Page 21 of The Dark Mage
His power rose, warm and golden, pulsing like a steady flame.Ren’wyn saw it when she blinked, glowing orange and bright.It beckoned to hers, and shadows crept across the fallen leaves, reaching back.The Void wakened, black tendrils of death intertwining with the wildfire of his energy.
For the first time since Esrin’s broken promise, hope ignited withinher.
Blinking away her second sight, she simply said, “Thankyou.”
Then, she stood, brushing off her skirts and reaching for his shoulders.Fael wrapped his arm around her, steadying her as they limped forward.
They walked in silence for the morning, though calling her pace “walking” felt generous.She leaned heavily on Fael, and he bore it without concern or complaint.They stopped briefly for a meal from his pack—hard bread, nuts, and apples.
By early afternoon, they reached the ford.Fael lifted her onto his back with practiced ease, leaving swords and packs on the eastern shore.He stepped lightly from stone to stone through the ford, his oiled boots barely wet to the ankles.
Setting her gently on the far bank, he returned to retrieve their belongings.His effortless display of strength and balance silenced any lingering doubts about his ability to carryher.
Ren’wyn had never known a berserker personally.She had expected gruffness and stoic silence, but Fael surprised her with his quiet kindness.Even though he spoke sparingly, his words were kind and hinted at a warm sense of humor.
If only she felt like talking, but guilt and sorrow hung around her neck, and her voice felt tethered to them.Silence reigned as they continued their journey, one slow, painful step at atime.
They covered a few miles through the afternoon, but as the sun dipped lower, Ren’wyn’s pain intensified.Fael stopped abruptly at her sharp inhale.
“There’s no need to delay your healing for an extra half mile,” he said firmly.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.“Sorry.”
You’re so stupid.So weak, Ren’wyn.Try harder.
Fael ignored her apology, laying out his travel blanket while she hobbled to the edge of the Mere and dipped her leg into the cold water.The fresh current soothed the throbbing ache in her ankle, and she stayed until the worst of the pain subsided.When she was done, Fael helped her back up the bank to the small campsite, his hands bracing her comfortably.
He handed her another hard roll and some salted, dried pork.She ate in silence, sipping from the water skin.Afterward, she lay back while Fael began his exercise.
The berserkers at Spyre had practiced the Passage, and Fael’s movements mirrored the disciplined dance of breath and motion she remembered.The routine built endurance and flexibility with sustained poses and precise transitions.Fael’s shortened version took him half an hour, the golden light of the setting sun casting flickering shadows across his frame as he moved.
His agility was mesmerizing.The deliberate way he controlled his breathing, the fluid grace of his poses, the coiled power of every muscle—it sucked the air from the glade.
Who was this man?she wondered.When did he discover his powers?How was he recruited?How had he survived the imperial army without being executed?
Ren’wyn forced herself to look away.Tamping down her curiosity, she gathered her leftover willow bark and added fresh boneset collected from the riverbank, crushing them together with a stone.Unwrapping her ankle, she braced the splint and wet a strip of linen.Then, she rubbed the crushed bark and leaves into the cloth, rewrapped her ankle, and secured thetie.
The whisper of a sword being unsheathed startled her.Her stomach clenched as she jerked her head towardFael.
In the gathering darkness, he held his short sword, moving through a series of blocks, parries, and slices.Sweat dripped down his face, soaking his shirt, but his movements were deliberate and unyielding.His power radiated, warming the already sultry summerair.
Ren’wyn found herself relaxing in spite of everything.The heat of his magic eased the tension that had clung to her since Vair’s estate.She lay back on the blanket, the scents of earth and sweat mingling around her, and drifted off to Fael’s sword whispering in the nightair.
She woke suddenly, panting and weeping in the dead of night.The screams of the guards echoed in her ears, their clawed hands vivid in hermind.
They’re dead!she screamed inside.
But why did their anguished cries sound so real?Why did the smell of rot crawl into her nose, as if the Void itself were haunting her dreams?
Fael rolled to his feet, dagger in hand, scanning for threats.His sharp gaze softened when he saw her panic, and he crossed to crouch beside her.Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder, grounding her as he pressed her feet and backside against the earth.
Reality crept back in.Her breathing steadied, the screams fading into the shadows.
“Do you have any siblings?”he asked casually, breaking the heavy silence.
Ren’wyn blinked at him, panic giving way to confusion.Was he… distractingher?
“No,” she replied.“I was an only child.My mother miscarried three times after me, trying to provide my father with anheir.”
