“Well, that explains some things.” Rodric smirked, eyeing Sev. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“No wonder she’s so beautiful in battle,” Sev murmured, still staring at Cass in awe.
Cass gave the hunter a startled look, nearly as stunned as he was.
“That she is.” Rodric smiled. “Xandria, if you’ve been in the area for a while, have you heard anything that might be helpful to our search?”
“No, nothing. Which direction are you heading?”
“That decision is the problem.” Rodric cleared his throat. “Doesthe ridgemean anything to you? It may have been where this group was headed. We’ve studied our map and there are no natural ridges in the area. It sounded like a specific place, though.”
“Wait, let me see that map again. You didn’t phrase it as a name last time we looked, just a land feature.” Sev took the map from Rodric and opened it up for them to look at, pointing to a specific spot that appeared on the map just outside a southern border town. “This is an old fortress. I think it may have originally hadridgein the name. It’s been abandoned for a long time, mostly destroyed. It would take a ton of effort to fully reoccupy it.”
Cass shook her head. “Not necessarily. Our intel indicates these groups are good at staging temporary camps and facilities. Different areas every time. It's how they’re able to stay ahead of us.”
“For all their faults, Eldridge’s rulers won’t allow permanent facilities in the realm,” Sev said.
Cass nodded. “So, these groups make do until they can traffic the mages out of the realm. They tend to do hits and collect them into these temporary, and technically outlawed, holding sites before taking them across the border.”
“Makes sense,” Celina said. “Terrorized kids aren’t that hard to control. Most don’t fight like this one did. The few who do are turned into convenient examples for the others.”
Sev tapped the map. “That fortress would be a good temporary holding facility. Depending on which parts were destroyed previously, they would have cells, stables, everything they need. And the benefit of the realm having forgotten it exists. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like the main building and one or two of the guard towers are still standing. The land has taken the rest. This map is incredible, but it doesn’t have titles.”
Celina smiled at Sev. “The details and images are derived from the earth. People assign names to things.”
“How did you come up with the name?” Xandria asked, studying Rodric.
Her hunter shifted in a distinctly uncomfortable manner, his stormy eyes turning to Celina. Only one thing could give him that look when the information had been incredibly helpful to their search.
Stepping forward, Celina put her hand on his arm. “Talk to us.”
Tension rolled off of him, his hesitation clear. Celina was about to pull away, not wanting to push him too hard in front of the others, when he capitulated.
“When we were helping…” Rodric swallowed visibly. “Healing… the boy, I caught a conversation. A memory maybe? The group was talking around a fire, and they mentioned The Ridge.” Worried eyes delved into Celina. “Is that possible?”
“There are forms of magic that can interact with memories. Mostly mental magic though. Healing is spirit magic. It's very rare for someone to have both.” Pretty much unheard of, actually. Not a single example came to mind, but she didn’t want him to panic.What would create that situation?She put a hand on his chest. “Will you let me check something?”
He took on a slightly nauseous look but nodded. “I trust you.”
Closing her eyes, she opened her mind to the magic, traveling through their private connection to reach his soul. Gently, she pulsed a small amount of healing magic, letting it wind around his soul and surround him. In the physical world, he took a sharp breath and squeezed the hand she still held, hoping to comfort him.
Normally, she could tell if someone had magic but nothing more detailed. Permanent bonds were different than the temporary access she created when healing someone though. Using the full access she had to his lifeforce and his soul, she studied the shimmer of magic at his core, trying to identify it. Two distinct colors swirled together—iridescent pearl and cold flames of vibrant crystal blue.
“Rodric, you said your sister had healing magic. Was it the same physical wound type of healing ability that you have?”
“Yes.”
“Could Avery do anything else?”
“No, not that I know of.”
“I’ve never examined someone’s magic like I did with you, but it sure seems like you have two different types of magic. What do your instincts say when you dip into your magic… what does it feel like?”
“The healing magic… it feels like Avery,” Rodric said hoarsely. “I felt that immediately, even before I realized it was magic.”
Grief marred his face, and she wanted to drag him away to comfort him. There was so much they didn’t know due to the immense shadow the world held over magic. She was at a complete loss as to how and why it had happened.
“Rodric, was Avery your twin?” Xandria asked.
