Page 76 of The Faceless Mage

“Are you ready to leave?”

Leisa jumped three feet in the air and turned to where the object of her thoughts had just emerged from the trees on silent feet, lowering his hood and wincing as the sun hit his face.

No, she realized with chagrin, he wasn’t any less fascinating by daylight, though his silver-gray skin and white hair somehow seemed far more at home under the light of the moon. But he was still gorgeous, and his focused regard made her begin to blush again until she had to turn around and hope he wouldn’t notice.

“Just need to wash up,” she announced brightly. “Give me a minute.” Then she zipped off into the trees towards the sound of running water before he could ask any questions about why she was acting so strangely.

Time, unfortunately, was short, so she didn’t have time to wash much. Just to splash some water on her face, plait her hair, and compose herself before walking back to the campsite where Kyrion waited, arms folded, her pack over his shoulder.

“Ready!” she announced. “But I don’t know exactly where we are, so I’ll need you to get me started in the right direction.”

“We didn’t come far.” He made no move to hand her the pack. “We’re still in Eddris. If we head north, the border with Farhall should be no more than a day’s journey.”

“Great!”

Egad, she sounded like an idiot. She really needed to pull herself together and squash all these ridiculous, wistful thoughts.

But before she could even begin, he’d turned and walked away, forcing her to jog to catch up.

She followed him through most of the morning in silence, partly out of uncertainty and partly out of necessity. She wasn’t yet back up to full strength, and he was setting a pace that pushed her to her limits.

Eventually, though, the silence seemed to grow more and more awkward, so she risked breaking it.

“What do you plan to do while you wait?” she asked tentatively. “I hope I won’t be too long—no more than a few days—but you’ll be alone out here.”

He shrugged. “I’ve waited ten years. A few more days is little more than an inconvenience.”

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come with me? Farhall has quite a few residents who aren’t human, and I’m sure Soren would welcome you.”

“No,” he said, and there was no room for negotiation in his tone.

When he showed no signs of continuing the conversation, Leisa fell silent again, feeling weary and confused. Perhaps he preferred not to talk. Or perhaps he simply preferred not to talk toher.

But despite her weariness, as she trailed him through the forest, she couldn’t help but continue to be awed at the way he moved through the trees. Effortless and graceful, he seemed to blend with the shadows, his form a mere flicker that could easily be mistaken for a passing fancy of the imagination.

Once, he stopped to listen, then signaled her to halt while he disappeared, so quickly she couldn’t even tell which way he’d gone. When he returned just as suddenly, he took her by the wrist and led her in a different direction, giving her all manner of heart palpitations at the feeling of his skin against hers.

It was possibly the strangest day of her life, and despite her need to return to Arandar with news, she didn’t want it to end.

Too soon, the sun began to sink, and Leisa began to recognize their surroundings. Too soon, the bright, narrow ribbon of a road appeared through the trees up ahead.

Kyrion stopped.

“You will be safe from here?” he asked, staring at the road instead of looking at her.

“Yes.” She stepped up to stand beside him. “I know where I am. If I stick to that road, I’m sure to run into a guard patrol before long, and they can take me the rest of the way.”

He nodded, a single jerk of his head. “I will return to the other side of the border. If you approach that general area, I’m certain I will be able to find you from the noise you make blundering about in the forest.”

It was on the verge of being a joke, but he looked almost angry.

“You shouldn’t have to wait for long,” she reminded him. “Hopefully, Soren won’t keep me above a day or two to answer his questions, and then I’ll be free.”

“If I let you go”—he paused for a moment, his jaw clenched tight—“you will come back.” He said it as if trying to convince himself that trusting her was the right thing to do.

“I won’t betray you,” she said firmly, but she could tell it did no good. He still wasn’t sure of her, and she wasn’t certain there was anything she could do to change that.

Unless… Touch had always strengthened their link, so perhaps there was one last thing she could try.

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