I believe we will have one lavatory stop as well at the wall so be sure to use your magic then too.
Okay.
You are tense, love. Please try to relax.
I glared at him.It’s so very easy to do that when you merely command it out of me.
Renna elbowed Krew so fortunately I didn’t have to hear Krew’s witty comeback. I looked away and at the scenery, hoping it wasn’t too obvious we were having an entire conversation without words.
Onward the horse’s hooves clacked. I tried to take some deep breaths and focus on the sun shining and the full view of the scenery, but there were so many horses’ hooves, because of all the guards, that it was quite loud and annoying. We were barely able to hold conversations out loud at all until the road widened halfway through Savaryn and the guards were able to spread out.
Deciding not to carry on in awkward silence the entire trip, I turned slightly toward Krew. “Where in Nerede are we swapping horses?”
He rattled off the location of a farmer who’d stalled the royal horses for the past few days for this very reason.
I smirked.
“What?”
“What are the odds you will let us have twenty minutes so I can take Molly to see the sea? She’s always wanted to.”
Krew cocked his head. “I’m sure all of us, guards included, will be ready for a break by then.”
There was a gasp. “Really?” Isla asked.
Krew gave her a tight smile. “Why not?”
Isla beamed at me. “I’ve always kind of wanted to see it too.”
“Well don’t get too excited, the water will still be absolutely frigid,” I warned her. “But the beauty will be the same.”
I felt awful for this newfound friendliness I had going with Isla. She assumed it was because we were the other women, and Renna was for sure marrying Krew at the end of this. Little did she know, I’d already won.
I didn’t want her to hate me, but I feared it’d happen anyway when it came down to it. But for Renna’s sake, I almost wished Krew would take Isla and me into the final two, so Renna could finally leave the castle.
“It’s just around the next bend,” Isla whispered excitedly, eyes on the road before us, seeking out a glimpse of her family’s estate.
As the horses began slowing, my magic slightly buzzed. I pushed it down, willing it not to be seen on my skin.
I was fairly certain I’d be fighting my magic down today, but I hadn’t really thought it would happen this fast. That was why Owen and I had trained so hard this morning. I wasn’t even out of Savaryn and my magic was already flaring? How would I be expected to last the entire day if I couldn’t even make it out of Savaryn without issue?
While Krew helped let Isla down, I took a moment, shutting my eyes and trying to calm my magic.
As soon as Isla was walking toward her family, her back to us, I immediately kicked off a shoe and used my magic to move it back and forth, keeping my hand and shoe both underneath the blanket draped across my lap, as not to draw the attention of any guards.
My shoulders went back as my magic flared yet again. Despite using magic to move my shoe, I felt the hum of my power hit me in a wave, my magic wantingout.
“Jorah?” Renna asked, sounding fuzzy because my magic was increasing in intensity.
I looked at my free hand, astonished it was not crawling with silver with how I felt. Any minute now I would feel that pulsing sensation and my veins would begin glowing.
“Jorah,” Krew asked more urgently from where he stood just outside our carriage, “what is it?”
Why was he still here? Shouldn’t he be greeting Isla’s family? My panic was rising. There was no way I was going to be able to contain this. It was going to overtake me. The pressure of it was so great I thought it might snap my spine in half.
Owen was off the horse and beside me in seconds, trying to ask me to take some deep breaths before anyone noticed.
That was when I noticed Krew’s magic also flaring. I vaguely remembered his word choice from weeks ago. A built-in defense mechanism.
