Page 37 of Hope Entwined (Chronicles of Aldreda: Hope Rising)

Ravensmere Keep, Realm of Calderre

Q uiet activity bustled around Rodric with an unobtrusive hum as he made his way to one of the many training rooms on the estate. Inside, Brenna worked with a mage whose abilities were close enough to her own to guide her.

Various types of metal were laid out in front of her. She lifted each, assessing it with her magic and answering questions before moving on to the next piece. Heightening his magic in a specific way he’d been practicing that allowed him to see magic in use, he watched molten red light surround her hands and the piece she held, delving into every divot of the metal.

Her instructor indicated for her to go ahead with the next exercise. Going back to the first piece, Brenna twisted and shaped the metal, slowly molding it into a new design. Sweat beaded on her brow as if she were standing at the forge. Joy filled him as a huge smile split her face.

He’d been studying as well, though at the moment, Celina was his primary instructor. At her advice of the unusual nature of his two magics, they’d decided to keep his dual abilities secret. After long thought, he’d decided he’d much rather openly use Avery's healing magic. There was a time and place for his mental magic, but he was too conscious of how easily it could be used for the wrong reasons by the military. It would be a while before he was willing to trust anyone that much.

Knocking on the door, he held back the grin that wanted to take over his face. It took some effort to keep the serious mask in place. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take Brenna early today.”

“Of course, Lord Rodric. She made extensive efforts today, so it won’t be a problem.” The instructor ushered Brenna out quickly after she put away her tools and materials.

“What’s going on?” Brenna asked, walking beside him.

“Jed got into some trouble, and I need your help to corral him.” A highly plausible lie.

Brenna laughed. “Oh no, what was it this time? The cook was so angry when she found him in the dry storage room last week.”

“This is why osas shouldn’t be pets.”

“Rodric! Jed is family. You can’t send him away. He belongs with us.”

“So you and Celina keep telling me.” He sighed with a familiar, exaggerated exasperation.

The little osa had earned his place in the family. Not only with his rescue assistance to Celina in Eldridge, but with his actions on the long journey to their new home. Jed had moved continually from child to child, comforting their nightmares and making them laugh. The little saddlebag he’d made for the creature had been moved to a new horse each day during the trip.

Though Celina couldn’t guarantee it, Rodric suspected the creature was highly sensitive to emotions. Somehow, he’d managed to pick the person most in need of soothing to ride with each day. Though not nocturnal by nature, he’d shifted his hunting times toward evening and early morning so that he could spend the rest of the day with his people.

“Shortcut?” Rodric asked, pausing at the door that opened to one of the many courtyards.

In the summertime it might be an actual shortcut. During the winter, filled with snow and ice, it really wasn’t. But all of the children, Brenna included, loved the snow. Glancing at her attire, he decided she would be fine for the short jog.

“Yes!” Brenna grinned, bouncing in place. “Race you!”

“Watch for ice,” he reminded her.

Shoving the door open, he let her through and then gave chase. Darting off to the side where he knew some deeper snow lingered in the shadow of the keep’s walls, he gathered a ball of it in his hands. Racing to catch up with her, he pulled even before tossing the snowball at her.

An indignant shriek filled the air as he burst ahead of her to the door on the opposite side of the courtyard.

“Not fair!” Brenna stomped inside after him.

Laughing heartily, Rodric nudged her to keep walking. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?” she asked, eyes dazzling with ideas he was sure he didn’t want to know.

Smiling, he shrugged and kept silent.

Soon they came to the front part of the house where visitors were entertained, and Rodric directed her toward one of the sitting rooms.

She frowned as they stopped outside the door, no doubt wondering what mischief Jed could have gotten into in this wing of the keep.

Rodric savored the moment of anticipation only he felt. Behind the closed doors, a group of people waited nervously. Sev had collected Veron and one other family from Eldridge and guided them to Calderre to be reunited with their children.

Sadly, they couldn’t do the same for the other children. Some, like Opal, had no family to search for. Others, like Marin, had been willingly given up by their families—something he could hardly fathom.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for his soul-daughter. It was a moment of extreme joy and fulfillment to get to reunite her with her father.

“See what you think of this.” Winking at her, he pushed the door open.

Veron was easily recognizable, talking quietly with the other family who had traveled from Eldridge. He was standing upright, healed from his injuries and without any pain—Rodric had silently checked when he’d greeted his cousin earlier. Veron’s hands twisted anxiously as he awaited the sight he’d longed for these past months.

