“I’ll be fine.”
She may not have been able to train her magic all winter, but it was strong enough to keep a containment dome.
The soft swish of canvas drew her attention to Raiden slipping out of Lady Aerina’s tent. Dyna waved him over, and Raiden nodded, but he paused in his approach when Commander Camsen stopped to speak to him.
“You may go now,” she told him again in a low, clipped tone. “Raiden will keep me company.”
Yet Cassiel lingered, and she felt his stare. “If you are entertaining this ruse of a courtship merely to keep me at bay, there is no need for it,” he finally said.
She smirked. “What makes you believe it’s a ruse?”
“You met him hardly a week ago. You expect me to believe you have already taken a liking to him?”
“Why should that be of any surprise? I was taken with you the first day we met.” Heat flushed through Dyna’s cheeks at what she inadvertentlyblurted. She looked away. “We bonded soon after, even if it was an accident. The heart wants what it wants.”
Gods, why was she speaking about this?
Dyna closed her eyes, and her treacherous memories painted the day beneath the willow. It had taken some time before she could admit how hopelessly in love she had been.
“Your actions led to the dissolution of our marriage, Cassiel. Therefore, kindly grant me a divorce and find another to take my place. I will do the same.”
Her demand seemed to clog up the air between them, and she felt the bond shudder. The angles of Cassiel’s face caught the golden glow of the dome. He didn’t disguise the pain in his eyes, and it made her heart ache.
“I will not chain you to me, Dynalya. If separation is what you desire, I will prepare aghet. A contract which grants you an annulment.” Cassiel turned to go, his wings spreading open. “But there will never be another who could take your place.”
Then he soared away into the night sky and vanished behind the clouds.
There will never be another…
Did that mean he would be alone forever?
Groaning, Dyna pressed the heels of her palms against her achy eyes. She was exhausted, but her thoughts ceased to let her rest. She was sharing Lucenna’s tent, leaving the flaps open to let in the light of the dome, but it gave her little comfort. Dyna glanced at where the sorceress slept beside her, Keena nestled in the pillows.
Slipping on her cloak, Dyna put on her shoes and went outside. Klyde was taking his turn to watch over her cousin. He sat silently by a small campfire with Tavin laying on a sleeping mat beside him. They exchanged a nod before she kept going.
The dark camp was quiet, with most asleep among the still tents and torches. Dyna tugged her cloak around her shoulders as she strolled through the brightly lit camp toward the river. A couple of Norrlen guards were posted outside Lady Aerina’s tent, and the Rangers kept watch at the perimeter. She sensed their wariness as they watched her pass.
The atmosphere felt tense, and it may have to do with the whispered conversation Raiden had with the Commander of the Ranger Regiment. When he had joined her by the dome, he kept the conversation light. She had waited for him to ask about Zev, but he didn’t.
Dyna glanced at the sky, catching a glimpse of a winged figure flying amongst the clouds. While Cassiel had left his army behind in Sellav, his personal guard had joined them, Sowmya and Yelrakel included. They must be keeping out of sight, as they prefer to do.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft rustle of leaves. Stiffening, Dyna glanced over her shoulder into the dark forest. A cool chill crawled over her skin as she studied the black shadows, but she felt no lingering eyes. Her hand relaxed around the blade’s hilt at her waist when she caught faint voices. The wind made it hard to discern.
A flash of blue light briefly lit up the foliage deep within the trees.
Oh. It washim.
What was Cassiel doing in the forest?
Frowning, Dyna decided to investigate.
Trained to move silently, she slipped into the trees without a sound. The familiar prickle of goosebumps scattered down her spine as she moved through the darkness. Her heartbeat hardly reacted to her old fear. She focused on the faint blue light ahead and nothing else.
The light grew brighter, and Dyna moved slower until Cassiel came into view. He stood in a small clearing with a male Celestial kneeling at his feet. The male was dressed in dark red robes, his wide blue eyes filled with fear and disgust. The veins bulge in his face, his mouth caught in a silent cry. His back bent backward; arms held straight back as though an unseen force was slowly bending him.
Cassiel’s eyes glowed like two blue torch fires in the night. “I will ask you one more time. Who. Sent. You?”
“Lech la’azazel.”The Celestial spat at him. “Death to you and yourzonah?—”
