We stopped in a small clearing, and Castor immediately began checking the area.
“I think we can rest—” I began, but Mydrn had already rolled out his bedroll and was lying on his stomach. A light snore began to escape him.
I chuckled softly. “Sleep well.”
Castor walked toward me. He still wore his uniform, though it was ripped in places and caked with dirt, not that my own palace uniform looked much better.
“Perimeter is secure.” His voice was rough. “I think you should sleep first.” He folded his arms across his chest.
I wanted to protest, but my eyes were heavy. Even if I forced myself to stand watch, I wouldn't be much help.
I rolled out my bedroll and lay down. If Castor had a sister, what had she been doing all these years? How had she survived the Tower of the Damned?
A shiver ran through me as a cool breeze rushed through our small camp. What if she didn’t want to be found? The thought lingered as sleep finally pulled me under.
When morning sunlight pushed against my eyelids, I woke to find Castor pacing.
“What if she’s alive?” he mumbled, mostly to himself.
“Then we will find her. We will make sure she knows she has a family,” I told him, stepping up beside him.
“What if it isn’t that easy?” he asked, sitting down heavily on a large fallen log as the sun rose in the distance.
“It isn’t supposed to be. But we will find the answers, Castor.” Gently, I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We will find her. We'll show her she has a home.”
He reached up and covered my hand with his, then patted the log next to him. I sat down beside him, the rough bark catching against my skirts. Silence filled the marsh around us.
“I always felt like something was missing.” Castor’s voice was small. “I hope she’s alive.”
“I’m sure she is.” I tightened my grip on his hand. “We will find her.”
He looked at me then, his eyes filled with immense stress. Through the bond, I felt the heavy weight of thoughts he was desperately trying to control.
“What do you know?” I asked, reaching for his face.
He let out a strangled noise, as if holding back something that threatened to tear out of him. “I can’t say. The Fates have forbidden it, not until the right time.” He choked out the words, every syllable sounding painful.
Before I could process what he meant, he released my hand and dropped to his knees in the dirt right in front of me. Gently, he took my hands again, his gaze piercing into parts of my soul I wasn’t sure I was ready to share.
“Briar, I can’t say more than this, but please know... you hold my whole heart. No matter where the Fates' threads lead us, I will follow you through every step of that path.”
The weight of the unspoken truth hit my chest like a physical blow.
He already knows the path.
Castor already knew what was going to happen in our life together. A selfish part of me wanted to demand he tell me, but I knew the cost. If he broke the Seer laws, he would lose his vision entirely.
Instead, I bit down on the urge to ask, and decided I didn’t want to know anyway.