Maybe he'd be able to come back. They'd lose the magic of the moon-bond, but maybe...
Her eyes met his, and he knew, whatever the future held, she'd made her decision. She took a single step toward him, and he steeled himself to accept what she had to say.
Then Lilah arrived, and the clearing once again burst into chaos.
As they moved away from the casually prying ears, Phelan noted Arun leading Selena in the opposite direction.
Phelan considered listening in, knowing that Arun had seen the same resolve in Selena. But, as much as he wanted it to be, this wasn't his business. Instead, he turned his focus solely on Lilah and gave them their privacy.
Feigning levity that he didn't feel, he flashed a stiff smile. "What news?"
"I have a message for you from the capital. An army quartermaster seemed frantic to get in touch with you," Lilah told him quietly.
Phelan's body stiffened immediately. The Sergeant who'd given him the information about the payroll caravan hated Marnak's rulers. But he feared them even more. It had taken every bribe, trick, and appeal available to Phelan to get the man to help him the first time. If he was volunteering information, it couldn't be good.
"What did he have to say?"
"Hafgan and Tresk are preparing to leave the capital."
"Galwei?" Phelan asked, thinking of Maddyn and Daen and wondering how quickly he could get to them.
"No. He didn't say anything about that, but my own sources say that something happened to their plans there. Rumor is, your brother and the new Kelan ruined something very important for Hafgan. Whatever they did, the palace was in an uproar for a few days, trying to figure it out. That's when they pulled troops to send up here. According to your friend, they are pulling together a flotilla of ships along the coast."
"The Isles. They've failed in Galwei. So they sent troops here to get the spring, and they're going for the Sword themselves."
"The Sword? Not the Cauldron again?"
"It's a long story. I have to get this news to Caerwyn." Phelan looked back at Selena, wondering if this was the last time he'd ever see her.
"The kingdom is filled with confusion right now. The army is in disorder, and my messenger could dance naked across the border without anyone noticing. If you want to send a message, we can send him back out tomorrow. He needs to rest tonight, but can leave first thing in the morning."
Relief eased the heaviness in his chest. He still needed to go. But he had a little reprieve. A day or two to spend with Selena before he had to say goodbye.
*****
Arun pulled her to the other side of the pool, putting as much distance between them and the others as possible in the small clearing.
"Selena, it doesn't have to be you."
His grey eyes bored into hers intently, concern and fear and determination spilling out of them.
Only a few minutes separated them, but Arun always tried to be the protective older brother. He should know by now she could take care of herself.
"Of course it does." She tried to smile but knew she wasn't fooling anyone.
"No. It doesn't."
The force in his quiet words surprised her but not as much as what he said next. "I can do it, too. It doesn't have to be you."
"We've kept your talents a secret for years. If Tresk realizes you can do what I can, he will never stop coming for you. And Hafgan will see you as a threat instead of the pawn he sees me as. It's too dangerous."
"At this point, I don't think it matters. Our lives our forfeit, one way or another, if they ever get their hands on us. I'm not going to hide and strike from the shadows anymore. I'm going to fight with everything I have. And that includes the gift I've been ignoring my entire life."
Arun paused, eyes roaming across the clearing to land on Lilah and Phelan before he added, "Besides, you heard Xahir, whoever does it will be tied here. At least tied to Marnak. You'd be stuck here forever."
"That doesn't matter."
As hard as Selena tried to sound certain, her voice broke, and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.
"Doesn't it? Phelan will be going as soon as he feels we can protect the spring without him. Don't you want to go with him?"
He asked it quietly. Kindly. It was too much.
"Of course I want to go with him." The answer exploded out of her in a low hiss. She closed her eyes and touched the bond. Then she narrowed the connection before her messy heart could leak through. "But I don't think that's what he wants."
Arun's chin jerked a little in surprise before he gave her a doubtful look. "Why don't you ask him?"
"Because I don't want to actually hear him say it," she muttered.
Rolling his eyes, Arun gave her an easy shove back in Phelan's direction. "The Selena I know is not a coward. Go talk to him."
"It's not going to change my mind about the spring. I'll do what must be done to keep my promise to save this kingdom."
He didn't argue this time, just nudged her shoulder again. When she turned, Phelan's conversation with Lilah was obviously over. Now, he was watching Selena with a seriousness that made her stomach flip.
Despite her reservations, Selena was drawn to him, unable to deny the need to be with him for whatever time they had left. As soon as she was near, he reached out, and she slipped her hand into his. Let herself be pulled close enough to press her side against his and enjoy his warmth.
"What's happened?"
Between Lilah and Phelan, they explained what had been occurring in the world beyond the walls of the outpost. The news left her divided between elation and dejection. Knowing that Phelan's brother stopped Hafgan, that he and her father weren't coming for her and Arun anytime soon, was a cheerful respite from constant fears.
