CHAPTER SIX #2
Ilain clarified her statement. “At least, for the rest of the day. Touching a resource that isn’t your primary always requires more energy. Since Night isn’t even in my technical classification . . . well, I’ll burn out quickly.”
Deckard turned to Auden. “And you’re sure you can’t do this?”
With an apologetic lift of his shoulder, Auden opened his mouth to speak, but Ilain cut him off. “Not as well as me,” she insisted.
“All right,” Deckard sighed. Then he motioned to Rafferty to hand out the Relics. He offered the amethyst to Ilain and the ruby to Evylin under Auden’s keen observation. The highlord shared a meaningful look with his sister but said nothing.
Tucking the flickering Fire Relic into her coat next to the Day Relic already hanging there, she felt heat tingle along her skin.
It was a different sort of warmth than Day had already given off.
That was really why she hadn’t returned it to Rafferty in the first place.
The subtle, comforting heat that emanated from the Day Relic felt like the sun’s rays.
It gave her body an immediate feeling of life.
She felt a constant sense of renewal and serenity in her body.
And in the cold rain that refused to cease, she didn’t want to let go of such a luxury.
The heat from the Fire Relic felt different.
It fused with Day, mellowing what she assumed Ilain must always feel—a sharp, blazing sensation deep in her heart.
If the Day Relic made her feel alive, the Fire Relic empowered her.
Suddenly, everything felt more intense. The urge within her to get moving, to march through that gate and see the other side, swelled.
The desire to expend her energy on something—a duel, a run, a kiss—became an instinct she couldn’t ignore.
Evylin found her gaze drifting to Deckard with that last thought.
Her fingers sought her rings, twisting the metal bands in a comforting manner rather than her usual anxious ritual.
He’d moved from her side to talk with Ethenn about the best path to the gate.
They would take the main road, but from their hilltop, they’d have to backtrack to ensure the guards didn’t notice their sudden arrival from the woods.
Deckard was a surprisingly handsome man, she’d come to discover.
Not the immediately striking sort like the heroes in her novels.
He had a sharper, more regal quality to his features.
She knew he possessed plenty of muscle, conceptually from his skills in a fight and personally from her physical experience.
It was hard not to notice the firmness of his chest and the strength of his arms when she slept so snuggled into him.
Over the past two months of their marriage, Evylin had become deeply aware of Deckard’s attractive qualities. Yes, he was charming, amiable, and well-spoken. Those things had drawn her to him immediately. But she hadn’t noticed just how striking his looks were until she’d come to know him better.
Evylin’s conscience rose, reminding her she was mourning and probably shouldn’t be ogling any man, not even her husband.
But ever since she’d put the Day Relic around her neck, she’d found her depression elusive, almost as though it had drifted away like clouds to reveal the shining sun.
Despite her previous discomfort, she, at last, felt free to return to who they were before the turmoil of Blount’s ambush.
Her heart urged her forward with new resolve to reach out to him and draw him close, to be the affectionate wife he’d always deserved.
Now, with the Fire Relic resting against her skin, a new sensation joined: the compulsion to feel, move, and live with the height of passion.
Fingers tingling with magic she hadn’t realized she’d summoned, Evylin watched as Ilain carefully adjusted the high neck of her navy dress over the Night Relic.
She’d only held the amethyst necklace as a sword for a short time.
But even that brief experience caused her to wonder what feelings it might elicit within her.
Did it impact the Calders the way it did her?
Or were Warriors more susceptible to the Relics, wielding a more physical magic than Mages?
While the men waited, hands on their weapons as they prepared to leave, Ilain stepped over to Evylin’s side.
“Here,” she said, holding out her pale, bejeweled hand.
It looked pure white under the gray light of the cloudy skies.
“It’ll be easier for me to maintain focus if I have direct contact with you. ”
“Shouldn’t we wait until we’re closer to the road?” Evylin asked.
Ilain shook her head. “I can more easily find focus here, away from others and the immediacy of our challenge.”
Understanding, Evylin took her hand, noting the depth of contrast between their skin tones.
She’d never imagined herself to be particularly dark.
The Glaas family bore a complexion of a lighter tan than most Shiremen, while her mother’s side had a moderate, olive cast. Unlike other Ephrians with much richer brown or black skin, Evylin carried a softer, medium tone.
