Blood Will Tell

XXVI

Beth was correct: by the time Miroel came, whatever warmth Irien's weather held had withered away, and the winds had grown harsher as the cold crept in. Green gave way to red, orange, and yellow; soon, white and shades of brown would dominate the landscape. Edin grew frustrated—why did it have to turn so cold so soon? By the last week of Sigelend he had started driving to work; however, he found that he would perform worse on the battlefield if he arrived in a car, possibly because his body had not had enough time to adapt to the cold. And so he ditched the car and grudgingly plodded to work instead, wrapped in a coat, sweatshirt, and multiple other layers.

If there was one thing Edin thanked the cooler weather for, it was that it seemed to shoo away the beasts into hiding or hibernation. The number of attacks dropped as the temperature did, and by the middle of Miroel, Irien was only a little more under threat than Stoll. Gone were the glæsselings, and instead came the brighunds and the occasional næreling slithering from the south. That, and Stefan's shield-summoning was so handy, they did not even need to leave the post to fight most times—his shield traps would ensnare any threat and shrink till they died of suffocation, strangulation, or both.

Edin and Stefan got to know each other as time passed, trading stories in between beast-slaying. Edin would listen as Stefan told him tales from his mundane childhood—or "mundane," for a gifted's life was still vastly different from that of an ordinary—and Stefan took in every detail Edin divulged about his atypical situation as Arden's ward, both lives of utmost fascination to the other. It may appear peculiar that Edin had become much chattier, when he was quiet—or avoidant, even—with Rowan. The key difference lay in how they first approached him: Rowan, ever the extrovert, overwhelmed him from the start; Stefan, though also outgoing, gave Edin much more space.

It also helped that unlike during his term with Rowan, Edin did not keep his bloodlust curse under wraps, nor did he feel the need to. It was easier to be sociable when there was no big secret or burden to shoulder.

Eventually, the two had grown comfortable enough with each other that they and Rowan would meet up over weekends. Edin thought their meetups would be an occasional occurrence for him, only to find himself enjoying their gathering far more than he expected—and thus went from being neutral about meeting with others to anticipating the next get-together. The three, with Fallon occasionally tagging along, would explore whatever cities and towns they wished. All of their destinations had been within the neighboring countries of Asdur and Sorien, for those nations were where they were stationed.

It was the thirtieth day of Miroel. Per routine, Beth opened the door just as Edin reached it, and he entered the post with gloved hands still deep in his pockets.

She slammed the door behind Edin as he took off his outerwear. "That's a lotta layers."

"It's freezing outside." Edin unzipped his puffer jacket, having tossed his backpack to the floor. "I'd be an ice cube if I wore any less."

"Oh come on," she said, "it's not that cold."

"It's twelve degrees outside."

"That's still above freezing point."

"But it's still cold!" Edin insisted, peeling the gloves off his hands.

Beth rolled her eyes. "You fire wielders are so weak."

Edin merely carried on. A sweater, sweatshirt, and pair of pants later, he had stripped down to a long-sleeved shirt and thick pants. Every piece of clothing was either black or another dark color—he once read that darker objects absorb more light, and therefore would keep him warmer than lighter clothes if his logic was sound. He cradled his outerwear in his arms and sidled into the storage room to keep them.