Moss Green:Visitors are encouraged but not guaranteed.
I closed my eyes, wishing I could feel Quinn to know if what Brit said was true, but her heart no longer beat next to mine. I put my hand over my chest and allowed myself to exist in the loss for a minute before pushing it away.
Everything I’d worked so hard to prevent was happening anyway. If the world was going to punish me for my pursuit of Quinn, I might as well publicly pursue her. Quinn was my world, and she needed to see that. I’d been a fool and an asshole trying to keep it a secret.
‘Is there anything I need to take care of today?’I asked Ezra.
‘No. Take that TB to Quinn. I’ll meet you in the stables.’
I dressed in my simple trainee uniform and hurried through my castle. The damage was mostly repaired now. A few of my lectures were up and running, and the fight branch of my program was in full swing. Teivel’s alliance with the McDonalds would not change my plans to clear out the tunnels, where I was sure at least some of Teivel’s body snatchers resided. Honestly, if Teivel was down there, it would be even better.
Ezra already had our horses saddled, and we sped down The Mile toward Westwater lands. We slowed at the first tollgate. As usual, I checked my instincts to read the surface thoughts of everyone around me… and then asked myself why.
The Westwaters turned against me. Now that I had something they wanted, they gave up on pretending to be nice and rubbed my failure in my face. I didn’t need to dig deep into my mental magic; I just had to unplug the extra set of ears I’d filled with hopeful crap.
Seven years of restraint wasted. If I’d listened, Matt never would’ve touched her.
Between one heartbeat and the next, thoughts and images drifted into my consciousness. It had been years since I had truly let myself use this part of me, and it felt so good. Existence became pieces on an invisible board.
We came to a stop in front of a large metal gate connected to buildings on either side of it. The left had been bricked up, while the right held a single door. Two guards nodded at us. Onekept his focus, assessing our body language and visible weapons, while the other’s mind wandered.
‘Three more guards through the door on our right,’I sent to Ezra.‘Two opportunists are at our backs, but they won't breach the gate. No threats on the far side of the gate, though there is a second trio of opportunists just at the edge of my range.’
‘Received,’Ezra responded, letting his sword arm drift to his side.
Opportunists would prey on the unarmed and weak. I might appear it in my trainee browns, but Ezra, in his enforcer blacks, was armed to the teeth. I doubted any of them would dare, and if they changed their minds, I would know.
A giddy bubble made a grin split my face.
The man assessing me grew tense. His studded leather squeaked as he dropped his hand to the hilt of his sword. This was me. I knew things others didn’t. It wasn’t a bad thing. It was power.
“Another from the Architect.” The lily-haired man said. “I wonder if he’ll pay twice, too.”
Another.
‘Three guesses at who got here before us, and your first three don’t count,’I said to Ezra.
My lover didn’t respond, though Cayden’s face appeared in his surface thoughts.
I chuckled, which made the man grip his sword hilt. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was observant enough. I hadn’t said a word, yet clearly, something was happening that he didn’t understand.
I took a deep breath and reined in my playful joy, bordering on overconfidence. We were still in a bad situation with Quinn. The men in front of us were armed almost as much as my lover. This shouldn’t be playful.
I tossed him more than the number in his head. “For your troubles.”
He ran his magic through my coin before sliding to the side.
“The Assembly Hall’s straight, two lefts and a right.” He said, assuming our destination correctly. “Steer clear of the Marks. They be planning something.”
From his surface thoughts, I gathered the Marks were a branch of Westwaters looking to move up in the family. Internal politics didn’t concern me, so I didn’t dig further. Ezra and I took off at a trot. At the final turn, we found ourselves at another blockade. Unlike the last one, a hastily made structure of wood and scrap had been pulled across most of the road. A burly, sandy-haired man stood in the only passable space with a molting black eye.
“It’s double what you paid at the last gate.” He spat before letting his Majekah brighten his gaze.
Although his posture was confident, he was injured. A rune of forest green kept skidding across his surface thoughts, followed by cursing. Cayden had kicked his ass rather than pay the toll. The rune mage probably needed the outlet.
I took a deep breath and tossed him a single coin.
The man’s lips curled up distastefully.
