“This canyon should be impassible. I tried to get to the fort from every place on the shoreline last night. Could you seen have anything else?”
“It looked like the torch illuminated a man in a soldier’s uniform, but he disappeared into the stone cliff side before I could fully get a glimpse of him. And everything was so far away, it was hard to see anything clearly.”
“This must be it,” Sol said, his body tensing in preparation for activity. “I searched this canyon extensively last night, though, and it was impassable.”
“Can you use magic in any way to find the path?” Meena asked.
“It’s a good thought, but that’s not how it usually ... actually, the wind did guide me once before.” Sol closed his eyes for a moment. It was easy to find the harmony inside him after just sharing it with Meena.
He exhaled with a wordless sound, letting it rumble in his throat in harmony with the crashing waves.
The breeze from the sea picked up its pace, swirling around him like an old friend.
Reaching for Meena’s hand, he let the wind guide him.
Chapter 28
“We did it,” Meena whispered triumphantly as they climbed back along the hidden path. “We actually found it.”
“And only two guards on duty,” Sol said, his voice as excited as hers. “We don’t know how many soldiers guard the kitchen entrance, but if Neven and I can get back here after dark tomorrow, we can take the guards out quickly and quietly. We don’t want to give them a chance to sound the alarm.”
Meena forced her tired legs to follow after Sol. They had climbed so much already, but the end was in sight. “How deep inside do you think the tunnel goes?” she asked. “And do you think it will be hard to find the right tunnel or cave or door once we are inside?”
“It might go fairly deep,” Sol replied. “But thanks to the wind—which was partially your idea, at least I wouldn’t have thought about it if you hadn’t asked since I’ve never used the magic like that before—we should be able to get through whatever maze is inside.”
“I hope this works,” Meena said. Her hands were strangely tingling from a mixture of excitement and fear. “We are so close.”
“Speaking of close,” Sol said, his spirits still high. “We are close to home as well.”
Meena looked up from her feet to stare at the outer wall of the fortress directly above them. The wall looked far more ominous in the dark of night, blocking out the bright stars above.
“This part might be difficult,” Sol said, stepping to the side so she could pass by him. “But I’ve no doubt you can make it up, and have likely scaled something similar.”
Meena smiled at his confidence in her.
He stepped behind her, his body cutting off the cool ocean breeze and instantly warming her. “And if you do need help, I’ll be right here behind you.”
Meena turned around. She wasn’t quite ready to return to the stifling bedroom and dangers of the fortress.
“Actually, I was more concerned about you,” she whispered. “Perhaps you should go first and I can catch you since you are more likely to fall.”
Even in the darkness, Meena could see the broad smile that split across his face.
He was laughing at her jest.
Meena’s heart felt so light she thought it might float right out of her chest and into the sky. Unable to contain the feeling by herself, she reached up and placed her palm against his cheek.
His skin was rough but warm.
“Sol,” she whispered. “May I?” She stood on tiptoe, bringing her face closer to his as she looked from his eyes to his mouth.
His smile slowly relaxed into something more. She could hear him inhale. The intensity of the breathy sound tickled over her ears like an unexpected breeze.
She felt a shiver run down her spine, but she was not cold.
He dropped his head closer to hers, stopping when their noses gently touched. He slowly closed his eyes, letting out a breathy sigh. His hand came up to cover hers, cradling it against his cheek.
She moved her thumb, stroking the soft spot above the rough stubble on his chin. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted to share this moment with him, to express the excitement, anxiety, and absolute craziness of their ridiculously hopeless mission in a way that words could not.
