Page 7

seven

Rivern

T here is that burn again, fuming for attention .

Coaxing my weary body into action, I place my hand on my chest and push into it, a low ache that is not mine spreading through my limbs.

I have been riding for several rotations, and the muscle tightness in my thighs does not bother me as much as this growing pain. The further south I ride, the worse it gets.

“ Again? ” the voice rings out through my skull. I look up and find a large white bird circling me and my horse, Mage.

“It’s getting worse,” I relay back to the winged creature above.

“ Must be getting close. ”

“Must be,” I mumble back to myself. I hear chipping laughter in my head and cut Solen off. The bastard isn’t the one experiencing bond pain s.

With a light tap to Mage’s side, I spur him into a gallop.

I will find the source of my bond pain, and they will swiftly meet the end of my sword.