Iwalk through the dozens of wagons filled with steel pipes, inspecting every batch we’re taking with us. It took weeks of preparation to prepare a sufficient amount for our trip.“I’m worried, Felix.”I turn toward Arabella and lift my hand to her face, the back of my fingers stroking over her cheek. “Don’t be, beloved. You’ve kept the atrium heated for weeks now. Have you not seen the plants Elaine and the other sorcerers have been growing? I don’t recall the last time something grew in Eldiria, and you made that happen. If you could do it in the atrium, you can do it in the rest of our empire, too.”noveldramaShe shakes her head and clutches my cloak in her hands. “The atrium is one part of the palace where the curse’s effects are largely mitigated. The rest of the country won’t be the same.”She’s right, but for once, I’m certain we’ll be victorious. “Have faith, beloved. I do. I have faith in you, in us. We’ve come further than ever before, and I suspect we have much further to go still. Walk this road with me, Arabella, and we’ll change more lives than you ever thought possible.”She nods, but I see the insecurity in her eyes. It astounds me that she doesn’t seem to realize how powerful she is. Within a few months, she’s harnessed powers that were thought to be extinct, teaching herself more than I ever could. Her control over fire is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and her control over air is growing rapidly. She’s now able to lift me into the air for a few seconds at a time, when a mere few weeks ago, she could barely lift snow. I wish she could see herself through my eyes.“Let’s go, my love.”Arabella takes my arm and I wrap my hands around her waist to lift her on top of Sirocco, my touch lingering. She and I haven’t had many moments alone recently. Every waking moment that I’m not working is spent executing Elaine’s plans and preparing for the trip we’re about to embark on. Countless regions of the empire should be receiving steel within the next few days, accompanied by soldiers that will dig up the ground and place the pipes so Arabella and I can move through the country at a quicker pace. I expect there to be many instances where the pipes won’t have been placed yet because of the ice or the curse’s effects. From what I’ve observed, the curse doesn’t go near anything Arabella’s magic has touched, but before then, it might go rampant.My wife and I have done our best to be prepared for the unexpected. This trip could last a mere few weeks, or it could last months. While we have prepared for both scenarios, I know she’s still filled with fear, and I’m uncertain how to take those fears away.“It’s beautiful,” Arabella says, as we ride past empty fields filled with snow, and I try to see it through her eyes. The stars above us illuminate the fields, and I suppose there’s some beauty to it.“Many years ago, those were rice fields.”She tenses, her back rigid against my chest. “I’m sorry, Felix. I… I didn’t realize.”I smile to myself and wrap one arm around her. “One day, I’ll show you what they looked like. One day, you and I will restore those fields to what they once were.”She turns her head to look at me, her eyes finding mine. I miss her. The last couple of weeks have been filled with late nights and early mornings. I miss lying in bed with her in my arms. I miss having her bare body against mine, and the way she whispers my name late at night. I miss the way her eyes shimmer with need, her pleas silent but effective.I lean in and kiss her, startling her. Arabella freezes for a moment, and then she lifts her hand, threading it into my hair as she kisses me back. It’s been over a fortnight since I last had her lips against mine, and the distance that has grown between us since makes me deeply uncomfortable.I push aside the ache and deepen our kiss, losing myself in her for a moment. I fear that the memories we’ll make throughout this trip might be the last ones I have of her. I hoped to change her mind, but I suspect she still has every intention of leaving me the moment we return to the palace. This trip might well be my very last chance to win her heart.Arabella pulls away, her cheeks flaming, and I smirk. It’s been so long since I made her blush. “Beautiful,” I whisper into her ear. “I love the way your cheeks redden, beloved. It’s been too long.”“Felix!” she chastises, but the tone of her voice puts me at ease. Arabella has been different lately. Ever since her sister’s birthday, she’s been absentminded. I used to be able to read my wife with ease, but lately she’s a mystery to me. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, and I fear her thoughts are on Althea. I’ve been tempted to read the letters she exchanges, for fear that in truth it’s the boy she communicates with, but I’ve been giving her my trust. I hope I don’t come to regret it.“We’re here,” she says, her voice a nervous edge to it. I glance around at the square in the first town on our journey. The town’s people have gathered to welcome us, their faces lit with hope.Snow starts to fall as our horses come to a stop, turning to hail the very moment my feet hit the ground. I look up, my heart sinking. Arabella was right. The curse won’t let us intervene with the same ease we experienced in the atrium.My mood is grim as I lift her off Sirocco, my spirits falling by the second. I can’t stay away from the palace for long. Each time I’ve tried, the curse entangles me, suffocating me so slowly I barely realize what’s happening, until it’s too late and the damage is done. Our plan fails without me, and recuperation periods at the palace will set us back endlessly.“It’s okay, Felix,” Arabella says. She slips her hand into mine and smiles at me. “We’re going to be just fine.”I nod as I follow her, willing myself to believe her words. Arabella has never seen me lose control—few people have and lived to tell the tale. I fear what I might do to her if we stay away too long. Fates, she and I will never recover if it gets that far. She might be able to see beyond my monstrous exterior now, but once she sees the beast within, I’ll lose her.“Felix?”I look up at my wife, my heart aching. She’s so heartbreakingly beautiful. It isn’t just her stunning face or that body I can’t stop fantasizing about; it’s her heart.“Are you ready, Felix?”I nod and glance at the steel pipes already laid out for me. Moving them will take so much of my energy… how many times can I do it before I’m depleted? How much can I do before I become a danger to everyone around me?