A Court of Stars and Memories

51. Dirt and Blood

    Lysander barely suppressed a shiver as a biting wind chilled him to his very bones. Not even the warmth he was generating through his magic put a dent in the cold. Flakes of snow and ice swirled through the air and stung against his cheeks, but that was just the prelude to the approaching storm.

    It would hit by nightfall, and he and Corbin had been working hard to finish up their preparations all day, hoping they'd be able to leave before then. They'd already spent three whole days in Ridgeback and if they were here when the storm arrived, they'd be stuck until it cleared again.

    Arik had sent out his scouts to survey the storm this morning and they reported that it was going to be very large and dangerous, likely lasting four days or more.

    "Lys!" Corbin hollered, catching his attention. "Come help me with this."

    His cousin gestured to one of the last areas where they needed to set protective wards. Many of their wards had already prevented landslides from crushing parts of Ridgeback, and for that, Lysander was grateful. They were taking great care to make sure their work was thorough in the hopes of preventing even more.

    He joined Corbin and his emerald siphons lit up with magic. Lysander fed his power into a strong barrier and Corbin layered his on top of it. Their magic wove together seamlessly, flashing with light before becoming invisible again.

    They worked on the ward until it was impenetrable by anything non-living. When it was finally complete, Lysander lowered his arms and drew a few steadying breaths. He wiped away the sweat that beaded upon his brow and turned to face Corbin.

    Corbin propped an elbow on his shoulder and leaned against him wearily. "Gods, I'm tired," he whined. "I could sleep for a few days after this."

    The corner of Lysander's mouth lifted. "Once the storm hits Velaris, I'm sure you'll be able to. We won't have anything better to do."

    "Do you think we can go now? That was the last ward Arik wanted us to place."

    Lysander shrugged. "We should probably check with him before leaving, but I'm ready if you are." Corbin let his arm fall and straightened with a nod. They set off across the camp in search of the Warlord.

    A short distance ahead, an Illyrian female perked up and waved at them. She fell in step with them when they passed by. "Where are you two headed in such a hurry?" Morai tossed a long black braid over her shoulder and let it dangle between her wings.

    "We're looking for Arik," Corbin explained. "It's about time we head back to Velaris, but we're going to make sure he doesn't need us to do anything else before we leave."

    "Ah. He was waiting near the training rings for one of the scouting parties to return, last I saw. Follow me." Morai turned in another direction and led them out of the cluster of huts making up the central part of the camp. "Have either of you seen Sienna recently? I've been trying to write to her but it's been a while since my last letter and we haven't seen each other in weeks."

    Lysander and Corbin glanced at one another. Corbin shook his head while Lysander replied, "I saw her when I was last in the Dawn Court but she was kept pretty busy. I don't know if Calden and Mikael plan on sending her along with the Exchange anytime soon or not."

    Morai's mouth tilted into a frown. "Damn."

    "We could send you to the Dawn Court," Corbin suggested.

    Morai's hazel eyes brightened at that. "I'd like that. I'll just have to make sure I can be spared from Ridgeback that long. Arik has been putting me in charge of more scouting patrols lately and I don't want to disappoint him." Her smile grew broader. "I'm secretly hoping I might be promoted soon. He mentioned he's been looking for someone to help him manage patrols."