Map of Ember and Moonlight

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Princess Alyvia of Escarral never panicked. She never got lost either, but as of right now...well, she was both.

"This isn't where we were supposed to end up," she murmured as she guided her horse around a large outcropping of boulders by the shoreline. "That trail wasn't supposed to bring us so close to the lake."

Fels Lake...which she was now going around, heading west toward the kingdom. But how did she end up on the northern border when the trail she'd taken should have led her straight back the way she'd come?

"It doesn't make sense," she whispered, looking up to the stars, trying to find a constellation that would point in her the right direction, but everything seemed jumbled. Maybe she had a little bit more to drink than she should have.

Water lapped along the shore, the moonlight dancing off the surface. It was the only light she had, but with the clouds threatening to cover it and drench her during a downpour, she was going to have to find some sort of shelter. And soon.

Just as she looked up at the moon, those clouds laughed at her as they covered it, but at least held off with the rain.

She was the one laughing then as she held out her hand. After years of practice, it didn't take long for the glowing orb to appear, hovering above her palm. Bluish-white light surrounded her.

The magic radiated throughout Lyv's body but focused right in the middle of her palm. She knew exactly what she could do with it yet hadn't pushed it to its limits. Healing magic...that's what she was best at. The palace healers always loved whenever she would come to help out, never suspecting her gifts weren't just her expert bandaging or medicine-making.

She could do so much more but didn't want to test herself with it. Not when she knew how the people of Escarral felt about those with magic.

Lyv continued west around the lake, finally seeing the shadows of the forest that bordered the north of the kingdom. Still holding that orb of light, she nudged her horse to go faster. But even in what little light she was able to provide them, he still wouldn't move as fast as she wanted.

And just like that, there it was again.

That complete and utter silence swept through the trees just as they breached them. Her horse paused, Lyv's heart raced as she extinguished the light...

And found herself hurled backward as the horse reared on its hind legs in fright.

The breath in her lungs vanished the instant her back hit the ground and stars danced in front of her eyes. She spent an entire ten seconds lying there, not breathing, eyes closed, before she was able to make sense of anything again.

And found out she wasn't alone.

"Shh, hey. Calm down," a soothing male voice whispered to her horse. The stranger had somehow calmed the bucking beast, smoothing his hand over his forehead. "Nothing to be afraid of now. And...what did you do to your rider?"

Now calm, her horse whinnied, tossing his head to the side as if he was telling him what had happened.

The stranger let go of the reins, though the horse followed, before he came over and knelt down beside her. Reaching up, he pushed back the hood of his cloak and Lyv had to blink at the sight.

"You again?" she groaned, leaning her head back in the mud.

"I could say the same thing to you," the man from the tavern answered with a grin. "What in the bloody hell are you doing all the way out here?"

"Trying to find my way back home. I got...lost. That never happens."

"Perhaps riding in the dark wasn't the best thing to do."

"I'm not afraid of the dark."

"A woman like you, I wouldn't think so," he laughed. "And I have to ask, would you really have cut off that guy's hand, or were you just bluffing?"

Lyv growled, pushing herself up. Too fast. Those stars were dancing in her eyes again.

"Whoa, take it easy," he urged, wrapping a warm hand around her elbow. "I saw you go down pretty hard. I'm guessing it's my fault. Normally, I don't have many people coming onto my land."

"Were you the one to scare my horse then? Thank you for that."

"Yes," he chuckled. "Sorry about that. You want help up?"

She nodded and shifted her legs under her. The stranger stood, letting her grasp his hands tightly as she did the same, but on slightly wobbly legs. Another burst of stars, but they went out as she focused on his face and the world stopped spinning around her.

"Thank you for the help, but not really since it was your fault in the first place."

He gave her a smirk. "Let me make it up to you then. I'll give you a place to stay for the night out of the rain, a hot drink, and a chance to clean up. Then I'll even escort you to wherever you need to go in the morning."

Lyv's eyebrows rose. "You honestly believe I will accept room and board for the night from a complete stranger?"

"Not a complete stranger."

"I don't even know your name."

At that, he stuck out his hand. "Gideon of Ayveri, at your service."

Ayveri. He was Ayverian...so that could only mean...

"You're from Dalcaine?"

Gideon from Ayveri, the ruling kingdom of Dalcaine, heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "I forget how you Escarrali citizens are with your hatred of Dalcaine. All because of the war, right? Well, if I remember correctly, it was your own Queen Guinevere who started it in the first place. She had that obsession with..."

"What are you talking about?"

Her mother was the one to start the war? And what obsession was he speaking of? As Lyv thought on it, she never learned the real reason the Escarral-Dalcaine war started...but her mother?

"Of course, you wouldn't know. Why would your history books tell you the real story?" he smirked. "Being on the losing side doesn't help. Your king would remember, even though he was just a prince then. And now look at him, trying to make peace between our two lands and..." Gideon finally looked at Lyv's face and the shock and surprise it held. "Well, that's another story for another day. But right now, I'm talking too much...and you haven't told me your name."

Lyv shook her head, trying to clear out every thought that was running through it. "Audry. My name is Audry. I'm from Escarral."

"Escarral the continent or Escarral the city?"

"The city. My father works...at the palace. My mother, too."

She knew that look, even though she didn't even know the man standing in front of her. It was almost like he could sense the hesitation in her answer. She wasn't exactly lying, though.

"Well, Audry from the kingdom of Escarral, you are more than welcome to stay with me for the night or you can continue on your way in the dark, but I can't be sure you won't get turned around and get lost again."

Lyv knew he was right. Even though she could see the bordering forest in the distance, her best bet was to just stay in one place for the night and wait to head home in the morning. And Gideon...she had always been a good judge of character. He seemed genuine, though he was still holding back a lot about himself, which was to be expected having just met.

Seeming to know her answer, Gideon nodded and turned to grab the reins of her horse and started leading him deeper into the trees. After a few moments, Lyv followed.

Catching up with his long strides, she tightened her cloak around herself, dampening her magic that longed to be free and wrap her body in warmth. Even in the presence of someone from Dalcaine, a land ruled by Fae and even sorcerers in the south, a land where magical creatures were free to roam the lands and the skies, a land of...

"So," Gideon began, breaking her from her train of thought. "Tell me about your magic."