Page 168 of Of Stars and Lightning
Still, Sol missed him.
Finally, after two weeks, Sol felt normal. As normal as she could with the new information, she supposed. Which meant it was time for the one thing they had put on hold to take place: her Awakening.
Sol and her Court stood by the stables as the keepers readied their horses. After almost an hour of arguing with Nina, it was decided Sol would ride with Cas. Her Royal Hand wouldn’t risk her wandering so far into the depths of Rimemere without her personal Warden, especially since what happened. A Lower Jinn invading the castle was alarming, but having both a Lower and a Mind Slayer?
Semmena had been insane with soldiers around the grounds, moving the students to the Gods’ Villa to diminish traffic within the castle. Curfew was set and Sol wasn’t allowed outside unless she had a small army of kingsmen with her. She hadn’t bothered to exit much because of that.
For the Awakening ritual, they had to ride all the way to Emberdon’s temple. It was to be performed by a family member, and asSawyer was her final blood relative, the burden became hers to carry. So, the ritual had to be performed on her turf.
And Sol was condemned to be Warded the whole way. Even so, she didn’t mind. She looked up at the sun as the stable hands situated their saddles, soaking up the wondrous, gentle heat.
Lilah sniffed her hand as she stroked her snout. “Do you want to ride on the front or back?” She swirled, startled.
Cas wore his usual black tactical suit, with a subtle violet band around his waist holding a set of iron daggers. It was a relief to see his face was nearly free of scars and bruises.
He inclined his head. “I’ll choose a position for you if you don’t pick one, Princess.”
Sol cleared her throat. “I’ll ride behind.”
At least he wouldn’t be able to see her face burn that way.
Without further conversation, Cas mounted Lilah and outstretched a hand to her.
She hadn’t dreamt of him since the bizarre vision after the final duel. She settled for replaying the moments in her mind, while he maintained the gods’ awful distance when all she wanted was the opposite.
Focus.
“We will take the forest route,” Sawyer announced as she stirred Fey to the castle gates.
Nina nodded. “At your lead.”
Taking Cas's hand, Sol swung a leg over Lilah and settled into the saddle.
Although the Summer Solstice was still a few days away, the heat was relentless and at full force. Sol opted for her green tactical suit to match her Court, a choice she was quickly regretting as they started a soft canter behind Sawyer.
They passed the gates quickly and steered into the forest.
The trees had become full and luscious, though rather parched at the lack of rainwater. As the humid wind flowed all around them, cooling Sol’s hot skin, she traced the swollen clouds with her eyes. In the distance, rolling thunderclouds blanketed the skyabove them with a hazy shade of gray.
Next to them, Nina and Alix suddenly exploded into a full-on gallop, the hooves of their mares tearing up the grass as they raced behind one another. Her cousin propelled forward faster, her laugh echoing through the forest.
Sol smiled slightly and shook her head.
Through the sound of hooves and laughter, Cas's Ward materialized around them in a soft shimmer of light, encompassing them like a protective bubble. He sighed from in front of her. “They do this every time.”
“Who usually wins?” Sol asked with an amused smirk.
“Sawyer.” Fitting.
Sol laughed softly and took the conversation as a good sign. “I figured Kahaida would.”
“She often stops to chew on the weeds, to Nina’s dismay.”
Also fitting.
Silence fell, and Sol tried desperately to think of something, anything, to continue the conversation. “Cas, are we okay?”
His Ward flickered. “Yes.”
