Page 21

She nods, a small motion, before taking another sip of the steaming liquid.

“Cato reports on her progress daily. He mentioned she was doing extremely well and would likely master the skill within a few days.” Setting her cup down gently on the table before her, she continues.

“Which is in our favor since he will be taking his leave shortly to travel and support Nimai in her own training. He wants to be there before she comes into her gifts.”

Everyone had known before me. My chest tightens but I force myself to speak past the hurt.

“And Bria will be on her own from there?” I say finally, looking to the captain, trying to mask my feelings from her.

“Until we attack, yes.” Helara’s eyes are dark, and I’m certain she perceives my concern for Bria going forward without any guidance.

She sits up a bit straighter and folds her long fingers on the table.

“She will be informed of all strategy meetings going forward. Though, ultimately, she will do as she wishes when we go to battle. There is nothing anyone can do to contain her once she starts. Nor her sister, if we are correct in our assumptions.”

“How much have you told the others?” Quinn questions, leaning back in his chair slightly.

Helara gives a slight flick of her wrist, waving away the question.

“Nothing more. They are aware we hold the prophecy but are unaware of who it is or where they are located. It’s safer this way.

For both girls. Once we see what Nimai is capable of, we may discuss informing the rest of the commanders. ”

The northern camp had been lucky to have no traitors among them in the years secluded up here in the mountains.

The southern camp had not been graced with the same luck, though they managed to weed out the issues and deal with them as they saw fit before any information ever made it back to Braddock or the priests.

Captain Reinhardt runs a tight ship in the southern camp, and he is not as forgiving as Helara.

The only person that ever obtained any information about this mountain town was me.

“If there’s nothing else,” Helara offers, looking up for confirmation, “I should go see to the villagers. Ensure they settle in and begin training as soon as possible. We are going to need all the help we can get.” With that, she pushes back the chair and rises, her hands flat against the table.

Quinn and I follow suit, and as we make to leave the meeting room, Helara stops me with a hand at my elbow.

“How’s the wound?” she queries, turning my arm a bit in her hand as if she could see the gash through the shirt and bandages. “Will you be able to help today with training or should you take a day to rest?”

“I had been meaning to mention that to you this morning,” I begin, running my hands over my jaw.

How was I going to explain what happened? How the wound nearly disappeared overnight for no clear reason? It had to be magic, but from where?

Helara’s eyebrows rise, a look of genuine concern coming over her face. “Do you need a healer?” she questions, worry lacing her words.

She isn’t about to risk an injury to one of her finest soldiers so close to the battle that may very well save all our lives. I should be happy that she cares enough to show any concern for me. It’s not something I’ve been accustomed to from those above me.

I swallow. “It’s healed.”

She observes me closely and Quinn swings his head to stare, eyes narrowing.

“Bria helped me clean it last night and...I’m not sure what happened.

But this morning I went to inspect it and change the bandages…

” I throw my hands up. “Captain, the wound is healed,” I finish quickly, looking to Quinn, whose eyes are now deep baths of hazel.

"Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?” Helara rubs a finger across her lips.

“You should ask Bria. You said she helped you in cleaning the wound?” I nod.

“Perhaps her magic has shifted once again, though it feels off. Healing was not something Lilith was known for.” She hums, deep in thought.

“It was, however, something Kiara did very well.”

She steeples her fingers together and presses them to her lips. “She is powerful, that’s for sure. So much more so than we expected.”

“Indeed,” Quinn replies in agreement, looking at me with warning in his eyes.

As if I didn’t already know.

“Find them, today if you can. The sooner we know what caused it the better,” she orders, shifting on her feet to continue out the door. “Garrith should be in the green with the villagers, I’ll come check in on you all later.”

Quinn and I leave the meeting room behind her and set off in the opposite direction, heading for the front door. I stop just outside the entryway to the inn, the cold hitting me like a wall of ice. Grabbing the leather gloves from my belt, I scan the area and contemplate where Bria might be today.

