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Phillip shook his head. “Nothing that I’ve heard.”

“I will go see if Mallory has more information,” Simeon said, quickly exiting the tent with silent steps. We might not always see eye-to-eye, but Simeon knew my subtle tells nearly as well as Vincent at this point. He also had enough pride to not ever say directly I simply wished for time alone.

I dropped onto my cot and ran my hands over my face, trying to find the momentary joy I felt when I first spoke to Amethyst and heard her voice. I murmured a prayer to Freia in thankfulness, something that Phillip would not find irksome at all.

“If you’d like to do your formal prayers, I don’t mind,” he said, still near the entrance, though he’d leaned against one of the support posts, his hands now in the pockets of his pants. “I’m happy to do them with you.”

That had me crossing the tent and settling onto my prayer mat, slowly working through my typical day-end prayers. Phillip joined, kneeling beside me, content to let my voice fill the silence, though his shoulders relaxed over the course of the prayers. When I’d finished the additional ones, the ones for safe travels and unions that would be honoring to Freia and Liam and Persynthia, I breathed deeply, trying to let all my stress flow off of me as I allowed my eyes to close.

“There was a fight with Enoch on Magefall,” I said into the stillness of the tent.

Phillip cursed. “And yet you were not struck down by Magefall’s magic?”

“I was given a coin with a shield enchantment at the direction of a Diviner in Embercrest,” I explained, slowly opening my eyes. “It was how I tended her leg without triggering the transportation spell. He arrived while I was trying to get her stabilized enough for the jump.”

He nodded, his gaze going a bit distant as he worked through the possible scenarios, judging who would need to be moved in order to keep the retinue safe. Enoch was no small foe—no Crown Prince was, and especially not with him set to inherit the Varím throne someday.

“Well, he’d be foolish to do anything here,” Phillip said after a minute. “If he attempts anything, I suspect it will be once we’re over the Malyr Pass and within the neutral space we share with Tousir. I’ll adjust your guard and make sure the rest are aware of potential attacks in the mountains.”

There was another rap on a support beam.

“Callum?” Arden’s voice was more hesitant than this morning, but no less warm.

“Come in,” I said, adjusting so I sat rather than kneeled, and turned toward the tent’s entrance. Arden hesitated for a moment when he saw Phillip but then continued closer, slowly easing to the platformed floor of my tent.

“There is talk of working north through the Ailus Pass rather than the Southern crossing over the Malyr Pass. It will make for a shorter trip into Embercrest.” He didn’t say what he knew I was thinking. He’d heard my intentions over the last several weeks as we made final preparations for the Rite.

“I imagine Hugh and Elise are wanting to return quickly to the capital,” I said to bridge the topic. When Arden nodded, I sighed. “Well, I will not force them to go the longer route. If they wish to take the Northern route, then the standard retinue will go with them. I stand by my decision to detour through Starguard.”

The tension in his body melted away. Arden didn’t want to have to detour up to Embercrest if it could be avoided as his family was in Starguard, and thus his Celebration of Union would be as well. And, as he was still a member of my personal guard even with his own involvement in the Rite, he would follow where I went.

I thought of Amethyst’s translation tattoo and Amaria’s surmising she might be from the Far Lands. “I think Starguard will be the best option for a while longer. I’m willing to discuss the matter with Hugh or Elise if they have concerns over splitting the group.”

Arden eased to his feet. “Thank you. You’ll join us to break bread once the Votarist completes their cross-check?”

“Of course,” I said, letting my exhaustion creep into the words. Arden frowned, as did Phillip. I waved away their concern and stood. A bit of information from my arrival from Magefall gave me a suitable change in subject. “Is your omega well? James said they didn’t handle the transportation well.”

Arden nodded, a smile softening his face.

“She’s well, yes.” Then he circled my wrist with a quick grasp. “Go to yours, Callum. Phillip and I can handle readjusting the guard and planning the travel. If the others wish to discuss specifics, we will send them to you. We’ll send the Votarist to you when they arrive so you don’t need to worry about missing them.”

I mirrored his action, circling his wrist with a gentle touch, expressing wordlessly my gratitude. Phillip exited the tent first, glancing at the sinking sun before turning to the right where the guards were stationed along the edge of our encampment near the Passage. Arden walked with me for a bit, his hands clasped behind his back, though his tunic was unlaced, offsetting the formal stance. When we reached his own provisions, he circled my wrist again in quick farewell. Then I continued the rest of the walk to Reuben’s tent alone.

He was leaving just as I arrived, his hair pulled into a low, messy bun, his shirt and pants both changed and unblemished. I couldn’t help but look behind him before the tent’s entrance fell back into place, catching a brief glimpse of Amethyst on the larger of the cots, her body now covered in a thick blanket, the large fire jar nestled near the head of the cot.

“She’ll be well,” Reuben said, circling my wrist for a brief moment in greeting. “I doubt she will awaken tonight, though. I will need to reevaluate everything when she does. I was a bit… messy with repairing her head injury. Once she wakes, I’ll clean it up so she’s left with no scarring.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. He squeezed my wrist and then dropped the casual touch.

“Vincent came looking for you.”

I nodded. “He’s welcome to keep me company if he chooses. I’d like to stay here until the dinner. Arden will direct the Votarist when they arrive.”

“Of course.”

Reuben’s smile was soft and full of understanding, and then he was heading toward the communal fires burning in the heart of the camp, probably for sustenance after the long work of helping Amethyst.

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