Page 112 of The Dark Mage
“So you and Zev aren’t going along to fight the imperials?”Ren’wyn asked after a moment.“Is that typical?”
Esrin regarded her thoughtfully.“One or more fighters always stays at camp with whoever remains.That’s almost always Avonlee and usually Sorya and Relya too.I imagine Lia this time as well.She’s still healing, and honestly… I don’t know if she’ll ever be the same as she was before.”
Ren’wyn thought about her own moments of breaking, about the jagged pieces of herself she’d struggled to hold together and the ways she was healing into somethingnew.
“Probably not,” she said quietly.“Wounds, especially deep ones, change us.Sometimes they sharpen the edges of who we already are, making us truer versions of ourselves.Other times, we shatter completely.And when that happens, we’re left piecing together what we can, filling the gaps with the new self we create.”
Esrin let out a slow breath.“That’s… a hell of a way to put it.”His voice lowered.“How many gaps do you carry?”
She gave him a sad smile, a bittersweet expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes.The dark creature inside her still prowled, waiting for her to feed it with her anger.
“I think Avonlee and Lia will make a lovely pair,” she said after a pause.“Hopefully, they can heal together.”
Sadness flickered in Esrin’s smile as he nodded.“I hope sotoo.”
31
The raiding party rode north the next day, saddling up before dawn.Ren’wyn was impressed by the thorough plans Miguel and Fael had presented the evening before.They would wait among the rocky cliffs a mile east of the crossroads.Fael had prepared them for the possibility of facing twenty to twenty-five imperial soldiers, all trained to fight andkill.
Miguel packed slow-burning charges to set the carts aflame once they were done, and the group agreed to prioritize nonperishable foods, blankets, rope, and bows or arrows as their target goods.Ren’wyn would cloak them in darkness, though she warned that with their group spread out, the veil would be slight rather than a full shadow cloak.Still, the others had nodded in amazement, grateful for even a shred of extra cover.
Fael took on the role of lookout, ready to incapacitate anyone who might spot them.He spent hours practicing his stealth, asking permission beforehand to sneak up on their campmates.Ren’wyn enjoyed watching him work—the way his movements were fluid and silent as he emerged from the trees or slipped between tents to grab his target.
That was, until it was herturn.
On her way back from sparring, Fael clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her behind a tent.Her scream was muffled by his callused palm, and adrenaline surged through her veins.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered huskily, releasingher.
Ren’wyn turned to him with a scowl, shoving his chest.“You scared the shit out of me,” she hissed, her disapproval sharp.
Fael’s chuckle only made her angrier.“Don’t do that again.”
But instead of backing off, he pulled her close, the heat of his body burning against her skin.Her breath caught as his head tilted towardhers.
“I’m sorry,” he said, though his wry smile gave away thelie.
The earlier rush of fear transformed into something else entirely.Fael’s smiling lips hovered a breath away before his mouth crashed into hers.The kiss was hard and wild, stoking the flames of her desire.His touch scalded every inch of skin his fingers brushed.
Ren’wyn grabbed the front of his tunic, wrenching him closer, a deep rumble vibrating in his chest.He reached down, his hands firm on her backside, lifting her off her feet and backing into the shrubs lining the campsite.
“How quiet can you be, Ren?”Fael whispered, his voice rough and teasing all atonce.
She barely had time to breathe before he carried her deeper into the cover of the trees.There, hidden by the branches, they made love furiously and silently, releasing their passion in hushed gasps and shuddering breaths.
The memory warmed Ren’wyn’s cheeks as they rode through the fading light of their first day’s journey.
Miguel found a grassy clearing to camp for the night.There wasn’t much concern about being caught, as they passed easily for a traveling band of mercenaries.Irik lit a fire while Miguel threw beans, peas, and salt pork into apot.
Ren’wyn helped Leta remove a splinter, applying a poultice to fight infection.Leta kept her laughing with stories of Miguel’s worst travel meals, though she made sure to thank him and admit to her own inability tocook.
Nearby, Fael sat sharpening his sword, looking so much like that first night by the Farro River.Ren’wyn’s gaze lingered on his graceful hands as he ran the whetstone along the razor-sharp blade.The fluid motions of metal, stone, and fingers created a mesmerizing rhythm in the flickering firelight.When his eyes rose and caught hers watching him, Fael smiled sweetly, sending a flutter through her stomach.
“Sharpen mine next, Fael,” Irik called, tossing him a sheathed sword.The interruption shook them from their longing look.“And save those looks for the privacy of your tent,” he added, rolling hiseyes.
Fael laughed hard, shaking his head as he sheathed his blade and reached for Irik’s.“You’re going to have to keep a close watch on Ren’wyn,” Fael chuckled.“She’s the one starting all the bedroom glances, and I can’t help it if she cuts such an attractive figure in the firelight.Can you really blame me?”
His eyes were full of mock innocence until Ren’wyn’s bedroll hit him square in the chest.
