“Three days past now. Seems the beast is ranging south as the weather turns.”
Caspian nodded. “Well, I suppose I will have to find the beast then, won’t I?”
“You would go yourself, m’lord?” The farmer looked at him agape.
“Yes. I think I should,” he said, studying the quills closer.
“You are certain, sir?” Lionel said from behind him. “Lady Priscilla’s party is expected shortly.” Though he had not even heard him approach, Caspian had grown too accustomed to his steward’s uncanny presence to be startled.
“Yes, I am quite certain,” Caspian sighed. “I shall find the beast on my own.”
Keira
Sharp needled trees. Snow crusted ground. The smell of sap and the call of crows. Keira gasped as she emerged into the dense woods of the Northern Timberlands. The frigid air carried the crisp scent of the pines so unlike the fresh earthy smells of the grasslands. Keira opened her eyes, immediately drawn to the unfamiliar calls of the birds perched high overhead. These woodlands were strangers to her, many miles north of the Firewoods where she had spent her childhood.
Yet the novelty stole her attention only for a moment before Keira set her gaze on the forest around her. Caspian was near. The prospect set her blood alive with anticipation she had never thought to feel again. As she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, Keira battled back the doubt lurking in her mind. She had done a scrying after hearing the news, just to be sure the innkeeper hadn’t been mistaken. The ritual had led her to the northernmost corner of the realm, just like he had said. Moreover, a scrying spell would not work if the subject was dead. Caspian was indisputably, undoubtedly, alive.
A branch snapped in the distance. Keira froze, her breath catching as she whirled toward the sound. The distant figure wore a cloak of blue, collared with grey wolf pelt. A long sword was strapped to his back, carried by strong, broad shoulders. His hair was white as the snow. It was him. Not the version of him that she could have conjured from her memory, but justdifferent enough for her to know that this was real. He was walking away from her at this very moment, up the uneven slope, not even aware of her presence.
Her heart leapt to call for him, to run into his arms and weep for everyday that she had suffered to think he was gone forever. But she could not move a muscle. Her breath came to her in shallow, panicked gasps. Caspian was here, this version of him that had also lived these three years without so much as a written word between them. Years of experiences that she knew nothing about. Years that might have reshaped him into an entirely different person…
It felt as though her spine were turning to ice as Keira realized the worst of it all. Caspian was alive. And she had broken their promise.
Keira retreated a step. He was out of sight before she could manage an even breath. What must he think of her now? After three years and not a word… Would he think she had abandoned him? What else could he believe? Keira leaned against a tree as her balance failed her. While she had spent all this time holding onto his memory, he must have spent it trying to forget all about her. What if he preferred that she remained that way? A buried memory. The idea sliced her so deeply, a hot tear rolled down her cheek.
It took several moments to rein in her torturous thoughts, to free herself from their wretched spiral. She had to talk to him… the moment she thought of what to say. Certainly, if she explained…
Keira straightened suddenly to follow him. She couldn’t lose him again. The right words would come to her… eventually.
Yet the hours passed, tracking Caspian’s trail until darkness had nearly fallen, and Keira had not conjured a single excuse or comfort to offer him, or herself. Nor had she found the courage to try.
As Caspian set his camp, Keira found a dense copse of pines to shelter in as she watched him gather firewood. Now that she was nearer, she had caught a glimpse of his face more than once. Each time, it had stopped her heart. He was different than she remembered. His jaw was more defined. His hair was cropped short instead of the shaggy, untamed locks he’d once worn. Most notably, a wicked scar now marked him from temple to chin. Her mind had supplied an endless stream of cruel imaginings as to what could have caused such a wound.
A wintry breeze shook loose the powdery snow overhead, and Keira shivered. Her cloak was pulled tight around her frame as she huddled over the minor Ingus she had conjured. It was a small, harmless flame used to produce heat in situations such as these. It was not enough to entirely stave off the chill which was settling possessively over the wood. Yet she could not risk a larger one or it might be seen.
Keira pulled back her hood to spy on the camp once more. Caspian had yet to fall asleep, even though it was now fully dark. She wondered what had set him so ill at ease as not to find rest. But as she searched for him, he was no longer tending the fire.
Quickly, she crushed the Ingus in her palm, and it extinguished at once. Keira stood silently. She would find a new hiding place, perhaps farther-
Behind her, she heard the slow, careful crunch of pine needles underfoot. Keira turned, faltering over a root and falling onto her hands and knees in the snow.
“Stop there!” Caspian’s voice sounded only feet away.
At the sound of his voice, her heart beat faster, her blood turning to ice. She wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t face him, not yet. Her mind worked through the roaring panic. She had fallen with her hood still over her face. He hadn’t seen her. A desperate ploy took form within her. It was hardly a perfect solution; she just needed to buy herself more time… Under herbreath, she whispered the quick incantation. The Occulos charm settled like cool liquid over her skin.
Only then did she turn.
Caspian looked down at her, sword pointed at her chin. She couldn’t help but trace the features of his face. He was a stranger to her, and yet so achingly familiar it nearly brought her to tears. Yet, there was no glimmer of recognition in his black eyes as he studied her in kind. It was a bitter victory as the charm’s magic held.
The Occulos was not a true disguise to alter her form. It merely confused the eye, altered her appearance to something generic and bland, unrecognizable or significant. Any without the True Sight would have to study her face closely to see past the illusion. She’d have to avoid mirrors, which would still show her true reflection, but she hardly thought that would be an issue in the middle of the forest.
“Why have you been following me?” he asked. “Who are you?”
Keira scuttled back, away from the blade, lifting herself onto her elbows. “I’m just a forester- I- I didn’t realize the hour. I saw your fire, and I-” The lies flowed from her tongue so easily, as her panicked mind grasped for anything to avoid the truth.
Caspian’s expression softened as he lowered the blade and sheathed it behind his back. “Why were you hiding?” he asked, offering her his hand.
Keira took it slowly, half expecting to pass through him as if embracing a specter or illusion. Yet, she felt the warmth of his touch spread throughout her body like wildfire.