“I should probably go find Bria. See if she knows anything.” I tug at the worn leather, weaving my fingers together to push the gloves tight.

Quinn rolls his eyes at me and begins stomping away, the snow crunching loudly beneath his boots.

“Just leave it alone. There’s clearly magic at work and it had to come from her or her sister. Maybe even both of them. Does it really matter?” Quinn is a good deal ahead of me now, his shoulders hunched in irritation. Is it because I mentioned the wound to Helara?

“I didn’t ask to be healed Quinn,” I call after him, quickening my pace to catch up.

“I’m not even sure she can do that. You heard Captain, Lilith was no healer.

And how in the gods could Nimai have done that?

She’s miles away.” He keeps moving, ignoring my attempt to discuss it.

“What exactly is your problem right now?” I snap, staring at the back of his dark frame contrasting starkly against the fresh white of the newly fallen snow.

Quinn stalls and rounds on me, his lip curling in an agitated snarl.

“Leave it be. Let her train and don’t pull her focus.” His teeth are clenched now, and the words are forceful. “The whole kingdom of Azudora relies on her, Ev. The fate of the world does.”

“I’m not pulling her focus. And I know the world is relying on her. Gods ! None of you ever let me forget, nor do you let her,” I start, but Quinn isn’t done laying into me.

“You’ve been here for a year, Ev. I’ve been here for five, watching over her, keeping her out of trouble.

Keeping her safe, for fuck’s sake. I haven’t spent all these years, all that time, to see her start questioning her path in life.

To see her think she can live any semblance of normalcy.

” He shoves a finger in my face, leaving it only an inch from my eyes.

“She’s not normal, Ev, and you would be wise to back the fuck off.

” He pauses, blowing out a deep breath before resuming his tirade.

“Find. Someone. Else. She doesn’t need to stroke your ego.

” His eyes narrow on me then. “Or anything else for that matter.” And with that, Quinn turns and begins stalking away from me.

I’m taken aback by the harshness of his tone, and it takes a minute for me to respond. “You’re a real prick sometimes, you know that?” I yell after him, my voice sharp. I have to speed up to nearly a jog to catch him.

He barks out a forced laugh. “Ha! I may be a prick, but at least I’m not thinking with mine.”

My hands ball into fists, fingernails piercing the skin of my palms. “What is your issue with this? Why are you so against anything happening with Bria?” I’m close to raging by this point.

I understand her purpose, understand why Quinn may not want her distracted. But I’m not some fool who has no idea what her fate is and his anger seems misplaced toward me.

Quinn’s pace slows to a halt. He hears the anger—the pain in my voice—and he turns back to face me.

“Because, Ev,” he starts, shaking his head, remorse tightening the line of his mouth and turning his eyes to glass.

“I’ve seen you at your lowest. I don’t want to see you back there.

She can’t give you what you’re looking for.

You may not want to believe it, but I’m looking out for you just as much as I’m looking out for her.

This group, us, it’s all I have left.” His voice cracks the tiniest bit, but he pushes on.

“If you do this, if you let yourself fall for her like an idiot, then...” He trails off, leaving the sentence, laced with doom, to hang in the sharp, icy air.

I know what he means. He has been trying his best to protect me this whole time.

He’s not just being an ass to me, but trying to be a good friend to both of us.

Quinn worries that if I open my heart to Bria, it will be broken.

Broken in ways beyond repair. I try to keep my face neutral, pushing my lips together while he’s speaking, but he can tell.

I see the way his face falls when realization dawns.

“Gods,” he breaths, watching my expression. “You never stopped loving her, did you?”

I shove past him, not answering, and leave his question lingering.

He falls into step beside me, and I feel the tension in the air between us so thick it’s suffocating—the knowledge that I never stopped loving her, not for a day.

And the understanding that I will break when fate comes for her. That I will never be the same.