AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You could have died,” Solia said.
“She almost did,” said Lio.
“Well, she didn’t.” Mak interjected. “It would take more than a stupid fever to defeat Cassia.”
Bless Mak. Cassia smiled at him.
Solia did not smile. “Fevers can leave damage.”
“No wonder your memories of that place and time are hazy.” Lio rubbed her back. “I’m sure the fever left your mind in a blur.”
“I lost days…weeks, I suppose, while I was recovering.” Cassia shrugged, belying how those blanks in her memory unnerved her. Gaps in her information were holes in her armor.
“That’s why your constitution hasn’t been the same.” Solia’s tone was almost accusing, but Cassia knew her anger was directed at the fever and time and distance.
Cassia had once been uncomfortable speaking of the fever’s side effects, but now she had a more Hesperine sense of propriety. Lio already knew, and it was the sort of thing one confided in one’s sister. Besides, Mak and Lyros were the least concerned about mortal fertility of anyone. “Well, it left me barren, but that has never been a source of grief to me. I’m working very hard to become fanged and even more barren as soon as I can.”
Lyros gave a sympathetic laugh. “That’s the spirit.”
“Clearly Orthros is the place for you,” Mak agreed. “Plenty of babies, none of the breeding.”
Solia dropped her reins, but her horse stood still under her while she pressed her hands together. She took a deep breath, then reached over to touch Cassia’s cheek, her palm still warm. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Pup.”
“I know. But you’re here now.”
“Yes.” She straightened, turning her horse toward the village. “Let’s see what we find in Mederi.”
They descended the hill at a slower pace, which Cassia appreciated more than she cared to admit. She leaned back in her saddle, devoting all her attention to keeping her balance. Going downhill was a different beast than going up, especially when she was this tired.
“I can help with levitation,” Lio offered.
“No you may not,” Solia replied. “That will not help her build muscle or hone her balance. If you ruin her training, I will drag you back into the fighting ring.”
“I will catch her with levitation if she falls off, Sunburn,” Lio threatened.
“If you didn’t use it then, I would drag you into the fighting ring faster, Sunshine.”
“I will get down off my horse and walk if you two mention the fighting ring again,” Cassia warned.
“Too soon,” Mak agreed.
But Cassia could not deny it was wonderful to hear Lio and Solia teasing each other like proper siblings.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, Cassia felt a moment of apprehension about the low stone wall that circled the village. She might change her mind about levitation if they must jump that. Fortunately, they found a gate, which Lyros Willed open.
At a walk, they rode down Mederi’s central lane between rows of thatched cottages. All was quiet at this hour of the night, the farmers sleeping so they could rise with the sun. This part of Tenebra offered fertile land, and the results showed in the well-kept village. Their fields had not been trampled by the feuds during King Lucis’s reign.
But these people lived under his shadow. Cassia glanced into the distance, where she could make out wooded hills, the king’s hunting grounds. The villagers might not face the slow agony of starvation, but any one of them could die tomorrow at his whim.
In the village square, there stood a statue carved of the local gray stone. Solia halted her warhorse, one hand resting on her sword, and gazed at the delicate young woman in an elegant gown, who had a crown and a martyr’s aura carved around her head. “I don’t recognize this goddess. Have I really been in the Empire so long that I’ve forgotten part of the pantheon?”
“No.” Cassia chuckled. “That’s you.”
“What?” Solia tilted her head, studying the statue again. “Is this what you meant by my ‘cult’?”
“Many villages have statues depicting you as a martyr.” Cassia gestured at the flowers, grains, and bits of thread at the statue’s feet. “Your people leave offerings in your memory.”
Solia muttered a curse.
