The Foxhole loomed in the distance. Its white wooden sign swung casually from clinking chains. Lanterns illuminated thepath to the entrance. Music escaped into the night as patrons opened its wooden door.
I entered the revelry, scanning the large room for a table. I gently edged around groups of people engaged in boisterous conversation. I zeroed in on a vacant table, positioning myself with my back to the crowd, while allowing a clear view of the exits. I ordered the roasted rabbit and an ale from the server.
The humidity of this seaside city easily fed into my affinity. I pulled some moisture from the air creating a simple looking glass of ice. I casually raised it, and began sprucing my hair. Tilting it surreptitiously, I scanned the other patrons behind me. A grin blossomed across my face and every muscle in me relaxed. There she was.
Korin wiped smudges of chocolate tart off of her cheek between fits of laughter. Her companions were caught up in their own conversations. I didn’t recognize any of them, but I committed their faces to memory. Korin could lead me straight to the rebels. I suppressed the urge to destroy everyone she was with. The Crimson Wolf was my target. I couldn’t get too hasty.
I sat the frozen mirror down and tunneled the humid air toward myself. I listened as Korin shared a story about rearranging the positions of some buildings. She relayed how a Prime Elixist had walked through the front door of what she thought was her lab, but in fact had been rotated around and was now a storage shed. The story seemed made up, and everyone laughed, some shaking their heads at the silliness of it all. I forgot how imaginative children could be.
The entrance of the Foxhole swung open, and a deep voice lassoed my attention. A breathtaking man entered the room, striding purposefully toward Korin’s table. I tensed as the general scored his hands through his dark hair, mussing it in the process. A few stray waves settled across his brow. His golden irises seemed lined in dark bronze. His face was perfection. Astraight nose symmetrically accentuated his carved jaw.What was in this drink?
I pried my eyes away. A faint blush heated my cheeks. I tried to refocus on the food in front of me and the conversation four tables away. I shifted in my seat to glean a better view.
A gray-haired man stood, clasping forearms with Judd. Several black rings adorned his strong hands. I zeroed in on them. Those were the same long fingers that had gripped my waist at the festival, that carried me home. The same lethal hands that orchestrated the spread of Glint. I gulped down air.
Their conversation continued to flow directly toward me. “You’re wearing it!” yelped Korin. I flinched at her outburst. Her hands dug deep into her collar. She produced a colorfully braided necklace with interwoven beads, her enthusiasm an electrical current aimed right at Judd.
His startling eyes landed on the girl. A genuine smile softened his features. A dimple formed on his cheek, somehow increasing my blood flow with its appearance. He gripped an identical necklace from beneath his tunic, revealing colorful strands at odds with his monochromatic clothing.
I struggled to shift my gaze away from their interaction. The way he engaged with Korin vexed me. This stormy man held such a tenderness toward the girl that clashed with what I knew of him. Emotion welled upward, pricking my eyes and constricting my throat. It overtook me in its suddenness, from some long-abandoned space within me. Never had my own father gazed at me with such care and familiarity. With such tenderness.
I sat back, finally looking away. A confusing blend of despair and longing choked me. I swallowed it down, turning back toward them.
Korin beamed in triumph. “I knew you would.”
He tousled her curly hair, leaving them curtained across her eyes. He addressed the rest of the group while Korin rearranged her hair out of her face. My body remained positioned toward my food, but my attention stayed on Korin and Judd from the corner of my eye.
A woman with a seductively low neckline approached the general. She leaned into him as if she knew him. A large swig of ale chased down my distaste. I tried to peel my eyes away, but seemed unable to control my gaze. Of course he would attract attention; how could he not? His strong posture and ridiculous height made it seem like he could command the wind.
My head cocked slightly as I covertly studied him. He appeared as self-assured and at ease as he did at the Twin Moon Festival. Everyone around him deferred to him, even as he easily smiled in an effort to diffuse the power differential. He politely dismissed the brazen woman. I ignored the gratification that followed.
Korin excused herself to use the bathroom. I finished off my ale and left plenty of coin to cover my meal, then hurried after her. I stalled a few moments outside the door before stepping inside. I froze the lock on the door, ensuring no one else interrupted our serendipitous meeting.
The spigot of water whooshed on, and I feigned washing my hands while I waited. Korin emerged from the stall and I brightened at her presence. It took her a moment to recognize me, but eventually she smiled back.
“Korin! What a surprise to bump into you here! Have you tried the chocolate tart? I hear it’s delicious.”
“I already ate two,” she giggled, scrunching her little nose in the process.
“What are the odds I would find you again? I’m glad you are well and staying away from dryads.” Lighthearted suspicion narrowed my eyes.
She waved her hand in the air dismissively, the colorful handmade necklace around her neck swinging with the movement. “Yes, yes; no more forest excursions unless a Prime is with me. Some people seem extra protective lately, so I can’t do anything without an escort now,” she huffed.
My mind reeled at the prospect of interacting with a Prime, even if they were brainwashed by the rebellion. Korin was proving to be a very useful gateway to the rebel world. “I hope that’s not on my account. I’d be happy to meet one of your escorts, or your Primes, and help put them at ease. If it would help, of course.”
She glanced nervously around, her fingers toying with her necklace. “Well, I am supposed to practice my magic tomorrow. I have trouble with the reabsorption of it—sometimes I become super dizzy when I expel too fast. If you want, you could come.” A twinge of remorse twisted my gut at exploiting her trust. But if that’s what stood between me and the protection of Haluma, I would stomach it.
“I remember learning to control my own magic. Maybe I could offer some tricks of my own that I’ve learned over the years. Where should I meet you?”
Korin’s face lit up like the Haluman sunrise.
Chapter Sixteen
THE SPY
Korin requested to meet right outside the city walls. I neared the stables where I’d left my mare as early morning fog hovered above the swaying grasses. I kept my burgundy cloak tied securely to ward off the chill.
Two women, Korin, and two other children clustered in the distance. When she spotted me, Korin waved her hand in the air, as if I wasn’t plainly walking in her direction. Her long sleeves billowed with the effort. The sight made the corner of my mouth twitch. Gods, she was disarming.
