I poured him some tea and placed it in front of him. Without guidance, he lifted the mug and took a sip before carefully placing the mug back onto the counter.
“Well,” Reyla said in a bright tone. Her gaze shifted from Vexxion to me before she returned it to the food she was dishing up onto a platter. She carried it over and placed it in the middle of the eating area. “Grab plates. Serve yourselves. We need to eat and decide how we’re going to handle today.”
“We’re flying south,” I said, though I knew what she meant. How were we going to avoid another confrontation with Kerune and flying dregs? And what would we do when Ivenrail appeared to attack us himself? I was surprised he hadn’t already, though I suspected Vexxion had poured a considerable amount of magic into his wards. How long would they hold up to a solid barrage?
We ate quickly and took care of the dishes.
“As you said, there’s plenty of food here,” Reyla said. “Each time I took some from the cupboard for our meal, it was replenished. We’ll pack enough for a few days.”
“Magic,” Airia said. “I’ve heard of spells like that. They’re common in the castle. They grow vegetables, and some like to hunt, but the majority of the ingredients for our meals were magically created.”
I’d never thought about where the food came from. After I shoveled dragon poop onto the never-ending pile, someone spread it on the fields. Perhaps most of what was grown there was fed to those living in the valley. Or us Nullens.
Except I wasn’t a Nullen, not any longer. A part of my identity had been ripped away, and I floundered, trying to figure out what I could use to replace it. Me, I supposed. My will and my determination remained. Being fae instead of Nullen didn’t take that away.
Pouring more tea and taking it to the island, I sat.
“I was thinking about what you told me last night,” Bro said. “About the flying dregs. Kerune killing the Lieges. The mess Ivenrail’s going to make of the world. We need to tell someone.”
“The fortress commanders need to know,” Reyla said,worrying her fingernail with her teeth. “But there’s no time to fly all that way to tell them.”
“Any idea how we can let them know?” As they shot out suggestions, a thought occurred to me, and I held up my finger. “I could flit to our fortress and tell the new commander.”
Reyla pushed back her empty tea mug. “That’s a great idea.”
“Is that safe?” Brodine asked, scowling.
I grunted. “No more than remaining here.”
“What about tellingourking?” Brodine said. “Could you flit there?”
“He’s Ivenrail’s ally. If I flitted there, he’d grab me and hold me until Ivenrail arrived. Bad idea.”
“True.” Bro’s brow knitted with thought.
Airia said nothing, just watched us. She’d grown up far from the border and while she’d seen a few dregs, it was only from a distance. They hadn’t threatened her, not until yesterday.
“How long would it take you to flit there and come back?” Brodine asked. “And who’s going to protect you while you do it?”
“I’ll protect myself.” I sought Vexxion’s gaze, but he continued to stare forward. He’d eaten without prompting, but those drained took care of their basic needs.
“It’ll be quicker than trying to find a way to send word,” Reyla said. “I like this idea.”
The others nodded.
“I’ll go armed, of course,” I said.
“And what if the commander doesn’t believe you?” Airia asked.
“I’ll convince them,” I said grimly. “If I have to, I’ll use magic to do it.”
She nodded. “You know a lot more spells than us, so if you say you can convince them, I believe you.”
I appreciated her support.
“It’s a solid plan. We’ll wait for you here.” Reyla looked Vexxion’s way. “I’ll watch out for him.”
“Thank you.” The thought of leaving him even for a short time gutted me, but what else could I do? I’d use less power flitting alone. “Drask will stay here.” I’d speak to the commander and leave it to them to figure out how the border patrols should handle this. They’d need more archers. More training in how to blow darts through a tube, something that could be done at a distance like those shooting arrows. That was a relatively new battle tactic when I lived at the fortress.
