I turned to Auria. “We have another errand.”
“Oh?” Dearan’s grin turned sly, but I didn’t want to take the time to explain anything more to him.
“Yes,” I said, “we’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”
I walked Auria through shadows to our room, where I’d prepared a large case full of money.
She tugged me to a stop as soon as we emerged from the shadows. “You didn’t tell me about another errand.”
I handed her the note Parcival had given me and draped an arm around her. “It seems Parcival has already learned a few things about your portal.”
I read the note again as she did.
My lord,
The portal is still active where you described, embedded into a silver birch just west of the grotto. It was made with Autumn magic, I suspect by the missing Autumn princess.
–P.
She tipped her beautiful green eyes up to me, and I felt her curiosity through the bond. “I’d like to show you the grotto under a full moon and then travel through the portal so you can find some closure with your old life.”
A quick shiver ran through her body, and I pulled her close. “I can feel your fear through the bond. I don’t want you to be afraid of the place you came from.”
She blew a quick breath out. “That makes sense. I just…” She sighed again. “No fear, right?”
I brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “It has come to my attention that when you say, ‘No fear,’ you actually possess a great deal of fear.”
“Does that bother you?”
I tucked some more hair behind her shoulder. “Why would it bother me?”
“Idon’t want you to think I’m lying.”
I kissed her forehead. “No, it’s not lying. Fear tends to make people flee or freeze, but you don’t run or panic. You never let fear rule you. You stare it down and fight back. I adore your strength, and I intend to fight with you for the rest of our lives.”
She huffed and shook her head. “It’s a little strange to know that you feel every emotion I do. We’ll never have any secrets ever again.”
I traced her cheek with my thumb. “Is your fear meant to be a secret?”
She drew her lips up into a slow smile. “It used to be, because it made me more vulnerable. With you, though… I trust you enough to be vulnerable.”
I kissed the corner of her mouth. “Maybe we should wait on those little errands. I think I’d rather kiss those fears away.”
She leaned her cheek against mine. “They’ll be back as soon as we face Hemlit.”
“Then let’s go,” I growled. “This is one nightmare I can help you be free from.”
Epilogue: Auria
We emerged from the shadows cast by cliffs surrounding the grotto where I’d first met Bylur as a bear. No, a dyrakongur. A full moon reflected light on the water in front of us, and from there into even lighter reflections on the stones around us.
Bylur extended a hand, and light sparkled in his palm. “I told you I inherited moon magic.”
I nodded, reaching for the sparkling light. It danced across my fingertips, matching the airy feeling in our bond as he’d gathered the light.
He dropped his hand, and the light shimmered in the air for a few seconds before fading away. “My earring is an artifact made from a piece of moonstone that magnifies the moon’s magic. It’s a light magic, but it scatters more easily than any other power. My earring makes it easy to stabilize.” I’d seen his earring a few times since I’d first looked at him, but the last few days had been so busy, I hadn’t asked him about it.
He reached in a pocket and pulled out a silver band with a small, glowing stone set in the center of it. “This is also an artifact made from a piece of moonstone. I believe that it will allow you to use moon magic more easily, though you’ll also have to be wearing the key.”
