“How I’ve missed the sweet taste of freedom,” Silas said, tilting his head towards the sky. He’d made just one request as Sal had unlocked his cell door, to feel the sun on his skin again. I was only too happy to oblige, sitting next to him on a stone bench in the Old Keep’s courtyard, allowing myself a moment of peace. Reuben had released me from my duties for the day to help him settle in, a kindness I was certain I owed to the founder.
Making the bargain had been a formality once we’d secured her approval. Silas had been taken to Reuben’s office, who looked less than thrilled at the prospect, the white light of the magic binding him and the four leaders of the Night Ravens together. When it was done, I’d flung myself at Silas, nearly tackling him to the floor.
The courtyard was a hive of activity. It fulfilled a dual purpose, a training space for the sentries and somewhere everyone could enjoy the outdoors without leaving the safety of the wards. Silas’ gaze was fixed on the keep and the twisted tree that stubbornly grew through it, his jaw set. His hand rested on my thigh, absent-mindedly rubbing it through the material of my trousers.
I motioned to a group of sentries, their bare chests on full display as they grappled. A suspicious number of young women loitered nearby, eyeing their bouts intently. “Can I tempt you to join them?”
His dimples protruded as he smiled, his mood lifting as I’d hoped it would. “Are you sure you could control your jealousy? I’d attract quite the crowd.”
“I believe I could tolerate it if it meant being blessed with such a striking view,” I said.
His eyes burned into me. “Rest assured, that view is for your eyes only.”
A steward interrupted us, handing Silas a pile of clothes identical to my own. He thanked them, rifling through them and holding the creased shirt up to the light. Warmth settled over me at the sight. It was real. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“What do you reckon? Will the colour suit me?” he asked.
“It’s not quite the gown I promised you, but it will do in the meantime.” I stood, pulling him to his feet. “Are you ready for the grand tour?”
“Does it include the dormitory?” His gaze roved over me hungrily, leaving no doubt of his intentions.
“It does, but before you get too excited, you should know we’re sharing a room with thirty others.”
His expression soured. “I wasn’t planning on an audience.”
“There’s a bright side to my punishment. I now have intimate knowledge of the castle.” I trailed a finger down his chest, Silas shivering in response. “I know where the sentries don’t patrol, and the location of every forgotten store cupboard. Once you’re settled in, I think we should investigate further.”
His hand caught mine, stopping it from travelling dangerously low. “Then we’d better get the necessities out of the way, because I won’t stop until we’ve crossed off at least three things from my list.”
With that to look forward to, I started the tour with the bathing chambers. Private stalls in the cellar held large, sunken pools, maintained by a handful of Water-Blessed fae. Where the dungeons were dark and dingy, here, sunlight peeked through gaps in the stone, reflecting off the calm waters. I led Silas into the nearest room, turning to leave.
“Aren’t you joining me?” he said, lingering by the doorway.
“Not if we want to achieve anything today. Wash quickly, then get changed.”
“You’re no fun.”
The breath rushed out of me when he emerged after several minutes. His damp hair was brushed back, a few rebellious strands falling onto his face. The cheap shirt fit him snugly, doing nothing to disguise the lean muscle underneath, and he’d left it open at the collar, exposing an indecent amount of skin. Thankfully, his trousers were loose, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a soul in the Old Keep that could keep their eyes off him.
“Careful now. Look at me like that for much longer and I’ll have no choice but to abandon this tour,” he teased, catching me red-handed as I ogled him.
“Don’t you dare distract me from my important work,” I said, but my lip curved up in a grin.
The dormitories were up several staircases on the third floor of the keep. Silas’ mouth hung open at the bunks crammed inside. How we practically slept on top of each other. It was the worst part of being a Night Raven.
“This one’s mine.” I gestured to a barely used bunk. I only stayed here on the odd night I wasn’t on a mission, a rare occurrence, yet all scouts had their own bed allocated to them, a precious comfort to help us rest. “We can share until you’re assigned one. It could take a while. They’re still trying to make some rooms habitable.”
“If you want to cuddle, you just need to ask,” he said. “But if you insist on sharing a bunk, I suppose I’ll go along with it.”
Once he’d packed away his meagre belongings, he joined me on the familiar walk to Reuben’s office. We returned downstairs, cutting through the empty dining hall, and out into the courtyard to reach the east wing. I taught him where to step to avoid the worst of the damaged staircases and cracked hallway. The last thing I wanted was for Silas to require a visit to the healers.
“Aren’t we going inside?” he asked, watching me carefully as we hovered outside Reuben’s door.
The truth was that I didn’t want to. Reuben’s betrayal was a raw wound, festering as time went on. Facing him would poison Silas’ first day when it was the lift to our spirits we sorely needed.
“I’ll spare you that particular ordeal for now,” I finally said. “Reuben will request your presence soon enough.”
If I had my way, he never would, but there was no doubt Silas would join the scouts. I hoped Reuben wouldn’t be too tough on him.
I continued the tour, showing Silas where he could pick up supplies, and how to handle Barrett; and the medical room where healers patched up our more serious injuries. Finally, we ducked inside the library to introduce him to the scholars.
It was just as cluttered as Reuben’s office, but with old books lining the walls instead of scrolls. A series of desks took up the floor space where scholars were hard at work, studying texts and making copious notes. Over the course of my punishment, I’d joined them, sometimes waking up hunched over a desk after a particularly late night.
