Sev chuckled from the back of his own horse. “Like I said, she’s the smart one.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rodric said, lips twitching before he sobered at the quest ahead of him. “You got any ideas on finding Brenna?”
“Just one. And you’re not going to like it.”
“What’s that?” His base set of skills was failing him, and he’d doanything. Forfeit his own life, if it would somehow help.
“Find someone better suited to hunt magic—seek help in Calderre.”
Rodric’s mind rebelled at the idea, but he wasn’t willing to disregard it just because he hated what he needed to do. He’d vowed to do whatever was necessary to succeed and bring Brenna home safely to her father. Something he hadn’t been able to do before.
He hadn’t been able to bring his sister Avery home alive.
“Calderre.” He tasted the foreign word on his tongue.
“Just don’t catch a leopardess by the tail while you’re there and you’ll be fine.” Sev winked at him. “I hear they have some fierce snow cats there. Walk on two legs and leave a burning flame in one’s soul.”
Rodric laughed despite the tension.Don’t catch a leopardess. Right.Like that’s going to happen.He shook his head, still smiling, and kicked Zora into motion.
Seeking an expert in Calderre made an unfortunate amount of sense. He didn’t like it, but it was rapidly becoming apparent that he was missing a critical resource—magic.
Calderre was the minority where magic was concerned, treating it with acceptance and respect instead of controlling it out of fear and trepidation.
Eldridge was the opposite, preferring to hold on to the status quo and minimize the potentially shattering impact a world filled with magic threatened. It was a charged political and social dilemma that much of the world was choosing to ignore for as long as possible.
It would take him a number of days to get to the realm that bordered them to the north, but he and Zora could move fast, conditions permitting. Luckily, they were just barely entering the winter season, so there hadn’t yet been any heavy storms to cover the mountainous realm in snow and ice.
“You really think that’s the best option?” he asked Sev.
“It’s youronlyoption, but yeah, I think it’s also the best one. Magic made that trail vanish, my friend. Maybe you need magic to make it reappear. Just think, you’ll be able to find out if the mythical Lightning Teams really exist.”
“Of course that’s what you want to know.” Rodric huffed a laugh at his friend’s love of legends. The man really could have been a storyteller with his extent of mythical knowledge. Or perhaps a barkeep.
“It would do you good to go there,” Sev said. “Once you find Brenna, you’re going to need a whole new set of resources. Calderre welcomes refugees fleeing from all over the world.”
Rodric sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m trying not to think about that yet. What it will mean for her future. For mine.”
“Then you’ve got more than one reason to go to Calderre. I know you have history that makes you abhor magic, but don’t forget, it’s part ofallof our history, if you go back far enough.”
Wisps of old stories floated to Rodric, his mother’s soft voice whispering to him and Avery by candlelight, entrancing them in stories of magic and wonder. Stories of the ancients, who made their homes in special hidden places throughout the world, forgotten over centuries of war and changing tides.
If his mother’s bedtime tales were to be believed, perhaps Calderre was one of those old, enchanted places, where the ancients had studied magic and performed rituals. Where magic still lived.
The precious bracelet renewed his hope.Just hold on a little longer, sunshine, I’m coming for you.
Chapter 3
Violet Rose Tavern, Realm of Calderre
ThecourtyardoftheViolet Rose was just crowded enough to be exciting without causing Celina to feel claustrophobic. Cold was setting in, but the canopy of heat kept them warm enough that she had shed her coat.
Dual fires roared in the twin hearths at either end of the courtyard, allowing people to dance in the warm, shadowed center. Glowing orbs were strung across the area, spilling light and shadow onto the dancers as they swayed in the gentle night air.
It was a space for moonlight and promises. Good friends and laughter. Positive energy flowed into every corner, encouraging people to relax and enjoy. It had a touch of magic, if truth be told.
The Violet Rose was the hearthstone of the close-knit Ravensmere community that consisted of the small towns surrounding Celina’s keep. The inn and tavern had long been a gathering place for their people and had held strong through dark times in their history. Originally the inn’s garden, the courtyard was still bordered by the violet roses, giving the establishment its name.
It was one of Celina’s favorite places to visit when she needed to be a person rather than any of her titles. She had been coming with several of her close friends ever since they met years ago as angry and traumatized young girls who had experienced catastrophic events that had taken their loved ones.
