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Images of a hulking troll waking in fury filled my mind. I’d never even realized how much danger I’d been in. I swallowed hard, fighting against the burning in my eyes as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm me.
Bleddyn’s intense expression softened, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. “I jest. A foot as light as yours would not have woken him, but still, stay on my heels until we reach Emlyn.”
We’d only traveled for maybe half an hour, but my legs were aching with the impact of landing on different surfaces. It was difficult enough to correctly draw the runes over and over again, but I had no control over my trajectory once I launched. I’d already stepped into a deep puddle, slipped on rough gravel, and apparently missed a troll’s head by inches.
The road toward the capital was fairly straight, probably to make it easier for travelers using the sigils like we did. But the course of the river forced the path to swerve occasionally.
Bleddyn had disappeared again, jumping ahead and expecting me to follow. Sighing, I drew the sigil for the nth time and hoped I’d land somewhere safe with my next step. The landscape flew by, and my foot touched down on the track.
Still no sign of Bleddyn, but in the distance, Emlyn’s white haze was clearly visible across the horizon. At the rate we were going, we’d reach it in maybe a hundred steps.
Another rune, another step, another quick prayer to the travel gods. They didn’t listen. Instead, my foot got stuck in a hole, and I pitched forward. I would have broken my ankle if I hadn’t landed against a hard chest. Strong arms encircled me as my nose collided painfully with a wall of muscles.
“Good grief, woman. You seem to have no control over where you land.”
Bleddyn sounded both exasperated and amused as I caught my breath. He hadn’t let go yet, and I was too shocked by my near-accident to disengage. He smelled like the wild, like juniper berries and cool moss on a hillside. Before I could help myself, I inhaled deeply.
“Are you sniffing me?” Bleddyn pushed me away gently.
I was about to protest vehemently, although yes, Ihadbeen smelling him. But the smirk on his face belied his stern tone.
Giving him a dark look, I pulled my foot out of the hole I’d stepped into and circled my ankle to check for injuries. My travel companion kneeled and took my heel, his nimble fingers gently prodding. The gesture was so unexpected and intimate, I held my breath. Goosebumps ran across my neck, and I firmly pushed away the image of his hands touching me elsewhere.
Bleddyn got back to his feet. “You do not seem to have hurt yourself. Are you able to continue?”
Fearing my voice would betray me, I nodded. Then I remembered something he’d said. “Could you show me how to land safely?”
The moment I asked, I wished I hadn’t. A smug smile bloomed on his gorgeous face, and his eyebrow lifted over his silver coin eyes. “I thought you might never ask.”
I couldn’t hold back my irritation. “You could have just told me before I made a fool of myself and nearly broke my ankle.”
He tilted his head and smirked in that infuriating way. “Yes, I could have. But it was so much more amusing to watch you struggle. I do regret you got stuck in a hole, but I made sure you would not hurt yourself. Maybe that is enough for you to forgive me?”
He took my hand and watched me expectantly. I didn’t know what to say. Was he flirting with me? A flush of heat raced across my face, and I quickly pulled my fingers back, missing his firm grip and warm skin immediately.
Speaking rougher than I’d intended, I replied, “I won’t forgive you yet. But if you show me how to do this damn spell properly, I might consider it.”
He grinned again, and this time, I smiled in return.
“Very well. You must imagine where you would like to step. Remember, this is powerful magic, not simply a way to propel you forward. The spell will respond to your desire.”
“But how? I never wanted to land in a puddle or a hole,” I protested.
“True. But since you were likely not thinking about anything, the rune took you along the most direct direction. Try again, and you will see the difference.”
I visualized my landing place and was already mid-air when I realized he’d just insulted me. But when my foot touched down safely in a soft, smooth space on the path, I forgot about how aggravating that dude was.
We covered the rest of the journey to Emlyn faster than I could have imagined. What would have taken days at a normal travel speed, the rune spell achieved in hours.
By the time we arrived at the outskirt of the city, I was dead on my feet. The mental strain of continuously focusing on the magic was taking its toll on me. I hadn’t slept that well during the previous nights. Being chased by Fae soldiers would do that to a girl.
I was still alert enough to marvel at the cobbled streets, though. They reminded me of pictures I’d seen of European cities. The houses were framed with wooden struts and dotted with tiny windows, leaning against each other. Some of them were three storeys tall.
There was something medieval about the city, although it took me a moment in my exhausted state to figure out why. Of course. There were no cars or signs of technology. No power lines or telephone wires.
Dusk was descending. Lamps lined the streets, shining a warm light on their surroundings. They weren’t with gas or electricity, but probably with Fae magic. The glow had a faint pink edge to it, unlike anything I’d seen in the human world.
Bleddyn had walked ahead and turned around, waiting for me. I sighed, forcing my exhausted legs to move. My fingers drew the travel sigil out of habit, but nothing happened.
