‘I have done things in this life that shame me,’ Rushton said. ‘I have said and thought things that do not make me proud and it is not easy to imagine baring that to you. And yet to save me on Norseland, you entered the deepest places in my soul. I cannot believe there is more to me than you saw in that dark journey.’

I swallowed hard and forced myself to look into his eyes. ‘It is because of what happened on Norseland that I no longer fear what would happen if our minds merge.’

He looked long and searchingly at me, his expression changing to reflect his passing thoughts. I saw uncertainty and an unexpected vulnerability, but gradually, as he became certain of my meaning, passion flared in his eyes, making them glow like green jewels. He moved to take me in his arms and then he stopped and muttered with desperate humour, ‘Gevan!’

I wanted so badly to tell him to send the Coercer guildmaster away. The world was changing about us so swiftly and the fright he had given me earlier was too fresh in my mind to let him out of my sight. I felt that something would prevent what I suddenly wanted more than anything else in the world. Yet it was foolishness to feel so desperate when we were to travel to the Red Land together on a journey that would take many months. We would have days on end of the strange idleness of shipboard life, when no task or duty would be neglected if we stole time for ourselves.

A vision rose in my mind of us lying together in a ship’s berth, a porthole thrown open to a sky awash with stars, the sea lapping softly at the hull, and I drew a long ragged breath before saying, ‘You are the master of Obernewtyn and I am guildmistress of the Farseekers. There is much for us both to do ere the ships set sail for the Red Land and we will have time then to be all we can be to one another. For now, I think we must have a guildmerge before this day ends and both of us must prepare for it.’

He cupped my face in his hands and gave me a kiss that set my heart to pounding before saying in a laughing growl, ‘I have always done my duty willingly, but truly in this moment, the cost seems very high to me.’ He smiled crookedly and added, ‘We will hold the guildmerge at dusk, Guildmistress Gordie.’ He went out and closed the door quietly behind him.

Chapter 8

8