Come sunrise, the mood was serious and determined. They packed up the camp quickly, and Luella set a fast pace. Over the following days, the terrain slowly got rougher, and the trees thinned, until one afternoon they found themselves on rocky rolling hills covered in low vegetation, the forest left behind.
The weather remained on their side, with day after day of bright skies. Though the path Luella kept them on was narrow and uneven, their pace was steady, the horses navigating the rugged terrain with little trouble. Luella continued her frequent scouting, and Felix looked over his shoulder constantly, but nobody else came after them.
Isolde still rode beside Felix from time to time, making observations and comments on their journey, but it was not like before. The chatter that had filled the afternoons – her pointing out a particular plant or some shape she’d seen in the clouds – faded. She talked less and spent many hours writing in her journal. Whenever she did speak, there was a distance in her voice, as if her mind was elsewhere. Luella and Garren noticed it, too. Luella cast concerned glances toward Isolde as she watched her walk away from camp in the evenings, her figure vanishing among the scattered rocks and dry grasses. Garren would simply sigh,shaking his head slightly but saying nothing, and often getting up to check on her.
Felix tried to brush it off. He told himself it was better this way, that she’d gotten fed up with trying to get to know him, or maybe his savagery had scared her off. As it probably should. Yet when she withdrew into her tent at camp or wandered away from the fire, he found his eyes drifting after her.
The days rolled on, and their journey continued without incident. They moved further and further from Azuill, and Felix estimated they were now skirting the foothills of the Sunstone Mountains to the west.
One morning, as they were guiding their horses through a shallow valley, Isolde held her horse back to join him. There was an excitement on her face that Felix hadn’t seen in a while. He raised an eyebrow at her, intrigued.
“I want to show you something,” she said, her voice hushed. Her gaze flicked toward Garren and Luella up ahead, but neither was paying them any attention.
Now Felix was even more intrigued. “What’s with the secrecy? Did you put nettles in Garren’s bedroll?”
Isolde giggled, shaking her head. “Nothing like that. Look.”
She held her hand out in front of her, fingers balled into a fist, then slowly unfolded them to reveal three small pebbles.
“Oh, rocks,” Felix said, trying to keep his voice light, not wanting to deflate her positivity. “Are they some kind of special rocks...?”
Instead of answering, she stared hard at the pebbles. A faint blue glow gathered around them, growing brighter, and one by one, the small stones floated upwards until they formed a neat line in the air. She moved her hand to the side, and the pebbles moved along with it. Finally, she curled her fingers, and the three rocks drifted back down into her palm. She closed her fist over them, looking up at him, beaming.
Felix blinked, struggling to find the right words. “That was... That was...”
“Levitation!” Her smile was radiant. “I’ve been practising. At first, I thought magic was like water, flowing wherever. But it’s not – it’s a force, and it’s energy, and it’s... so many things! It can spill when left uncontrolled, but it can also be directed. I figured if it can push people and objects, why not more precisemovements?” she babbled, her excitement palpable. “So I practised; pebbles, sand, other small objects...” Her voice trailed off, a hint of uncertainty creeping in. “Do you think I shouldn’t be doing this?”
“No,” Felix answered without hesitation. He was an idiot, thinking she’d been brooding, or otherwise disengaged. She had beenpractising. Of course she had. She wasn’t afraid; she would not hide. She was going to experiment with this magic until she mastered it. That was just who she was. “I think it’s brilliant,” he said. “You’re brilliant.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her eyes. Something tightened oddly in his chest.
“Well, it’s a small trick,” she said bashfully. “But with more practice I can do more – different things, even. The possibilities are practically endless…” She paused, biting her lip. “Don’t tell the others, though. I don’t think they’d approve.”
Felix frowned. “Why do they have to approve? You don’t need their permission to do anything.” But as he said it, another part of him gloated; she had come to him to show off the results of her hard work. Not to Garren or Luella, but to him.
Isolde opened her mouth as if to argue but paused, a small frown creasing her forehead.
“You’re right,” she said, her tone tinged with surprise. “I... don’t. Not really.”
Felix smiled, watching the realisation dawn on her face – a realisation of her own agency. He hadn’t given it much thought before, but as a young noblewoman, others’ decisions had likely defined most of her life. He’d grown up on the streets with nothing, but at least his life had always been his own – to shape, change or walk away from as he pleased. When he no longer wanted to work for the Duskrend or fight in the pits, he’d simply left. There had been some grumbling and harsh words, but nothing else. But for Isolde, this was the first time she was truly out on her own, and she probably viewed Garren and Luella as extensions of her father and family. But this was her mission, not theirs. By rights, she should lead their group.
“I always wished to be a mage when I was little,” Isolde blurted out, interrupting his thoughts. “I remember trying so many things to see if I had any magic.Almost stuck my hand in a fire once…” She smiled ruefully at the memory. “But nothing ever happened. Not even the tiniest spark of magic. It devastated me when I was well past the age when magic abilities usually appear. I knew people who had all kinds of amazing powers with no effort, and there I was, studying magic constantly, getting nothing in return.” She took a breath. “So I studied other things – because knowledge is power too. But it always stung, knowing so much about magic but never being able to be a mage. And joining the circle would have meant I didn’t have to live the typical life expected of me, of course.”
“To live in a nice big house with servants and lots of good food?” Felix asked, teasing her. “Sounds terrible.”
“No… Well, yes, but I meant having to marry some puffed up frog and have his babies,” Isolde said, a faraway look briefly crossing her face.
“Hmm. I see what you mean. You’d be wasted on a frog.”
She blushed again. Felix decided he should make her blush more often.
“Tell me about magic. Isn’t the god of magic supposed to be dead?”
Isolde nodded. “Yes. Magic is something earthly, they say, not divine. The Triad supposedly doesn’t govern it. Hence the ley lines. But the available theory on that is… vague at best.”
“So how does it work?”
“Well, I am not completely sure yet howmymagic works. But for a mage, or a lower magic user, they are born with – wait. A question for a question!” She gave him a mischievous smile.
