BOOK ONE OF THE BINDING TRILOGY
CURRENTLY UNDER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION! Some big changes are likely being made while you are reading, and you might miss them.
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Where we landed, that shimmer in the air was no longer visible. I was clutching Fraed's arm, and after a few seconds, I became aware of this and released him. A few seconds more, and I noticed Ifera's hand was in mine. I let go of this too.
"Oh, great. Where are we now?" Ifera asked.
How was she so unphased by what just happened? What did just happen? We were almost... I was almost...
"Sjarvad." Fraed said. His voice wobbled, if only slightly.
Ifera frowned at him. "How do you know that?"
"Osvik. He knows the way from here. My orn used to land in this spot, and he would guide me from here. It's not a long walk. An hour, hour and a half at the longest."
I took in a deep breath. "Well...that's good."
Only it didn't feel good.
"But...we can't head there now, can we?"
I looked over to Ifera. "We can't?"
"Well no, I mean." Her eyes searched the skies to find the words. "We can't. Look at us. We'll draw far too much attention to ourselves. We're absolutely filthy and we're covered in blood."
She was not wrong. I looked down to inspect myself. "Wait, where are the clothes Syna gave us?"
"Illusion magic." Fraed explained.
"Can you perform a spell like that for us?" I asked.
"Not as strong. Not for all three of us. I need calories."
"And a bath." Ifera interjected.
Fraed furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
"You stink. We all do. That's what I was trying to say earlier. We need baths and fresh set of clothes."
"These are the only ones I packed."
"Really? In that bottomless bag of yours?"
I blinked.
"We probably should bathe. We'll be less suspicious if we look presentable." Fraed added.
"Great!" Ifera clapped her hands together. "So. I'll go first, and you two can decide who goes next amongst yourselves."
"Or," I countered. "We could all bathe at the same time so that we can get it over with faster."
She scoffed. "No way."
"This is ridiculous, Ifera. We can bathe together. We have the same parts."
"That's precisely the problem, princess," She said dryly.
Mortification. My eyes widened and I started to sputter slightly.
Fraed, luckily, was there to save me from myself. "We can bathe together."
