Bonds of Light and Fire

58. Thoughtful Decisions

    Ice crackled along the sides of their ferry. Vaughan watched the chunks intently, unable to shake off the nervousness that clung to him. I hate winter, he thought. It was too cold, too wet, and too dangerous. Spring and autumn were by far the superior seasons. In his opinion, anyway.

    Vaughan peeled his gaze away from the ice and glanced towards the front of the ferry. Luciana's cape shifted in the breeze. Her hands were outstretched and beams of light hissed as they connected with the ice. She was the reason their ferry hadn't sustained any damage yet.

    Luciana had been using her light to melt the ice since they first came onboard. Nascha and Aeron hovered near her, keeping a steady eye on her condition. The last thing they needed was for Luciana to burn herself out after everything that had already transpired. Evangeline was with them as well, pressed up tight against Luciana to stay warm.

    Vaughan had offered to let her use his energy, both so she wouldn't expend her own and so they could practice using their carranam bond, but she'd refused. After seeing the look in her golden eyes, he thought he understood why.

    Those males had stolen her magic from her. She wanted to remind herself that it was back, and she was in control. He'd felt the same way after Maeve ordered him to use his magic. Only, instead of wielding it, he'd locked it away.

    Footsteps sounded behind him and Vaughan scented pine and snow. "Aelin will want to hold a meeting before everyone returns home," Rowan said. "I expect she'll want you there too."

    "She seems to want me at a lot of meetings, despite how many times I say I don't want to be a part of her Court," Vaughan replied.

    "And every time she asks you to come, you always do." Vaughan remained silent. "Why? You could choose not to, and she'd probably stop asking. It's not like she orders you to attend. There will be no repercussions if you don't."

    Vaughan crossed his arms. "I owe it to her."

    "She would disagree. You owe nothing to anyone."

    "She was the one who sent you, Lorcan, and Fenrys to find me. She was the one who offered me a place to stay. She funded the building of my home. She's the one who pays me for my services to the Bane." Vaughan gave a half amused huff. "She even tried to pay me when I was teaching Nascha to use her magic. I refused, but she told me the offer still stood if I changed my mind. I owe her a lot."

    "Join her Court and she'd call you even. We aren't just Lords, Ladies, Kings, and Queens, Vaughan. You know that. You could be a General, or a Spymaster. Aelin respects your skills in both of those areas. And you wouldn't have to swear the blood oath."

    "I'm tired of being used for destruction."

    "You wouldn't be," Rowan said firmly. "Our skills are being used for protection now. The protection of Terrasen's people and our loved ones."

    Vaughan continued to watch Luciana while he searched for a response. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

    "War is almost here. We might only have a few weeks of peace left. We don't know our enemy's numbers. We don't know how many of them are already within our cities. We don't know what plans they've made since winter began."

    Vaughan faced Rowan at last. "We're going to need your skills. You've been in just as many wars as Lorcan and I have. You've always had a strategic mind. You've proven time and again that it's still there. You still know what the risks are going to be. You know what price we'll pay if we fail. We need every advantage we can find."