Tap tap tap.

With nervous energy coursing through her, Isobel could sleep no longer. She had recovered enough for her mind to clear. The reality of Highglaive knowing where she was and the repercussions of it finally sunk in. No one should know. Her fingers tapped against one of the books Castel had brought her the last time she had been recuperating in his room as it rested in her lap unread. How had they found out her whereabouts? As far as anyone at Highglaive was concerned, she was on a mission in the island kingdom of Bergen.

Tap tap tap.

"Isobel?"

She looked up to see Castel standing in the doorway leading to his study, his head cocked to the side and his gaze fastened on her fingers. With a wry grimace, she stopped her restless fingers and put her hand on the bedcovers.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to distract you."

"Are you all right?" He rolled his shoulders as he came further into the room. After she had fallen asleep earlier, he had spent most of the day in meetings or working on correspondence, so she wouldn't be surprised if he was aching after spending so long at the desk.

"I'm much better," she said, and with a frustrated sigh, she put the book away. "Just trying to figure out how anyone knows where I am. It's one thing for someone to recognise me, but for Highglaive to know where I am? It means someone has not only recognised me but told them. And it must have been before those men recognised me yesterday because that message must have been sent before they even arrived here."

"Boreas and I were discussing the same thing earlier today," Castel admitted. "It's concerning."

"I should have been more careful. Stayed in your chambers the entire time. Hidden away." She groaned. "It was foolish of me to think no one would recognise me."

"It was a risk we took." Castel gave her a lopsided smile and her insides did an awkward flip. He looked so handsome in the waning daylight from the window, his dark hair slightly curly, and his breastplate polished and glinting. "I suspect you would have gone crazy had you been locked in this room the entire time."

"Possibly." She sighed. "I will have to leave soon. They will expect me back."

"Not until you're well enough to travel. It's too dangerous on your own." He sat down on the side of the bed, facing her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, and she rested her head against it, enjoying the feel of his calloused fingers against her skin. "You're too important to risk."

Her eyes met his, and the stark need in them had her spellbound. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she was pleased to see his gaze follow the movement. With her powers weakened, she couldn't quite tell if the inexplicable pull she felt towards him was from him or her. The desperate need to kiss. To touch. Maybe it was both of them. She didn't care. Only knew she needed him to kiss her. Now.

Castel swallowed. His hand on her cheek twitched.

Kiss me.

She had no time to say the words aloud before his mouth was on hers. Hot and hungry. Desire crackled between them as he devoured her with his lips and tongue. Her need for him burnt ever hotter as his hands buried into the hair at the back of her head, holding her steady for his onslaught. This was what she had been hoping for. Had he finally given in? She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, needing his warmth after the shock of the previous day.

With a groan, Castel pulled back slightly. Their eyes met and their laboured breaths mingled. The shadow of a smile played on his lips.

"No matter how much I try, I cannot seem to resist you," he said quietly.

"Then don't try." It was meant as a quip, but she realised she meant it. She was tired of him fighting his attraction to her at every turn. He had to decide. "I'm right here and I want you. I ask nothing of you that you will not willingly offer. Having been a Sentinel, you know I cannot offer much other than right here and now. So I'm not asking more of you either."

A shadow passed over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Something had changed in his emotions as well, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. The desire for her burned undisturbed and eclipsed everything else, allowing her no other glimpses.

"I know that," he mumbled, his eyes not quite meeting hers. "But you went through an ordeal yesterday, and you are not yet fully recovered." The faint smile was back on his lips, warming her. "Let's not tire you out quite yet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you so certain you would tire me out?"

A slow grin spread over his face, and her insides did an awkward somersault. "Oh, I am certain of it." He leaned in and nibbled on her lower lip before whispering, "I would spend the entire night worshipping your body in every way, and I wouldn't stop until you begged me to."

By the Gods. She cursed her current exhaustion because that sounded absolutely divine and exactly like what she needed. Pulling him down for another kiss, she rejoiced when he lay her back against the pillows, covering her body with his own, taking care not to crush her against the hard breastplate of his armour. But a moment later, he gave her a last kiss before straightening.

"You need rest," he admonished even as his eyes were dark and filled with wicked promise.

"If I must," she muttered.

"You must."

She tried to hide a telling yawn. "Will you kiss me again soon?"

"I couldn't resist even if I tried." Standing, he smiled. "Rest. I will be back later tonight. One of Boreas's trusted men will be stationed outside the tower door while I go to the evening meal. I'll bring back something for you."

"Thank you."

"Oh, I nearly forgot." He fished out a stack of papers from inside his breastplate. "Boreas said his people found these in Dreadlands. He wanted you to have them. Said you might find something more useful than you have in the library."

She held back a surprised laugh. Of course, the Spymaster had noticed her snooping around the library. Accepting the unexpected treasure from Castel, she sat back up, her curiosity piqued. What had Boreas found that he thought might interest her?

Rifling through the papers, she barely noticed Castel giving her a kiss on the top of her head before he left. The more she read, the more excited she got. The handwritten notes must be from the Son of Deva himself, or from his mages. With her heart in her throat, she held a page up to read it better in the light of the candle, as daylight was quickly dwindling this far north in winter.

"Blood of the spellcasters to break the spellbind," she read aloud.

By the Gods. She had suspected something along those lines after it had become clear Son of Deva's people were looking for her a couple of years ago. A captive in Messina had said as much. But she now had it confirmed in ink that this was truly it. If they needed blood from the ones who had cast the spell to bind Deva in his crystal prison, then they needed her. But Goddess Dhim had assisted her. How were they planning to get the blood of a goddess? No one had seen Dhim since Deva was spellbound. The gods rarely walked among mortals. Dhim had done so against the will of her fellow gods. Was she in trouble now?

The sorcerers had limited contact with the gods as their chosen protectors of Erya, but the sorcerer acting as their contact had gone missing after they took Messina back from Deva. Isobel suspected her old friend had suffered too much when captured in Highglaive and had needed time away, so she had never gone looking. But it had been six years. It might be time to find her. Sorceress Desari might be the only one alive who knew how to contact the gods.

Impatient energy filled her. Being stuck at the edge of the world with waning powers had never been so inconvenient. She wished she could share her findings with someone, but no one really knew what she was up to. It was safer that way. Especially if Son of Deva and his followers were truly after her. She worried her lower lip with her teeth. Maybe she could speak to Boreas. The Spymaster had proved himself useful several times. Perhaps he could be trusted. It would be good to have someone to discuss everything with. Someone to plan the next step.

She flicked through the pages one more time to see if there was any mention of searching for the Godstones, but the remaining papers mainly seemed to be instructions about moving to new locations to avoid Boreas's scouting agents. No longer able to sleep, she put the papers aside. She needed to speak to the Spymaster. She also needed to recover quicker. This weakness was getting ridiculous. There must be a way to speed things along.

Getting out of bed on tired legs, she walked into Castel's study and found a piece of paper and a quill. She scribbled a few words on a piece of paper before giving it to the guard outside the tower with instructions to have it delivered to the Spymaster. Once she made it back to bed, she was exhausted, but still too excited to sleep. Leaning back against the pillows, she sighed as her fingers tapped against her thigh. All she could do was wait for Boreas to arrive.

Tap tap tap.

She closed her eyes, fighting back a yawn. This was no time to sleep. If only she wasn't so tired.

Tap tap... ta...

~~~~~~

(Fort Mael, as imagined my Midjourney)