The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 19: Mara

Remiel and I didn't go far before we stopped to camp. It was too dark and the ground too uneven, and we didn't want to risk injuring the horse. Lungs aching from the ever present smoke, I unrolled the bedroll in my bag and was surprised to find it was well cushioned and soft. King Brinley didn't seem the type to worry about my comfort on this journey, which meant it was likely selected by another.

I dismissed Kuga almost immediately. Her gift of the rapier and the rare display of vulnerability might have been a peace offering, but she was too practical to concern herself with something like a plush bedroll. The queen would prefer I slept on the hard ground, and Cassia couldn't afford something this nice.

That left Tievel. And I didn't know how I felt about that.

"What are you doing over there?" Remiel asked.

His bedroll was only a few inches to my left. Close enough that the edges of our blankets touched. The Reaper seated himself in the middle of it and waited for an answer, the moonlight glinting in the dark eyes he fixed on me.

Clearing my throat, I replied, "Making sure there are no rocks under the blanket."

"Even the rocks here have turned to ash."

Sitting down, I scanned the wooded area. Usually when the moon was full, I could see easily in the night, but ever since we stepped onto Araphelian soil, the darkness seemed to fight against the light. It was winning.

"So, how are the trees still standing? And the Temple? None of it makes sense."

"No one ever really understood Queen Seraphina's power. Perhaps she has some control over what she burns? They say no one had the power to touch her without dying. Until the Shadow King."

That would have sounded romantic if not for the fact that meant Seraphina had lived for centuries without being touched. By anyone. I wrapped my arms around my waist. What a lonely existence.

"Do you think the Light of the World will relight Dycidium?"

Remiel shifted beside me, his leg brushing against mine. "It's probably worth trying, but I don't know. It can't be that easy."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I thought about what the king said while we traveled, and then I remembered what Gwendolyn said. She called the Light of the World Soul Fire."

"Same as what Brinley said."

A smile tugged at my lips at his refusal to call him king. "Yes, but the way she talked made it sound like Soul Fire and my mother's fire were two separate things."

"Like I said," Remiel grunted, laying back on his blanket. "It can't be that easy."

"Are you hungry? There's some dried fruit and cheese."

We had agreed to avoid lighting a fire at all costs. Seraphina may be quiet now, perhaps even regenerating if Gwendolyn's theory was true, but we couldn't be sure that wouldn't change in an instant if she sensed a foreign flame.

"I ate earlier. You go ahead."

"I'm not really hungry," I replied, laying down and turning to my side. A gasp caught in my throat when I realized how close my face was to his. "Does being here bring back memories?"

"Not really." His warm breath washed over my skin. It smelled as if he'd just chewed a mint leaf. "I was born further inland. Closer to the mountains that separate Araphel and Estrellum, and it's also near where the Reapers are sent to train. I only came to the coast once as a young boy, and of course, nothing is as it was."

"Tell me..." I swallowed back a thick wave of emotion. "Tell me about the Araphel you remember."

His hand found mine in the darkness, and I did not pull away when he threaded our fingers together.