Lina curled up beside the fireplace, letting the heat seep into her bones as she slipped toward sleep. Fin and Sofia left her alone. After the all-night ride, she craved rest, if only for a moment.
"Lina."
Fin shook her awake. His hand closed around her arm, the heat branding her skin and lingering after he let go. She tried not to react.
"We're heading to the festival. If you're not feeling well, you can rest."
"No, I'll go."
She rubbed sleep from her eyes and went behind the privacy screen to change her dress. A knock sounded at the door. Sofia opened it for Galdreth, who quickly looked away when Lina emerged.
"Let's go."
The transition from the dim inn to the festival jarred her. Lanterns blazed overhead, and music threaded through laughter. The taste of a honey biscuit lingered on her tongue.
Guards mingled with the crowd, hands near their blades. The people of Briarwood watched anyone who seemed out of place—clothes too fine or too worn, an unfamiliar face, a stranger's lingering glance. Cups of honey mead rose alongside cups of water, but few people seemed interested in drinking themselves senseless.
The celebration felt careful. Rehearsed.
The tug in Lina's chest softened, throbbing intermittently instead of pulling sharp.
"I'm getting some honey mead," Sofia announced.
They followed her through the crowd to a woman serving from a row of kegs.
"Two coppers each. Bring back the mugs, and I'll return one."
"Yes, ma'am," Sofia said.
"No attitude, or no mead."
Sofia nodded while the woman planted her hands on her hips.
"Outsiders or not, young folk should know respect."
Fin choked on his drink.
"Young?" Sofia sputtered. "I'm older than you."
The woman squinted at her. "If you say so."
Lina offered her mug to Galdreth. He shook his head and took a measured step toward Fin, avoiding her eyes. She shifted away, leaving a space between them that hadn't been there before.
A moment later, he accepted mead from the serving woman.
Lina lowered her cup. People pressed around Sofia, Fin, and Galdreth, yet somehow left room around her.
"Young," Sofia muttered, moving toward the bonfire. She settled against a stack of empty crates and watched the crowd.
Fin shrugged, took another sip, and headed back toward the inn. Galdreth hesitated. His gaze flicked to Lina, then dropped before he followed.
A couple claimed the wooden bench near the fire. The woman straddled the man's lap and kissed him with fierce enthusiasm. Lina flushed and turned away. Beyond the crowd encircling the flames, she found room to breathe.
The pulse in her chest shifted as she moved. One direction warmed her; the other left her hollow. She followed the warmth, letting it soothe the ache she'd carried for days.
It felt right. Like a woman dying of thirst finally finding water.
Her feet brought her to a smaller fire near the edge of the woods. Its light caught the nearest trees, leaving the forest beyond them dark. Lina sat on the cold ground and looked up. She wondered whether the unchanging stars ever laughed at the humans toiling beneath them.
She took a sip of mead.
Gravel crunched beneath a boot. Two men approached. One sat beside the fire while the other remained standing, a hand resting on his sword as he surveyed the clearing.
The seated man drew her gaze. Everything around him seemed to yield, subtly making room. Dark hair grazed his collar, and eyes mirroring the night met hers.
Lina should have felt wary. A woman alone with two strange men had reason enough. Instead, she felt calm.
She took another sip and watched him beneath her lashes. Both wore black, their clothes sharply tailored and without insignia. Only the standing man carried a sword.
"I didn't take you for someone who drinks."
His voice was smooth—and far too familiar.
"Raithe?"
The name came easily. Too easily.
He smiled. Something tightened in her chest. He looked to be in his late twenties, but there was a depth to his eyes that made her hesitate. The longer he held her gaze, the harder it became to remember what she'd meant to say.
"You're real."
"S-sorry."
A man had stopped at the fire's edge, clutching the front of his coat. Raithe turned toward him, and Lina drew a deep breath.
The stranger faltered. His gaze passed over them before he backed away.
Raithe's companion sighed. Raithe shook his head and returned his attention to Lina.
Others approached the clearing, only to veer aside or find somewhere else to sit. His companion watched each of them go.
"How are you here?" Lina asked.
The thrumming in her chest had settled. For the first time since waking on the forest floor, she felt as though she might finally rest.
"We arrived with the king's guard."
A guard without a blade?
His lips quirked.
It really is you.
Raithe bowed his head, mischief brightening his eyes.
Lina shot to her feet and gestured with her cup. "I need more mead."
He stood.
She turned toward the bonfire, caught her foot on a stone, and stumbled. The stars tipped overhead.
Hands caught her waist before she reached the ground, drawing her against a solid chest. Midnight-dark eyes met hers.
His touch soothed instead of scorched. Lina's muscles eased beneath his hands. For the first time since the forest, nothing hurt—not her skin, her chest, or the constant pull beneath it.
"I don't think you should drink any more of that," he teased.
She blushed and found her footing. His companion studied her, eyes narrowing.
Raithe's grip lingered before he released her. Lina felt the loss of it and blushed harder. How could she settle so easily against a man she'd only just met?
"So you are a soldier."
"Yes. A soldier." He glanced toward his companion. "We're returning to the capital tonight."
"What news did you bring to Briarwood?"
"That's for the lord to hear."
"I see."
She leaned closer without meaning to. His attention sharpened, and he made no move to put the distance back.
"How did you find me?"
"A coincidence."
"You knew it was me."
"I saw your face when you looked into the basin."
Lina went still. How much more could he see through the bond? How much had he heard that she hadn't meant to share?
He tilted his head as the questions formed.
His companion cleared his throat. "We need to leave, Raithe."
The man's grip tightened around his sword.
Raithe stepped back, though he seemed reluctant to do it. Lina remained beside the fire as he turned toward the woods.
Goodbye.
He bowed his head in acknowledgment.
"…didn't react—" his companion said as they reached the trees.
Raithe placed a hand on his shoulder. From where she stood, Lina saw the man go still. He didn't move again until Raithe let go.
She made her way back toward the bonfire, cup in hand. Her heart was calm. Would she see him again?
Did she want to?
"What did you see?"
Sofia's voice interrupted her thoughts. Lina looked back toward the woods, where two shadows slipped between the trees beneath the full moon.
The ache in her chest had eased. Whatever was wrong with her no longer felt quite so suffocating.
"Nothing," she whispered.