Page 59 of Omen of ice
“Tro bidge.”
“That rabbit just… Fuck.” He shakes the flask, then takes a long swig. “Fuck…”
I sink to the ground, balanced on the balls of my feet, and stare at the white-and-brown ball of fluff. Slowly, I reach forward, a single finger extended to stroke it between the ears. The rabbit doesn’t recoil or run away. Instead, it leans into my touch, lightly thumping its back leg.
“Tro bidge.”
Before the Great Drain, before the loss of our power pushed us into the dark, we lived side by side with nature. All manner of plants, every living creature, all harmonized by the bond of druid magic. When Aphelian gave Servis the tear, it was said that the forest animals all over Derriga, no longer able to communicate with the druids, sank into a kind of depression, forever changed.
“How is this possible?”
Valen kneels beside me, his eyes wide. The astonishment on his face is trumped by the wonder filtering through the link. Wonder and that same metallic tang. Whatever it is he’s hiding, this rabbit is making him feel guilty about it.
The rabbit regards him warily, scooting closer to me. “I…I have no idea.” He tries to pet the creature, but it hisses and leaps into my arms. “How are we able to hear it?”
“Fae bad. Fae bad. Fae bad. Fae bad.”
I laugh and snuggle the rabbit close, stroking its soft fur. “This one is just slightly less vile than the rest.” I glance at Valen. “You sure this has nothing to do with your magic?”
He shrugs. “I mean, it could? Remember, we don’t know much about my magic. Fae power didn’t use to work like that, but now? Who knows?” It’s a lie, and it takes all my effort not to call him on it.
“Since you were born with magic in your blood, it doesn’t seem unthinkable that you’re more attuned to power. Maybe living at the estate, with the latent magic in the ground…”
“That has to be it.” He cringes a little, and I know damn well he doesn’t believe it.
“And since we’re linked…”
“You have much stronger access to druid magic,” he finishes for me. There’s a tentative smile on his face. “And I’m hearing it talk because you’re hearing it. I mean, I assume…”
Even though his explanation is pure fiction, the idea sends a thrill through me while being just a little terrifying. If it was even remotely true, then I’d be the first druid—other than our priestess—to speak with an animal in centuries. I gesture toward the rabbit. “Do you have any idea what atro bidgeis?”
The rabbit squirms from my arms and begins hopping frantically from one end of the path to the other. “TrobidgeTrobidgeTrobidgeTrobidge.”
“No. Unless it means…” Valen groans and stands, dusting the dirt from his leathers. “Troll bridge.” He narrows his eyes and glances down the path. “Maybe it’s telling us there’s a troll bridge ahead—which would be extremely inconvenient.”
I get to my feet and stare at the rabbit. It’s still hopping back and forth, now whisperingtro bidgeunder its breath, over and over. “We didn’t have trolls in Lunal.”
“We won’t be able to pass unless we offer them something.”
“Like what, exactly?” We have no money and can’t spare what little food we have left.
He shrugs. “Depends. I suppose the best way to find out is to head to the bridge.”
“Thank you, little one,” I say to the rabbit. I give it one last scratch, then nod down the path. “Shall we?”
Valen falls in step beside me. I keep my gaze on the trail ahead of us, cautious of anything that might cause us harm, but his scrutiny is like a weight pressing down on my shoulders. The silence that comes with it is suffocating. Whatever he’s hiding is going to make me scream. I don’t want to push him to tell me, but I might not have a choice.
“If you don’t spit it out, I’m going to turn you upside down and shake it out of you.”
He sighs, and both our breaths shudder. Warmth engulfs me, an invisible, featherlight touch skimming the surface of my skin—inside and out. “I suppose I’m just wondering how it felt. Being able to understand the rabbit. That’s what your ancestors could do, right?”
“We were able to communicate with animals. The strongest of us could even become them.”
“Was it everything you imagined it would be?”
“I never gave it much thought, honestly.” I hesitate, not sure I want to open myself up to his mocking. “I still don’t understand how it happened.”
“Regardless of how, I bet it was amazing.” A spike of something floods the link—there and gone far too fast for me to get a lock on it.
