Page 78 of Stranger's Choice
Chapter 23
If he hurried, Sebin could catch the next Lhanaperan ship leaving Pynth. If he delayed, he might have to wait months before another ship crossed the Mladin Ocean. It took extreme forbearance not to dawdle and ensure he would miss the ship.
Auraelie’s continued insistence that he needed to return to Moial as soon as possible, her anxiety over how easy it would be for him to miss the ship, kept him moving. But he didn’t focus only on getting himself to the harbor. No, with the agreement between the Emperor and the people signed, and an Assembly ready to form, it was time for Auraelie to go home. She would have the life she missed in the forests surrounding Losesti, even if Sebin could no longer share it with her.
Sebin had meant it when he said he didn’t trust the oracles not to force someone to marry the Emperor’s son. So he had spoken with Heolin. The earth sprite would travel with Auraelie back to her people and remain to make sure the woman chosen to become the next empress was willing to take on that role.
Heolin would meet them at the palace gates. Then he and Auraelie would travel into the forests of her childhood, and Sebin would set sail down the river to reach Reslin Harbor.
Sebin slung his pack over his shoulder—the rest of his things had already been carted off—and trudged to the palace gates. He wished he had one more moment alone with Auraelie, though they had wordlessly said their goodbyes the night before. She had some errand to run that morning before they set off, though.
Sebin saw Heolin by the gates, talking to someone. He blinked. Auraelie stood next to Heolin, but she was no longer dressed in black. She had on a yellow tunic and blue trousers. That must have been her errand that morning. He didn’t blame her for wanting out of the black uniform of the Will. Dressing in bright colors was a simple way to remind herself that she was truly free.
Heolin saw him first and waved. Auraelie turned around and smiled, but her lips—uncovered by any sort of veil—quivered. Sebin tried to summon his own smile for her, but he wasn’t sure he could manage it. Not when this was goodbye. Instead, he wrapped her in his arms so that she couldn’t see his own expression.
“Color becomes you,” Sebin said softly, trying to keep everything light. Then he squeezed her tighter. “I wish I had the chance to see you in every color of the rainbow.”
She held on to him just as tightly. “I wish I could wear them all for you.”
They both stepped back, and Auraelie was blinking tears from her eyes. Sebin took a deep breath. He twisted his ring off his finger and held it out to Auraelie. “I want you to have this.”
She looked at the ring with wide eyes. He didn’t know why she was still shocked that he wanted her to have the null charm, but he had expected her resistance to taking it. That was why he had offered it to her in front of Heolin, who would think it was nothing more than a bit of jewelry. She couldn’t say he needed it for himself without exposing his secret, and she wouldn’t do that.
He pressed the ring into her palm and folded her fingers over it. “Take it, Auraelie. Please.”
She nodded slowly, then went up on her toes and kissed him. When she drew back, Sebin kissed the corner of her mouth and across her cheek to her ear. He whispered, “The charm has about two more weeks before it will run out of power.”
He didn’t mention that the rest of his charms were already in her bag. He had hidden them there the night before. She’d recognize them when she saw them, and by that point, it would be too late for her to insist he keep them.
He stepped back. He didn’t know what else to say. Goodbye felt too permanent, even though he knew this was it. I’ll miss you was too painful. I love you was too true—at this point the words would be a burden rather than a boon.
Auraelie seemed to be having a similar issue. Her knuckles were white where she clenched the ring, but she said nothing.
Heolin cleared his throat, and they both jumped. The earth sprite reached out and clapped a hand on Sebin’s shoulder. “Safe journeys, Prince Sebin. Thank you for all you have done for the people of Pynth.”
“Safe journeys to you as well. I know you’ll make sure that all we’ve accomplished isn’t lost.” Sebin turned back to Auraelie. “Safe journeys, Auraelie. I hope you find happiness when you return home.”
She nodded, still blinking back tears. “You should go, so you don’t miss your ship. Be safe, Sebin.”
She turned and started walking down the road without another word. Heolin watched her for a moment, then turned back to Sebin.
“Watch over her, Heolin. She deserves a chance to enjoy her freedom.”
“I’ll make sure she does.”
The earth sprite set off after Auraelie, his longer legs allowing him to catch up within moments.
Sebin watched them go until they reached a corner. Auraelie looked up as she turned, and their eyes met. Then she disappeared from view.
After several deep breaths, Sebin set off in the opposite direction to find the boat that would take him to the ship that would take him to Moial. He wasn’t sure that he was going home, though. He wasn’t sure he would ever be home again. Not without Auraelie.
When she sawthe vision of herself and Heolin walking through the forest near her home village, Auraelie had never expected that the emotions she’d be feeling would be anything other than excitement. But there was no excitement. No joy.
She held Sebin’s ring in her hand as they walked. She had slipped it into her pocket before leaving Kalitalo, but once they were deep in the forest, she couldn’t resist taking it out. Opening her hand so that it lay flat on her palm, she stared at it until she tripped and almost dropped it. Then she clenched it in her fist. Not because it was a valuable charm, but because it was Sebin’s.
He had told her it had two weeks of power remaining. She knew she should pry the ruby out of the ring—Sebin had showed her how when he replaced his charm one evening—to extend the life of the magic. There was a small prong inside the setting that activated the charm. If she pulled the ruby off, it would no longer touch the rest of the ring and the power would be saved until it was pressed down again. Two weeks of protection could stretch into months or even years of use.
Without Sebin, however, Auraelie didn’t need to touch people. Oh, it might be nice to know that someone accidentally brushing against her wouldn’t send her into convulsions, but she had lived a quarter century without that protection. She could live the rest of her life the same way. Besides, she was heading home. If she stayed in the village she had spent her earliest years, she wouldn’t need a charm to stay safe unless she visited the nearby humans, shifters, or sprites.
