Wylde Magic | Book 3

Sixty Seven: Home

The sand fell from my fingers as I crouched over the entrance to the cave in wonder.

"This is how we have always made a new tunnel. Did you think they were naturally formed as such?" Mila asked.

I shook my head, standing up to admire the newly opened rock formation that had been an empty wall of boulders only days before. The witches that had gathered to magic a tunnel connecting the valley would cut the journey from months to days for travel between the two.

"What of the other tunnel?" I asked. We stood not far into the tree line of the northern part of the newly forming city Eriodus. Not far away, another group of witches was forming another entrance.

"It's going well, but the rest will have to wait until we find a suitable entrance near Eidelhein," another witch answered.

"We do not trust all of the elves and therefor the greater city of Eidelhein just yet," Mila added. "So we must ward it against ill-will, and as an added measure only Teyber and his lot will be able to lead someone through it."

I nodded, in complete agreement with the safety measures as I remembered my time in Eidelhein. "The elven children that choose not to stay will be able to come visit at least, and the ones that do stay can retrieve anything important they left behind."

"Wren," Gilly called behind me in a sing-song voice. I grimaced, spinning around.

"I know you've been carefully practicing my potions and brews," Gills grinned wickedly. "It's time for a test."

"Gilly-"

"And-" she cut me off, "Purda wants to sit in on it and add a few questions of her own."

"But there's still so much to do right now," I whined. "I don't know if I have time to be testing on magic."

"Nonsense," Mila said with mirth in her eyes. "You have a duty to learn the Mother's arts. Your year is nearly up, you must resume your studies. You are far behind in your learning compared to the other young witches."

"But I've been in the Wyldes!" I pleaded. "There was a war!"

"Come on, Wren," Gilly said gleefully, pulling me by the arm behind her. "You've put it off several times already, your old teacher would be heartbroken to think you haven't been studying. Oh, and there are some witches lined up to watch for when you've mastered what Purda and I have for you. You'll be able to take the aptitude test again and learn even more areas of study, isn't that wonderful?"

I sighed, resigning myself to it. "Yes, wonderful."

~

Puko settled onto my shoulder, the somber quiet of the cliffside kept even the rambunctious raven still. Standing before a small, newly formed mountain, I pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders in the chilly spring air of the Unclaimed Wyldes.

'Are you sure he stirred?' Schula asked.

'He has, even now I sense movement within.' Spaulder answered.

Gathered around us were Eberon and a small entourage from Thanantholl including Thain, Diamid and a few of his select people, and Peyorla who brought only Aithne and her usual companions. The last but most key parts of the gathered fae were the few lords and ladies left from the Winter Court that resisted DuVarick and Bara Khalja, mostly by retreating into hiding.

We had located Nassir with Spaulder's help, but he had built himself into a thick mound of earth and none could reach him. His grief so deep that he went back to what I recognized as his imprisonment from Icehold. Self-inflicted.