Page 26 of Sword & Shadow
Evylin snorted, drawing the attention of their troop. They’d spoken softly enough that up until now, they’d escaped notice.However, Ilain walked at her side, hand in hand, so the woman heard the whole exchange.
A dry grin had affixed itself on Ilain’s face, and Evylin allowed herself to distance the two of them from the rest of the troop. “Sorry,” she muttered quietly.
With a shake of her head, Ilain kept her eyes on the path ahead. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she replied. “We Wauldeners aren’t as coy as you Ephrians. It’ll take much more than simple flirting to embarrass me.”
“I’m not flirting with him,” Evylin objected good-naturedly.
“Dear,” Ilain’s tone held a knowing tilt, “you’re wearing the Fire Relic. If you aren’t flirting with him, you’re the most controlled being on the face of Terraeus.”
Evylin laughed softly. “Fire denotes flirtation?”
“Why do you think I’m the way I am?” She squeezed Evylin’s hand. “We Mages reflect the resource to which we’re most closely tied. I am impetuous, dangerous, fervent, and passionate. Flirting is a means of expressing those traits, most often when I’m bored. But also, when I find a man desirable.”
“Hm.” Evylin considered the explanation. She felt those things coursing through her now, though perhaps tempered by Day’s steadier, calming presence. “I will admit,” she said with a smirk, “this is somewhat boring.”
Ilain gave her a sly glance. “Oh, yes. It has nothing to do with your attraction to him.”
Evylin’s instinct was to refute the claim. However, she felt reckless, so she said, “That’s just a bonus.”
A stifled giggle worked out of Ilain as a heavy sigh sounded behind them. “You two do realize I’m following you, don’t you?” Ethenn asked.
Though Evylin had forgotten the young man’s presence, Ilain shrugged and said, “That’s part of the fun, dearest.”
A pink flush spread up Ethenn’s neck, and Evylin couldn’t help laughing with Ilain. She felt she better understood the woman now that she wore the Fire Relic. Her whole being was lighthearted and impulsive. In her natural state, Evylin used sarcasm and humor reflexively. With the Relic, that reflex was heightened. No wonder Ilain came across so bold and irreverent; being in touch with that sort of magic day in and day out must fill her with a nearly uncontainable wildness.
The women fell silent when the troop broke out of the forest and onto the muddy road. Though they waited until no one was around to emerge from the trees, they couldn’t risk any travelers hearing them. Careful to disguise their steps in the mud, Deckard, Auden, and Thom took the lead with Evylin and Ilain behind them. Rafferty and Ethenn followed closely, careful to step in the women’s tracks.
The road squished unpleasantly beneath their boots, squelching as they walked. Their weapons rattled with their gait, disguising the sound of Evylin’s. She reached out to tug on Deckard’s cloak every few dozen feet. Each time, his shoulders eased downward as though being reminded of her presence soothed him.
Without Ilain’s banter to distract her, Evylin chewed on her lip, the subtle reminder of her grief pressing against the magic that held it at bay. Over the past three days, she’d wondered if it was wrong to let go of her pain. She’d noticed the shock on Deckard’s face when she offered to warm his hands. She could feel his lingering surprise at her continued comfort with him. She knew it wasn’t natural, and she knew that if she took off the Relic, she wouldn’t feel the same sense of contentment. But did that make it wrong to harbor the Relic and embrace this relief?
For the first time in nearly two weeks, Evylin could breathe. She felt alive again. She could laugh and enjoy the company of her friends. She could train and spar without the memories ofher uncle plaguing her. She could be near Deckard, touching him and, yes, flirting with him, without feeling guilty or afraid. And she didn’t want to lose that.
No, it wasn’t real. But she didn’t think she cared.
The giant stone wall loomed in the distance, the clouds growing darker overhead. A crowd of people stood between them and the gate. Guards patrolled the sides, keeping people orderly and in line. The travelers shifted impatiently, grumbling about the long wait.
“Are there usually so many people going in and out of the Reaches?” Deckard asked Auden in a low voice.
“They’re mostly merchants and businessmen,” Auden explained. “Some might be scholars as well. I’d imagine it only looks to be such a large number due to the thorough searches they’re doing.”
“Do you think it’s a cavity search?” Rafferty mumbled to Ethenn in the back, and Evylin heard a mutedthumpjust before the weasel squealed. She pressed her lips together to hold in her laughter.
Between the combined magic of Ilain and the Relics, magic thrummed through Evylin. She felt good, despite the steady drain on her power. The Fire magic suggested foolhardy action to her brain. Why didn’t they just rush through the gate before any guards could notice? But the Day Relic’s magic soothed her racing heartbeat, reminding her that such a course would put them at too great a risk.
Hand growing clammy in Ilain’s, she adjusted her fingers. The woman tightened her grip, drawing Evylin’s attention. Beneath her large hood, Ilain kept her chin tucked and her eyes tightly closed. The signs of fatigue worried Evylin. They were still far back in the line, and at the rate the guards were passing travelers through, it could be another half hour at the least.
Suddenly, a patrolling guard called over to them. Evylin could see that she and Ilain’s figures still bore their hazy edges, marking their shroud. But while the troop turned to the guard, the highlady stayed frozen, concentrating.
“You lot,” the guard said on his approach. He waved between Rafferty and Deckard. “Tighten up. This ain’t some gallery. We’ve got dozens more waiting behind you.”
Realizing that the gap between their rows looked grandly broad to outsiders, Evylin gently guided Ilain forward. Rafferty and Ethenn had stayed back to give the two of them space. But that left enough room for two people between the men.
What was more disconcerting was the heavy drizzle. It wouldn’t be noticeable from a distance, but if the guard came any closer, he might see how the rain bowed around the women’s figures.
Moving forward, Evylin pulled Ilain closer to her side. To make the space between the men look natural, they had to stand almost completely flush against the three men in the front. And even then, Ethenn and Rafferty brushed against the women’s backs.
“Sorry,” Ethenn murmured at Ilain’s sharp inhale when he pressed into her.
