Movement near the stables caught my eye as Isla and Drystan led the testy agrippa-mountain mare up the hill. The breeze picked up, floating her thick gray forelock to the side. Tempest was edgy, her hooves popping up too quickly as she trotted in place. Drystan’s grip was firm on her reins, keeping her from bolting back to the pasture. I rolled my eyes.Mares.
“Tiberius says you have a request?” I signed as Kellan and I met the three of them halfway.
Drystan nodded as he halted, placing a hand on Tempest’s withers to calm her.
“We found Drystan’s caeluma,” Isla announced, taking a step back as Tempest’s hooves left dinner-plate-sized indents in the soft grass.
My brows shot to the sky, and I opened my mouth once before clamping it shut.
Is he serious?I asked Tiberius, to which my own pig-headed caeluma responded in a resounding cackle.
Drystan cut me a look.
“I know you think she needs more work,” he signed after shoving her reins in Isla’s hands. “But I feel a bond with her. She’s the one.”
I blinked, allowing myself a moment to clear my thoughts, and I released a breath. I trusted Drystan.
“Of course.” I nodded, stepping forward and raising an eyebrow at the agrippa mare.
Her ears flattened against her head as she met my gaze.
“Sure you don’t need a little power up?” Isla asked, her black brow rising as she scanned me. “You look a little tired.” Her amber eyes flicked to Kellan, and her lips tilted into a knowing smirk.
“I am not tired.” I scowled, rolling out my shoulders.
“Liar,” Kellan murmured beneath his breath. “And I’m not sorry.” His hand slipped to my braid and gave a little tug.
The movement alone was enough for me to lean into him, but I resisted the urge and strode forward to take Tempest’s reins.
“All right,” I muttered, leading the agrippa mare away from the small group.
I stood before her and reached into my chasm of power, listening for the clever little tune of the Transcindiel before closing my eyes. I smiled as the golden, transformative light lifted its head, and we soared up my consciousness together.
I wrapped it around my bond with Tiberius before I dove into the universe of threads connecting everything and everyone until it landed on that braided, silvery thread. It sparked in the distance, tempting me with its gentle, warm pull. I smiled at it, a flicker of recognition urging me to stop and wrap myself around its glittering magic.
I pulled my attention away from that silvery thread and toward the reed-like bonds of the Bellators. They swayed as I neared, a small one flickering eagerly as I passed, before Ipinpointed Drystan’s. I shoved my power into its sparkling light, creating a new thread, a new bond. His caeluma.
The light escaped my outstretched hand in glittering swirls as I opened my eyes and directed its power around the gray agrippa-mountain horse before me. My mind replayed every memory of Drystan, every moment with my fellow Bellator—the joy, the hope, the challenges, the bond of our friendship.
The sparkling Transcindiel soared around Tempest in a wave of light as the power drained my energy in a sickening squeeze. I blinked against the shining light, my arm flying up to shield my eyes as it flashed, before guttering out entirely.
I heaved a sigh and took a step back. Kellan’s hands were on my shoulders, and my back pressed against his chest as I gathered my footing.
A fierce whinny ripped across the rolling hills as gray exploded in my vision. Tempest reared, her massive hooves inches from my face before Kellan whipped me back. Colossal wings, peppered with black and gray feathers, spread wide before us as Tempest’s wild eyes shot back and forth.
A smile stretched across my face as I took in her magnificent form. Another winged agrippa. As if reading my thoughts, Tiberius shot down from the sky, his hooves thundering against the cushy lawn.
My gut clenched and my smile disappeared as Drystan’s face fell.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, moving toward him.
He slowly shook his head, staring at Tempest as if she were a stranger.
“Do you feel?—”
“I feel nothing.” He cut me off, the lashing movements of his hands sharp.
I reached for his arm, but he stepped away, an edgy wave of emotions slipping through his Bellator barrier. Confusion…hurt…hatred?
