Page 17

CHAPTER 17

‘How did you become a warrior?’ Innes asked.

They sat in Remi’s rooms in the barracks, a pot of tea on the table between them.

It was morning, and as much as Innes wished she’d had the strength to decline Remi’s invitation in lieu of investigating the rumours of Tassos, the truth of the matter was she’d spent the entire night dreaming of the warrior and had jumped at the chance to see her again.

She should have been concentrating on making a wreath for the summoning of Aurelia.

But she wasn’t.

She was here, opposite the woman whose essence she felt in her bones, forgoing her mission and possibly the Passage.

For love.

But was it love, or lust?

If her mother’s bond had taught her anything, it was both – and so much more.

‘I was the oldest recruit,’ Remi said, eyes alight with a mischievous grin.

‘I joined a few years ago when I was twenty-six. Most warriors begin training when they’re children, but.

.

.

’ Remi paused, trying to find the words.

‘Let’s just say I had an unconventional childhood.

I already mentioned my father was a preacher and we travelled around a lot, directed by the whims of his devotion.

If he thought people needed the word of the Seacht in the Seedle Plains, we’d go to the Seedle Plains.

If he thought people needed salvation in Vincentia, we’d go to Vincentia.

I met a warrior called Neve when I was twenty, and she suggested I join the warriors’ training camp.

’ She laughed, her voice ringing like bells.

‘I was the oldest trainee by a long shot, but I loved it. And when I passed the warriors’ recruitment test at twenty-six, I joined and never looked back.

’

Her eyes twinkled, and Innes had to pinch herself from staring too hard.

Remi was gorgeous.

Long black hair cascaded down her back like a midnight waterfall, and umber eyes pierced her, beacons on a foggy night.

She was taller than Innes, and much, much stronger.

Muscles roped her arms, the curve so enticing Innes had to force herself to stop looking.

No one knew how twinsoul bonds were chosen, and she wondered if there was a mistake.

On paper they were opposites – a warrior and a witch – who lived completely different lives.

And yet.

‘Do you believe in the teachings of your father?’ Innes asked, making sure she worded the question tactfully.

She hoped she sounded casual, because in reality she had been rehearsing how to ask this all night.

Remi tilted her head, brow furrowed.

‘I worship the Seacht, as do all people in Vettona, but I do not subscribe to fanatical notions or the extreme versions of devotion my father did.’

Innes’ eyelid twitched.

She should be grateful Remi hadn’t followed in her father’s footsteps, but all she heard was her twinsoul saying I worship the Seacht.

It made her gut clench, and a shiver raced along her spine.

Remi kept speaking, oblivious.

‘But I suppose I have a unique perspective. My father turned my brother over to the Seacht because he was Ever Blessed.’

Innes froze at the words.

The teacup she’d been holding clunked back into its saucer, loud and clumsy.

Remi looked at her and began speaking quickly, as if the words were in a hurry to be released.

‘I know about the gods’ decree, but my brother was just a kid.

A kid who liked playing ball and telling jokes, who could make a mean cinnamon biscuit.

He didn’t deserve to die.

’ She narrowed her eyes and looked out the window, thoughts flashing across her face in rapid succession.

‘And I hate my father for choosing them over his own son.’

Innes loosened a breath that had been caught in the back of her throat.

She wanted to grab Remi’s hand, rub circles with her thumb until the skin was smooth and gleaming.

But she didn’t.

‘I don’t think that makes you a sympathiser, Remi.

It makes you a sister.

’ She swallowed, and chose her next words carefully, deliberately leaving out certain parts of the truth.

‘My mother was also killed by the Seacht. Some people would say she deserved it, but others... Well, it doesn’t matter what they say.

To me, she was my mother and I miss her every day.

’ She stopped herself from saying more, because the next words aching to be released were they killed her because she was a witch , and she couldn’t say that.

Could she ?

Remi reached across the table and grabbed her hand, her thumb rubbing gentle circles on her skin.

Lightning burned where they touched, an all-consuming sensation.

Innes wanted her whole body to feel like this, to wrap herself in Remi’s touch and never, ever, leave.

The bond between them shimmered like gossamer, light and perfect.

She inhaled, forcing her fantasies at bay.

‘Thank you.’

Remi smiled.

‘It seems we have more in common than we first thought.’

Desire crashed inside her, and the yearning to tell her the truth was palpable.

Here was a woman who had spoken her family secrets.

The least Innes could offer was vulnerability in return.

She opened her mouth, finally ready to speak – but the words stuck in her throat.

She couldn’t do it.

Not when there were so many factors at play: Briony and Queen Una and this tentative peace between them.

Not when she knew it would force Remi to pick a side, endangering her and everyone she loved.

Because no matter what way Innes tried to manipulate the truth, there was a huge difference between missing your brother, and loving a woman who was hunted by the very gods you worshipped.

She didn’t know if she was ready to be rejected just yet, not when the warmth of Remi’s hands was a balm against her anxiety, and the entire world ceased to matter when she was with her.

So she smiled and pretended she just had dust in her throat.

Innes couldn’t sleep.

She sat on the windowsill, the moon hanging high in the sky above.

Its crescent was a countdown, one she wished she could pause.

She yearned for her mother’s gentle presence so she could pepper her with questions about the twinsoul bond.

What would happen if they couldn’t be together?

Would one of them still need to die before another bond was recognised?

She wished Briony was with her, a witness to the monumental shift that was occurring.

Never had she thought she would actually find her twinsoul.

It wasn’t a rare phenomenon, just rare among witches as their lives were sequestered to Telorne.

It made meeting new people hard, yet here she was, her heart tearing in half as she tried to hold two things at once: Remi, and her family.

The witches wouldn’t let her return home until she completed the Passage, but what if she never succeeded?

Could she make a life here with Remi, living in the shadows, jumping at every mention of the Seacht?

It was false hope.

She needed to pull her head back in and continue searching for news of Tassos.

Briony was counting on her.

Her cousin had never once shirked her duties; her cousin was continuing their bloodline, growing new life, while Innes sat pining after a woman she had just met.

She dropped her head against the glass, breath fogging as she continued to stare at the moon.

But reality didn’t stop her wishing for another path, for time to still so she could make these fragile moments before the summoning exist in a lasting ether.

Here, everything was cast in a pale shade of hope, and she never wanted it to end.