Page 138 of Sword & Shadow
Deckard ran his fingers through his sweat-and-rain-soaked hair. He steeled his heart against further pain, having allowed himself to wallow long enough. A frigid chill hollowed out his bones, numbing his heart and mind. Yet, despite the iciness overtaking him, the barest trace of warmth crept up his spine, as though magic itself was attempting to comfort him.
He shrugged it off, rising. He wiped the mud from his trousers, straightened his coat, and attempted to tame his unruly hair. Though his tears had dried, there was no helping if his eyes had grown puffy or red. If they saw his misery, so be it. The morning was growing late, and they needed to get moving.
The moment to part with his wife had come.
Deckard returned to the camp, finding Auden at his sister’s side while the Ephrians huddled together. Evylin and the three soldiers spoke quietly, likely discussing how to split the parties.She didn’t look in his direction when he stepped through the trees, nodding at something Thom said instead. No signs of regret or discomfort marred her expression. She carried herself with the same confidence and ease as ever.
Perhaps if he were more impassive—strong and resolute like Hewitt—she would have loved him then. Fighting off a wave of instability, Deckard cast his eyes away from her, moving for Auden. He crouched next to the man and his sleeping sister.
Auden gave him an appraising glance. “Just saying goodbye,” he said softly. He held Ilain’s hand, her fingers limp in his. “It’ll be weeks before I see her again. We’ve been apart for that long before, but it’s been rare. In all our forty-some years, we’ve spent almost every day together.”
Deckard furrowed his brow, realizing for the first time that the Calders were a decade older than his thirty-two years. He ignored his curiosity in the seriousness of the moment. He patted Auden’s arm encouragingly.
“What Evylin said before...” Auden eyed him warily. “Is it true?”
Deckard avoided grinding his teeth and said, “It is.”
“Your marriage isn’t real?”
“Legally, yes.”
“But not practically.”
Deckard dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
Auden sighed and set his sister’s hand gently on the blanket beside her. “I still don’t like splitting you,” he said. “Whether or not you’ll admit it, you’re stronger together.”
It wasn’t Deckard who didn’t want to admit it.
When he said nothing, Auden continued, “It will be you and I going now,” he explained, then tipped his head in the direction of the Ephrians. “They’re deciding who we’ll take with us—Thom or Rafferty.”
With a nod, Deckard rose. “Rafferty,” he called.
The soldiers stopped talking. Evylin kept her gaze averted.
“Colonel?” Rafferty said.
Deckard moved for the horses. “You’ll be coming with Auden and me,” he said. “We need your skills with stealth and tracking.”
Rafferty grimaced, then turned to the others. “Guess someone had to be stuck with the short end of the stick,” he muttered.
Deckard didn’t take offense. “Give the Night and Fire Relics to Thom, then we’ll leave.”
Auden watched the exchange keenly but didn’t object to the command.
While Rafferty dug the Relics from his coat, Deckard called Ethenn to join him. The young man hurried over, his dark eyes alert and his expression pulled down. “Yes, sir?” he asked.
“I have a job for you,” Deckard said, dropping his voice to keep the conversation private. He began to secure his saddlebags as he spoke. “I made a promise to Hewitt to protect Evylin, no matter the cost. Since I can’t be with her, I’m asking you to do that for me. Will you?”
Ethenn’s thick brows furrowed, but he nodded. “Of course.”
“Good.” He glanced over his shoulder, catching the way Thom stood a little too close to Evylin’s side.
Following his stare, Ethenn’s jaw tightened. “Regardless of what Evie said, sir‚” he turned and met Deckard’s gaze, “I know it was a lie.” Ethenn nudged his chin in the direction of Evylin and Thom. “And I’ll protect her fromthattoo.”
A flare of anger tightened Deckard’s expression. Whatever Ethenn meant by that, whatever he knew about Thom’s intentions, Deckard pushed away his jealousy. “I have another task for you,” he said, then reached into the saddlebag. He held out the small leather pouch. “Evylin’s birthday is tomorrow. I’d like you to give this to her.”
Ethenn took the gift reverently. “Yes, sir.”
