Page 97 of A Baron of Bonds
We sat near a small stream, only another hour’s walk to the Fortress, and I began to recognize more of the details of my home.
Offering Philius an apple, I sat next to him on a rock while Mychael and Rev spoke together of Felgren’s history.
“You’re lucky you get to bring this at all, you know,” I mentioned, my boot lightly tapping the trunk. “When most channelers come here, they cannot bring anything from their homes, let alone an entire trunk which I’d guess is filled with wine.” I raised a brow at him in a challenge to deny it.
He bit into his apple and eyed the trunk, before looking back at me, shrugging.
“Also,” I continued, “the Baron of Felgren typically dresses you in formal clothing that suits your personality, and a conduit ring”—I lifted my right hand—“is formed on your finger.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he huffed, chewing with his mouth open just to annoy me.
“I wasn’t sure you remembered. It’s not like we saw Offerings growing up.”
He cleared his throat and murmured, “I’m sorry I missed yours.”
“It’s not like it was arealOffering. I didn’t have a choice, and you were still in bed from what almost killed you. Of course you weren’t there.”
“I’m still sorry for it.”
I nodded, sighing. “Why did you agree to come?”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly fulfilling my duties at home.” He took a last bite of the apple and threw the core into the stream, watching it bob up and down as it was carried away. “Besides, I don’t trust him. And I want to see you safe. Like I should have done.”
I blew air out of my lips, exasperated by this continuing conversation we came back to time and again.
He laid back against the rock, his hands behind his head, soaking in the sunlight. He reminded me of the orange and white cat we once kept hidden in his room so that the Queen could not take her away. She loved to bask in the sun, too.
“What would he have to do then?” I asked, looking for a way out of this endless argument. “What would Revich have to do to earn your trust?”
He shrugged one shoulder, eyes still closed. “Turn back time?”
“He can’t do that.”
“Then I will probably never trust him.”
“You’re impossibly stubborn, Prince Philius.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He peeked one eye open with a slight smile. “Oh, you’re one to talk.”
“I know I’m stubborn, but at least I’ll admit it.”
“I’ll admit I’m stubborn, too, then.”
I tilted my head back and groaned.
The sound caught Rev’s attention and he turned to us, in question.
“Let’s keep moving,” I said, standing and thinking of all the ways I could return Philius’s grating remarks using my own short temper.
Rev slipped his hand into mine, and we continued our journey forward, the Fortress soon in sight.
The black towers joined the tops of the trees, and though they once had felt looming and dark, I couldn’t help but smile seeing them again. The Fortress was such a contrast to the forest, but I no longer minded as I once did. Now, it felt more like a place of rest and recovery. Now, I saw the Fortress as shelter from the elements, a place I could curl up into with a good book and a good lover.
The windowless structure met us in its usual defiance of the green that surrounded it, though creeping vines of ivy still fought their way up its black stone steps.
Rev put his arm around my waist and pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head without a word.
He turned to meet Philius and Mychael. “Welcome to your new home, channelers. We’ll get you settled in the tallest tower,”—he jerked his head to the dark stone spire that rose high into the waning blue sky—“and then we’ll meet in the dining hall for dinner.”
