Land of Light and Shadows

Chapter 51

Chapter 51

"It's only been an hour," Mik told Jai as he and Gideon watched him pacing in front of the fire blazing by their tent. "She's probably only just got there. It used to take her half a days' ride before on horseback, right?"

"You're not helping, you know," Jai told him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gideon grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "He's attempting to, though quite unsuccessfully."

"You're not even the least bit worried about her? Because I'm over here trying to stop myself from stealing Erly and Chesnan and charging in."

"And you know Lyv would probably kill you herself if you did that. I thought you knew when she set her mind to something there was absolutely no backing down for her."

"Of course, I know that."

"Then stop being a pain in the ass and sit down. You do know Lyv was wanting us to do something while she was away, right?"

Sure, he did. His father and Alberich were already directing everyone in the camp to their assigned duties. Thia, Allel, and Kalla were in their own tent, making sure everything was secured inside. It was staying up until the following morning along with four others for the guardsmen, though some were opting to sleep outside under the stars they hadn't seen since they'd come. And Elys...well, he was practicing his sword work under the watchful eyes of Erly and Chesnan on the other side of camp.

"No," Jai said then.

Gideon raised a brow. "No, you don't want to sit down, or now you weren't aware we had a job to do?"

"Sit down."

"But...I am sitting down."

"Gods above, you're the pain in the ass."

"And that's why you've kept me around for all these years. Plus, I don't think Lyv would be too happy with you should you kill me."

"Want to bet?"

"I don't think anything will help until she's back with us," Gideon sighed as he rolled his eyes, though clasped a hand on Mik's shoulder. "I have a feeling with the two of us trying to get his mind somewhere else...well, we'll be unsuccessful. And what would he do when it's both of us annoying him? Think that dark magic would finally show itself again?"

Mik snorted, rolling his eyes. "Maybe. Lyv has been telling him he needed more practice with it...but let's hope it's not on us."

Jai went silent again, ignoring the two males, eyes forward as he tried to concentrate on everything he could get from Lyv through their bond. She wasn't thinking about who she was going to see just yet, but rather watching the land of her childhood home below her. Absolutely nothing looked as it had before. To her, having known every inch of the land, it was heartbreaking.

It was the emotions he was concentrating on. The gut-wrenching grief over what happened to Escarral, the fear she tried to mask with confidence at the knowledge she would be facing Corliss and Guinevere all alone, and the absolute love and contentment she'd directed to both him and another little something he knew she'd been hiding from him.

Something he realized just a few hours earlier after Dessa's words whispered in his mind as he looked at Lyv, begged her not to go to Corliss and Guinevere.

From remembering those words alone, Jai knew this was what she was supposed to do, what destiny had planned for her. And that little something...well, he wasn't going to let it slip that he knew.