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Blue swirls are painted onto the bowls, and they look like waves rippling across the porcelain. The edges are tipped with gold and floral details are etched into the silver spoon.
We talk little as we eat our soup, and soon after we finish, our main dishes arrive. The steaming food arrives on elaborate silver plates, and the rum-glazed salmon I ordered proves to be far more delicious than I expected.
“More wine?” Nolan asks when we’ve cleared our plates. Less than a quarter of wine remains inside the bottle.
“It’s probably best I don’t have another glass, since I have my final trial in the morning.”
“Of course,” he replies.
Nolan doesn’t finish the wine and signals to the waiter for the bill. If Eliya was here, she would lecture us about leaving so much wine.
Once Nolan has paid, he leads me back out of the restaurant and into the cool night.
Outside, it’s trying to snow, and a few specks dust my hair. We reach the bottom of the steps, and Nolan holds out his arm. I take it, linking us together.
“Where to now?” I ask, my warm breath swirling into the chilly air.
“You know, I didn’t think this far ahead.”
“If you don’t have any other ideas, maybe we could head to the fountain in the square? It’ll probably be quiet now. And there are some benches to sit on.”
His gaze sweeps over my thin shawl. “Won’t you be cold?”
“I can conjure an aether shield around us. That’ll stop the wind and the snow.”
“All right,” he says. “Sounds like a plan.”
He begins to walk on ahead, but I pull him back. He raises a brow at me.
“You do remember that I’m a mage in training? I can just teleport us there.”
“Right, of course.”
With our arms still linked, I close my eyes and visualize the Upper City’s square as vividly as I can. Teleporting someone else with me takes more concentration, and a lot more aether. If I’m not careful, I could end up teleporting us somewhere else in the city.
When I’m certain I have thoroughly prepared the spell, I release it. “Laxus.”
Magic washes over us, and we disappear into the night. My body becomes weightless, and I can no longer feel Nolan’s arm around mine.
The floating sensation lasts for only a heartbeat. Then the darkness opens to the scene of the Upper City’s square, sketched in vibrant purple light. Color fills the city’s outline, and the buildings materialize around us.
A mermaid sits at the top of the fountain, carved from stone, and the water flows from her raised hands, splashing against each tier. Long, wavy hair covers her bosom.
We sit beside each other on the nearest bench, and there’s enough distance that our legs aren’t touching, but I still feel his warmth. The snowflakes fall thicker now, and I blink away the few which land on my lashes. Before more can cover us, I encase us both in a bubble of humming light.
“Muriz.”
Aether shrouds us and prevents snow from falling on us. Even the frigid wind can’t penetrate my magic.
Nolan stares up at the shield with a contemplative expression. I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
I also tilt back my head and peer at the stars beyond the aether barrier. With the rippling surface, they are almost impossible to distinguish.
It takes me a few moments to realize that Nolan has lowered his gaze and is watching me. When my attention returns to him, heat floods my cheeks.
“Reyna,” he murmurs, “you look lovely tonight.” He lifts my hand and presses his lips to my skin.
I don’t breathe. Neither do I pull away. So taken aback by the gesture, I only watch as he lifts his lips from my hand and lowers it.
