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“You can see my thoughts?” I asked pulling back.
Jealousy bloomed over his features.
“You sent them barreling down the mark. I didn’t know I could until I saw Jesper kissing you.”
“I didn’t mean to show you. They came out of nowhere.”
The tension was palpable for only a moment before it was gone.
“He’s an ex. I knew of him, but I don’t want to see it.”
“I don’t know how to control this thing.” I pointed to the mark. Cassius wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly for a long moment.
“Your barrier saved a lot of fae, Thea.”
“I wasn’t sure it would work.” The scent of night and rain and pine drifted from him as he pulled us down on the bed, so we were both lying down, and I snuggled into his side. We didn’t say anything more. We just relaxed in the presence of each other. It didn’t feel long before Cassius sat up and pulled me along with him.
“It’s time to wake up, My Love,” he whispered as he kissed me. “The witch's stone is in the throne room, highly guarded by men you trained.”
Confusion must have taken my features because he offered a larger explanation.
“You were the Captain of the Cerithian guard, it’s how we met. It’s why we were always trying to kill each other.” He gave me a proud smile. “You are a great warrior, Thea. Even without your magic, you are clever, smart, tactical, and strong. You are the best Captain of any guard the realm has ever seen. A true leader. You just need to believe that about yourself.”
Captain. A female captain? I nodded as if I understood, but it was hard to wrap my mind around it. I knew I was part of the guard, but the Captain? It was nice to know I was successful even without my magic. Cassius’s words sank into me. I needed to believe in myself enough to be a leader. I didn’t need to wield my magic around to do things well. Cassius gave me a long lingering kiss. This could be the last kiss I ever give him.
“Don’t ever think like that again.” He growled as he pulled away.
“Sorry,” I whispered before kissing him again. He devoured my mouth like it gave him life before pulling away.
“I’ll see you soon, Little Viper.”
?????
I nodded as I faded back to the cave I had been sleeping in. I lay there for a moment to gather my thoughts. My fire magic was growing wild under my skin. It was ready for whatever we were about to step into. We would do this, but how many of us would come back? I stood up wrapping my cloak around me and stepped outside the cave.
Walking to the small clearing between all the leafy trees I watched the greystone castle in the distance. The large blue flags whipped around in the warm breeze. There was a distinct smell of flowers and sunshine here, where Crimson smelled like forest and rain. There was a large city at the base of the castle, like in Crimson, but this city looked larger.
There were tall buildings that were the same stone as the castle, but the rest of the buildings looked weathered. Small homes made from scraps of wood and other mismatched items sat on the outskirts of the tall buildings. It was still pretty but held nothing to Crimson.
The others had started emerging from their spots in the cave. Haden walked up to me as I looked over the landscape that was nearly opposite of Crimson in every way.
“How’s it feel being back here?”
“Odd.” I sighed. “It all looks so familiar, but not at the same time.”
Haden nodded as he stared at the castle.
“I’ve been looking at the landscape. The best thing to do would be circling wide to the right to the grouping of trees close to the castle and scout the guard rotations before making our way in.”
Zade and Kace both came and stood with us. We all just stared at the Kingdom of Cerithia in silence before we gathered around to make somewhat of a plan.
“Cassius said the stone is in the throne room and heavily guarded,” I said.
“Cerithia is known for their level of skilled guards,” Haden spoke softly. “Trained to be ruthless.” His eyes moved to me. “By Thea herself.”
He hadn’t meant it negatively, but I wished the Gods above that they would give me some insight into my own past. I shook away the thought. Cassius said I was a true leader even without my magic and I believed that. We didn’t need my memories. I was a skilled fighter, Kaz and Kai made sure of that.
“If I trained them, then I can beat them,” I said confidently. “Someone should stay back just in case something goes wrong so you can get word back to the Crimson Kingdom.”
