Page 15

CHAPTER 15

‘Why are you here?’ Captain Kella asked, hands braced on her hips as she stared at Innes.

It was early in the morning – Innes had slept fitfully, and her impatience to start the day was making her snappy.

‘Ask your queen,’ she said over a bite of fresh bread.

It was bouncy with rise, and hot air sprang free when she tore into the loaf.

Kella glowered.

‘I don’t know who you are, but mentioning the north carries weight around here.

’

‘It’s a good thing I don’t know what you’re talking about then, isn’t it?

’ she replied with more bravado than she felt.

Her stomach turned in knots, but she ignored the feeling and went back to slathering quince jam on the bread with false confidence.

‘How’s the boy?

’

The captain shifted her stance, clearly annoyed.

‘I’m expecting a report this morning.

’

Innes nodded and took another mouthful, groaning at the zingy delight of the jam.

It was nearly good enough to distract her.

Nearly.

The captain ran a hand over her closely shorn head before pinning Innes with a glare.

‘As Captain of the Warriors it is my duty to serve my queen. But understand this, if you step out of line, or put one of my warriors at risk, your Ending shall be met. Understood?’

Innes swallowed, then nodded.

‘Good. We’re understaffed so you’ll have a rotating guard while you’re here.

Don’t screw this up.

’ She strode out the door with a loud thump and Innes sighed, shoving the rest of the bread into her mouth as if it would bottle the nerves inside.

When she was done, she laced her boots and checked her reflection.

Big brown eyes stared back at her, her curly hair a halo of ringlets around her head.

Her inkings were hidden by the high-necked shirt she wore.

She passed as human, save for the black dot on her pinkie, which was small enough not to draw notice.

She dabbed a small amount of rouge onto her cheeks and lips, cursing herself when her fingers shook.

Her entire body buzzed with elation, the sensation only tempered by nerves that made her stomach feel like it was being shredded.

She felt sick.

And ecstatic.

Holy gods, this can’t really be happening, can it?

She wished she had the patience to wait, but her body was tense with nervous energy and she couldn’t stay still.

She would explore the city for rumours of Tassos later.

Briony would understand, surely?

She opened the door to find two warriors she didn’t recognise waiting for her.

As soon as they saw her they stopped their chatter and braced their hands on the hilts of their weapons, which Innes noted were double-edged axes.

She plastered what she hoped was a beguiling smile on her face and ignored the pounding of her heart.

‘I was hoping you could help me find Remi?’

Innes wiped her sweaty palms on her pants before knocking.

Her heart beat in time with the tic in her eye, fast and frantic.

This was a bad idea.

She shouldn’t have come.

She should have done her job and started looking for Briony’s information, not elected to discover whether she was.

.

.

she was.

.

.

gods.

She couldn’t even admit it to herself.

Undergoing her Passage was one thing, but this?

She braced her hand on the doorjamb and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the pressure would stop the tic.

A muffled voice sounded on the other side of the door, and before she could bail there was a click of a lock, and then the door swung open to reveal Remi.

Innes had tried to put the image of the woman out of her mind, sure that in the frenzy of yesterday she was conflating her heightened emotions for lust, but as soon as she took one look at the tall woman before her, the air left her lungs in a whoosh and she knew she hadn’t been making it up.

‘It’s you,’ Remi said, her eyes widening as she took in Innes and the guards behind her.

Innes tried to speak, but her voice caught in the back of her throat and only a soft exhalation of air came out.

The chaos of emotions swelled, a whirlpool of feeling, and it was all Innes could do not to reach for the woman standing before her.

‘Do you want to come in?’ Remi stepped aside and propped the door open for Innes to enter, murmuring something soft to her guards.

The room was utilitarian yet cosy.

A double bed and a small dining table sat next to the window, while a shelf sat next to the table, crammed full of books, knick-knacks and an assortment of knives.

Remi strode into the room and offered Innes a seat at the table, but she didn’t move.

She was staring at the woman before her in awe, waves of emotion sweeping through her so strongly she felt drunk.

‘What’s wrong?

’ Remi asked, taking a step towards her.

Innes thought she might throw up.

She opened her mouth, but words tumbled out instead.

‘You’re my twinsoul.

’

Time seemed to slow to a stop as soon as the words left Innes’ mouth.

She couldn’t believe it, had never actually thought this might happen to her.

But she knew, in the very marrow of her bones, the words she had spoken were true.

A broad smile spread across Remi’s face, so beautiful it knocked the breath right out of Innes – again.

‘Of course I am,’ Remi said, her voice soft and sure.

When Innes didn’t reply, Remi let out a low laugh and turned to the table again.

‘Please, sit.’

As if in a dream, Innes drifted to the table and sat in the wooden chair Remi held out for her.

Every smart thought in her head disappeared as she looked at the woman before her.

Her twinsoul.

Her twinsoul.

‘I’m Innes,’ she said, offering her hand in greeting.

As soon as she did, the heat of embarrassment licked her cheeks.

Did she really just offer her hand to the woman she’d just confessed to be twinsouls with?

Before she could think of anything more embarrassing to do, Remi took her hand with a grin and bowed her head in return, humour dancing in her eyes as she did so.

