Page 178 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

Eleonor’s mouth curled up a bit in distaste. “I will not raise what is not mine. Children are not stray dogs to house and bathe and…pet.”

Good. I’d wish it upon no child to have a mother like such.

“Indeed,” Mal said, stepping hard on my foot. “They are not.”

Apparently I was glaring at the woman.

“How did you come to do business with my father?” Arun asked and laughed. “Almost slipped my mind, it was the first thing I wanted to know.”

“Common interests,” I said, folding my cutlery on the plate. “After the Isjordian attack it was clear Silas had no intention of submitting to the agreement, so I needed to make another.”

Arun blinked with surprise. “All the way through to Solarya?”

“You're suggesting I rather make a silk and spice trade with the eudemons instead since we share territory?”

The Vayr couple laughed uncomfortably. It was obvious the two didn’t have many social interactions between these walls because they wore their emotions like a fresh haircut—nice and trim. “Of course not,” Arun said, waving a hand. “Solarya has gained a strong ally in these challenging times, we are thankful.”

“The sunset falls lovely on the pond,” Mal commented again.

“It does,” Eleonor agreed. “It looks even more captivating when it falls over the lake behind our premises.”

“I’d love to see such a sight,” Mal said with a grin and throwing my wife’s aunt a wink.

A bloody wink. Gods. And the woman blushed ten shades brighter than the salmon before us.

I glanced at Arun, hoping he missed the odd interaction, but he was entirely too entranced by his green beans.

Eleonor cleared her throat and turned to her inattentive husband. “Sweetness, shall we give our guests a tour of the premises. It would be a shame if they leave without seeing the archway you built near the lake not long ago.”

The Sun Prince nodded. “Whenever you wish.”

“Thank you for the food,” Mal offered, standing. “Ready now, before the sun disappears.”

Arun was still chewing when he looked up, confused at my brother’s eagerness. He swallowed and stood, too, wiping his hands on a table towel. “Let us then.”

The golden sun was perfectly cut in the centre as it sank down the Hollow Sea. There was a mild chill breeze and a faint trickle of locusts still chirring in the distance as we followed the walkway through the lightly beige tinted grass. Since we’d left the veranda, the obsidian in my pocket had almost burned a hole through my wools.

Now, if I could get Arun and Eleonor not to pay attention for a small minute so I could spell the ground of White Bridge to direct us to them.

As if reading my mind, Mal swung an arm over Arun’s neck, startling him. “Architecture, huh? I fancy myself as a bit of an architecture fanatic.” My brother turned around to me, forcing Arun to do the same as he was still holding him on a tight head lock. “Kilian on the other hand has a fancy for flowers.” He patted Arun’s shoulder. “You’ve got some stunning gardens, too, Your Highness. Go peruse, brother, I am afraid he and I have a lot to discuss. About all this architecture.”

Eleonor stepped to speak, but my brother swung his other free hand over her shoulder, pulling the couple tightly to him and steering them further in the thicket of sun burnt shrubbery. He kept jabbering about arches and angles the whole way until they disappeared from sight.

Backing myself into the direction of a forest mass just across a pond bridge, I fished out the obsidian that was vibrating and pulsing with heat.

Movement still sounded close to me, and I opened a fraction of magic, sending faint tendrils of darkness travelling through the forest onto a target, invading their mind with emptiness.

The ground sang when I placed the obsidian down. “Moonus.” Show. Once the rock began to glow at the call of magic, I smashed the heel of my foot down on it, sending it to splinter to shards. A vortex of red swirled around the spot and grass scorched underneath, forming the shape of a rune. The cross symbol with the arrowhead meaning here. The magic had been absorbed by the earth and would act as a compass to direct us to find them with some of Visha’s other tricks.

Thora and Eren Skygard were alive. They were alive and on Whitebridge Island.

Snow…I had to tell Snow.

“Brother,” Mal shouted as he chittered and laughed with the two Solaryan royals. “Have you lost your path?”

Fishing out a dagger from my baldric, I dug it into the ground, ruining the rune mark.

“Here,” I said, slowly approaching them. Arun looked confused and annoyed, but Eleonor was trickling with shades of suspicion. “Didn’t wish to offend you by relieving myself into your roses. If you’ve quenched your fancy of architecture, brother, shall we head for return?”