CHAPTER 16
Close your eyes and open your mind. This is where you will find me.
—Entry from the private diary of Jerris, Dragonbound
SERAE
Morning dawned with the same chill wind that brought the changing of seasons at home.
Out the window, I could see the first few leaves on the trees had begun to turn.
Little pops of orange and yellow dotted the treetops.
The crisp, fresh air called to me, so I listened.
I opted not to go to training, sending Callagh with my excuses.
She came back with a message that all was fine.
I suspected Wep was offering me a small mercy after being bombarded with meeting Eldreth.
I ignored my twinge of guilt as I made my way to the gardens.
Now that I had access to the entire castle, I was free to visit all kinds of new places on my own.
Gardens in Rihtlond were nothing like those back home.
Inraen gardens cultivated beauty through planning, pruning, and controlling nature.
A statue or fountain, particularly one honoring the Martyrs, was never out of place.
In Rihtlond, gardens were about function.
Even tiny plots held small crops and herbs.
If there were flowers, they were likely from garlic and onions, or basil that had gone to seed.
Then, of course, there were flowers like lavender and chamomile that were collected for teas.
Even the rose bushes had culinary or medicinal purposes.
I grabbed a basket and wandered through the gardens, picking this and that under the pretense of helping the kitchens.
As I looked at each plant, my new eyesight saw more than just the plant itself.
Each blossom, leaf, and stem glowed with light, though it was different than what I had seen emanating from Callagh.
A single color, unique to each sprout, shone through in steady beams. I hardly knew what they meant, but I could feel myself drawn to some more than others.
Whenever a shade resonated with my hand, I plucked it and added it to my basket.
I gathered parsley, cilantro, mint, a bushel of carrots, and a few beets with greens intact, then turned down a new row to examine the medicinal flowers.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
Despite having only just met him, I easily picked out the sing-song quality of his voice. I turned and found Eldreth, my betrothed—or Ell, as everyone called him—making his way toward me.
“Tell me,” he spoke with a lowered voice, as if we were coconspirators already, “how has my cantankerous brother been treating you?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Wep. His heat against my body.
His lips insistent against mine. The softness of his hair between my fingers.
I pushed the thoughts away. Of all things, why ask me this?
I scrutinized Ell’s white lifelight, swirling with forest green.
Content. The smile on his lips was a bit too calculating when he offered me his arm.
The bright iridescent lifelight emanating from me pulled back as my arm slipped into his.
“He treats me fair enough.” It was the only thing I could think to say that wasn’t dishonest.
“He’s a bit of a bore, if I’m honest. This whole place can be.”
“Is that why you were gone for so long?”
“Ah, that,” he chuckled. “Well, I’m here now.”
“It was a long wait to meet you.” I meant it to sound light, but it came out chiding.
“Oh, ho! And I should’ve returned sooner to meet you, is that it?
Trust me, nothing gives me greater joy than meeting my future dana.
” He said the words in earnest, yet they sounded anything but.
Unease sparked within me. What was his game?
“Besides, I had to return to defend myself against all the poison my brother undoubtedly spilled about me.”
“Actually, he barely speaks of you.”
“You mean never, but I appreciate the kindness. Now tell me, what are you doing in the gardens? Shirking your duties for the day?”
We turned a corner and continued down the path through a row of fruit trees. Ell plucked a small orange fruit, handed it to me, and then plucked one for himself.
“Is it terrible if I say yes?” I added the fruit to my basket.
Ell began peeling his own. “Not at all. Why do you think I’m here with you instead of up with my father?” He chuckled, and his smile was wide and bright. It was the sort of smile that could break hearts, and he seemed to know it.
“What did you have in mind?”
The light around him pulsed with lime green this time. Excitement. “I thought you’d never ask.”
THAT AFTERNOON, I attempted to sneak out toward the market.
Lunch with Ell was dizzying, and I barely managed three bites before making my excuses.
He was curious, flirtatious, and forward in a way I couldn’t wrap my head around.
I needed a few hours on my own to think.
The idea of finding those delicious buns again and stuffing my face in a quiet spot sounded like just the thing.
But Callagh cornered me. One arm linked in mine, she led me toward the training rooms.
“You said training was canceled.”
