I glanced at Nala. She chuffed at me and continued to lope behind Ace. Seemed like my familiar trusted my partner more than I did.
When we stepped around the bend, the trail opened to a rocky riverbed. The crystal-clear river rushed by, creating a mist of water to rise from the edges. Sunlight broke through the tree cover and fractured into millions of small rainbows, making the river appear to dance.
It was a beautiful section of the Danu River, but the water didn’t look any different here than it did elsewhere. At this point, though, I was too tired to argue. Hopefully, the magic Ace spoke of would materialize soon and whisk me away to a warm bed.
I let out a long breath.
A wooden post jutted from the ground near the bank of the river. Someone had carved a series of circular and triangular symbols with various lines drawn through them into the weathered wood.
“What do those mean?” I asked.
Ace shrugged. “I’ve always assumed they say ‘magic river’ or something like that.”
I ran my hand down the carving. “Or maybe it’s a warning?”
“If it’s a warning, I’ve successfully ignored it and look at me.” He patted his chest. “I turned out fine.”
Part of me wanted to admit just how fine he was, but then the other part of me remembered this was Ace and I’d rather listen to stories of my brother’s sexual exploits than pay this man a compliment. “Debatable.”
Ace scoffed and jerked his chin toward the churning water. “Let’s go.”
Nala trotted ahead of us, splashing through the water without a care in the world.
“It’s not as deep as it looks.” Ace reached back, holding his hand out to me. “As long as we stick to the path.”
“What path?” We were crossing a river. I reached forward and grasped his hand.
“There are special rocks,” he said simply as if he hadn’t just announced the most absurd thing ever.
“Aren’t we a little old for special rocks?”
“You’ll see.” He flashed me a brief smile before pulling me into the water. He was right, it wasn’t as deep as I thought. It only came up to mid shin where I stood on a large rock beside him. Something shifted beneath the surface of the water and humming rose in my bones. My magic vibrated under my skin and my fingers itched to reach for a bow.
I rarely felt the power in my veins unless I was shooting at something.
Ace’s hand tightened around mine. They were firm, calloused and warm. They anchored me, and my magic settled. My heart started to beat harder and not out of fear.
I swore. This was not the time to think of Ace as anything more than a partner, rival and the most infuriating man ever.
“Everything okay?” Ace asked.
“Yes,” I mumbled. Everything was fine except the way my body reacted to him.
Nala darted forward, effortlessly traversing the river. Each bound splashed up water which shimmered with a strange, silvery light, despite the pale golden daylight. The water didn’t sparkle, it glowed as if it had swallowed the moon.
“Special rocks,” I muttered. The answer stared right back at me with each lap of silvery water along the riverbank. The water having magic of its own shouldn’t have surprised me. The forbidden forest spoke to me in a way that could only be explained with magic, and I’d met a naiad before and felt the magic rolling off her and the water in waves.
I was more surprised Ace could sense and use it.
As if on cue, a gentle breeze swept through the air to curl around me. A warm band of wind kissed my chilled skin, but it didn’t provide comfort. The wind brought a silent warning.
Danger.
Behind us, branches snapped. Leaves shook. The sound of hunters moving swiftly through the forest grew louder. They’d found us.
“Step where I step.” Ace pulled me forward.
The first stone glowed faintly beneath his boot. I looked down at the swirling current. It might not be deep while standing on the special rock, but it was certainly deep everywhere else. None of the other stones glowed. Whatever magic swirled in the depths of this river, it wanted to help Ace cross.
