Page 68 of Ignite
There’s never a time to carry more than you need.
“That’s dinner?” Adrian grumbles.
I nod to it, hardly looking his way as I brush dirt from my pants.
This forest is filled with small creeks and streams, I just need to find a flowing one that the precious prince won’t get sick off of.
“Hello?” Adrian drags the word out, spoiling my annoyance. “Isn’t there some fish we can catch and roast?”
My neck prickles.
“With what fire?” I say slowly. “One that’ll attract a creature that’ll kill you before I have the chance to move?”
That would never happen, but he doesn’t have to know that. The firewouldattract unwanted guests, that much is true. But I would hear it coming far sooner than it having the chance to sneak up on us.
Adrian pales and I smile.
“I’m going to look for water. Zephyr will keep watch.” I give her a pointed look. “Don’t eat him.”
Zephyr slowly turns her massive head toward Adrian and growls softly, teeth bared near his head. I hear him gulp and my grin widens.
I have to hand it to her, it is a little fun torturing someone. I leave Adrian with Zephyr, keeping close enough to hear him trying to tell Zephyr that he wouldn’t be a tasty snack.
A chuckle trickles out of my mouth despite myself as I find a small stream flowing through the forest. It’s moving quick enough that there shouldn’t betoo muchbacteria for a human to handle. If anything he’ll be sick to his stomach for a few hours.
I hold the skein beneath the water, letting it slowly fill it up. My mind drifts to Lunaria, to where she is and what she’s doing.
My forearms tighten as my fingers clutch the skein.
My promise to our mother floats into my mind.
“Keep her safe, Leda,”she had said.
It was the first thing she said to me when we left Lunaria’s room after the aconite poisoning from Reichardt.
“She’s not from our world, but there are forces that we cannot control that will try to corrupt her. Try to harm her.”
My mother—a woman rarely shaken—was trembling as we stood outside of Lunaria’s room. I didn’t know it then, but there was a lot she was keeping from Lunaria. From me.
We had always been close, able to tell each other anything. But as much as she was my mother, she was also the queen. A brilliant and daring one at that. I trust her explicitly, even if Idon’t understandwhyshe would let everyone believe Reichardt was Lunaria’s father by blood.
But it isn’t my place to question her.
All I need to do now is pray to the goddess that Lunaria knows what she’s doing.
My stomach churns, the memory of her leaving to save Graylen still fresh in my mind. How can I keep her safe from here?
The container overflows with water, pouring back into the stream with nowhere else to go. I sniff and harshly wipe my nose on my left-hand sleeve as I left the canteen out.
Sometimes, keeping people safe is letting them be free. Be themselves. I’ve seen Lunaria’s magic at work and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a raw power that I’ve only ever witnessed our mother have.
She’s strong. And I can’t be the one to stop her from going to Graylen, caging her in like everyone else in her life.
So I’ll wait here for her. Watching Zephyr like a hawk to see if there’s any alarms happening between their connection. Every story of a Rider and their wyvern tells of their emotional connection, of the way their pain can travel between each other like an extension of their sleeves.
If Zephyr is calm, then so am I.
Twenty-Eight
