Page 195 of The Call of Crimson
“Just a few more minutes,” Cillian says, watching the window for the first rays of light.
The next few minutes feel like an hour as we wait for light. Cillian grins when the morning sun finally stretches across the floor next to him. Winking, he twirls the light around his fingers before disappearing entirely. Surprised grunts and the sound of bodies dropping are all we hear as Cillian makes quick work of the Fae outside the inn.
“It’s safe to come out,” Cillian yells.
When we step outside, no less than a dozen Fae corpses litter the street. Cillian leans casually against the wall, one foot crossed in front of the other, looking utterly bored.
“You just took out a dozen Fae warriors in a matter of minutes,” I say, my eyes flaring wide at all the bodies on the ground.
“It wasn’t nepotism that got me the title of King of the Midnight Brotherhood, sweetheart.”
“Arrogant, much?” I ask.
Cillian swipes a cloth along his daggers, sheathing them as he goes. “It’s not arrogance if it’s earned. That’s called confidence.”
Elijah rolls his eyes and moves to check the horses. Somehow, miraculously, they’re untouched.
I breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve grown quite fond of Beastie in the last few days.
I load his saddle bags, eager to leave Caedel behind.
“If we make good time, we can be in Prudia by nightfall,” Elijah says as he mounts Honey.
Cillian mounts Midnight, urging him forward. “We should be able to reach the capital by tomorrow afternoon, just as long as there’s no more attacks along the way.”
A few minutes pass before Elijah asks, “Are we going to discuss the Gift you’ve been hiding, or the fact that you haven’t used it to transport us closer to Prudia?”
“I’m allowed to have secrets, Elijah.” Cillian grunts. “How many people know aboutyoursecond gift?”
“Touche, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
“I have limitations. I can only move short distances if I’m carrying others,” Cillian explains.
“How far?” I ask.
“Perhaps a few miles at most. More than that would require days to recover.”
I tilt my head at Cillian. “What family of Gifts does this fall under? I’ve never met anyone with the ability.”
“I’ve heard it referred to as Travelling,” he replies. “But I’ve never met anyone within Rimor that possessed the power. Others exist, but I’m not sure how the Gift is classified.”
“Perhaps it deserves a classification all its own. It doesn’t quite fit the existing families of Gifts.” I wrap the cloak tighter around my shoulders, the hood falling low across my forehead.
We arrive at the edge of Caedel, the sun high enough to light our way and provide some warmth against the chill of the winter wind.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” Elijah says, kicking his horse into a brisk trot.
We’re all eager to leave this place behind for the safety of Prudia. That’s a sentiment I never fathomed until just now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
AURELIUS
The scent of saltwater kisses my nose, letting me know I’m no longer in Prudia. Well, no longer in Elentia, at least. I stand on a shoreline, the cliffs behind me both unfamiliar and known. Nowhere in my memory do these cliffs exist, but in my soul and in my dreams, they’re home.
For most of my life, I felt like an outsider to some extent. Sure, Raynor and my parents loved me, but I never felt completely at peace. With Breyla was the only other place that I felt this serene, this sense of belonging.
A forest of tall white birch trees looms in the distance; the limbs barren for the winter. My uncovered feet crunch in the freshly fallen snow, the cold nonexistent. I study the landscape. It’s difficult to determine where the snow ends and the trees begin.
