“I suppose we should follow him.” Rodric smiled conspiratorially at her.
“We should.”
He stepped back, holding out his hand to pull her up. Staying in his space instead of continuing to step past him, she rose on her toes and kissed him one more time, savoring the velvet feel of his lips joining with hers. Forcing herself to pull back, she gave herself one last tempting taste before stepping away.
Rodric’s low growl made her shiver as he turned toward the windows, a hand in his hair. Regaining his composure, he flicked a still smoldering glance at her and smiled.
He nodded toward the torn-up earth visibly through the windows. “The storm really tore things up last night.”
“Most of that wasn’t the storm; it was Sam.” Celina chuckled. “I think he woke early to fix the damage before Althea returns. She’ll have his hide if her garden suffered.”
The pleasant fire that had been simmering died from Rodric’s eyes as his gaze whipped between her and the devastation outside.
“Sam did this?” Shock laced his voice.
“You said Sam was always playing with rocks as a child? Well, he still is. Our conversation before you joined us last night was a bit heated.” She gestured at the scene. “This is the result of his untamed emotions.”
“The noise was worse than it should have been for the storm, but… that was Sam?” he murmured. He shook his head in fear or disbelief, she wasn’t sure. “Celina, there’s amudslideout there on the hill. The earth is torn, and rocks overturned. That’s a dangerous, reckless use of power.”
His reaction was a little much for the situation, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. Sam did struggle with control when his emotions ran strong. Instead of defending him, which would likely fuel Rodric’s negative reaction, she took a different tact.
“Old wounds and trauma feed all our worst traits, Rodric. Sam was struggling to deal with his past when we argued last night, and the result was a bit destructive. Rebuilding what he damaged will strengthen his control, but he won’t master his magic until he finds peace.”
Rodric’s jaw worked as he surveyed the destruction again. “He could have flattened the keep.”
“These lands are fortified to allow him to safely exercise his magic. Althea and Barnabus made sure of it when the strength of his magic became apparent.” Celina didn’t want his fears to reach unwarranted heights. “The keep wasn’t in danger. But, yes, Sam is a very powerful earth mage.”
Rodric exhaled some of his tension, but it seemed to take a concerted amount of effort. “We should go see about the map so we can get going.”
Turning away from the view that had caused such turmoil, Rodric headed in the direction she indicated. He walked quietly beside her as they left the kitchen, but he didn’t take her hand.
Celina gave a silent, brooding sigh. Apparently, she was destined to push every man in her life to the brink this week as she forcefully pushed them past their comfortable boundaries. Morgan and Sam would forgive her; she only hoped Rodric would too, given time.
Studyingthetopographicalmap,Rodric cursed. The territory was enormous. Barnabus had brought a huge map featuring the eastern half of Eldridge. Which figured… it was the more unsavory portion of the realm, bordered by dangerous neighbors.
They were gathered around a large table in Barnabus’s private workshop. Maps of all sizes lined the walls, and a large shelf held rolled versions that could be laid out on the high table and reviewed as commissions were discussed.
“This is the area where Connor’s team was originally headed?” Rodric circled a broad area on the map with two fingers. It was east of Barrett’s Forest—the direction Brenna’s kidnappers had been headed when he lost their trail.
“Yes, yes. We gave them a detailed landscape for that area. Where they went after that…” Barnabus shrugged, waving his hand in awho knowsmotion. “But I think we might have something to help with that, eh, Sam?”
The locations syncing up was a very good sign and boded well for their mission. It made up somewhat for the difficult conversation he’d had with Celina earlier. He was certain that if he could haveoneconversation about magic that didn’t dredge up the past, he would be able to make more significant progress. It hadn’t happened yet, but he had hope that would change. He was truly trying but being constantly blindsided with emotional blows was holding him back.
Barnabus took his arm, using him as a walking stick as they moved to a new room. He was stable on his feet, but his eyes were unfocused as if he had trouble seeing. Rodric was curious if his low vision meant his career as a mapmaker would soon be ending, but he didn’t ask as the elder leaned on him.
Sam led them into a smaller workroom just big enough for the four of them to gather around an empty table. Unlike in the larger workroom, this wasn’t an angled worktable, but rather a flat one. Sam sealed the door and then pulled out some materials.
Barnabus’s wrinkled hands smoothed over the material, feeling its edges and learning its shape without looking directly at it.
“Sir,” Rodric asked, hesitation softening his voice. “Are you… can you see well enough?”
Barnabus’s loud, crackling laugh filled the room. “Don’t need eyes for this type of map, my boy.” He unerringly patted Rodric’s jaw.
“Your mate is a healer, and you live here in Calderre. Why haven’t your eyes been healed?” Rodric looked at Celina when he asked the question, wondering for the first time what type of boundaries corralled her magic. What was normal in her world but not in his?
“Can’t fix old age, son. Nothing wrong with my eyes but time and life. Healers mend things that are unnaturally weak and broken. Nothing unnatural about aging. My Althea keeps me as strong as nature allows.” Barnabus chuckled again. “I like your young man, Cela. Questions don’t frighten him. Now, let’s begin.”
With quick strokes, he inked the main points, mimicking the larger map they had been looking at in the outer room. Towns, mountains, and other markers darkened the page in a rudimentary design. Rodric watched in fascination. Did magic help him see what his eyes couldn’t as he drew the landmarks?
