Lupi 04 - Night Season

kilingo, a spell that would connect the kielezos .
    The usual way to Find a trail when she couldn’t get a fix on the object itself was a slow, painstaking business. She had to keep Finding and Finding, moving around until she picked up whatever traces the object had left. In the last couple years, though, Cynna had been experimenting with another way, one that included time as a factor. In effect, she’d be hunting a space that “remembered” the medallion having passed through it about a month ago.
    One of her kielezos stood for time has passed . That was her dial. Back home she’d set that dial by the number of nights that had fallen since the person—it was usually a person she had to Find—had gone missing. Here that wouldn’t work, so she’d asked the gnomes to give her something that had been made in a single “day”—as precisely one day as possible. They’d given her a bit of knitting. She’d sorted it, abstracting the portion of the pattern that meant lifetime. Now she had to connect four kielezos : one for the path , one for day , the medallion’s kielezo , and the one for time has passed.
    She “drew” a firm line between the medallion’s kielezo and path, then connected the two with time has passed , then tied the latter to day with a thread of power. She’d adjust the day kielezo through intention alone, setting the number of days she wished it to represent. When the connections felt right, she stood.
    Cynna flexed her bare feet, absorbing the feel of dirt and plants and earth. She raised one heel and dropped it firmly. Then the other. Knees flexed, feet never fully leaving the earth, she stamped out an ancient rhythm, and as the rhythm built, she drew on her Gift, a process as simple and natural as taking a deep breath… hold it, hold it …power built and built behind her intention, gathered by her feet on the earth, focused by the arms she raised slowly…slowly…the patterns from the linked kielezos lifted with her arms, humming invisibly in the air around her.
    Five and five and five and five and five and five, she told the day kielezo . She snapped her arms overhead. Exhaled. And Found.
    There . Oh, yes. There, and all along there, heading that way. She had it.
    Cynna grinned, a little dizzy, a lot tired. Triumphant. “I’ve got a trail. It’s weak, but I’ve got it. The river. The medallion left on the river, headed south.”
    Ruben smiled. “Good job.” There was, maybe, a whisper of relief in his voice.
    The gnomes’ relief was a lot nosier, but quickly subsided into orders and bustle. The trail definitely headed away from the City. They’d be traveling again. Bilbo assured them all would be ready for their departure in a bell-time, which was a little over two hours.
    â€œI hope Gan shows up in time.” She was a bit worried about the former demon.
    Ruben looked at her. “Did Mr. Seabourne say when he would return? Or should we send someone for him?”
    â€œOh. No, you don’t have to. He’s back.” She didn’t have to do a full Find to know that. She didn’t even need his pattern. With objects or people she knew well, she just had to wonder where they were. If they were close, her Gift told her. “I’ll tell him we’ll be leaving ASAP.”
    Cynna did take one wrong turn on her way back to their rooms, but otherwise navigated the maze quickly. It still took her long enough to wonder why she’d immediately offered to fetch Cullen. Just because her body wanted more of him didn’t mean the rest of her was ready.
    Maybe she was making too much of last night. What had changed, really? Sure, they’d had great sex, but it wasn’t the first time they’d set off fireworks…as the little rider not yet pooching out her stomach testified. She cared about him, yeah, but she was supposed to care about a friend. Last night she’d felt vulnerable, but that didn’t mean…she hadn’t fallen for him, for God’s sake.
    Infatuation. That’s what it was. It would fade in time.
    Cynna was tired and wired when she reached his door. She knocked, forgetting to keep it soft. Her knuckles shoved the door partway open. “It’s me,” she called out, pushing it open the rest of the way. “Guess what?”
    Her feet stopped just over the threshold. The weirdest feeling swept over her, like