Page 43 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

By moonlit stream and starlit sky,

The journey unfolds, where shadows lie.

With each step taken, courage shown,

The mountain's summit, it shall be known.”

“It's the mountains,” Cressida said, looking at Cyrus.

Cyrus nodded grimly. “I was worried it would be something like that.”

“What's going on? What does it mean?” Renya looked at Cyrus, but it was Cressida who answered.

“The Mountains of Magic. It's said to be a mythical place—”

“It's like the equivalent of Mount Olympus or El Dorado in the human world, Renya. A myth.”

“This means it is not a myth, Cyrus.”

Renya watched her father's face. He was fearful, which scared her to her core. He was always so confident, and seemingly in control of everything. She looked at him, silently questioning.

He sighed. “I've lost many ancestors to this quest. The mountain has been said to be many things in fae myth. The holy grail, the fountain of youth...all those myths in the human world are really tales of the mountains that have made their way out of our world. It's dangerous and has never been found.”

Cressida interrupted. “But no one has translated the book. Surely this brings us closer than anyone ever before.”

“That may be, but I refuse to risk my daughter's life, and that of her unborn child—”

“The choice is Renya's, you old fool. My daughter is much braver than you give her credit for—”

“She's much wiser than you give her credit for—”

“Both of you, stop it. I get to control my own life and my own destiny. And nothing will be solved by the two of you arguing over me.”

“I'm sorry, Renya. I didn't mean to minimize your abilities—”

“It's fine, Father. But before we make any decisions, we need to have Libera research the rest of the text for any more clues that we might need to know. And we also need to inform the others and let them decide if they want to help in any way. We all have skin in this game—and everyone should be involved if they feel comfortable.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Julietta and Triston remained at the inn for another night. Triston was still incredibly concerned about Julietta's head injury, and fussed over her like a newborn babe, all the while ignoring his own needs. He had slept upright in the chair the previous evening, and Julietta decided she was going to insist he get his own room tonight and sleep on a comfortable bed, especially if they were going to try and make it to the Sun Realm the next day.

Triston left early to see to their horses, leaving Julietta alone in their shared room. She finally crawled out of bed, a much easier chore when Triston was gone and couldn't fret over her. His drastic change towards her well-being was a shock to her. She ran her fingers over her lips, thinking about their shared kisses.

It was strange, but...it had felt like she was kissing someone she had known forever, even though the pair had barely spent any time together prior to their journey. She didn't think they had said more than a few words to each other before their bond kicked in.

But when his mouth was on hers...it just felt so natural. Julietta was embarrassed to admit that she had very little experience with men, other than a few stolen kisses here and there from a boy in the village...but what was happening with Triston was radically incomparable.

She was surprised to find something completely different than she ever expected from a relationship with Triston—passion.

His cold demeanor had made her instantly dislike him, discounting him almost immediately. But now, she thought back to how tenderly he cared for her, and how gentle, yet desperate his embraces were, and she found herself more confused than ever. Perhaps it was just something that transpired because they were traveling together and in such close quarters? Once they separated and broke their bond, life would go back on as normal.

But...would it? A part of her feared the loss of their connection, and worried about the ramifications it might have. Was she giving away her chance to have children? She knew that she was far more likely to conceive with a fated mate than any other. Would she ever fall in love? Or would the excitement she felt when she kissed Triston feel veiled and uninspired with anyone else?

She sighed, heading into the bathroom. She needed to focus on their ultimate goal: fracturing the bond as soon as they could. Besides, she was certain that a few lust-filled kisses wouldn't be enough to deter Triston from severing their bond. He was as adamant about it as she was.

Julietta shook out the fine grains of sand that still lingered in her hair, watching as the tiny fragments sprinkled on the floor below her feet. She felt itchy, and was sure she had sand in other places, too.At least Triston hadn't tried to include bathing in his care, she thought, removing her clothing. But the second she pictured him dragging a sponge across her wet skin, she shuddered, and a wave of pleasure went through her, causing her to pulse everywhere.

The sooner they got to the Sun Realm,the better, she thought.

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