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The corner of Elowynn’s mouth threatened to lift upward before she looked quickly toward the sea again.
Caelyn noticed and she was grateful he didn’t comment on it.
“You missed breakfast again,” he added.
Elowynn groaned. “Stars above! Must we continue discussing my eating habits until the end of all time? I swear…”
“You nearly collapsed carrying books last sun!”
“I was tired, Caelyn.”
“El, you walked directly into a wall.”
Elowynn stared at him, her expression flat. “In my defense, it was poorly placed. It appeared out of nowhere with very little warning.”
Caelyn laughed beneath his breath. The sound lodged itself inside her chest. Elowynn had not yet decided whether she found it pleasant or annoying.
Possibly both.
Caelyn adjusted the bundle of firewood beneath one arm before nodding toward the narrow pathways winding along the lower cliffs.
“Come with me,” he said.
There was something unusual in his expression, like he was trying very hard not to look pleased with himself and failing entirely.
Elowynn blinked. “What? Where?”
“You’ll see.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That is not a very good answer. At all.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and it made him look quite boyish. “It is the only one you’re getting.”
“That usually means you are about to do something questionable. Remember the time you almost set the storage wing on fire?”
A few Moons earlier, Caelyn had attempted to repair a failing section of the abbey’s old lantern wiring using salvaged resonance components taken from a dismantled observatory relay. According to him, the systems had appeared structurally compatible. According to Sister Agatha, that logic was precisely how entire wings of old buildings burned to the ground. The resulting surge had flooded half the corridor with sparks, terrified three Sisters into believing the aethercurrents were rupturing, the war finding its way upon us, and very nearly set the storage wing ablaze.
Caelyn grimaced as he recalled that incident. “The replacement parts were, in theory, compatible.”
“In theory,” Elowynn repeated flatly. “Until the entire corridor started sparking.”
Caelyn had the audacity to grin wider.
“Will Sister Agatha approve of whatever you've planned?” she asked, brow lifting.
“Possibly.” A breath. “But probably not,” he said, looking like a cat who had just stolen the cream.
Elowynn crossed her arms. “This is rather concerning.”
Caelyn finally laughed before turning toward the cliffside path. “Then you should probably come make sure I don’t accidentally throw myself into the sea!”
Elowynn stared after him, narrowing her eyes with unmistakable suspicion.
Then, gathering up her robes, she hurried after him.
The lower cliff paths stretched beneath the abbey; its narrow ribbons of weathered stone were carved directly into the coastal rock from generations past. Sea spray dampened nearly every surface while fluffy green moss climbed the jagged stone walls in soft silver-green patterns. The wind smelled strongly of saltwater and Elowynn could feel the spray of the sea on her face.
She kept one hand against the cliff face as they descended.
