Page 89 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

Fenriel.

He has a hawk, for Mabona’s sake! That hawk can scout ahead for miles and see everything from above. If anyone is going to find the rings, it’s him.

A wide smile spreads across my lips.

Because Fenriel is also unique in another way. He is the only one among us who is always cheerful and excited.

Reaching for my magic, I throw it out in search of a glittering silver spark.

There.

Up ahead and a little to my left, one single spark of excitement burns inside the forest. And I know deep within my bones that it can only ever be Fenriel.

With hope now pulsing through me once more, I push off from the tree and sprint in that direction while I keep the steady stream of magic connected to Fenriel’s spark. I increase it only enough to retain the magic connection. Not enough to change his mood too much.

Once I feel the spark getting close, I slow down. A hint of long red hair becomes briefly visible through the foliage.

Relief washes through me. It is Fenriel.

He appears to be jogging, and I can’t overtake him, so I slow down to a jog as well.

And then, I simply follow him.

Hours pass by as I stalk Fenriel through the woods, always staying out of sight while still keeping my magic connected to him and boosting his excitement ever so slightly. It truly is a brilliant plan.

Apart from one thing.

Fenriel has the stamina of a fucking horse.

He keeps jogging at the same steady pace hour after hour. He has only stopped once, to drink from a brook we passed. I nearly inhaled the whole brook as I gulped down water while trying to refill my lungs at the same time. Then Fenriel took off again, so I had to cut my rest short and scramble after him.

We’ve passed some bushes with berries on them, and I don’t know if Fenriel picked some on the way to eat. But I didn’t dare to touch them. I have no idea if they’re poisonous or not.

So instead, I just follow Fenriel. Hour after hour as he jogs through the woods.

And Mabona’s fucking tits, my body is going to give out any second now.

I’m slim, just like everyone else in our city, since we’re only allowed such small amounts of food. However, I have no clue what Fenriel does for a living, but I spend most of my days sitting on a stool and gutting fish.

Being slim and being fit are not the same thing.

I’m so not used to jogging for hours on end. Just getting through that maze last week took everything I had. This… This is going to kill me.

My throat and lungs burn as I drag in desperate breaths, and my legs tremble with every step as I try to keep pace with Fenriel. He’s not even moving that fast. But it’s the continuous running without barely a moment of rest that is killing me. If he doesn’t stop for a break soon, I’m going to collapse.

Fenriel’s excitement spikes.

It’s so sudden, and so unexpected, that I actually gasp. That glittering silver spark in his chest flares up into a massive thrumming beacon.

And it was not my doing.

I stop moving. He does too.

There is only one reason why he would feel excitement that strong.

He has found the stone altar.

My chest heaves and my limbs tremble with exhaustion as I stand there on the grass, staring at the thick mass of trees ahead. Fenriel’s spark of excitement remains in place. I drag lungfuls of air into my body.

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