It threw him to hear mention of the Gates.

Most days, he tried hard to not think of the land—the place where so much had gone wrong for him, where he had lost so much of what he loved. He had lived there for decades, serve as its General, its King, its Lord. He had helped it prepare for war and face threats, seen it weather terrible storms. It was the place where he had loved Joelle and raised his family. The place he had brought Minette when he had helped her rescue herself from Gryffen. The place he had met Ellyse with the sharp tongue and fire in her eyes.

And now it was gone—forever swallowed by something he still not understand. Something flashed behind his eyes—pain, perhaps—but he masked it quickly. Instead, answering simply. “Yes, I lived there for quite some time.” It was easier to leave it at that. This was not necessarily the time to dive into his history for them. “Perhaps I can help.” He glanced back toward the mare they were all crowded around. “I live in Tephra now. It’s a beautiful land, watched over by a massive volcano. Lush, wild.” He was learning to like it—its rough edges matched those of his heart. “I could tell you more, if you would like.”

His gaze was then diverted by the question asked about the sisterhood as he looked to Celeana again, doing his best to give her space but still curious. “Have the Amazons found a new home?” he asked as a follow up before he could help himself. He had been raised by the sisterhood when his mother had ruled there as Queen, and he would always have a soft spot for the warrior women of the vines. Even if she did not seem like she would take kindly to his open curiosity, he could not stop himself from asking anyway.

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Celeana had grown quiet and Magnus internally berated himself for her silence.

It had to be his presence that caused her to grow quiet and he shifted at the thought. Perhaps it would be better if he stepped away and gave her some space to talk about her land without him standing over her. She, after all, seemed uncomfortable with his presence and he didn’t like the thought of aggravating that.

So, as the silence stretched on for a few more minutes, he cleared his throat.

“I should probably be on my way,” he caught Spice’s gaze, trying to convey meaning without saying anything. He could only hope that she would understand his intentions. “Spice, if you would like to come see Tephra for yourself, I would love to show you around sometime. It is a truly beautiful land with some wonderful souls who call it home.” He paused for a second before continuing. “Besides, I have found that it is sometimes easiest to make a decision regarding a home after you have seen it in person.”

It would not be the first time that he had left the Field with an invitation open. He could only hope that she would take him up on his word and come see the land for herself. It was quiet, but life still flowed there and it was breathtaking to view. One day, he would see it blossom into his vision as a haven, but for now, it was still in its infancy. It needed more willing to dedicate themselves to the case.

“It has been a pleasure to meet all of you.” He looked at Spice one more time before glancing toward Celeana and nodding and then looking toward Kiano. “If you would ever like to discuss the Gates more, i would be happy to tell you everything I know of them. Perhaps I could be of some help to you.”

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