Page 92 of Winds of Ruin
“Always, Emmerick. Always.”
Chapter 38
Elsedora
Ever since Emmerick had returned to Luz that morning, my thoughts circled too frequently back to him.
Had he slept well?
How was he handling his reunions?
Did he think about me, too?
I’d tried to hold up the note he left me to the sunlight to see what he’d scribbled out, with no luck.
A scratching at the stable door brought me up from my pondering. My daydreams had begun while replenishing the horses hay. I slid the door open, and a screeching hawk greeted me, dropping a letter onto the wet sod at my feet.
I sighed, retrieving it before it soaked through.
Sybilla’s rushed penmanship appeared as I unraveled the parchment.
I have a proposition. You prefer life in the North. If I were to relieve you of your duties in the Sahlms, would you be King Mattock’s advisor as he returns to the throne? You knowthe issues the Corridor faces better than anyone. I ask for propriety’s sake, but we both know that if you say no, then I’ll just fire you from your duties in Sahlmsara, anyway. I wish to see you where you are happiest.
Please accompany Emmerick on his tour of the realm. Larkspur will join you. Keep her on good behavior.
Your eternal friend,
Sybilla
Rubbing the page between my fingers, my pulse quickened. I imagined his future. He’d rise to become the beloved King of the Corridor that I held dear. Eventually, he’d find a queen worthy of ruling at his side, and their heirs would lead for centuries to come.
A happy family around a royal table. Halls full of laughter. All I had to do was stay out of his way.
Mayra joyfully gobbled down the dead fish that I’d poured from a bucket. At leastsheseemed entirely unbothered. The whole barn reeked of the sea. Thick piles of hay helped keep the space warm, and all the windows were latched shut as the snow persisted.
“She really loves to meddle in other people’s lives,” I said and scratched the Griffith’s neck over the stall door.
Mayra purred, only taking a moment’s break from her feast to stretch her neck in contentment.
“It may be for the best, no? Settling here. I’ve taken on too much—searching for relics, advising in the Sahlms, helping in Helos. Focusing on two things rather than three could be a good change of pace.”
Emmerick needed my help. I could slow down to be there for him. In anadvisorycapacity.
Her beak crunched through fish bones, and I scrunched my nose in disgust. “Right. Talking to a bird will not get me far. I’ll leave you to that. Behave, menace.”
On my way out of the barn, I slid the wood door shut to block the biting winds. They pulled at my braid, and I reveled in the feeling of prickling cold against my cheeks. Snow fell thick, and gray clouds darkened the midday sky.
Yet even wind-torn and blustering, the orchard remained the most beautiful place. Home.
I dusted snow off the stone bench and sat to admire the lustrous landscape.
That evening, a heavy knock thudded frominsidethe house.
The hallway Egress.
I’d cast the ward to only allow my loved ones through the entry, so I flung the door open, expecting Lark or Fen. Emmerick stood there, scratching the back of his neck.
“You’re here,” I whispered.
