“Against the Hematites?” I ask, needing to know.
“Yes. We are going to get Everly,” Hector says, then he leaves the tent.
I think about calling after him and telling him I will fight alongside him. Knowing I cannot use Bloodstone magic again until I learn how to use Tersah’s magical flowers keeps me from insisting. Besides, I cannot risk what the darkness could do to the little spark of life growing inside me.
Also, I need to rest and recoup my strength. Though, the high gods know that will be difficult to do when Hector is fighting.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Itoss and turn and will sleep to find me, but without Hector it’s impossible. He’s so close, yet so far away. Tomorrow, he’ll leave for war.
Everything in me wants to join him, to fight next to him. I even think of several different reasons why I should be there with him. Everly needs me. I could heal the injured.
Then, I remember how I was when I was forced to leave Karra. How the darkness grew inside me and took over my heart and my hands. If I don’t learn how to use my Kyanite and Bloodstone magic properly, I’ll be in the same place. And it could kill the life growing inside me. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.
Shadows play across the walls of the tent as I rise to sitting and shove my braid over my shoulder.
I need Hector!
Determination and longing fuel me as I slip off the bed and grab Hector’s cloak. I drape it around me and step outside. The moon bathes the camp in a soft glow as the two guards stationed near my tent follow me.
“See the light.”I blink, caught off guard by that croaky voice again. It’s the same one I heard in Lanvilla that prompted me to free those slaves.
A gentle wind teases the hem of my cloak as I pause and stare up at the full moon,seeingthe gods.Feelingtheir presence.
They are here with me, even when my heart is heavy and I’m struggling to understand why they didn’t stop the Hematites. They are truly here.
I inhale a breath of cool air and pause outside Hector’s tent. Hector’s guards nod at me, offering silent permission. As I lift the fabric and step inside, my gaze immediately jerks to the far side of the tent, where Hector sits on his bed, his eyes fixed on me.
“Hello.” I shove my hair behind my ears. “I can’t sleep.”
He lifts his blanket and nods toward the space next to him. Relief races through me as I hurry across the tent and climb on the bed with my husband. His warmth surrounds me as I lie next to him, allowing my body to brush against his.
“Did you miss me, Sol?” he asks, his voice teemed with humor.
“Yes. I cannot sleep so far from you.”
He shifts to lying on his side and meets my eyes. “Tell me about your time in the past.”
I swallow and shake my head.
He tucks his blanket around me. “Why not?”
“Because it was terrible. I was stuck in Rock Mountain, and I couldn’t find Everly for three weeks.”
“I felt your desperation.” He allows his knuckles to skim my cheek, his touch slow, soothing. “And I felt your fear. It destroyed me, knowing I couldn’t stop any of it.”
I stare into his eyes, seeing the sadness, the empathy for me. “You were mean to me in the past.”
A slow smile spreads across Hector’s face.
I roll my eyes. “You know that you were mean to me.”
“You approached me looking old and ragged. What was I to think?”
The mattress creaks as I inch closer to him and lace my fingers with his. “You could have been nicer.”
“Iwasnice. I kissed you.”
