
Which was mind-boggling. Her satchel was hardly bigger than his foot. What else did she have in there?
“It’s very useful,” Lucenna said.
“I imagine so.”
She eyed the bulging pack at his feet. “That must be heavy.”
“It is.” But the chains hardly weighed much to him.
“Here.” She produced a purple velvet pouch. “I’ll apply stardust to your baggage. Remove your belongings first.”
Curious, Zev complied and dumped everything out. His clothes, packs of food, and the silver chains fell to the ground. Lucenna stared at them for a moment. From the velvet pouch, she took out a pinch of shimmering silver powder and sprinkled it inside his bag.
“There. Return your belongings.”
He nudged the chains back inside with his foot, and they vanished inside. The bag remained flat, as if there was nothing in it at all. When Zev lifted it, the bag weighed nothing, and made no sound.
“You can now carry as many items as you wish.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, truly grateful. Now he no longer needed to hear the constant clank of his chains, counting the days to his next change. It was a little over a week away.
The moon rose above the clouds, spreading a silvery hue over the clearing. It tugged at his skin, calling to his wolf with the urge to shift. Lucenna pointed her face at the night sky and briefly closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. The Guilds drew strength from their elements, as did the beast inside of him.
“When I was a little girl, I used to send my wishes to the moon,” she said.
Zev rubbed the waxy tissue circling his wrists. “If I were to make a wish, I would make it to the sun, for the moon has never been kind to me.”
Her lilac eyes caught the moonlight as they flickered to him, then to his scars again. Questions crossed her face. He waited for her to ask, deciding he wouldn’t hide what he was.
“Why did you save me?” Lucenna asked.
He cocked his head, not expecting that question. At first, he thought she meant against the mages, but then Zev recalled he had pulled her out of the way in the forest when a boulder came crashing down. It wasn’t something he had given a second thought to. Pulling her to safety had been instinct.
“That’s what wolves do,” Zev said. “Protect family.”
Lucenna followed his line of sight to the others, where Dyna was explaining to Cassiel and Rawn how the power of pixie dust could change the size of an object and make it float.
Lucenna’s face softened for a moment, but then her expression cooled. “I’m not a part of your family. We’re only traveling together while our interests coincide, then we will go separate ways.”
With that, she stalked away, her silvery-white hair shimmering as her scent drifted to him. Zev hid a smile.
Lucenna offered stardust to Rawn and Dyna, sprinkling more shimmery powder in their bags. Their once heavy bags now appeared empty. “You need only think of the item you want and it will appear.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Rawn said as he fastened his pack to Fair’s saddle. “You are too kind.”
“Yes, thank you.” Dyna laughed as she played with placing and removing several items from her satchel.
