Silk & Steel (Spellbound #3)

Epilogue

'All safe.'

Isobel stared at the enchanted scroll as relief washed over her. After leaving Fort Mael, she had taken to checking in with Wray every few days, and whenever he was delayed in answering, she worried. This had been the longest he'd ever taken to reply. Nearly a full day.

As the words on the page faded, new ones appeared.

'Stop fretting.'

"Then respond promptly, you stubborn ogre," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the offending message.

Castel stirred next to her in the bed. They were at an inn a week's ride from Messina, and the first rays of the sun were only just starting to slip through the wooden shutters on their window. He lay on his back with an arm flung over his head and the covers bunched around his waist. She took a moment to appreciate the defined ridges of his chest and the taut muscles of his abdomen.

"Did Wray respond?" His question caught her off-guard, and she grinned. She'd been too busy ogling him to notice him waking up.

"He did. Everyone is fine."

"I told you they would be. If they were truly in trouble, he would send you a message instantly." Castel's hand settled on her thigh, his palm warm against her skin. "Why don't you lie back down? It's still early and we're not in a rush to get out of bed this morning."

"Unless he was too busy fighting back," she said. "Then he might not get to send a message."

"True. But we're several weeks away now. We may not make it back in time if something happens."

She worried her lower lip with her teeth as she looked back down at the parchment. The words now faded, leaving a blank page. Resisting the urge to send a message back to Wray to let him know what a lazy ogre he was, she put the scroll away. "That's what worries me."

"No matter how much you want to, you can't be everywhere." Castel gave her an encouraging half-smile. "You will have to trust that others can help. Wray is an excellent sorcerer, and he has a godstone. They will be fine. Devin would be a fool to attack them."

"You're right," she said, deciding to stop worrying. At least for now. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to completely shut out the worry. Nor did she want to. She didn't want to shut herself down to those around her the way Arawn had taught her. The Grand Sorcerer had always been adamant that the sorcerers needed to set themselves apart. Be impartial. Without attachment. That it was what they needed to do to complete the task set them by the Gods.

Protect Erya. Above all else.

But she didn't feel like her love for Castel made her weaker. Or her friendships with the people she cared for. If anything, it made her want to fight harder. Made her want to keep the world safe for them. How could that be a bad thing?

"Pittance for your thoughts?"

She smiled. Castel always seemed able to tell when she was lost in thought. Leaning down, she kissed him.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you," she mumbled against his lips.

"Oh well, that is indeed important to think about."

His arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her down onto the sheets. Relaxing into his embrace, she let the warmth of his closeness envelop her. These last weeks together had been some of the best in her life. The idea of having to hide her relationship with him from the world weighed heavily on her. It didn't feel right. Something this amazing should not be treated like a dirty secret.

Once everything was cleared up with Arawn—she still hoped it was all a misunderstanding and not something more sinister—she would bring up the possibility of changing the rules. Maybe he'd be more inclined after being confronted with his own deception.

"Isobel?" Castel's voice brought her back to the present, and she suddenly felt guilty for not paying him more attention while in his arms. He'd lifted his head and was staring at the scroll lying on the small table next to the bed.

An icy shiver of premonition travelled down her back as she twisted around to grab the parchment. New words had appeared on it, but this time the ink was green rather than black.

'Need help. Please come quickly.'

"Who is that from?" Castel asked. She had enchanted the scroll to change colour depending on who sent the message so that identities would remain hidden if it fell into the wrong hands.

She swallowed back a feeling of dread. "It's Rain."

"The new Adept?"

"Yes. I told her to be careful and get in touch if she got in trouble. She would never send a message unless it was serious."

Castel rolled out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. "Let's get going then. No sleeping in today."

Warmth washed over as she watched him getting ready. By the Gods, she loved this man. He was instantly ready to charge to the rescue, with no hesitation. Sliding out of bed, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck. He returned the embrace.

"What was that for?" he mumbled against the top of her head.

"For being the most wonderful man."

He chuckled. "I'm not sure about that, but for you, I'll be anything you need."

She squeezed him a little harder. It didn't matter what the future would bring. What judgement the other sorcerers might make. She was never letting him go.

Finally, she stepped back, and he gave her a lopsided smile.

"Right," he said. "Let's go help this young woman."

Whatever was wrong, she hoped Rain would be okay for another week. The young half-elf had sought them out not long after they recaptured Messina, and there had always been something unusual about her and her mysterious origins. How many people in Erya had a pet miniature dragon that was meant to be extinct?

One.

Rain.