Page 148 of A Baron of Bonds
Karus burst out laughing, unable to hide her excitement. “He won your heart with soup!” She covered her mouth with her hands as more servants entered the kitchens to begin their day.
“He has not won my heart, Karus, I just like him.”
“It’s alright, Pompeii. I think Karus has a crush on him, too,” I teased.
She gasped and threw her napkin at me. “I do not! I can just see how handsome he is, that’s all.”
“Something anyone with working eyes can see,” Pompeii murmured under his breath.
She looked across the table at me, shaking her head and heaving a heavy sigh. “Well, I’ll leave you two to your trial preparation today. I have some channelers to train.” She rose from the table and walked around it to kiss me goodbye, holding onto me longer than usual.
I didn’t let go first.
“Meet me in Viridis for lunch?” she asked.
I nodded, and she left, giving Lia one last furrowed glance.
I leaned forward on the table, rubbing my face.
“She’ll be ready.” My Overseer saw right through my facade, and I wondered if he guessed about the Baron trial.
I set my eyes on him, my hand over my mouth in a frown. “I know she will be. She probably could’ve passed these trials the first day she entered Felgren.”
He took another bite and poured himself some tea, nodding. “She’ll make a great conduit.” He rose a brow at me.
I sighed and drained my cup.
“The first two trials are prepared?” he continued.
“Three. Only the agricola trial is left.”
“Ah. It almost seems pointless, doesn’t it? All that work and she’ll breeze through each, especially that one.”
“She wants to prove she can. She wants to be treated like any other channeler and given the chance to prove she can become a conduit.”
“She is much more than that.”
“I know,” I agreed, now convinced he knew I was working on more than just those four trials. I was glad he didn’t ask me. I’d have to lie. “I just want to give her the choice.”
Chapter 61
Karus
Rain splatteredmy cheeks in the late spring downpour. Parvus was not particularly great-smelling when he ran in the rain, but he was getting wet where we were headed anyway.
Moira flew in front of us, skillfully dodging some of the fatter droplets. Six channelers rode behind me.
Ilyenna and Talon followed at a slower pace in the rear. Ilyenna insisted she was well enough and early enough on to be able to ride a walking lumen to the Great Stream. I agreed with her, though Talon moped, insisting she ride one of the oldest and slowest lumens.
Rauca ran beside Parvus, no rider on her back, and she sprang over log after log with ease. I’d found only a few curled vines around her tail this morning.
Parvus, however, was now sporting what looked like black seed pods from his inner hind legs.
“I hear it!” Moira yelled in front of us, over the sound of pounding feet. “We’re almost to the stream!”
I looked behind me to check on the four channelers keeping pace. Rell and Renn were hunched down low, giddy grins on their faces as their lumens bounded forward. Mychael held a similar stance with a smirk on his lips.
Philius, however, looked practically green, the night’s celebrations for the coming baby hitting him hardest, and I rolled my eyes.