But she also understood what was left unspoken. Phelan had to follow where they led. He had to protect other places and other people. That Selena had to protect this place. And her people.
Phelan settled his hand on her jaw, and she tilted her face up to his. The smile she gave him was real, if a little sad. The time they had together had been worth whatever loneliness she'd have to endure.
The same conflicted emotions reflected back at her from his blue eyes and he dragged his thumb softly over her bottom lip.
"Selena, I—"
A surge burst along the leylines, erupting in her awareness with a rush of gold. Nothing like the cold corruption of Mora tampering. This was beautiful. Hopeful.
Even before she turned, Selena knew what she'd see.
Arun knelt beside the pool on one knee, hand plunged into the bubbling water. And, in her other vision, the leylines pulsed, bulging with joyful magic. The power flowed from the ley-pool into a glowing circle in Arun's center. It pulsed with life and glowed with love.
Selena gaped at her brother, silent and shocked.
It was Lilah who whispered with awed horror, "What have you done?"
Arun looked up, stunned yet defiant.
"What I had to do. To protect Marnak and everyone I love. To give us all a chance at something brighter and better."
Their eyes locked and a quiet understanding passed between them before Arun turned to Selena.
"You weren't the only one who made a promise when we ran," he reminded her. "I have as much responsibility to our people and the land of Marnak as you do. We've protected each other for a long time, but I think our paths diverge here. At least for a while. Hafgan and Tresk are a threat to more than just our little corner of the world. One of us needs to stay here and try to begin to fix what has been damaged."
He left unsaid that it meant Selena needed to go out in the world to fix things there. Selena swallowed hard and tried not to look at Phelan. Her heart hurt at the idea of being separated from her brother for the first time. Yet something settled and felt right inside of her.
Especially since she knew she'd always have a home to return to, here with Arun. Unable to speak around the knot of emotion i
n her throat, Selena wrapped her brother in a hug and held on for a while.
*****
With the immediate threat gone and renewed hope spurred by Arun's action, the rest of the afternoon and evening quickly descended into a celebration. Relief and confidence filled the outpost and spilled over into exuberant revelry.
Phelan had been coerced into providing entertainment. Had allowed himself to be. He knew he couldn't afford to linger too long here. But Lilah promised she had a network in place that would let them know the second Hafgan or Tresk moved out of the capital city. As long as they were firmly ensconced in their palace, Phelan could buy himself a little more time here with Selena.
And since she was the reason he wasn't already on horseback, halfway to the Galwei border, it was time to go find her.
Phelan set down his lute, pleading hoarseness and a need for water or something stronger over the crowd's objections. He made his way all the way through the room in search of a tankard of Omal's homemade brew. He passed by the three Bruisers in a raucous dice game with some of Elnick's warriors. In a dark corner, he caught sight of Arun in deep conversation with a smug and satisfied Xahir. Lilah sat quietly near the hearth with Omal who handed him a mug without a word.
But there wasn't a single sign of Selena. But he didn't have to depend on his eyes to find her. Even the bond wasn't necessary this time. He knew her now. Understood her in a way he'd never bothered to learn anyone he didn't call brother.
Phelan drained the tankard in a handful of gulps then slipped quietly out the back door.
Selena was exactly where he expected her to be. Sitting next to the spring, eyes closed and face tilted up to bathe in the silvery light of the moon. Phelan swallowed against the ache of want when he realized it was only a couple of days until it was full again. He pushed the longing and remorse away.
"Do you regret it? That your brother is its keeper and not you?"
She didn't startle, didn't even open her eyes. No doubt she'd felt Phelan coming, even before she heard him.
"Not exactly," she answered with a sad smile. "I regret that I can't share the burden with him. That it's only a matter of time until Tresk and Hafgan realize what he is. The power that he has. That they'll come for him."
"But he has that power, now, to hold his own against them. And you aren't the only ones fighting to stop them." Phelan dropped down on the ground beside her. "Someday, we will beat them. We will win."
Selena opened her eyes, the grey silvery and mysterious in the moonlight when she looked at him.
"You're leaving."
She said it quietly but the words were clear and stark in the quiet night air. Not a question. Not a doubt. Just a statement they both knew was true.
"Yes. Hafgan and Tresk are heading for the Isles. I can't let them..."
His voice dropped away. He didn't have to explain. The understanding was etched in the sharp depth of her gaze. He'd watched her battle for the same obligations for the past few weeks.
Sitting there with her warmth pressed against his side, her compassion and acceptance wrapped around his soul through their bond, Phelan wondered if it was the last time.
Sharp denial rose up, refusing to give in. It was never in his nature to give up without a fight. Even if he knew the answer before he asked.
"I want you to come with me."
The words poured out of him, impulsive and heartfelt before he thought better of it. Before he figured out the best way to convince her to go.