Eldon greeted us with a smile. He was short and bald, with beady eyes that never missed a thing. His second in command, Idina, who also happened to be his wife, waved at us from her desk. He wasn’t traditionally handsome, but whenever he looked at her, it was with such warmth that his whole face lit up, bringing out the radiance that lurked within.
“So, this is who was reading all those books you borrowed?” Eldon asked, studying Silas with a fascinated gleam in his eyes.
“Guilty as charged,” Silas said.
“The pursuit of knowledge will always be an admirable quality. We are fortunate to have you. I’ve heard you have quite the Blessing.” Silas beamed as Eldon turned to me. “I know you’re not scheduled to join us this evening, but there’s something I’d like to test. Would you come along at the usual time, both of you?”
“What is it?” I asked, curious. Eldon was a man of theories. If he wanted to test something, it was promising.
“I tasked Carmelia with studying rock compositions, among other lines of inquiry. For a while, it appeared to be a lost cause, but yesterday, in a tome that’s seen better years, she found references to a type of rock that could absorb magic and inherit its abilities.”
My eyes widened. “You think that’s what Dorea touched?”
“It’s possible.” For Eldon, that was a grand statement.
“Why do you need me?” Silas interjected.
Eldon lowered his voice so only we could hear. “You’re a powerful source of magic. From what little we understand, ancient magic is fickle. It seeks power, craves it. If my suspicions are correct and Dorea was exposed to it as an Unblessed, it’s possible that it’s draining her life in the absence of any higher power. If I can find a way to isolate your Blessing, and contain it in something she can ingest, we may be able to free her from its influence.”
It could work.
Silas nodded. “I’ll give you whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking at them both.
“Don’t thank me yet. This is just the beginning, but it’s progress in the right direction.”
“I hope so.” Time wasn’t on our side. With every failed attempt, the chances of saving Dorea were further out of my reach.
When our hunger became impossible to deny, we made our way to the dining hall. It was worse than I’d imagined. Hundreds of heads turned toward us, voices falling silent as we took a slice of pie and sat down. No one found the courage to join us as we perched on the end of a bench, Silas nearly finishing his meal before I’d taken a bite, but my skin prickled with awareness.
On the other side of the room, Norwyn ate, glaring at us. There were no visible injuries on his head and he’d managed to procure a new pair of spectacles, but the damage to our working relationship had been far deeper than that.
I jolted at the sound of a bowl being placed on the table. Calliste slid onto the bench opposite us. Long braids neatly framed her heart-shaped face. Her umber skin glowed in the candlelight, her brown eyes alight with curiosity.
“So, you’re the one who brought a lord into the lion’s den. Bold move, I like it.” Her gaze travelled to Silas. “And you must be the lord in question.”
Silas winked at her. “You can call me Silas.”
My gaze strayed to Norwyn again, his hand shaking as he held his fork.
Calliste turned to see what had caught my attention. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just annoyed you bested him. Leave him to lick his wounds for a few days.”
“I don’t know if he’ll be so quick to forgive and forget,” I said.
“Take it from someone who’s known him a long time. He will once his ego’s recovered. Just be prepared for him to ice you out in the meantime.” She leant towards us conspiringly. “I heard you broke into a hostile camp and stole evidence. Is it true?”
“For a secret order, everyone sure is terrible at keeping secrets,” I muttered under my breath.
“It’s true,” Silas said, wearing a proud smile. “We took out a dozen guards in the process.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Consider me impressed.”
Reuben joined Norwyn’s table, both of them shooting furtive glances in my direction.
Calliste sighed. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but Reuben means well, even if he does a poor job of showing it.”
“He betrayed my trust,” I bit out.
“Have you known him to do anything without good reason? You have every right to be pissed off, I’m sure, but don’t let it ruin this opportunity for you. You’ve earned it.”
We were interrupted by a squeal of delight.
“Cal, when did you get back?” Sal strode over to our table, engulfing Calliste in a bear hug.
“Late last night,” she answered, her voice muffled.
Sal jabbed a finger at Silas. “I wasn’t at the gatehouse to greet you because of the trouble this one caused.”
“I’ll have you know I’m a delight.” Silas said, indignant.
“And I’ve waited months for this.”
Calliste patted her arm. “I have a gift for you. Remind me later.”
“This is why you’re my favourite scout.” Sal gave me an apologetic look. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I replied.
Leaving them to their reunion, I finished Silas’ tour outside the Old Keep, leading him through the Yewdew Forest until we’d passed through the wards. Reuben had insisted that Silas remained within the confines of the forest while the council was still looking for him, at least until there was a plan in place for the mission. Silas had reluctantly agreed, but I could tell being stuck here weighed on him.
“I have something for you,” I said, removing the bow and quiver from my shoulder and handing it to him.
“You’re giving me your bow?”
“No. Mine’s still tucked away in the dormitory. This one’s yours.”
Silas gazed at me in disbelief. “You bought me a bow?”
“I had it made especially by one of the Earth-Blessed fae, though I think I may have scared him a little. I remembered how much you enjoyed using mine on our journey, and I thought you could practise while you’re stuck here.”
“Thank you, I’ll treasure it.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“You don’t have to thank me. You’ve given up everything to be here with me. I want to make it as easy on you as I can.”
“So, what’s next?” He smirked. “Another boring lecture for me?”
I glared at him. “They weren’t boring, they were informative. It was thanks to my lessons that you know how to use that bow.”
“And I’m eternally grateful.” His lips brushed the tip of my ear as he spoke into it. “Why don’t we find one of those cupboards you mentioned?”
If he thought it would be that easy, he was mistaken. “You’ll have to catch me first.”