It wasn’t until they were safely back in their house alone, and he had placed the satchel holding the Arcanth on the table by the hearth, that Sebastian spoke.
“Are you okay?”
She just wrapped her arms around herself and stared out the window. What good would it do to voice it. Saying the fear aloud wouldn’t change the truth of it. Three weeks.
She heard him sigh.
“I can tell you’re not. I can feel it,” he said, pointing to his chest. He stepped closer, ice-blue eyes fixed on hers. “Talk to me, Kara.”
She shook her head, but his hand caught hers, his grip unbreakable.
“Kara,” he said insistently. “Please.”
The dam broke.
“Three weeks,” she said, blinking back tears. “That’s all we might have. I can’t – Gods, Sebastian, I can’t stop thinking it’s not enough.”
He stared at her, weighing his words carefully. “I know what it’s like to march into a battle not knowing if you’ll come home. It’s... normal for me. Comes with the territory.” He smiled faintly. “But you–” He broke off, exhaling hard. “You make it different.”
Her heart actually hurt at the words, and he was quiet for a few moments. He cupped her face gently.
“I can’t promise forever, Kara,” he said. “But I swear – I’ll fight harder than I ever have.” He placed a soft kiss her forehead and her tears spilled over. “Because three weeks isn’t enough for me either.”
“I’ve never had to fight before. Not really, not until the fire temple. But I’ll fight now, Sebastian. With everything I have. We both have to survive this.”
Golden magic snaked out of her hand unbidden, and wrapped around his, as if it were a binding vow. He tugged her down to the bed.
“Come on, let’s get some sleep. We have training tomorrow.”
She cuddled into him, holding on with all her strength. Though her mind was busy circling, her body was exhausted. And his presence calmed her. Sleep found her within minutes.
The next morning, Veyra wasted no time.
“Good. Now again,” she ordered, circling them in the training ring.
Sebastian braced himself, watching Kara’s newest attempt. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Palms outstretched, golden-yellow magic glimmering. The ground shuddered. Roots shot upwards this time, clawing at his boots. He cursed – then barked a laugh when the vines burst into blossoms, white petals drifting around his feet.
“Progress,” Veyra noted coolly.
Sebastian held out his hand. A ruby-gold shimmer flared into a shield, but this time it was no wider than Kara’s shoulders. It quivered, delicate as spun glass, then cracked. He let it vanish with a grunt. “That’s longer than yesterday.”
“A vast improvement,” Veyra agreed.
Kara looked at Veyra curiously. “We have your shield magic, but will we be able to see the future too? Like you can?”
Veyra considered her. “One day, perhaps. Your magic will open you to it, but the Sight takes years to master. You may get flashes, instincts. But if you tried to truly See, open yourself to prophecy without training, it would be chaos.” She studied them both, face serious. “A thousand possibilities colliding at once. It could drive you mad.”
Sebastian frowned. “So we can’t use it for the battle.”
“No,” Veyra said in agreement. “It would make things more dangerous.”
Sebastian and Kara exchanged a glance. A mix of disappointment and relief.
“Then we fight with what we have,” Sebastian said.
Veyra nodded. “Precisely.”
Without meaning to, ice-white magic appeared at Sebastian’s hands and his mind brushed Kara’s in an instant. A single surface thought cut through him, desperate and unguarded:
