Since his youth, Magnus had been making treks to the field. Who had been recruiting for had changed, and the politics had changed, but his willingness to do what others viewed as an unglamorous job had not. He had talked to hundreds, if not thousands, of souls there; he had been outright rejected, flirted with, threatened, and successful in leading new souls home. He had thought that he had seen the gamut of possible outcomes to recruiting, but even he had been surprised by the turn of events the last time.
It had been such a mild encounter, but Celeana had been clearly on edge around him. He had never elicited such a strong reaction in a stranger and, to be honest, he had not been sure how to react. Magnus did not mind being at odds with others (goodness knows he had made his fair share of enemies throughout the years), but to be so utterly disliked without ever talking? That had been a first for him.
So imagine his surprise when he caught Spice’s scent on the air.
His expression instantly warmed when he lifted his head and saw her, his gold-flecked eyes sparking with joy. He had been hoping that she would take him on the offer to see Tephra for herself, but he had not been holding his breath. Thankfully, he was close enough that he was able to close the gap between them quickly—fast enough that he heard her tentative greeting. “Hello, Spice!” he called in his whiskey-voice, his handsome face split with the warm grin. “I am so glad to see you.” As he came to a stop, he motioned around them to where the land unfolded, lush and beautiful in the spring light. “Welcome to Tephra.”
magnus
![[Image: gqYjsHr.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/KjqNDKxc/gqYjsHr.png)