“Could you?” The same anguished hope surging through Eiri could be heard in Ellis’ voice when he turned to his cousin.
“I’ll do my best. Give me a minute.”
Xan grabbed the small pouch at his waist, dumping out the contents onto the floor and frantically sorting through them. There were various spell components, crystals and herbs and bits of chalk and candles, all the things the mages here used to augment their magic. Eiri had no experience with any of it, but he had to trust that Xan knew what to do.
In moments, he had an intricate circle chalked onto the rough wood of the table. Two candles sat at one end, with one more across from them, directly in front of Eiri. Two crystals rested on a bundle of herbs in the middle, carefully arranged in a way that only made sense to a mage.
“I need your blood,” Xan said, looking up at Eiri.
Eiri didn’t hesitate. He held out his hand, not even flinching when Xan grabbed a small knife and cut the end of his smallest finger, holding Eiri’s hand so the blood dripped directly onto the crystals. Eiri would willingly open a vein if that’s what it took to find Syrus.
The moment his blood hit the darker crystal, it flared to life, a dull glow that grew brighter with every drop of blood they fed it. An odd feeling grew within Eiri alongside the glow, a strange tugging sensation, a pull across the table to Xan.
“Is that blood magic?” Ellis breathed. Eiri hadn’t noticed him coming to stand beside the table, his dark eyes studying the array spread out between the two of them. “That’s illegal. How do you know that spell?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s going to help us find Syrus.”
The pull within him grew stronger, an uncomfortableache settling in his chest as the crystal became almost blindingly bright.
“I can feel it.” Xan’s eyes widened, turning to look toward the palace. “I can find him.”
“Then let’s go.” Eiri pressed a hand to his chest over the ache. It wasn’t important. It was the least he deserved for abandoning Syrus and a price he’d willingly pay to find him.
As Xan scrambled to disassemble the spell and pocket the glowing crystal, Eiri made two silent vows.
Together, they would find Syrus. If, by some miracle, his husband lived, he would never again let his anger get the better of him. He’d never walk away with harsh words between them.
If something had happened, if Syrus was well and truly gone… there would be nothing and no one safe from his vengeance.
“I might know a way out,” Ellis said. “Follow me.” Having something to focus on seemed to help, and he rubbed at his eyes, scrubbing away the lingering tears.
“Hold this,” Xan instructed, handing a pale blue crystal to Eiri. He murmured a few soft words in old Caranish, the language of magic they used here on the continent, and Eiri felt something brush against his skin, like gossamer wings, there and gone in seconds.
“What did you do?”
“It’s a spell to encourage people not to notice you. You’re not invisible, and anyone specifically looking for you will see right through it, but it’s the best I can do while we’re moving.”
Eiri’s own magic fluttered in response to the foreign power, but it was weak, dimmed by grief and so many days away from the ocean. It wouldn’t do him any good here, anyway.
With Xan supporting him, they followed Ellis through the hallways of Lodie Palace. The young prince seemed to somehow know which halls were deserted, leading them almosteffortlessly through the maze. Even with Ellis’ instincts, they couldn’t completely avoid other people. The guards, courtiers, servants, and other inhabitants were scurrying around like ants fleeing a kicked nest. The entire palace was in an uproar, and Eiri heard almost as many rumors as there were people. Every single one, though, for as wild as some theories got, had one thing in common: everyone knew Syrus’ despised raider husband had murdered him.
This is my fault.
Xan’s hold on him tightened as they walked until it was almost a hug, as though he could ward off the horrific slurs being thrown at Eiri’s name by everyone they passed.
If he’d ever wondered, even for a moment, if the people of Vaetreas would accept him, Eiri had his answer now.
By the time Ellis brought them to a halt, the words had lost all meaning, and a dull haze settled over Eiri. None of it mattered. The only thing he cared about was finding Syrus. Once he saw him, once heknew, then he could deal with everything else.
“Xan, can you get through this ward?” Ellis whispered, gesturing toward the door in front of them. Xan studied it a moment, then nodded and carefully untangled himself from Eiri, nudging him over to Ellis so he could work.
The numbness was fading from Eiri’s muscles, but he was still grateful for the arm Ellis offered him, holding on to keep himself steady.
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t look at the younger man when he breathed the words, guilt and shame eating him alive.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You didn’t hurt him.”
“I should have been there. I was stupid and so angry, but I shouldn’t have walked away. Maybe things would have been different if I’d been there.”
