CHAPTER EIGHTEEN #3
Ethenn thought Ilain didn’t love him. Whether he accepted that life or not, he needed to know the truth. And Evylin was close enough to Ilain to advise her on the subject.
Reaching over, Evylin tugged on Ethenn’s arm. “Come on,” she encouraged. “Let’s get back to camp. We can talk more about this later.”
They trudged back through the forest, coming upon their troop in mere minutes.
A soft fire was burning in the evening light.
They still had to be careful on their journey out of Wauld, but due to the extended hours of sunlight in the heart of spring, they were able to heat their meals without worry.
At the firepit, Vayden and Auden prepared the stew with a degree of comfort only siblings could display.
Isla and Ilain sat near the brothers, the first conversing with the men while the second sketched in her notebook.
Though Ethenn glanced their way, he drifted toward where Rafferty and Thom were snickering about some inside joke, and Brea followed.
Evylin searched for Deckard, finding him seated on their bedroll with a book spread over his lap.
Their tent was the farthest from the campfire, offering them as much privacy as they would get in the presence of the troop.
And after the conversation with Brea and Ethenn, she felt a strange need for her husband’s presence.
Yet, though she took one step in his direction, she corrected her course at the last second.
Stepping over to the firepit, Evylin crouched down next to Ilain, who immediately covered her sketchbook. “Yes, Evie?” she said.
Though she had a purpose for speaking with the highlady, Evylin couldn’t help her wry grin. “You presume I need something?” she quipped.
Ilain smirked. “You have a distinct manner in your stride when you’re on a mission.”
“Mm.” Evylin lowered her voice so only the woman could hear. “I don’t wish to push in where I’m not wanted, but as you’ve sought my romantic advice in the past, may I offer some more?”
The Mage’s eyes glimmered brightly. “Please do.”
“You should tell Ethenn of your true feelings for him,” she suggested without any further preamble. “I don’t think he understands.”
Something like sadness flittered across Ilain’s expression before it returned to its usual gaiety. Her lips curled with a knowing amusement. “I will take that into the most serious consideration,” she replied.
Evylin tipped her chin down teasingly. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said, then left the highlady to her sketches.
Upon her approach to their tent, Deckard looked up. “How was your training?” he asked.
“Hard,” Evylin admitted, but instead of taking the seat next to him, she gestured to the forest. “Would you join me for a minute?”
With a glance toward the trees and the troop, he shut his book. “Of course.”
Deckard took a moment to inform Thom of their departure, placing the camp under his charge. Then they made their way out of sight. “Did you have a particular purpose for this walk?” he asked. “Or are you just desperate to get me alone?”
Evylin grinned at his teasing question. “When am I not desperate for you?”
A bashful smile played at his mouth. He caught her hand, drawing her closer. “What is it?” he asked, surely sensing her unsteady feelings.
“Nothing is wrong, precisely,” she began even as she worked to understand the emotions shifting inside her.
“It’s more that I feel . . . unsettled. We’ve just undertaken a magical bond that grants us vast power and responsibility, and yet we know little to nothing about it.
Ethenn was asking me questions, and do you know all I could think to say? ”
Deckard waited patiently for her to continue.
“‘It’s nice,’” she said self-derisively.
He stopped, an amused quirk on his lips as he stared down at her. “It is nice,” he replied with his usual goodness.
Evylin shook her head. “No, Jonn, it isn’t nice. It’s magnificent!” She gripped his hand tighter. “It’s incredible. It’s life-changing. Nonetheless, I have no idea what it’s done to us.”
His brow furrowed. “It hasn’t done anything to us,” he objected. “We are the same people we were before.”
“But we have a magical tie between our souls that offers untold power and benefit,” she returned. “We had no idea that we would be able to sense one another’s emotions, yet I feel your concern as plainly as my own. We are too uneducated in this.”
Deckard nodded with reluctant acceptance.
“I see your meaning, and I agree. We should learn what we can about all the Bond offers, and I’m fairly certain the Calders would happily comply.
However, we’ve only shared this Bond for two days.
” His expression softened, easing her heart with its gentle affection.
“We’ve only shared our love for five days. ”
A small shiver raced across her skin, remembering her confession of love at Renaul’s and the ensuing romance between them.
Deckard’s hand slid up her wrist and to her arm.
She glanced down, seeing the evening light catch in the dual-colored moonstone of his ring.
“While our mission won’t wait for us to enjoy these early days fully,” his voice was deep and filled with tenderness, “I think we should take what joy in them we can and be grateful that Allore has granted us the chance to love one another in this magnificent, incredible, life-changing way.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, Evylin stared up into his green-blue gaze.
Though the idea held a certain appeal, she hadn’t brought him out into the forest to have her way with him.
She rather thought they could use some time alone to be together, taking enjoyment in one another’s presence and conversation.
And perhaps they could learn something about their Bond that might ease her mind.
Sensing her apprehension, Deckard’s expression grew sly. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “You Warriors and your need for action,” he teased. “Very well. Is there something in particular about our Bond that you want to study?”
Grateful for his understanding, Evylin stepped out of his touch. She considered the offer with uncertainty. She had wanted to explore the possibilities of their Bond, yet she knew so little of its potential benefits that she didn’t know where to begin.
As Deckard crossed his arms, her eyes found his ring again, and an idea sparked.
Reaching for her gold and silver dagger, Evylin pulled it from its small scabbard. “Ilain said that our talismans were tied to us, that we can’t lose them because they will always return.”
Deckard nodded along with her reminder. “So what do we expect that to mean? We can take them off. Your dagger is proof of that.”
“Right.” Evylin shifted the blade in her hand, its scrollwork hilt a comforting weight in her palm. A curious grin lifted her lips. Then she whirled and flung the dagger into the depths of the forest.