Page 54 of Summer of Sacrifice

Seleste laughed again. “I do.”

Cal reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her along. “I know the perfect place to read it.”

The pair moved through the gardens and onto a trodden path in the grass that Seleste knew led to the bay. She was far too high in the clouds to long consider how their excursion might look, or that she should pull her hand from his grasp. Cal gave no indication that either thought crossed his mind in the slightest.

By the time they arrived at the beach, Seleste was laughing like a child, memories flashing in her mind of rushing through the cirque toward a kissing booth with Sorscha. The same butterflies and thrill were certainly swirling through her.

Sand kicked up behind them as they made their way near the water’s edge, the dark, gentle waves of Noir Bay lapping against the shore. Abruptly, Cal stopped and sat hard in the sand, pulling Seleste down next to him as she laughed.

“One would think this letter was for you, milord, for how mad you’re acting,” she teased.

“It might as well be, for how excited I am to hear what it says after all that work on the cypher.” He waved impatiently at her, anticipation pouring off of him. “What does it say?”

Cheeks beginning to ache pleasantly, Seleste took out the letter and unfolded it. “Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

“You’re certain?”

“Seleste,” he growled, and she chuckled, trying to hide the wave of heat that went through her when he’d said her name, forgoing any attempt at propriety.

“All right, all right.” She cleared her throat delicately and began to read.

Mi Amor,

Every breath without you is torture. The only reprieve for my heart is the battlefield, but the moment I leave it, I am reminded that you are no longer there in our tent when I return to camp to wash the blood away. I hear your voice in my dreams. I smell your sweet perfume when I wake.

Have I told you how much I adore you? How pleased I am to have you as my wife? All I wish for in this life is to grow old and grey with you, with our family surrounding us. When I return from this place, the war over, I think?————————————————————————-

Soon, I will be with you again, mi amor, and nothing will separate us.

All my love,

Igor

“Goddess,” Cal breathed when she was done. “Do you think he made it back to her?”

Seleste sniffled. “I don’t know. I certainly hope so.” She pointed to the line that was cut off. “I haven’t yet figured out this line. In the old language, it seems he wants to begin their family when he returns, but he’s mentioned a place that doesn’t seem familiar to me. That is where I was stumbling when you arrived.”

Cal held out his hand. “May I?”

Seleste nodded and handed him the tattered, ancient letter. She watched as he chewed on his bottom lip, squinting at her jumbled, crossed-out guesses in the moonlight. When he looked up, he seemed conflicted, his brow drawn low.

“Do you…believe in other realms?” he asked her cautiously.

Seleste almost laughed but was uncertain where such a precarious conversation would lead. Ultimately, she decided to be truthful. “I do.”

Cal’s face brightened. “Most do not.” He sounded impressed. “I mostly stick to anatomical study, but I once dabbled in occult theory concerning other realms.”

A pause as he gauged her reaction. Despite wanting to widen her eyes, Seleste held her features placid to ensure he would continue. “Go on,” she urged gently.

Cal moved his hands with more animation than she’d ever seen from him. “It was interesting, to say the least. Of course, not much is known about other realms, or even if they’re definitively real, but…” He bit his bottom lip.

“Whatsoever you say will stay between us, I assure you. This is a safe place.”

If she could read him better, she would have thought the look in his eyes was a pained relief. As if, perhaps, he’d never had someone offer him complete safety and freedom to speak his mind. Was that why he was usually so sombre?

Gods, he was subduing himself…

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