As Aliah undid the buttons on her blue formal gown, she regretted dismissing her maid earlier that evening. Although perfectly capable of undressing herself, it was awkward reaching all the fastenings, especially when exhausted from her long and tumultuous day. Just as she was about to give up, the door opened, and Dominic entered their bedroom.
When the messenger arrived, calling them away from dinner with the Carstenites, Dominic allowed Aliah to go ahead while he dealt with the formal goodbyes. His eyes twinkled when he saw her half-dressed state.
'It's a shame we have other business to attend to tonight,' he said as he undid the rest of her fastenings with the ease of practice.
Leaning back into him, she luxuriated in his embrace before pulling away and heading to their dressing room. Returning moments later in a loose robe, she found her husband lying on the bed. He had draped his royal blue jacket over the back of a chair and placed his boots neatly by the fire before closing his eyes to the world. Reluctant to invade his rest, Aliah nevertheless asked, 'Are you sure you want to do this tonight? Maybe we'd be better off getting some much-needed sleep and talking with Seamus in the morning.'
Running a weary hand over his forehead, Dominic sat up. 'No, we'd best do this now. I arranged an early meeting with the guard captains first thing tomorrow. I want their input on Hubert's report. It would be useful to have Seamus paint a fuller picture of the region before we meet.'
Resisting the urge to curl up beside him, Aliah moved instead to a chair by the fire. 'And I guess since Sanctuary observes the Sixth Day as a day of rest, he might not appreciate the interruption.'
Dominic pushed himself off the bed and headed towards the balcony doors. They had been opened to cool the room, but now the air was chilly, and he pulled them closed before stopping at the table to his left. Aliah's maid had thoughtfully arranged a pot of caffe and some mugs for them before retiring, and Dominic filled two cups before joining her.
She took a few sips of the drink while her husband sat. When he was settled, she placed her cup on the hearth and picked up the sword leaning against the chair. Placing it on her lap, her right hand gripping the hilt, she asked, 'Are you ready?'
Dominic nodded, and she closed her eyes, allowing the power of the gods-given sword to flow through her. Reaching inside, she found the core of her magic and imagined pushing it out of her body in a long strand. As she did, she gathered a little of the light-blue energy Dominic extended towards her. Merging their magical strands together, Aliah paused to take strength from her husband's presence before casting their awareness outwards.
In the darkness, she threaded them through the sparks of consciousness, which appeared as something akin to stars in the night sky. Keeping herself in check, she resisted the urge to gravitate towards the brightest lights, instead focussing on the gossamer thin line that would lead her to Seamus. A blink later, she arrived at Sanctuary, and her pathway forked. One path was a mass of swirling colours that led to Seamus's aunt, Amelia. The brightness of her link indicated she was dreaming a foretelling. With hardly a pause, Aliah followed the single gold thread that would lead her to her friend.
She slowed down as she reached the bright ball of Seamus's essence, and whispered, "Seamus, are you awake?"
"Mm... what? Aliah? Is that you? And Dominic too? This must be important."
Aliah sensed warmth as Seamus opened his mind to her. He was sitting by a fire with a book in his lap. She chuckled as she remembered when they had first started mind speaking how he had taken over her consciousness, and it had been difficult for her to even think, let alone speak while they were connected. Nowadays, he imagined a room - Aliah supposed it must be much like his living room in Sanctuary - so they could meet and talk in comfort, almost like they were visiting in person. Having created the link, Aliah relaxed a little, which Seamus translated into her taking the other seat by the fire. He also imagined Dominic sitting at the nearby table.
Although Dominic could mind speak well over short distances, he was unable to maintain a conversation from far away for any length of time. After years of trial and error, they found Dominic could link with Aliah and could hear what was being said, but he could not participate directly. He could, however, voice his thoughts to Aliah, and she would mind speak for them both.
Closing his book and placing it gently on the floor, Seamus said, "I take it this isn't a social call?"
"Unfortunately, no. We had another report from Duke Hubert today about unrest in the border lands. It appears the problem Sanctuary has been dealing with for the last few years is now spilling into Aria. We were wondering if you noticed any increased activity?"
Seamus stroked his beard and waited some time before answering. "I wouldn't say we're experiencing more raids than usual, but some of the people I speak to are concerned about the ferocity of recent attacks."
"Are you able to give us more details?" Aliah asked.
Since defeating the god and freeing Aria from invasion, Seamus's life had taken a different course than his warrior partner. He had set up a school to train magically gifted children in Sanctuary. Making use of the community's extensive archives, he spent the rest of his time helping his aunt's husband, Walter, research and codify the various types of magic found in their lands.
The eldest son of the southern duke, in his adoptive home, he held no rank and had to rely on reports from his cousin Liam, Aria's Ambassador to Sanctuary, or his aunt Amelia, the chief seer, to gather his information. However, while his intelligence lacked the detail of official updates, he kept his finger on the pulse, and his news was often delivered in a more timely manner.