Page 36 of Desire

“Snow?”

“The men have charms too,” I said. “I can feel them. They’re like yours. Protection, perhaps?”

I frowned at what that might mean. Why would Maeve send men protected from magic to retrieve me? Did she know I could cast? But how when I hadn’t even known when I’d left?

“Can casters sense one another?” I asked.

“If a caster is not masking their presence, yes,” Garron said. He took my hand, gently dislodging it from his charm.

“I apologize,” I said.

“We trust you, Kellen. I removed your hand to hold it because you looked worried, not because I thought you might do something.”

“Iamworried. Why do they need protection against magic?”

Understanding lit his gaze. “You fear that they know you can cast. I doubt that is the case. Not all charms are to protect against magic. Likely, theirs are to protect against the beasts. But it would be wise to teach you how to sense magic.”

We stood by the trees and practiced until the light faded from the sky. By the time we turned to join the others for a late meal, I could feel the barrier that kept the beasts from the glade. It pulsed like the charms around each of the brothers’ necks. The same but different. Theirs were so much stronger than the barrier and the charms with the trackers in the woods.

“The book speaks of determining the energy used to cast based on how much is depleted from one’s well. How do I know how much is in my well?” I asked between the bites of stew Eadric fed me.

“I struggled with that too,” Garron said. “It’s a feeling, like sensing the barrier.”

“I can’t feel anything though.”

Garron nodded. “I was the same and found it very frustrating. Henry told me to be patient. He said gauging the cost is something we learn as we cast more spells. He was right. I began to feel the cost the more I did. Once I felt the cost, I could sense what was in the well.”

“Which is the opposite of what the books say,” I said.

Garron grinned slightly. “Casting does test one’s patience.”

Eadric chuckled at the face I made and fed me another bite.

“You look like you could use a cuddle, Lamb,” Daemon said. “Join me, and I’ll help you forget your frustrations.”

“It is your turn to wash the dishes, isn’t it?” I guessed.

“No, it’s Brandle’s.”

I gave him a suspicious look.

“I believe I’ll rest inside.”

“It would be better if we remain outside tonight,” Garron said. “We will be more aware when the mist rolls in.”

“Mist?” Brandle asked.

“Kellen said the trackers will likely attack with the mist in the morning.”

The brothers all looked at me, and I shrugged lightly.

“I can feel the mist, and I can feel their intent. The one I unmanned is angry and wants to take me quickly. The one I injured is still in too much pain to move.” I paused eating and looked at the trees. “I don’t know if he will be able to join the others when they attack.”

“If he doesn’t, that would give one of us a chance to check for the charm you mentioned,” Garron said.

“Alone?” I asked at the same time Edmund and Brandle said, “Charm?”

“She can feel they have something with them that’s similar to our amulets.”

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