Chapter 52 Ro #2
I kissed him, running the pads of my thumbs along his bearded cheeks as I did.
I didn’t need his apology. “You came back to me. That was all I wanted.” Words with such raw vulnerability hadn’t been spoken from my lips to another person in years.
But I wanted to tell him. Wanted to feel him under my touch.
Wanted him to be okay because regardless of being in this hopeless place, I couldn’t imagine losing him.
“When he pulled that dagger…” My mouth closed, like my body physically rejected voicing the thought.
“Come here,” he said, bringing my head to his chest and running his hand in soothing circles against my back. “I’m sorry I did it, if only because you were scared for me.”
He’d barely recovered from whatever had pulled him under, yet still concerned himself with my feelings.
This man had my heart blazing even as tears poured from my eyes.
After a couple more minutes of simply being in each other’s arms, he told me a tent had been prepared for me.
A personal space that I had claim to. He also explained the concerning interaction he’d had with Kasia and admitted he didn’t know what the best course of action was.
“Well, unless you need space—” I started saying before he interrupted.
“I don’t.”
The feral intensity in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. Not a hint of a lie behind those gorgeous dark irises. “Then I think I want to fall asleep in your arms.”
Wordlessly, he stood, extending his hand to mine. We got up, and he lifted the fur on his cot for me to crawl under. I did, and he joined.
He pressed his chest to my back, wrapping his arms around me. I would have thought only magic could have accommodated us both on the tiny bed, but the way I molded to him, like we were designed to fit just like this, was all it took for my eyes to close.
I hadn’t slept that peacefully in ages.
Dae had already risen, retrieved breakfast, and brought it back. Today, he took on the responsibility of sharing his egg with Braxius. I watched as the beginnings of their connection bloomed, Braxius’s tail wagging an exorbitant amount.
Little scamp.
They sat in the chair in the corner while I took up the bed. I studied the way Dae’s body moved. Firm and muscled, but by no means bulky. He was lean. Getting back to Rahana would mean unrationed food portions. I wondered when the last time Dae had unfettered access to food was?
He’d really like the way Rahana operated.
I think Rav would really like him, too. They both held a serious air, quiet, contemplative.
Not to say they couldn’t be witty or expressive when they wanted, but it seemed like it was their default setting.
Introducing him to Radhak would be like bringing him to meet my dad.
I could see in my mind’s eye how Radhak would welcome Dae with open arms, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
How would Tio judge him? He’d never seen me pair up with someone romantically.
A vision appeared in my mind, all of us together, sitting around a campfire, laughing, telling stories, Dae’s hand on my thigh.
Tio would surely point out any physical touch between us in an attempt to embarrass me.
The thought had me fighting a smile. And what would Tula say?
She’d think he was handsome, for sure. My chest became tight and my stomach dropped.
Was I really thinking about that? About Dae being a part of Rahana?
Introducing him to my family? That was absurd, wasn’t it?
Too easily my mind placed him in my life, in my future.
I knew I needed to shut off the valve to those thoughts.
Our immediate situation was far too precarious to allow hope to falter our course.
Speaking of which. I cleared my throat, shaking off the cozy feeling I had from watching these two. “What are the trips to Argora Vale for?”
Dae glanced up at me briefly before tearing another piece of egg white and passing it to Braxius.
“Argora Vale. Why do they go?” I reiterated.
Dae inhaled, sitting straighter in his seat.
“They used to make trips frequently. The towns on the other side of Witches Pass held the biggest crop of magic wielders in closest proximity. But with the curse spreading, residents have been moving. It doesn’t save us any travel time to go there rather than the closest town in Windguard now.
They still send scouting missions, but I don’t go near those.
My focus has been Windguard. Why do you ask? ”
“Because I was eavesdropping on The Eleven—”
“Ro,” he scolded.
“And I overheard them talking about a travel mission to Argora Vale. From what I know, if you even so much as step on one of those rotting branches of dark magic, it eats you alive. How do they maneuver it?”
