Page 161 of Winter Gods & Serpents

He heaved, breathing in loud concerning paces. “Silas has laced this whole place in craft, I will not be able to do more than simple magic. Our magic is not trained to be fuelled by life force. Let us go back, this is not worth your life.” In command to his magic fatigue, the wall of mist dispersed revealing a grinning Melanthe.

Simple? That was simple magic? I’ve had my fare share from the taste of magic and Aura, no one had ever emitted that much magic that it had leaked onto the air.

She clapped sombrely. A look of disgust etched in her unforgiving expression. “I heard about your Adriatian guards. He must be powerful given that I have inked this place corner by corner in craft.” She drew attentive, taking him in for a moment before grinning wide. “Is that a prime bloodline I smell? However, I wonder how long he will be able to hold out, it will be my entertainment for tonight.” Her fists began glowing red again. Her magic begun to pull the hair of my neck up, or was it Kilian’s? Still, it was one that sent my senses vibrating in alert.

Sigh. I had to retreat, this was going to be impossible anyway even if we could take Melanthe down, there were Verglasers behind her and I was unarmed not to mention the seal atop the chest that I would never be able to break or breach through, it had the imprint of her magic, one broken only by her. My courage became my stupidity today, I pushed knowing this battle was at my loss. At least now I knew whatever my father was cooking needed magic—crafter magic, and that worried me a plenty.

I could not hide the frown of disappointment at today’s events while I took a few steps back on retreat.

“Thank the heavens for taking my side just this once,” Kilian murmured and reached for my hand again, the feel of his warmth somewhat comforting.

Melanthe straightened, pulling her magic down she smiled in satisfaction. “Just as I thought,” she saluted waving her hand in the air. Had this been another moment, I would have pierced a burn through her chest before she could utter a word or draw an inch of magic.

Her eyes flickered and narrowed for a split second, tilting her head to study me she spoke, “You stink of a dark crafter’s magic, one very familiar as well.”

My steps halted at her assessment.

“Maybe you are sniffing your own stink, cows usually eat where they shit so they forget their own smell, and you are most definitely one stenchy cow.” Nerves were thumping on my temples and sweat coated my palms. I swallowed down my dry throat, trying to calm my ragged breaths.

I could feel Kilian’s questions and curiosity beside me, though I didn’t dare turn.

“Are you alright?” he asked, startling me in surprise. Not the question I expected from him, but my welfare was more important than his curiosity I suppose. My worth to his kind was more important.

I pulled my hand away, his eyes intently following it while I tucked it behind my back. “Why would I not be?”

“Crafters are terrifying, some of their magic can be vile. It works first as a scare defence technique by creeping in your thoughts to put fear there, enough for you to lower your guards for their attacks and then have you ready to easily fall under whatever they cast.”

I gathered myself tight, feeling the brisk air through the thin layers of my clothes. “You know quite a lot for just a guard and is every one of you this powerful to resist magic suppression from a crafter’s veil? A prime she said, I didn’t know there were so many primes to spare?” I asked, trying to wash my own curiosity. A prime was hard to stumble upon in this day and age. I was one and odd one, both bloodlines I derived from, Krigborn and Skygard, were primes in their respective. In Isjord there were probably a handful few left, all old and carefully tucked to preserve the last remnants of pure magic. This one was too part of that rare group.

He took off his jacket and threw it over my shoulders, tucking me tight. At the touch of his scent, I grew hungry again. Maybe for him. “Did you think Adriata would send just anyone to protect you? And why on bright round Cynth would you be so curious as to know what load of rubbish would have been on that chest, enough that you would challenge a dark crafter and a whole two dozen Verglasers, unarmed and in your nightgown at that?”

His frustrated voice made me smile. “Don’t underestimate a woman in her nightgown. The more undressed I am the more distracting I can be. I am distracting enough even dressed for you,” I teased, throwing him a wink to stab his fragile, soft, and easily provoked mind.

He pulled my hair over the jacket. “I give up, you truly are impossible.”

“I prefer irresistible,” I said, pulling my arms through the large sleeves of the jacket still warm from him. “Though heavenly is still fine by me.”

A corner of his lip tucked up. “You probably enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“I did. Call me that again any time you please.”

“Does it not give you terribly dirty thoughts?”

“Point on, but you did offer me a hand.”

He cast me a glance, he meant it a warning but it only gave me dirtier thoughts.

He halted before we entered the castle, his eyes had taken that shade of worry again. “Shall I take you to your mother, we can grab blankets from the servant chambers. There is still time for you to rest.”

I didn’t know why his words took me by surprise. I had told him before that their resting places was my place of calm. He knew I had slept there before. All of the sudden it felt embarrassing. “I can’t sleep.”

“My magic could help you,” he offered.

Annoyed, I faced him. “And that Kilian, would be over my corpse.” Though that night he had helped me just fine without it, I’d slept like a babe. All he needed to do was gather me in his arms and I’d be drooling in no time.

“Go to Nia, she helps you sleep sometimes, right?”

Bastard. Was this his idea of bringing people to reconcile? I put a finger on his chest in threat. “Don’t push it. Though someone else could. If Elias was here, I bet he could do more than put me to sleep.”