Page 67 of Drawn in Blood
“Like I said,” he shrugged, cheeks tinged pink, “it’s from all of us. But I put my own personal touches on it.” He laid out his hand, and she set the phone gently in his palm. He quickly got to work swiping on the screen. “I downloaded a few of my apps, though, just to personalize it a bit.” He swiped a few more times and then smiled, clicking a few buttons. “Ah, right here we go.”
He turned the phone in her direction and began swiping through pages filled with tiny squares.
“This is a tracking app. It acts sort of like the spell, but it leaves no trace—quite dangerous if you’re on the other end.” Fen grinned mischievously as he swiped again. “This one is a database I’ve been putting together for different plants and herbs and where they’re located. It’s also got a spot to record any potions or elixirs you come up with and preloaded standard recipes.”
“Are books going to become obsolete?” Ember laughed as she shook her head, thinking about the piles of Herbal Magic and magical plant books she had in the library at home.
“Of course not,” he replied, a little more serious than she expected, “but you can’t very well stick twenty books in your pocket, can you? This just makes it a little easier to store information.”
Ember nodded—he was right, this did seem very convenient.
“This is one of my personal favorites,” he said quietly, clicking on a glowing blue app on the home screen. “Helios are notorious for not being received when you’re off the island—something about the wards around the island and the disconnect between here and the mainland make it nearly impossible to get through. This will send Helios outside of the island, even completely overseas, as easy as if you were sitting next door.” He beamed as he handed her the phone and let her scroll through it, very proud of the hard work he had put into her gift.
“It’s lovely, Fen.” She smiled, clicking on a small app at the bottom of the screen. “What’s this one do?”
“Oh, that,” he grinned, “that’s for texting. I’ve got my number programmed in already.”
“Mine too.” Killian smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket and waving it in front of him. “Thought it would be best ifwe all had a more discreet way to communicate. Buzzing balls of blue light tend to catch the eye.”
“It’s perfect.” She smiled. “Okay, now your turn.” She laid the phone down on the table, bouncing eagerly on her chair as Fen opened his gift.
“Oh wow!” he beamed. “Em, I love it!” He pulled a sweatshirt out of the box, sporting his favorite Rukr team on the front. A majestic grey horse with backwards hooves danced across the fabric, the stitching from the embroidered animal moving back and forth like water. “The Ykur’s are going to dominate Worlds this year.”
“So you’ve said.” Ember smiled, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. “Now you can properly support them.”
“Thank, Em.” He grinned. “It’s perfect.”
“Speaking of Rukr,” Killian said, as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, “I have a bit of a birthday surprise of my own.” His grin sent goosebumps trailing down her arms as he tilted his head. “Are you ready for your first game this week, Starshine?”
Ember’s stomach did a flip as she swallowed dryly. “I made the team?” she asked with a smile.
“Aye,” he nodded, “You are officially the newest member of the Heksheim Wyverns.” Her grin broadened, and then her stomach sank. She wanted to be ready, wanted to be cool, calm, and collected as she prepared for their first game, but the truth was she was anything but.
“Are you excited?” Fen asked with a smile.
“Of course.” She nodded, failing to act more confident than she was. Fen reached across the table and squeezed her hand, quelling her anxiety in a way only he seemed to be able to, like he could read her mind.
“You’re going to do great,” he whispered, “and you’ll have me and Killian there. Win or lose, we’re going to be fine. We’ll do this the way we do everything else.”
“Together?” Ember smiled.
“Together.” Killian grinned in agreement.
Chapter 19
Taste the Blood
Killian crouched low on his AirWave, racing just inches above the cobblestone. He could’ve walked, could’ve strolled leisurely down Waterware Street to his destination, but something in him was itching to feel the wind in his face. He dodged women carrying shopping bags and dryads trimming trees, closing his eyes as he breathed in the salt lingering in the air. He hopped off his board, leaning it against the wall, and walked into Celestial Steel.
Despite the midday sun peeking from behind the clouds, the ceiling of the shop was covered in stars burning brightly against an onyx sky. Killian stuffed his hands in his pockets, naming the constellations in his head as he stared at the ceiling.
“You’re early, Mr. Vargr,” Cormac said, as he walked in from a back room. “I didn’t expect you until Saturday at the earliest.”
Killian shrugged with a small grin. “I had some extra time and thought I’d see if they were ready.”
Cormac gave a knowing smile and pulled a small box out from behind the counter, twirling it in his hands. “Finished them last night,” he said, as he laid it on the counter and pushed it toward Killian, “I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever molded a setting quite like that.”
Killian opened the lid and grinned, then quickly snapped it closed and stuffed the small box in his pocket. He handed Cormac a few silver coins and waited as the man counted them.