“Da!” Brenna’s cry preceded a blur of motion as she flew through the room to launch into her father’s arms.

Veron caught Brenna in a hug, emotion filling his face as he was finally reunited with his daughter. They were both crying within seconds and talking over each other. Rodric smiled, the sight warming his heart.

The door swung open to admit Sev and Holt, the other refugee who was lucky enough to have family who cared enough about him to upend their lives and move to a new realm to reunite with him.

The boy sucked in a breath, freezing on the threshold. Sev squeezed his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Holt,” Sev said. “They didn’t want to let you go. They chose to come here, to you. They’re staying.”

The boy eyed his parents with hopeful hesitation until his mother broke the tension by sweeping over to him. Dropping to her knees, she hugged him tightly, speaking in rapid, soft tones. Whatever she said made Sev smile, and he gave Rodric a nod that all was well.

Leaving the family to their reunion, Sev came to stand by his side and nodded toward Brenna and her father. “You did it.”

“We did. I couldn’t have done it alone, and I owe you for making me face that fact.”

Sev shrugged off the compliment.

“Thank you, my friend.” Rodric tried to pour the vastness of his emotions into the simple words.“Truly.”

“Anytime. Truly.” Sev smiled at him. “Hope you don’t mind extra company for a few days before I head home. There’s a bad storm headed this way.”

“Of course. You’ll always be welcome to stay as long as you like. You’re family to us.”

I n the great room, Rodric sat catching up with Sev in front of the huge stone fireplace. After an emotional reunion followed by a celebratory meal, the families were finally settled into their rooms for the evening.

The other children had been reserved and quiet, and he and Sev would make a point of spending time with them in the next few days to ensure they were holding up amid the emotional reunions.

“Met with the Hunters Guild yet?” Sev took a sip of ale.

“Yes. Seems like a decent group. Their structure is more apprenticeship though, like they do with the magic, less organized training. They were interested in developing that, so I may work with them on that come spring.”

Truthfully, he’d been relieved to find a way to contribute that didn’t involve magic. He was first and foremost a Preddari, and he didn’t want to lose that identity or the skills he’d spent nearly his whole life developing. The guild had been welcoming, and he looked forward to working with them and bringing valuable experience to their training program.

“That’s good. It would be terrible for you to lose all those skills. Zora might leave you for a better hunter if you did.”

“You wish.” Rodric laughed.

“It’s understandable,” Sev continued with a sly grin. “I’m sure you’ll prefer to stick closer to home, less wandering the trails. Lots to learn as Lord Blackwood, I’d imagine.”

Rodric kicked his friend’s boots. “There actually is.”

He was about to elaborate when Celina entered the room. His chest swelled with the warm feeling of home when he saw her. “You made it back before the storm. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I was motivated.” She kissed him hello before turning to greet Sev as an old friend, hugging him tightly. “It’s good to see you! Everyone made the journey safely?”

Sev briefed her on the happy reunions that had occurred.

They chatted for a few moments before Celina excused herself to retire for the evening. “Make yourself at home. You’ll stay for a while, right?” she asked.

“Yes, for a week at least, before I head back.”

“Wonderful. We’ll have to make time to gather together without the children one evening to catch up.”

“Sounds good.”

Rodric’s gaze followed her out of the room, and he struggled to pay attention to their conversation after she disappeared.

A while later, Sev stopped his attempt, laughing buoyantly. “Go! We can catch up tomorrow. Go after your mate.” Sev’s eyes sparkled with mirth, his genuine smile convincing Rodric that he really didn’t mind being abandoned.

“You’re a good friend.”

“Don’t I know it,” Sev murmured, raising his mug in salute.

R odric merged his hunting instincts with his magic. He grinned when the pull toward his mate led him to a huge set of doors that blocked the entrance to their private wing.

Pushing them open, he walked down the short hall into the grand suite they now called their own. The signature stained glass of royal amethyst hue that adorned the rest of the estate was present throughout the wing, inset in the interior wooden doors and a few select windows that would catch the morning light. He turned toward the only set of full glass doors. Thin, carved wood curled out from the frame, drawing intricate designs atop the colored glass.

The artistic masterpiece opened silently to reveal a sitting area with a fire already roaring. Beyond it to one side, a large bed with heavy winter bedding took up residence. The other direction held a personal work area with a desk, bookshelves, and cabinetry.

There, in a little nook, his mate sat on a one-armed sofa, a leather-bound book in her lap.

Rodric’s heart softened as her joyous emotions flowed through their bond.

