He hadn’t thought she could look any more surprised, but she did. “Are you saying you can drift? Does Ilario know?”
“He does now. A lot has changed. We’re getting somewhere, I can feel it. You’re not only helping me, you’re helping Ilario—you’re helpingeveryone.”
Halie swung her dark hair over her shoulder. “So that’s what the witch is for. Where’d you meet him?”
Farren stepped forward. “I’m right here, by the way. And I have a name.”
“Well, excuse me, you were so quiet I almost mistook you for a statue. Speak up,” Halie retorted.
“It’s Farren,” he said, looking less than pleased. “My name. And Eyden and I have a mutual friend. It’s a long story.”
“Good to know, witch,” Halie said. Farren’s eyes glinted at her use of words. “So what can I do?”
“We need to take a look at your crystal and herb collection so Farren can play around with some spells,” Eyden said. Halie opened her mouth, but Eyden beat her to it. “Ilario is out of commission right now. We needyourhelp.”
Sighing dramatically, Halie dropped her arms again. “All right, I’ll make an exception this one time, for Ilario’s sake. Let’s get to it.”
* * *
It was almost morning when Farren finally exclaimed victory. The spell surrounding the palace walls was a tricky one, too powerful to completely erase. Instead, Farren had spelled a crystal with which Eyden should be able to drift into the palace. With the right mix of herbs to pull energy from, Farren had clutched the crystal until it lit up Halie’s living room.
The magic infused into the crystal wouldn’t last forever, but Farren assured him it would work a handful of times before the crystal needed to be re-spelled. Witches could be powerful, some more than others, depending on their heritage. Yet there was an art to knowing what strings to draw on to achieve the wanted effect. Farren had become quite skilled over the years, but his magic wasn’t limitless.
Halie strung the small spelled crystal, called alexandrite, on a black leather band in order for Eyden to keep it on him at all times. They sat around a small grey table. Crystals, herbs and pieces of paper were surrounding them. As she worked, Eyden grabbed another one of the small crystals, sitting up in his chair.
He turned to Farren. “Can we spell one of these as a sort of locator device?”
Halie peeked up from her work. “Don’t you have a map of the palace?”
“I do, but we have someone on the inside I need to meet.”
“Someone?” Halie raised her dark eyebrows as she handed Eyden the leather bracelet. He fastened it around his wrist, the leather cool on his skin. He pushed his sleeve down to hide it.
Farren took the crystal from Eyden. “I can do it.” He moved to the back of the room, where he’d set up more herbs.
“We have more than one person on the inside,” Eyden explained once Farren was out of earshot. He met Halie’s expectant eyes. “One of them is Lora.”
“So you two are a thing now.” Her face remained blank.
Eyden shifted his feet. Were they? They hadn’t exactly said as much, but he hoped so. “I’m not sure.”
Without warning, she slapped his cheek.
“What the fuck, Halie!” Eyden shouted, drawing Farren’s amused gaze to them. Putting his hand to his cheek, he tried to decrease the sting Halie had left.
“You’re an idiot, that’s why,” Halie said, sitting up straighter.
“Look, I’m sorry if you didn’t want to hear about Lora, but—”
“Don’t make me slap you again,” Halie interrupted. “This isn’t about jealousy. You’re not that unforgettable.” He looked at her, confused. “Everything with you is always business this, business that.Oh-so-importantstuff. If you like her, say so. Don’t give me or anyone some bullshit.”
Well, damn.Halie was fucking right. He had told Lora how he felt, sort of, but he was still denying it to everyone else. Why was that? Did he just suck at words, or was it because he knew he didn’t deserve her? Hadn’t he made too many mistakes to chase this happiness he felt every time he saw her? She didn’t even know everything about him yet.
But he had stopped thinking about business the moment he met her. Somehow, even when he had continued to lie to her, he had mostly been lying to himself. If he hadn’t trusted her, he would have never brought her to Elyssa’s camp.
“Okay then, you’re right. Idocare for her. It doesn’t bother you?”
“Do you want it to bother me?” she shot back.