"Why?"
She asked softly, hesitant and curious.
But it wasn't a flat denial, and Phelan knew his best chance was to pour everything out. Offer her everything he was. Everything he wanted to be. Because that was what he was asking from her in return.
"I could tell you to come because we want the same thing. A world free of the threat posed by Hafgan and Tresk. That we may be able to stop them together better than we ever could apart."
He reached for her hand, and she slipped her fingers in his willingly. Light and hope fluttered along the bond and Phelan had no idea if it was his desire or hers that bounced between them. He just knew he never wanted it to end. So he forged on.
"The truth is I can't imagine giving up the moon-bond. I've been alone and aloof for so long, I'd convinced myself I didn't need anyone except my brothers. That I was better keeping people at a distance so I could do whatever needed to be done without regret." Phelan inhaled deeply, his fingers tightened carefully around hers. "But I need you. I want you. With me. Any way I can manage it. I want the bond. I want it all. With you. Always."
His heart pounded in his ears, his breath stopped, trapped and unmoving in his lungs. The longer the silence stretched, the hotter the fear of losing her burned. She looked lost, though. Conflict and consideration darkening her eyes to storm cloud grey. Unable to stand the uncertainty, he tried to find the answers that would convince her she belonged with him.
"I know this is your family. Arun. Omal. Nis and his brothers and all the rest. And that they're still in danger, here, that you're worried about them. But—"
Selena pressed her fingers to his lips and shook her head slightly. "That's not... I trust them to take care of themselves. To take care of each other. And I know that stopping Hafgan and Tresk is the best way to keep them safe."
She paused, inhaling sharp and deep before slowly letting it out.
"Xahir said I would face a choice. The truth is, I made it this afternoon, without realizing. I let Arun bind himself to the spring. I knew, deep down, what he was going to do. I could have stopped him. But I didn't. It felt like the right thing to do. I just. I can't help wondering if it was the right thing."
Phelan had been both surprised, yet not when Arun had revealed he shared Selena's gift. Looking back, though, her brother had known things he couldn't have without sharing the awareness of the leylines and local magic that Selena had.
"What does Arun think?"
Selena rolled her eyes, exasperated smile edging up the corner of her mouth.
"Arun always thinks he's right. Even when he's wrong, he believes he's right. When we stop Tresk, though, Arun will still be the rightful heir. The only one in the kingdom with a strong enough claim that it won't immediately plunge Marnak into a civil war. Having this connection to the land and its magic can only help to heal the spreading blight more quickly. The old myths make it clear there is a particular type of magic imbued with the title of king.
"So, yeah, he thinks this is right. And that my path leads somewhere else."
Certainty and determination mingled with affection and anticipation along the connection, and Phelan was sure he understood what she was trying to say. But he needed to hear the words from her lips to allay the last of his doubts.
"And that somewhere else would be with me?"
"Yes. Even if it wasn't for the bond, it's obvious that path to protecting the world from Hafgan and Tresk is going to go through you and your brothers." Selena lifted her chin and smirked at him. "Besides, I've always wanted to see more of the world. I'm expecting you to show it to me. For now, anyway. I'd like to come back, someday."
Phelan didn't even try to hide the grin or the relief loosening his body. He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers and whispering against her lips, "You will. We will."
"We have a couple of days until the moon is full. If we leave now..." Selena murmured.
He knew she was asking about the bond. About his plans to join his brother.
Asking if he was willing to wait for her. For them.
Phelan's heart hammered in his chest and he nudged at the connection. But his hope and fear and need jumbled so loudly in his own head, he couldn't separate her emotions from his.
"I'm waiting for a return message from Caerwyn. And I want to be sure the flotilla isn't a ruse. Until I hear from Lilah's contacts that Hafgan has left the capital and I know for sure which direction he's heading, I'm not going anywhere."
/> He took a deep breath and delved into the unspoken question waiting between them.
"But none of that is why I'm still here."
Phelan exhaled and met Selena's eyes, knowing this might be his only opportunity. That he couldn't afford to hide anything from her anymore, if he wanted any chance to make this forever with her.
"I love you. I want to stay. I want the bond. With you. Permanently. Is that—"
"Yes," she breathed against his lips before he finished asking, strong and sure and determined. "I love you. I want it, too."
Her kiss was sweet and slow and promised everything Phelan had been hoping for. He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close and made the silent promise in return.
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About the Author
Amberlyn grew up reading her older sister’s SFF collection and her mother’s category romances so it’s only natural her storytelling leans toward fantasy and paranormal romance.
She currently lives in Northern New York where her writing schedule, and life, revolve around the whims of her dog. When not catering to a demanding terrier or getting lost in books, she enjoys crafting, watching football and hockey, and hanging out with her husband.
By Blood Betrayed (The Lost Shrines Book 3) Page 19