Chapter 56 #2
Iris took first watch, claiming she couldn’t sleep anyway. The dark circles under her eyes made that feel like a lie, but no one argued.
Gaeren thought he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep either. But instead, the entire morning passed in a blink. He didn’t feel like he’d rested, and all his effort went to putting one foot in front of the other while they headed north along the coast.
He couldn’t decide if Aeliana was avoiding him or if he was unusually in tune to her current connection to Lukai, but as they traveled, she stayed with Lukai, Cyrus, and Kendalyhn, and he fell back with Riveran.
They were all dragging when the Sun’s sleep came that night. They shared the meager supplies they’d acquired at a seaside village and set out some semblance of bedrolls, but strangely no one seemed eager to leave the fire and turn in for the night.
“What now?” Aeliana asked. Everyone’s stares were hollow as the fire’s light reflected in their eyes.
“We return to the Myndren Mountains,” Sylmar said.
“We have no more knowledge than before,” Aeliana argued.
“We have more than you think.” Sylmar balanced his staff across his knees. “We have proof that your mother is right, that their lives are bound. If one dies, so does the other. If one lives, so does the other.”
Aeliana’s gaze grew wary. “And what will you do with that information?”
“I’m not sure we should discuss it.” The abrupt dismissal brought everyone’s attention up from the flames. “After learning about Holm’s brand, should any of us trust the other?”
“Oh, stop.” Iris wiped her eyes, but her voice held a soft anger. “Holm wouldn’t want this. He wouldn’t want you breeding mistrust among our people. Check our hands.” She held hers out, and Gaeren winced at the fresh scar of her broken bond.
One by one the others held out their palms, some with bond marks, some without.
Gaeren held out his, surprised at the way the scar from his brief brand of Aeliana brought him more joy than the bond mark that remained intact but faded.
Aeliana’s hand held multiple scars, along with an intact brand mark and bond mark.
“I saw Holm’s hands too,” Sylmar said, “free of a brand mark. There was a week or two that he wore gloves after he found the cave. Claimed he burned himself. I didn’t think anything of it, especially since he eventually took the gloves off. But she masked it with an illusion.”
“How is that even possible?” Aeliana asked.
Sylmar’s gravelly voice took on even more of a growl.
“Just because she brands people to steal their magic doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the option of pushing her magic back through to them.
It’s just not something she’s ever wanted to do before.
She’s always been one who takes, never one who gives, and yet she finally found an instance where giving magic was the way to take things away. ”
They all grew silent around the fire, an uneasiness that pained Gaeren settling between them. He trusted these people with the same intensity he trusted his men aboard his ship, and yet he’d trusted Holm too. What were they supposed to do now?
“Would you like me to sift everyone’s soul again?” Kendalyhn offered.
Sylmar shrugged. “I’m not even sure I trust that anymore.”
Kendalyhn’s face pinched, but she said nothing.
“What else did you see, Sylmar?” Aeliana asked.
The others seemed just as confused as Gaeren, but Aeliana’s gaze remained locked on Sylmar.
“Maybe it’s time we all come clean with what we saw at the Seer’s Sanctuary,” she added.
Sylmar’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t answer her question.
“We need more information,” Aeliana continued. “Why not return to Andel and seek out Pacran? Go to Dehvlon. The Seer told me the curse was written down by their Oracles.”
“I’m not sure we’re ready to pay the price for more information.” Sylmar’s gaze flicked to Iris, and indecision warred on Aeliana’s face. “This venture was as disastrous as seeking out the sprites.”
“But we’re missing something.” Aeliana’s final argument came out weakly, making Gaeren want to defend her.
But he suspected Sylmar was right. At the very least, they needed a break before hunting down another starbridge.
They needed to warn Emeris that she was right, perhaps bring her with them for her safety. Surely she’d fully recovered by now.
Heading to the Myndren Mountains would likely include a stop in Elanesse, something Gaeren wasn’t quite prepared for.
He’d put off his debate over aiding Enla or Aeliana and which could do more for the people, knowing that for the time being, Aeliana needed him more.
But would it always be that way? The visions of Enla and Aeliana swam in his memory, blocking out Aeliana’s crestfallen face.
He had to do what was right for the people, not just what felt right in his heart.
But the two were becoming inexplicably tied together, and he was no longer sure he could objectively differentiate.
Especially now that Riveran had gotten him thinking about breaking his bond again.
Could he really return to Elanesse without having done the one thing Enla asked?
But how could he return to Elanesse and Lenda if he had broken it?
Sylmar stood, leaning heavily on his staff and interrupting Gaeren’s brooding. “We have another long day of travel in the morning. Time we all got some rest.”