It would be best if she were honest with her brother about what she did. She wanted to help Avery, but it seemed like she made things worse by meddling with her emotions. The cool clouds in the morning light promised rain in the coming days. It was yet another sign that autumn was approaching, and they were running short on time to prepare for their winter encampment. The underbrush on the mountainside had already faded to the tired, dusky colors of late summer. Some even showed their autumnal splendor early, giving in to the need to prepare for winter.
Kyla found Garnel and Savine engaged in sword fighting. Others around them did the same, while some watched their commander and their general fight. Garnel was powerful and strong, his muscles taut as he parried against Savine’s strike. Goddess help her! Just the sight of her mate made her heart leap in her chest. And it had been like this for decades now. Would this need for him ever diminish? She never wanted it to.
Garnel glanced her way, giving her a knowing smile. Of course, he’d felt her emotions through their bond. He knewexactlywhat she was thinking about. Immediately, his focus snapped back to the ring. Lifting his sword, Garnel hit Savine with a blow that would have bruised and knocked down any other warrior. Although the blow did not fell her brother, the two called their sparring session.
They both walked across the training yard to Kyla. Garnel swept her into his arms and planted a firm, and rather sweaty kiss on her lips. His nutmeg and chestnut scent filled her nostrils, and she leaned into him.
“Good morning, my love. You look as if the sun only shines on you today,” Garnel whispered into Kyla’s ear.
Kyla giggled and pushed herself away from her soulmate. He was always telling her silly romantic lines, partly in jest, partly in truth. But to be fair, she knew she looked good this morning. She wore her favorite cropped shirt with beadwork that hit just below her navel. Her pants were loose and breezy, keeping her comfortable in her daily activities. She’d re-braided her hair last night and added some small baubles and bells that jangled as she walked.
“That is sweet of you to say, my love.” She turned to her brother, who stood off to the side. How he hated their displays of love! But she had never understood why he was so against them, even still. They were no different from any other bonded soulmate pair. Early in their soulmate bond, after they saved Savine from the Tower of Teeth, Kyla had asked him what the problem was. Even at that time, living in Orofine with more privacy, Savine had seemed to resent what she and Garnel had. He’d refused to give her an answer, and his emotions at that time were so apathetic that she couldn’t tell what really bothered him. Since then, he’d avoided talking about Kyla and Garnel’s bond.
“Savine, I need to speak to you,” Kyla confessed.
“It must be important for you to show up at our training and encourage Garnel to kick my ass like that,” Savine replied as he walked closer. He still held his sword in his hand, and there was a sheen to his skin.
Garnel reached down and squeezed Kyla close to him in a tight hug. “I adore you, beautiful temptress. I would have lost the fight had I not seen your gorgeous smile. Now, I’ll leave you to talk with our fearless commander.”
“This is why you and Garnel, or any mated pair, are not allowed to train together. What did you need to talk about?” Savine crossed his arms and looked at his sister with a hint of irritation. Kyla could feel the emotion waft off him, but unlike what she once felt from her father—irritation, disdain, loathing—there was an undercurrent of affection and curiosity. Savine may try to put up a tough reputation, but for an empath, Kyla knew it was bluster, except for that small streak of envy. Every once in a while, it rushed forth, and Kyla had to stop her exploration of her brother’s feelings.
“It’s about Avery,” Kyla said. She tapped her leg nervously.
“I told you to leave her be.” Savine scowled as the undercurrent of frustration came forth.
“Well… I didn’t. I went to her tent and felt how hurt she was. It nearly flattened me with its intensity.”
Savine’s scowl deepened, the irritation building in his emotions. “What did you do?”
“I tried to give her a sense of peace. I just wanted to take away the pain, but she got angry at me when she realized what I was doing. It was wrong, I know. She said she wants these days to mourn because she knows she won’t have that luxury soon. And… Well, I understand that. I feelawful.”
“Goddess help you, Kyla. You can’t resist meddling. When will you learn to use your essence without being invasive?” Savine’s voice had a bite to it. The look he gave had that familiar tinge of irritation that Kyla knew well, and he rubbed his temples with one large hand. “Look, I don’t like that she’s trapped herself in that absurd tent. But she spoke to me a bit when I was with her. She knows I expect her to train soon. So give her a break. I’ll check with her at noon and bring her some food.”
“Do you think she hates me?”
“You’re the empath. How in the Abyss should I know?”
Kyla sighed. She didn’t like to hurt others. Intrinsically, she wanted to do good with her essence and comfort people in pain. But this was also why she glamoured her power, reducing it to a trickle. Otherwise, her entire being was constantly flooded with the emotions of everyone around her.
Savine looked toward the tents in the encampment. He was just out of view, but Kyla knew he was forming a plan. “What time do you train today?”
“I’m part of the late afternoon session today,” Kyla said, looking at her soulmate leading drills. That would be her job in a few hours.
“She’ll be here this afternoon. See what weapon she’s drawn to,” Savine said, then turned and walked back to the practice ring.
Chapter nineteen
Avery
Getting out of the tent wasn’t part of Avery’s plan for the day. If truth be told, she had no plans other than wallowing in her grief. What she’d said to Kyla was true. She needed these few days to try to cope with the overwhelming pain of being trapped in the fae realm. Because once they left here? Well, when they left, she’d have to learn to be strong enough to survive in a world hell-bent on killing her.
She’d been lying in her sleeping bag, holding the chunk of quartz that Morgan had given her on top of Quartz Mountain. Avery hadn’t wanted to see it again, but there it was. It was strange that the rock had ended up back in her bag after she’d thrown it across the previous tent.
Then Savine showed up with food. He insisted she come out of her tent for lunch. The idea of eating anything that he offered her sent a sickening flip through her stomach. He must have known that too, because the last few meals had been left outside her tent door.
“You won’t try to coerce truths out of me like you did with the wine, will you?” Avery asked.
A crooked grin stretched across Savine’s face. “That’s not a bad idea. But I don’t have time for that right now. I want you to eat because you’ve hardly taken a bite in days. I’ll be back to bring you to the training ring for the afternoonsession.”