Yet, next to Ilain, she appeared almost almond-brown by comparison.
Ilain took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. Her fingers tightened around Evylin’s hand, a tremble of magic flowing through her arm. Then she saw their edges go hazy. “There,” the highlady said, opening her eyes. They glowed bright green under the shroud.
“That’s disconcerting,” Thom muttered.
Evylin and Ilain turned to the men who stared at them unseeingly.
“Are you both ready?” Deckard asked, his gaze somewhere over Evylin’s shoulder.
“We are,” Ilain assured him, drawing Evylin to join the men.
“How are we supposed to know you’re still with us?” Rafferty asked, eyes flashing in every direction as though to find them.
Ethenn pointed to the ground. “You can see their tracks. I’ll keep an eye on their progress.”
“But just to be sure,” Evylin added, the men’s heads whirling toward where she and Ilain stood near Deckard’s side. Reaching over, she brushed her fingers along the back of his hand. He flinched in surprise but didn’t move away, his gaze searching the air where he suspected her to be standing.
Smiling up at his bemused face, Evylin couldn’t help enjoying the chance to tease him. “I’ll find ways to remind you I’m still here, huh?” she said, then patted his cheek playfully.
Deckard jerked away upon instinct before letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “That is highly disconcerting,” he remarked but gestured to the rest of the troop. “Let’s go.”
As they moved through the trees, carefully traversing the large roots and rocks that littered the forest floor, Ilain allowed Evylin to guide them.
They stayed close to Deckard, only shifting away from him when the terrain called for it.
Ethenn tracked their progress from the back, stopping to wait for them when they slowed down or altered their course.
His sharp attention didn’t lose the women’s position for a second.
Still, Evylin took every opportunity to sneak playful jabs at Deckard’s side or brush her fingers along his back, arm, or hand. Each time, he flinched at the sudden touch before relaxing once again. Eventually, his lips twisted into a smirk. “You’re enjoying this too much,” he whispered to her.
“I so seldom get to pick on you,” she replied under her breath. “It’s more fun than I remembered.”
He shook his head. “It’s about as enjoyable as I remembered.”
Evylin snorted, drawing the attention of their troop. They’d spoken softly enough that up until now, they’d escaped notice. However, Ilain walked at her side, hand in hand, so the woman heard the whole exchange.
A dry grin had affixed itself on Ilain’s face, and Evylin allowed herself to distance the two of them from the rest of the troop. “Sorry,” she muttered quietly.
With a shake of her head, Ilain kept her eyes on the path ahead. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she replied. “We Wauldeners aren’t as coy as you Ephrians. It’ll take much more than simple flirting to embarrass me.”
“I’m not flirting with him,” Evylin objected good-naturedly.
“Dear,” Ilain’s tone held a knowing tilt, “you’re wearing the Fire Relic. If you aren’t flirting with him, you’re the most controlled being on the face of Terraeus.”
Evylin laughed softly. “Fire denotes flirtation?”
“Why do you think I’m the way I am?” She squeezed Evylin’s hand. “We Mages reflect the resource to which we’re most closely tied. I am impetuous, dangerous, fervent, and passionate. Flirting is a means of expressing those traits, most often when I’m bored. But also, when I find a man desirable.”
“Hm.” Evylin considered the explanation. She felt those things coursing through her now, though perhaps tempered by Day’s steadier, calming presence. “I will admit,” she said with a smirk, “this is somewhat boring.”
Ilain gave her a sly glance. “Oh, yes. It has nothing to do with your attraction to him.”
Evylin’s instinct was to refute the claim. However, she felt reckless, so she said, “That’s just a bonus.”
A stifled giggle worked out of Ilain as a heavy sigh sounded behind them. “You two do realize I’m following you, don’t you?” Ethenn asked.
Though Evylin had forgotten the young man’s presence, Ilain shrugged and said, “That’s part of the fun, dearest.”
A pink flush spread up Ethenn’s neck, and Evylin couldn’t help laughing with Ilain.
She felt she better understood the woman now that she wore the Fire Relic.
Her whole being was lighthearted and impulsive.
In her natural state, Evylin used sarcasm and humor reflexively.
With the Relic, that reflex was heightened.
No wonder Ilain came across so bold and irreverent; being in touch with that sort of magic day in and day out must fill her with a nearly uncontainable wildness.