- 7th day of Hanotë

Part 4 - Listening ...

Ilea lightly touched her horse’s neck pulling it to a halt and Arkadi followed her lead. Since the day before they’d hardly exchanged any words and, even though it pained him, deep inside he knew that keeping his distance was the best for the both of them.

“What is it?” he asked after trying to see or listen to whatever she was searching in the air.

“Hush!”

Her purple gaze, now clear like crystal, was set on the distance, searching here and there, until it stopped as if she could see beyond the mountains of snow and ice that surrounded them. Arkadi remained silent and waited. She looked worried for a moment but then all tension left her body and she smiled.

“Hum … nothing much,” she said suddenly at ease. “For a moment I thought it was something important.”

“How so? What were you looking for?”

“Listening. I was listening,” she corrected him. “And, like I said, it wasn’t anything to worry about. False alarm,” she replied nudging her horse forward.

“You know? It wouldn’t kill you to share!” She looked back at him and smiled maliciously.

“Well, you’re a gifted Mage. Work hard so you may listen as well. If I start telling what I hear you’ll lose interest in learning how to do it. Isn’t that what you’re always telling your students?”

He gave her a threatening glare but then her bright smile killed his bad humor in an instant, and try as he may, he couldn’t stay angry at her for another second.

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