He obviously caught on, because he leaned even closer into my personal space. “Cavis’s wife just gave birth to their first child.”
Cavis beamed, and if a man could burn with pride, he would have lit the forest around us on fire. “A daughter.”
I couldn’t help but smile too. “Congratulations. Do you mind if I ask what kind of magic you have?” Subtle. But I may as well ask now, while the man was answering some of my questions.
Lorian tensed behind me, but he didn’t stop Cavis from answering.
Some of the brightness left Cavis’s smile. “I’m good at languages.”
“Good at languages?”
Marth laughed behind us. “He means he can understand every language spoken in this kingdom—and every other.”
“Now that sounds like a helpful skill for a mercenary.”
Cavis’s eyes widened slightly, and he glanced past me to Lorian. Whatever he saw on the brute’s face had him nodding and falling back.
Marth took his place. “And what can you do?” I asked him. He gave me a slow smile.
“I get glimpses of a person’s past.”
Curiosity prickled at the base of my neck and I opened my mouth, but Lorian had already gone still behind me.
“Enough,” he rumbled.
More secrets. I gave up, turning my attention to my own thoughts.
Unfortunately, those thoughts consisted of imagining Mama’s last moments and picturing Tibris in all kinds of terrible situations, my mind asking questions I couldn’t answer, over and over again.
We stopped before sunset. Lorian swung his leg over the horse, offering me his hand. I was so stiff, I took it, and he slid his other hand around my waist, helping me dismount. I’d expected to feel repulsed at his touch, but his huge hands were oddly comforting.
The bank to our left was high and steep. It would give the horses some protection from predators, while the tall oaks would shelter them from the elements. To our right, the river beckoned. We’d be able to bathe, although I knew just how cold that water was.
“Why have we stopped?” We could likely have traveled for a few more hours. My skin itched with the need to put more distance between us and the guards.
The other men began setting up camp, Rythos and Marth disappearing into the forest—likely to find wood and hunt for dinner.
Lorian eyed me. “This is a good clearing for us to rest. Besides, you need to practice with your power.”
I flinched, my gaze swinging around the forest behind us, as if someone would hear the word and arrest me for treason.
Lorian waited until I’d glanced back at his face. “Sit for a few minutes while I see to the horses, and then we’ll get started.”
I nodded, watching as Rythos returned, carrying a pile of wood. “Can I help?”
Rythos slid me his easy grin. “Nope.”
I watched as he strode to his horse, bringing the tiny lantern he carried everywhere back with him, along with a small bucket. Both hung off the side of his saddle.
“Why do you carry that with you? And more importantly, why does the fire in the lantern never go out?”
“It’s fae fire,” he murmured. I stared at him, and he shrugged, as if carrying around something the fae used was a normal occurrence. “People from Gromalia use fae gifts every day without being labeled sympathizers.”
What must that be like? Such a thing was unimaginable in Eprotha.
I couldn’t help but sidle closer to Rythos, intrigued despite my efforts to ignore the flames.
“What does fae fire do?”
He smiled. “Once it catches, it never goes out.”
“Sounds dangerous.” It also sounded incredibly helpful.
“It is. It’s also one of the best ways to ensure you can always light a fire when you’re traveling. Some people even use it in the city—right beneath King Sabium’s nose.”
Those people were literally risking life and limb to do such a thing. I couldn’t understand it.
“If it never goes out, how do you douse it each morning?”
“A plant called damask weed, dried and ground into a fine powder.” Rythos picked up a tiny bag. “Just a pinch mixed into a bucket of water, and it’s extinguished.”
Dangerous, indeed. And a good way to accidentally burn a village or town to the ground.
“How do you know if it’s fae fire and not normal fire?”
He smiled and lifted the lamp. In it, the flame burned like any other. But as I peered at it longer, the center of the flame appeared almost…purple.