Page 27 of Storm In The Sky

“I can try coming up with a spell that will alert me when they move away from Carlyle’s spell,” Ansley said. From his expression, it was clear he was already thinking about the kind of spell he’d have to cast.

He loved these magical puzzles, but this was a dire situation. They needed to find out what Carlyle was up to, and they had. The problem was that Keylon wasn’t sure they could do anything to stop him.

“Where are you?” Jarvis asked Emory. “Have you had any luck finding him?”

“Not so far. I found a place where he stayed for a bit, but he’s not here anymore. I think he knew you might be able to find him here. It’s the place where he was born.”

“I should’ve thought about looking for him there.”

“I don’t think you would have found him. I doubt he stayed for long. Probably just enough time to rest and let his magic build up a bit. He’s good at hiding. He always has been, but I’m sure I can find him.”

That was the only thing they could do now. Both Ansley and Emory were trying to find Carlyle, and in the meantime, the other mages could only train and hope for the best.

And in Keylon’s case, hide from his dragon.

* * * *

Winter hated feeling like things had gone back to how they’d started. He was confused and worried about Keylon, who’d been avoiding him. Winter had thought they were past that, but clearly, Keylon had panicked when Winter had talked to him, and he still felt that way.

Winter wasn’t sure he understood what was going on in Keylon’s mind. He’d thought he was doing everything Keylon wanted—telling him he wanted them to try to be together and that he didn’t want to stop being his shield. It was what everyone expected from them, and for the first time, Winter was okay with that.

He wanted to protect Keylon. He wanted to be sure nothing would happen to him, especially with the fight with Carlyle looming on the horizon. More than that, he was attracted to Keylon, and he liked him. Now that he’d let go of the foolish idea that he and Samuel would be together, Winter could see himself with Keylon. He didn’t know if it was because they’d been together before or because Keylon was a lovable, stubborn man, but Winter wanted more.

That was easier said than done, since Keylon never stayed in the same room as Winter long enough for Winter to even say hello, let alone talk to him.

Winter had thought Keylon wanted the same things as he did, but if that was true, why was he running?

He kicked a pebble and watched it disappear into the lake. The mages were having a meeting right now, while Marlow, his son, and Bennett were flying over the castle. They’d asked Winter to join them, and he’d been tempted to say yes, but he wouldn’t be good company. He was too worried, both about Carlyle and about what was going on in Keylon’s mind.

“You’re not usually the kind of guy who mopes,” Samuel said from behind Winter, making him jump.

Winter turned to his best friend and glared. “And you’re not usually the kind of guy who sneaks around and scares people to death.”

Samuel looked Winter up and down. “You don’t look dead to me.”

“It’s a miracle I’m not,” Winter grumbled.

He would always love Samuel, and he was glad he hadn’t lost him. He wouldn’t know how to go through life without his best friend. But sometimes Samuel was infuriating. He knew Winter like no other. Winter had no doubt that if Samuel was here, it was because he was planning to give him a piece of his mind, and Winter wasn’t sure he could deal with that right now.

“What’s going on?” Samuel asked.

“Nothing. I was taking a walk and spending some time alone.”

“Okay, you can try that again, but this time, be honest with me. What’s going on?”

Winter sighed. “It’s Keylon. The usual.”

Samuel grinned and bumped their shoulders together. “Can you believe it? You have a mage.”

“I don’t know that I do.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I went to talk to him. After I had time to think about what happened when I kissed you and my feelings, I wanted him to know that I’m not in love with you. I told him that, and that I wanted to continue being his shield. I kissed him, and he kissed me back.”

“Those all sound like good things. I’m proud of you for finally getting your head out of your ass.”

Winter pushed Samuel, who stumbled toward the water. He managed to stop before getting his feet wet, and Winter was tempted to push him again. He wanted to know what Samuel thought he should do, though. He’d been trying to fix this on his own and had failed, and he didn’t know what else to do.

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