Page 13 of A Conduit of Light
Westrode in silence, him in front of me, flexing his fingers in and out of a fist, his pace quick, but quiet.
Ikept up at a slight jog, eyes glued to his back, shaking my head periodically in disbelief.Inall of my time at theFortress, he had never taken an interest in anythingIsaid or did.Andnow, here he was, leading me to somewhere, to what purpose,Icouldn’t surmise.
Heveered to the left onto a less-trodden path, likely one that servants took to gather bounty from the forest.
AsIfollowed, a hint of crimson caught my eye andImucked through the brush to find a patch of demorte, the bright hue of red a stark contrast to the vivid greenery of the moss and ferns growing nearby.
Ibegan to pluck the petals, thanking each flower in my head for its beauty.Itwas possibleMoiradid not yet see this bed of flowers for my lip concoction.Thoughtsof preparing it with her tonight were interrupted asIrememberedIwas not alone.
“Karus.”
Icould feel his presence standing over me asIstood and shoved the last few petals into my skirt, having left some on each flower, not wanting to take all of its beauty for myself.
“I’msorry.Iwas excited to find this flower.Yousee,Moiramakes the petals into a cream and…”Imet his gaze and swallowed. “Ilike to paint it on my lips.”
Atmy last word, his dark eyes, the color of all the black that surrounds the stars, gazed downward at what little hue was left on my mouth.
TheBaronraised his hand as if to stroke my face andIclosed my eyes, longing to feel the touch of someone.
Anyone.
Theabsence of his hand was painful, andIthought again of what the stone made me feel whenIheld it.Suchbliss was the feeling of joy, such achingly beautiful freedom from a clouded mind and a heavy heart.Ifound myself reaching into my pocket once again, my cold fingers wrapping around the green stone.
Itwas like a wave, the emotions it gifted to me.AsifIwas standing on a precipice, debating whether to take a step forward or a step back when a warm breeze would swim up from the cliff in my mind, toying with my hair, another reminder thatIwas not alone.
“Whatdid you find in the forest,Karus?”
Eyesstill closed,Icould feel the warmth of his whisper on my face.
There, among the trees, as the sun began to nestle into its bed,Ifelt a balance.Mythoughts cleared, the haze of looming shadows whisked away in his breath.Theedge of fear for the unknown was drawn from my veins as my heart slowed to a calming pace.
“Ifound…comfort.Asense of harmony.I...Ican’t remember the last timeIfelt so free from the burdens of my mind.”Idropped the stone in my pocket and lifted my hands to my temples, as the rush of confusion came back to me all at once, filling my thoughts with a fog so thick,Iremembered little of what we were doing there together in the forest.
Hetouched me for the first time then, gently cradling my hands with both of his as if they were a broken bird, wings no longer able to fly.
Somethinghad changed.
Somethingwas different.
Therewas an energy pulsing off of his hardened frame andIcould almost see the quickened pace of his heartbeat through the layers of loose clothes at his chest.
“Whatis it you’re looking for,Baron?”Iquestioned, taking my hands from his, keeping them tangled in my skirts at my side, afraid of the sudden heat rising within me. “Whatis it you so desperately seek out here?Somuch so that you question me every day with your tired words and preoccupied mind.”
Hebeamed then, the perfection of it stirring more in me thanIwas ready to accept.Hestepped back onto the path leading to theFortress, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark cloak.
“Iseek a woman,Karus.Apowerful conduit.Ibelieve her magic brought back the spring.Andjust in time.Sheis needed.Desperately.”
Heturned and began his trek back to theFortress, its newly lit torches flickering in the sun’s last betrayal as it left the world in an abyss of dark and cold.
“Ifyou find her,” he called without turning his head, “let me know.”
Ifurrowed my brows at his answer and followed a distance behind him, my head throbbing and my hands shaking.
Chapter8
Ash
Ashglaredat the patch of newly thawed ground in front of her.Herfingers tightened around her knees, the whites of them as pale as she felt in her efforts to control her magic.Sheclosed her eyes, focused her breathing, and thought of home.
