Though Evylin wasn’t sure what he meant by that, she focused on Deckard. She wanted to ask how he felt about this monumental revelation and to hear what Obel had indicated it truly meant for him. But as she didn’t want to put him on the spot, instead, she said, “I don’t see how it changes much moving forward. You’re still a Mage, and if anything, you’re safer from the Deep than we anticipated, right?”
Deckard tipped his head to the side. “Yes, but this is...”
When it appeared that he wouldn’t be finishing his statement, Vayden did it for him. “Unprecedented.”
“Space is the most powerful resource,” Isla clarified. “Few amongst us know much about it because of how rare SpaceMages are. There are hardly any texts teaching how to employ the magic due to their rarity throughout the centuries. And even though some Night Mages find Space easier to connect with than others, even they struggle to control it. For it to be discovered that Colonel Deckard is one...well, we don’t even fully know yet what this means for our mission.” The hushed tone of her voice conveyed a sense of awe.
“And you’re about to be aBondedSpace Mage,” Brea said, resting her arm over the back of her chair. “Which means the chaos is just beginning. This ought to be fun.”
Thom huffed out a laugh and looked over at Deckard. “Do you have to be the best at everything?” he asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
A small smile lifted Deckard’s lips, and Evylin caught on, nudging Thom. “He isn’t the best ateverything,” she said proudly. “I can still beat him in a sword fight.”
Thom blew a raspberry. “Everyone can beat Jonn in a sword fight.”
Deckard sent them both an annoyed, though grateful, glare. “Thank you for that,” he muttered amusedly, then turned back to the group at large. “This discovery changes nothing about my commitment to protecting our group and completing our mission. Lord Obel granted me what texts he had for my study of this unexpected power, and I am ready to submit myself to further tutelage to ensure complete control.” He clasped his hands together as if to conclude the subject before continuing, “And with our announcements out of the way, we can move on to planning. Firstly, I’d like to welcome our new members to the team. Mr. Calder, Highlady Freye, and Lieutenant Lohen, we’re happy to have you with us.”
The trio gave him appreciative nods, and he went on, “Given the Alliance’s report on Blount and the fact that we have two more Relics to recover, we will leave first thing in the morning.As the Calders have been our navigators, I’ll allow Auden to explain our route.”
Auden drew his shoulders back under their sudden attention. “Well, our journey is rather simple,” he said. “Our first stop is the Terrae Keep in Estshire. As speed is paramount, we’ll return to Verlund Reach at the top of Wauld and cross over to Norhels through the Night and Day Keeps, cutting off days of travel.”
“Damn it,” Thom grumbled. “Do we really have to go back through that hellhole?”
Rafferty pointed toward Thom. “I’m with him! Can’t we just cross the border? Surely, it won’t take that much longer.”
“We don’t have time for that,” Auden insisted. “Blount is already a day ahead of us. The gate from Night into Day cuts two days off our journey. If we leave in the morning, we’ll only just beat him to Olbury.”
“There’s got to be another way,” Thom said desperately.
“What’s got you so riled,mi’caro?” Brea asked with a smirk.
“Breata,” Isla said in a warning tone.
In reply, Brea rattled something in Schonese that sounded something like “Es bromé,” then turned back to Thom in expectation.
“Uh...” Thom stared between her and Isla for an extended moment before replying. “It’s black as pitch inside,” he explained. “Neither Raff nor I could see a damn thing.”
Brea pressed her lips together around a smile, but Vayden didn’t look amused. “Just you two?” he asked.
“Us non-magical folk, yeah,” Rafferty confirmed.
Vayden nodded slowly. “So I’ll be blind in there too.”
“Something to learn, mate,” Rafferty said, tipping his white-blond brows up. “Being non-magical makes this journey a whole lot more difficult. This lot may appear more impressive on the surface,” he brushed his hand toward the majority of the group,then slapped it to his chest, “butwe’rethe ones who survive without a lick of magic helping us along.”
“Fantastic,” Vayden replied sourly.
Brea’s amusement grew. “So we go through the Night Keep, pass through the gate into Day, and then we’re in Ephria. Which, I suppose, puts you back at the helm, Colonel.”
“I suppose it does,” Deckard said, setting his half-empty wine glass on the counter. “The journey from Norhels to Olbury will take roughly nine days. Since we’ll be in Ephria and we have King Ephren’s authority, we’ll have the freedom to enter and stay in settlements, which will also aid our speed.”
Evylin looked forward to the return to Ephria for numerous reasons, their ability to join civilization once more chief among them.
“After we’ve obtained the Terrae Relic,” Deckard continued, “we’ll travel back up through the countryside and onto Ephria City. There, in Loclight, we’ll retrieve the Space Relic. That should take us about thirteen days...” He paused, glancing at Evylin. “The length due in part to the detour we need to make in order for me to release Hewitt.”
Pulling in a sharp breath, Evylin’s heart constricted. Though she knew it was the right thing, allowing Hewitt the chance to move on to the afterlife with his wife and son, she didn’t want to let him go. She’d just gotten him back.
“This Hewitt—” Brea said. “He’s your ghost?”