When they’d first arrived, Celina had mentioned that she’d never moved into the matriarch suite after her mother’s passing. Feeling her heartache, he’d reassured her that as long as they were together it didn’t matter where they slept. He hadn’t given it a second thought, but Celina had. Only a few weeks after their arrival, he’d returned home from hunting to discover her in their new, very large suite. It already felt like home.

“Found you,” he told his mate, stroking a hand through her loose hair.

“Took you long enough.” She grinned playfully. “I was about to go in search of a leopard’s bane plant to draw you out.”

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled. After kissing her thoroughly to banish any wandering thoughts, he wound a curl of her hair around his finger. “What would you like to do tonight?”

“Show you a secret.”

She led him through the suite to a section of wall that was floor-to-ceiling wood, intricately carved with raised wildlife scenes that called to the part of him that found peace and solace in the wilds. Taking his hand, she pressed it to a particular spot and roused her magic, tugging his along with it.

Following her lead, he fed magic into the wood as he would if healing someone or accessing a memory. The wood warmed, heating his skin for an instant. A clicking sound heralded movement as part of the wall separated and swung open.

Celina stepped through the hidden entrance onto a terrace. “Mother used to let me join her here sometimes. It’s always been one of my favorite spots. It kind of feels like coming home to step out here again.”

The colors of the Calderran forest met him as he stepped onto the protected balcony. Rich greens, browns, golds, purples, and reds filled the space, built into tiers of dirt. It felt like stepping out of a cabin in the middle of dense woods. The stacking of the plants gave depth to the space, making it feel like it continued on beyond what the eyes could see. Vines curled up to the ceiling, while other plants seemed to grow out from the walls, completely filling the outer edges of the space.

Thick glass curved up in walls around them and spiraled into a dome over their heads. Native purple flowers bloomed all over the space, making the glass appear to be not clear but the faintest shade of lavender. Metal hardware glinted along the windows, indicating they could be opened to let in fresh air.

Centered in the oval space was a wide one-armed sofa twice the size of the one in the nook of the grand suite. Soft cushions invited hours to be spent taking in the beauty of nature masterfully planted in the private space. A tiny rectangular table sat in front of it, offering space for mugs of coffee and books.

“Celina…” Rodric stared in awe at the ensconced forest, touching the leaves of a plant near him. “This is incredible.”

It was a miniature of the atrium at the center of the keep, but not an exact duplicate. While that living atrium boasted a colorful garden and walking paths, this was an intimate joining of nature and comfort.

Globes of light were strung across the space, giving it the amber glow of candlelight. Looking directly through the orbs to the lavender glass walls and ceiling produced a magical sparkle that made him grin. He touched one, finding it warm but not hot.

“Are these the same as the ones that light the dancing space at the tavern?”

“Yes, an old family friend put them in generations ago.” Moving back, she leaned against the royal tinted glass, smiling at his obvious enjoyment of her secret balcony.

Moving over to her, he peered out the glass to the space outside. Mountains and the open space of the courtyard he’d darted across earlier in the evening greeted him, showing him where he was in the estate’s layout.

Pressing a hand against the cool glass, he nuzzled the side of her neck and put his lips near her ear, lowering his voice to the tone that made her shiver. “Is this glass opaque from the outside?”

“Yes.” Celina’s voice caught, her eyes heating up in a turquoise glow of desire. Her hand traced up his chest and neck as she arched her back, pressing into him.

Moving her wealth of hair aside, he feathered kisses down her neck. Her fingers curled into his hair, anchoring herself as she raised up on her toes. She met him kiss for kiss, pulling him eagerly into a slow and thorough seduction against the curved glass of the forest balcony.

Reveling in the feel of his mate, Rodric let go of the tight hold he kept on his heart and his magic, joining her in pure delight as all their senses melded. The cold touch of amorite made contact with his skin as she moved her hand through his hair, the feel of her joining bracelet sending a bolt of wholeness through him. Forever, my love.

Light dimmed in odd swaths of shadow, drawing his attention up. Celina followed his gaze while keeping her hand around his neck. Snow drifted from the sky, hailing the beginning of the storm. The white flurries fell onto the glass ceiling and continued down the walls into the night below, lending even more enchantment to the space.

Looking back at his mate, Rodric smiled, admiring the enchantress he’d first met, loving the woman he’d come to know.

“I think I’m going to like winter in Calderre.” Leaning down, he kissed her passionately, soaking up the feel of her essence entwined around his soul.