“When one of The Eleven travels, they wield the capacity to control those branches. They step forward, the branches move out of their way, and anyone with them.”
I flashed a look of understanding. What could be so important in Argora Vale that they didn’t want others to know?
A bell chimed in the distance, and I sat up straight. “What’s that?”
“The Eleven are calling a meeting. Handing out assignments.” From the way Dae stiffened, I wondered what he knew. “Let’s go,” he said. “Attendance is required.”
He pat Braxius on the head.
“Can I come with you?” the little dragon asked.
“No, buddy, I don’t think that’s wise. I need to understand what’s happening first. I know you’re tired of being cooped up in here. We’ll try to leave soon,” I reassured him. He circled like a puppy over the bunched pile of clothes and settled in. I think I heard a little harrumph when he did.
Dae sheathed his daggers and handed me my bow.
Before he let go of my weapon, he leaned in and kissed me.
My heart fluttered, and the world quieted for those glorious seconds.
Standing as tall as he could, craning his neck to the side, he offered a hand and lifted me from the cot, letting me walk in front of him.
I wore the clothes I’d traveled in from Rahana.
The familiarity filled me with confidence since I could use my weapons without worrying about baggy clothes impeding my movements.
Five new arrows sat in my quiver. Not enough to make a scene or getaway in a camp this size, but something should I need it.
We joined the stream of bodies headed toward the designated meeting place. No one seemed outright panicked or worried, but tension permeated the air.
“Gods,” Dae muttered beside me. I might have missed it had I not been so tuned in to his every move.
“What?” Following his shocked stare, I saw the soot covered remains of a tent. “Oh. People were screaming about a fire after your fight. Must have been that.” Tiny wafts of smoke curled off the ashy ground.
Dae’s jaw clenched. “That was your tent.”
I looked at the scene anew. “Well shit. Was I supposed to put a candle out? Am I going to be punished for that?” Panic turned my blood cold. Of all the things to possibly die considering what I was doing here, an accident that I didn’t mean to cause? That’d be a wasteful way to go.
“New recruits aren’t given candles,” he said gravely. “This was intentional.” Anger flared behind the browns of his eyes.
“I have made enemies, I guess.”
“Only someone who glimpsed the records would have known it was your tent.” He ground his teeth together.
And he’d said that woman had been strange about it. Insistent that I stay there. But I didn’t even know her. “Is there anyone who doesn’t want to kill me here?” The crowd continued to funnel around us, making it difficult to remain stagnant in the midst of the rush.
“I won’t let that happen.”
I should have resisted when he placed his hand on my lower back, protested so that no one perceived us as anything more than two regular members. But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything because I loved the way his hands felt on me, in any capacity. In fact, I sank into it as we walked.
There was no stage or balcony from which they spoke. The Eleven simply stood in a line, hands behind their backs, dark eyes marked with a streak of makeup peering out over the crowd, dissecting us.
A woman began, “Missions to be executed by tomorrow are as follows: A crew to travel to Argora Vale. A stock pile caravan sent to the south, along with a band of a dozen. We require several volunteers. First up, a trip to Devera. Scouting for supplies and magic wielders, retrieving either or both. Same with down south. We have selected Carr for another siphoning, so don’t disappoint by failing to retrieve a wielder.
” She spoke over the crowd with authority, all of us near silent while listening.
The rest of The Eleven stood stoically, like darkness feeding off our presence.
A shiver ran down my spine, but my hand flew into the air. “I volunteer!”
A few turned to look at me. Dae tensed in my peripheral. The eyes of The Eleven fell upon me, Marvoe’s mouth turning into a sly grin.
“Excellent. I need five more!” the woman shouted, and a dozen hands went up. Seemed they had something to prove since I spoke up first.
Dae didn’t waste time ushering me back through the crowd, his guiding touch a tad forceful. He wasn’t pleased, and when we retreated into his tent, he certainly let me know.
“What in the gods names are you thinking?! We’re supposed to be lying low, walking directly into the pit of their power?!” He wanted to yell, I could see it in the way his muscles strained, but he kept his voice strategically low.