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He struggled to breathe, tension pulling all his muscles taut. Of course he feared his magic. Everyone, even Weylind, feared Farrendel’s magic. How could they not, after seeing what he could do?

“You have never had anyone who could stand with you, watching your back. Until me.” Her smile softened, and she let go of his hand to trace her finger over the scar on his cheek. “If me becoming a warrior is what it takes to keep you safe and let you wield your magic as you have never been able to before, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. And I’ll do it without a shred of reluctance. No, I don’t want to become some magic-wielding warrior destroying armies. That’s your job. But I can protect your back and protect your allies, just like I’m going to do today for this demonstration. That’s now my job.”

He leaned into her hand. “Essie...”

“Don’t try to talk me out of it.” She gave him a quick kiss, then turned back to the trunk. “I think matching outfits is a great idea. Here, hold the mirror while I braid my hair, then you might have to show me how to actually put all this stuff on.”

Farrendel found himself relaxing as he held the mirror while Essie deftly put her hair into a single braid down her back. Then she pulled on the padded leather tunic and buckled on the belt. Farrendel helped her lace the bracers while she put on her own fingerless leather gloves.

Finally, he pulled out a sling for her rifle that buckled to the shoulders of the tunic and the belt. Straps that reinforced the shoulder distributed the weight of her gun across her shoulders and back, making it a much more comfortable way to carry her gun than a single strap across the body.

Essie reached onto the top bunk, retrieved her rifle, and twisted to slide it into its new sling across her back. When its weight settled against her shoulders, she bounced on her toes, as if testing how it felt. “Your armorers know what they are doing. This is so much better. I didn’t even realize how uncomfortable my gun’s weight was until now. I could wear it like this all day.”

“That is the point.” Farrendel retrieved his own swords from where they had been stashed next to Essie’s gun. When he buckled on his swords, reinforcing straps distributed the weight across his back.

The train gave a piercing whistle, then lurched as the brakes squealed.

Farrendel winced and braced himself against the wall. “I think we are here.”

“Yes.” Essie patted his chest, which turned into bracing herself against him as the train shuddered to a halt. “You’re going to do great.”

He could not think of a response besides holding her tighter against him. It was not very comfortable with both of them wearing fighting leathers, but he did not care.

When the train came to a stop, Essie led the way from the sleeping compartment and into the seating car. There, Averett and Julien were pushing to their feet, though Averett froze partway up, staring at Essie.

Julien grinned and strode forward, then made a spinning motion with his hand. “Looking good, little sister. Very tough. I’m almost scared of you.”

Essie turned in a circle, which must have been what Julien had been asking with that motion. “Only almost?”

Julien reached out and gave a gentle tug on the end of her braid. “You’re still you.”

Farrendel lingered in the shadows of the doorway, still not sure if he was ready to step off this train.

Averett straightened and strode toward them. His gaze swept over Essie’s new armor, but he focused on Farrendel. “I know this will seem intimidating once we step off this train, but you have nothing to worry about. You can’t fail. This isn’t a test.”

It felt like it. At least the weight of his swords on his back was reassuring as was the shield that his leather armor provided.

Perhaps he had been wrong in telling himself this was not a battle. If it was a battle, even a different kind of battle, then he could reach for the steadying cold that he felt when walking into a war.

He was Laesornysh. He let the cold settle around him, even as the heart bond remained warm inside his chest. It was a strange feeling going into battle both icy and warm. He would have expected the juxtaposition to unbalance him, but, instead, he felt steadier than ever before as if he had always needed both.

With the ice flowing in his veins, he strode from the train behind Averett with Essie keeping pace at his side.

Outside the train, the familiar bustle of the Escarlish army base stretched around the train platform. Long wooden buildings stretched into the distance while men in the light gray army uniform hurried back and forth. Those who were farther away were so busy, they did not even glance toward the train to notice their king disembarking.

The train platform itself was packed with people. Men in the basic Escarlish outfit of trousers and shirt made of good quality fabric clustered on one side of the platform while a group of older men in Escarlish uniforms waited on the other. All of them gave low bows as Averett stepped onto the platform, and continued bowing as Essie and Farrendel, then Julien joined him.

Farrendel refused to let himself shift under the scrutiny of so many people. He was Laesornysh. He could kill everyone here with a flick of his fingers. Why should he be scared of anything they thought of him?

As Iyrinder, Captain Merrick, and Averett’s personal guards poured from the train cars, the pack of generals hurried forward.

General Freilan, the top general in Escarland’s army, gave a bow to Averett. “Your Majesty.” The bow was cut short as he quickly turned to Farrendel, his eyes gleaming, his smile wide. “Prince Farrendel. It is an honor and pleasure to meet you again. Your magic was a thing to behold, and we are all looking forward to witnessing such a magnificent display again.”

Farrendel barely kept himself from rocking back on his heels. He was not the best at reading and understanding people, but this general—all of the generals, actually—were staring at him as if he was someone they highly respected and admired. That had not been the case the last time he had seen General Freilan, when Averett had been interviewing him about the missing Escarlish weapons.

What had changed? He had never done anything to earn that respect. All he had done was get captured, helplessly endure torture for a few weeks, then lose control of his magic and nearly kill an entire city filled with people. Hardly anything admirable.

“Yes, I’m sure it will be memorable.” Essie slipped her hand into Farrendel’s, giving him a smile.