Zev peered inside the endless pit of his pack. He reached in and thought of his chains. The feel of the shackle appeared in his palm. He quickly let go at the sharp sting of a burn.
The sorceress arched an eyebrow at Cassiel, who ignored them as he gathered firewood. “For you, it will cost another feather.”
“I’m not for trade.”
“Suit yourself.” Lucenna turned away and waved her hand in the air.
The energy of her power pressed against Zev as she cast a veil spell around their camp. She did it every time they moved to a new area. If he stepped outside of its perimeter, he couldn’t see, smell, or hear the camp. The veil was as cool as the surface of a pond, cold and slippery, spreading ripples that revealed the shape of the dome.
With another flick of her fingers, Lucenna carried over a large log from the edge of the forest and laid it by the gathered kindling. “Bring the other one, Dyna.”
Dyna’s eyes flickered over the others. Zev sensed her nervous unease, but she stood and focused on a smaller log. She aimed both hands and her palms glowed. The log groaned as it loosened from the earth.
“Feed more Essence into it,” Lucenna instructed. “Focus on the object with your intent.”
Biting her lip, Dyna flexed her fingers. The log wobbled as it lifted in the air and continued its shaky approach. Zev backed out of the way. It lined parallel with the other log on the other side of the fire, then plunked it on the ground. Dyna winced, her face flushing as she slumped back from the toll it took from her.
“Well done.” Zev patted her back, and she gave him a bright smile.
Dyna never ceased to amaze him. He should have praised her as soon as she levitated the ball. Here they thought she couldn’t do more than heal, but after a few lessons with Lucenna, she had learned new spells. Dyna wanted to learn more. He could see it. The hunger to grow and live. To fly far beyond what the world offered and reach the stars. Zev knew she would one day.
The thought settled a tension over his body.
It was unfair to hold Dyna back. She should learn to fight, if that’s what she desired. She deserved to have everything, no matter if he couldn’t be the one to give it to her. The knife sheathed at her waist, the ability to protect herself—that wasn’t his to take from her.
Even if it left him without purpose.
They were quick to get a campfire going. Zev set out their mats while Dyna took out vegetables for a stew. A potato rolled away from her and bumped into Cassiel’s foot. Picking it up, he lowered to one knee and proposed it to her. Slowly, she reached for the potato as they held each other’s gaze. Zev glanced back and forth between them, not sure what to make of the odd exchange. Something unsaid passed between them before Cassiel stood.
Zev caught Dyna’s eye. She ducked her head, resuming her work. Cassiel moved to sit at the end of the log closest to her, but Zev bumped him aside with his hip, using enough force to send him sprawling to the other end.
Cassiel glowered at him. “Do you mind?”
“I do, in fact,mind.” Zev bared his fangs in a feral grin. “Your Highness.”
Cassiel backed away and righted himself on the far end of the log without further complaint. Zev placed a basket of carrots between them and they worked on peeling and cutting.
Rawn cleared his throat, drawing all their attention. “We have yet to discuss the matter concerning the course of our journey. Tomorrow we will arrive at the fjord.”
Lucenna crossed her arms. “If you’re having second thoughts, now is the time to voice them. The mission will be dangerous. Truth be told, the longer you remain in my company, the more you’re also at risk. Enforcers are constantly hunting me. They are a specialty military unit of mages, powerful enough to sense even the most minuscule traces of Essence in the air. I’m constantly on the run. I only risk entering cities and towns when I run out of food and need to earn coin.”
“Leading to your trade as a fortune teller.” Dyna arched an eyebrow at her playfully. “When we met, you put a spell on me.”
“Yes, a cloaking spell. A mage was tracking your Essence with a location spell.”
Zev growled.
Cassiel’s wings expanded like an angry hawk. “What? Who was tracking her?”
“Most likely a mage that wanted to report Dyna as a refugee.” Lucenna shrugged. “She was fortunate. If the mage had been an Enforcer, he would have captured her right away and taken her to Magos. She wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. My spell is cloaking her now. I’m the only one who can track her.”
“Thank you.” Zev sighed. “I wonder when that could have happened.”
“At some point, Dyna met a mage, and he sensed her magic,” Lucenna said. “With a simple thing as a touch, one could lock onto another’s Essence and use it to locate them.”
Dyna’s eyes widened, and she met Zev’s gaze as Cassiel stiffened beside him. She had told them about Dalton, the young mage in Landcaster that accused her of being a sorceress. He was a Raider under Von’s command, both of whom were slaves to their master’s every whim. That’s how they had followed them to Corron. It hadn’t been an Enforcer tracking her—it was Tarn.
“But I hardly have any power,” Dyna murmured, feigning ignorance.
