Hesitantly at first, the crowd answers, “Long live the sovereign,” then slowly, a chant builds, becoming more passionate, more sincere. I glance at Gruffud and his parents, then at my family. They all chant along, but Neris’s lips are pressed firmly together, her eyes focused on the dais as if she’s trying to look into the new sovereign’s soul.
Sometimes I thinksheis the one with magic instead of me.
Chapter 5
Tiernan signs somethingas he jogs through the grassy pathway beside me. I’m too busy trying to suck in more air to make out a word of what he says. My ribs seem to tighten with each forceful breath. I hunch over with my hands on my knees, closing my eyes against the spots of white and red that tarnish my vision.
It’s been two weeks since our arrival at the Verge. Two weeks since I declared that I wanted to join the rebellion. But where do I fit in? There are so many factions. There are the Verge Defenders: the ones trained in combat to guard the Verge should the wards be broken; the Seekers: those who step beyond the wards to find and report back information; the Safeguards: combatants beyond the wards who lead rescue missions; and then the Masterminds: the high-ranking rebels who set up safehouses, collaborate with the Seekers and Safeguards to arrange rescues, and to dispatch information where needed.
Where I would fit in is still debated, as I’m considered too unprepared for anything beyond the wards, buttoo powerfulto remain behind them.
I’ve been running every evening with Tiernan, training my Wielding and learning runes with Oksana in the morning, and working on dagger throwing with Chiyo somewhere in between.I’m supposed to be sparring in the Skirmish Den with the other trainees, but Warden Ava, Alys’s daughter who oversees the training, says I’m not ready.
I should’ve known from the start it was a delusional goal. I have no athleticism to my name. My shadow wielding would provide the perfect shield should we fall into danger, but not if I can’t learn to control it consistently. And not if I can’t run without immediately becoming winded.
I plop onto my bottom in the grass, and just as I’m about to lay flat on my back, a firm pressure pulls my attention to my knee. I look down, my vision still blurry, but I make out Tiernan’s hand there. He gives my knee another squeeze, his voice filling my mind. “Don’t lie down.Put your arms atop your head and take deep breaths. Give your lungs space to expand.”
My body, however, begs me to lie down. I could take a long nap right now. Reluctantly, I listen to his advice; I fold my arms atop my head and fight to breathe in deeply. My breath remains shallow for what feels like forever, until my pulse eventually slows down and my chest feels less crowded.
“Better?” Tiernan signs. His onyx eyes are filled with worry, light golden skin shining with perspiration.
I shake my head and sign, “I should have more stamina by now.”
“Durvla, it’s been only two weeks.”
I lower my hands to my lap and blink away the tears that try to arise.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“I need to prove to Ava I can be an asset.”
“Look,” says Tiernan. “She might be the Warden, but Dayfyd ranks higher than her. If we go to him?—”
“No,” I interrupt a little too forcefully.
He sighs and places his hand on mine, his thumb stroking over the back of my palm. The tiniest flutters go through medespite my exhaustion and frustration. “It might not feel like it, but your staminahasimproved. Perhaps it’s not as quickly as you’d like, but take it from me: you’re making progress. On top of that, it’s hot as Lugda’s balls tonight.”
A snorting laugh slips out and I clasp my hand over my mouth and nose. There’s a spark of amusement in Tiernan’s eyes, but he looks equally perplexed.
“That sounds like something Carys would say,” I explain.
The moment immediately sobers, guilt and sadness sinking into my gut. Carys … who I’ve still not been able to dreamwalk to. Not since that moment I’d been guided by the goddess Sunlagh; not since I learned from the goddess that the veil between the dream realm and the Underworld is thin. A shudder runs through me, the hair standing on the back of my neck as I remember the goddess’s ethereal voice, and the voices of Ellynne and Aneirin—Carys’s closest friend and her brother—from beyond the land of the living.
The sun sinks lower on the horizon, grey clouds eclipsing the purple and orange streaks in the sky as a gentle breeze cools the sweat on my skin.Nowthe air decides to give us a reprieve. I inhale deeply, taking in the damp earth scent that clings to the air in the Verge. It always gives it a deceptively balmy feeling even in the coolest temperatures. Magelights come to life on the posts bordering the pathway. Tiernan tilts his head, both brows raised in a question. “Are you alright?” he asks.
I nod. “Sorry to be a killjoy.”
Tiernan’s lips curve in a gentle smile. He stands and extends his hand, pulling me to my feet.
“You aren’t akilljoy,” he says. “That role is already taken, remember?” He winks, and this time, I smile despite myself. His high cheekbones sharpen when he smiles, his dark eyes shimmery beneath the magelight shining from the lamppost. Henudges a few loose ringlets of hair from my sweaty face and smiles in a way that makes my stomach flip eagerly.
Since our arrival, we’ve been constantly pulled into various meetings and separate training sessions. I’m grateful for the occasional job of identifying and cataloging herbs, as it’s given me something concrete to focus on, but with such a packed schedule most days, Tiernan and I haven’t found much time to be alone or to discuss our relationship.
“Ready to go home?” Tiernan asks.
“Yes, I’m in desperate need of a bath.”
We turn to head back down the pathway of smooth stone atop the manicured wild grasses that cover the land. Lush forests, enchanted with strong wards to keep out any unwanted guests, surround the Verge. Swampy trees border the far east and thicker, fuller birch trees hedge the west.