She gave me a heavy dose of side-eye. “No, I said all was well. Wep moved your ranng’s training to the afternoon.”
My mind had been swirling since the cave—Vaya’la’s words now mingling with doubts over my father’s expectations and Ell’s intentions.
I didn’t have space in my head for any of them—Ell, my father, and certainly not Wep.
I heaved a sigh and shoved my way through the double doors.
My eyes threatened to bulge out of my head at the additions I saw to our usual group.
Kahvrah was there, for a start—talking animatedly with Lispen.
Also in the room was Ell, speaking with a man I didn’t recognize.
A woman with a slick bald head stood idly, polishing a dagger she’d drawn from the sheath at her thigh.
Bracht stood by Wep, looking as jovial as ever.
He caught my eye and winked. Callagh slid into the room behind me, looking completely out of place and intimidated.
It was the first time I’d seen cracks in her confidence.
It was also the first time I would see her do any sort of training.
“Let’s begin,” Wep announced, taking his place at the front of the training mats.
He wore lightweight fighting leathers and bracers instead of the usual loose shirts he favored for our regular sessions.
Bracht moved forward, and Kahvrah quickly fell in line beside him.
Ell and the man I didn’t know took up stances behind them.
I tried to move with confidence I didn’t feel, heading for my usual place in the back center.
My eyes were weighted to the floor, which pissed me off, even though I couldn’t convince them to rise.
“What’s up with you?” Ivank whispered at my side.
A lie. Come up with a lie, quick. “I’ve just met Ell.” Shit.
Laughter echoed in the back of my mind.
“Shut up, you.”
The laughter continued, and I scowled.
“Ah, yeah, he has that effect.” Ivank twitched an eyebrow.
“In stance,” Wep barked. “We have a blended class today. Stick to your own ranng. There will be no cross-training.”
“Kahvrah and Ell are part of the same ranng?” I whispered.
Ivank shrugged.
“Serae”—I jumped—“since you have so much to say, you can lead your ranng in the sun dowsa.”
I scowled.
Wep immediately moved toward the other group. Ivank pushed me forward, and I stumbled to the front to assess my ranng. Callagh filled my vacated spot, still looking deeply unsettled.
In the other group, Kahvrah was speaking to Wep, looking completely at ease with his scowls. Behind her, Ell smirked at him—the exact same one I saw so often on Merria’s lips. Bracht’s eyes threw daggers at Ell, though his stance was calm and still. It reeked of Wep’s influence.
“Pair us up,” Helene whispered.
I shook my head. “Right. Lex with Ivank.” Lex groaned. “Lispen with Raif. Helene with Teke. Callagh with me.”
“C’mon, Serae, let me switch. I don’t want to get kicked in the stomach when Ivank misses the third rotation.”
“Fine. You can pair with Lispen.” I grinned, all teeth.
Lex eyed Lispen with distaste. “That’s okay.” He turned to face Ivank as Lispen lunged forward and whacked the back of his head. “Ow!”
The rest of my ranng moved, and I couldn’t help glancing toward Wep.
He gave me a small nod, and I looked away quickly, hating the way something inside me swelled at his affirmation.
My eyes slid to Ell. He was bouncing on his toes and stretching some muscle or other.
I’d seen Wep warm up before, and this was nothing like it.
Ell’s movements were flashier. His lean muscles snapped with each sweeping motion, sharp and taut, but the movements weren’t productive.
The man next to him—maybe his reálton—was moving through the warmup I’d seen Wep use countless times.
The two moved so similarly that I might have suspected he was Wep’s brother, except that they looked nothing alike.
He had dark eyes, dark skin, and a severe nose and brow.
I turned back to my ranng and found Callagh at my side.
“Thank you, my lady,” she whispered. We began. Callagh was lithe and light on her feet, but she was not the most studied fighter. We completed the entire sun dowsa without issue, but the pace was a shade or two slower than even I was used to.
“Rest for two minutes,” Wep announced. “Earth dowsa is next.” He turned to the other ranng and gave different instructions.
“Why are we paired with that ranng?” I asked Callagh in a hushed tone.
She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s Eldreth’s ranng, I mean, Wep’s ranng.”
“Eldreth and his brother share a ranng?” I muttered to Callagh.