“Horses leave in an hour,” he said right before he closed the door.
I stuck my tongue out at him and blew a raspberry.
Mature? No.
Satisfying? Also, no.
He’s frustrated me and disappointed me at nearly every turn lately. And apparently the feeling was mutual. All because I did what hisfriendand lord asked of me.
I internally screamed as I quickly gathered my belongings, hoping I would have time for one last meal before we left.
Chapter 69
Faylinn
The journey from Hestin to Vespera was longer than the journey from Vespera to Hestin, simply because we rode horses—not in carriages—and didn’t use unnecessary Earth Magic to speed our progress.
“We’ll get there when we get there,” was Lex’s gruff response when I mustered the courage to ask.
No one, not even Sasori or Ilyas, seemed to be in a mood to talk while we rode, so I ended up riding in silence by myself, which proved to both be detrimental and beneficial.
On one hand, I was able to categorize and catalogue some of the new plants and animals we’d seen while in Hestin, and I added them to my ever-growing journal of wildlife in Elyria. Eventually I’d publish it as a reference book . . . or maybe I’d keep it for myself. I hadn’t yet decided on that particular course of action.
On the other hand, I had ample time to let my mind wander and fixate on things that weren’t beneficial to me in the slightest.
Like Rohak and his undiluted anger toward me.
And Lord d’Refan’s strange comment about Ellowyn.
And Ben and Asha still unconscious in Vespera. At least I thought theywere still unconscious. They were when we left a little over a week ago, at any rate.
Ben.
The closer we rode to Vespera, the quicker my heart beat, and the more my palms sweated, not just from the heat and journey. I started reciting mundane facts about plants and their medicinal properties just to keep my mind occupied but felt even those slipping away as we crossed into Vespera. My scars started itching in earnest as we breached the city gates, and a steady buzz took residence under my skin as we passed the Academy on the way to the stables.
I shivered involuntarily, purposefully not looking at that giant black building.
Lex and his Bonded helped our small group of Mages dismount and pass horses to the stable boy before leaving with a clipped goodbye.
Apparently, Rohak didn’t give them instructions to escort me to the palace.
I sucked my teeth and crossed my arms as I walked, my feet lightly slapping the stone walkways, muscles aching from the ride.
Stupid to think he cares about you at all, at this point. He trusted you and you betrayed that trust.
I stomped up the stairs to the manor and, with a slight nod of acknowledgment to the Mages on duty, let myself in. Everything looked and felt the same as when we left, a fact that surprised me for some reason. There was no dust on any surface, and the whole place smelled faintly of fresh bread.
My stomach growled, and I put a hand there to try and stifle the sound.
Ben and Asha, then food, I told myself.
Something in my soul felt broken and sick without knowing about Ben. I’d abandoned him to his fate, unconscious first from Mage Sickness, then from a Forced Life Bond.
How will he feel about me if, when, he wakes up? Will he be angry? Happy to see me? Will he be . . . different?
Questions plagued my thoughts as I pushed my way through the doors that separated the servants’ quarters from the rest of the manor house. The halls were relatively empty, a few servants rushed from one job to the next, and I kept my head down while I hastened to Ben’s door.
My steps faltered and eventually halted, however, when I heard screams coming from the general direction of Ben’s room.