‘I’m Remi.

’

‘How’s your shoulder.

.

.

’ She pointed to the bandage on Remi’s arm, as if the warrior might not know she was injured, and cringed again.

Remi rolled her shoulder.

‘Fine, it’s a flesh wound.

’

She felt more relieved than she should.

‘You must have a high rank, for such swift treatment and these quarters,’ Innes said, looking around the large room.

‘The soldiers in the army have slightly less spacious rooms, but all of the warriors are housed in similar accommodation. Perks of being one of the best,’ she said with a grin, pulling out the chair opposite Innes to sit.

‘So, twinsouls, huh? I didn’t realise it would feel so.

.

.

good.

As soon as we touched, I just knew,’ Remi said with a low drawl.

‘Was it the same for you?’ She poured two glasses of water from the pitcher on the table and offered one to Innes.

She took a gulp before answering.

‘Yes. I’ve been told my mother’s twinsoul story so many times I have it memorised.

She spoke of this overwhelming rush, a feeling of coming home and expanding, all at once.

I never understood what she meant, how all-encompassing the feeling would be, but yesterday.

.

.

’ She shook her head, remembering how time had warped when she first touched Remi.

‘Yesterday was wild,’ Remi said, nodding.

‘For a second I thought I’d ingested some of the boy’s poison, but as soon as I let myself actually feel it, well, it was exactly as you described: a rush of ecstasy, small and expansive all at once.

’

‘I thought I was making it up,’ Innes said, feeling heat lick her face again.

Remi nodded, her cheeks flooding with a rosy blush.

‘Me too.’

Their gazes met and the world shrank as Innes looked at the woman before her.

Her insides heated as she took in her plump lips and high cheekbones, the lines of her face that were all graceful curves and sharp angles.

She wanted to lick them, savour the salty tang of their first taste.

As if reading her thoughts Remi’s mouth parted and she ran a tongue along her bottom lip, eyes roaming over Innes’ own features, taking in her arched brows, her hooded eyes.

What a weird feeling , Innes thought, to know the person before me is going to be deeply intertwined in my future, but not know anything about them.

‘Have you had a twinsoul bond before?’ Innes asked, trying to distract herself from staring.

‘No, you’re my first.

’ Her lips quirked in a smile and Innes glanced at them, before quickly looking away.

‘What about you?’

Innes shook her head.

‘My mother found her second twinsoul – my father – after her first died, so I’m careful to check.

But no, you’re my first, too.

’

‘You can have multiple twinsouls at once?’ Remi asked.

Innes shook her head.

‘As far as I’m aware, twinsouls are bound until the Ending.

A new bond is only recognised when one of the couple dies.

’ It wasn’t a romantic conversation to have, and they sat in silence, absorbing their new reality.

It was Remi who broke the silence.

‘So, you’re a healer.

Where did you train?

’

Innes choked then coughed loudly.

‘Um,’ she said, eyes watering.

Her palms grew clammy and she wiped them on her pants.

She should have thought of this.

As much as she wanted to lay her soul bare to Remi, she couldn’t tell her she was a witch.

Being twinsouls didn’t automatically override years of ingrained prejudice – she’d seen it happen before to witches who trusted too easily.

What if Remi ran screaming?

What if she turned her over to the Seacht?

Her guts turned leaden at the thought.

No, she would wait to tell her, gauge Remi’s leanings before dropping something which could never be unsaid.

‘I...’ She cleared her throat and tried again.

‘I trained all over the place. My teacher travelled a lot.’

Remi nodded.

‘I get that. My father was a preacher for the Seacht. We had a small home near Anfa for a while, but he would travel all over the region spreading their holy doctrine, and we would follow.’

A cold sweat broke out along her spine.

Her twinsoul’s father was a preacher.

For the Seacht.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to smile, squashing the feelings so Remi wouldn’t be able to sense them.

They weren’t able to speak mind to mind through the bond, but now they were sitting opposite one another, she was acutely aware of Remi’s emotions – a fact she knew must be reciprocated.

Remi tilted her head to one side in concern.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yep, yes, absolutely. Just a bit overwhelmed, to be perfectly honest.’

Remi nodded, a gentle smile curling her lips.

‘I understand.’

They sat in silence, neither one of them sure what to do next.

Innes could taste the lies she was telling, and pushed back her chair, clamping down on her emotions so Remi wouldn’t sense her panic.

‘I’ll leave you to it,’ she said.

‘I know it’s a lot to take in, I just.

.

.

’ She swallowed.

‘I just wanted to make sure. To meet you properly and all that.’

She took a step to go but Remi grabbed her hand.

A thrum echoed in her soul at the contact and Innes gasped.

‘I’ll come find you?

’ Remi asked some moments later, offering a half-smile.

‘I’d like to see you again.

’

Innes nodded, her movements jerky as she pulled away.

‘Me too.’ She made her way to the hallway without throwing up, but when the door was closed she slumped against the wall, tasting bile.

She could still feel Remi’s touch radiating on her palm as her guards escorted her back to the royal dwelling, unable to think anything except: Remi .