Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
“What is this place?” I ask Odessa a few days later as we ride into what looks to be an abandoned town of some sort.
I slide off of Zaro, finally used to riding so much again and far less sore than the first week, and hand the reins to Jacob, the squire.
I give the horse a loving pat on the neck before walking down the wide path that seems to cut through the middle of the village. Or town. Or whatever the hells it was.
“It was a trading post once upon a time, but it’s been abandoned for decades now.”
I can see how having a trading post here would be ideal—we’re in what most call The Perilous now: a vast, dangerous span of land between Lyanna and Tithmoore with unpredictable and treacherous terrain of thick forests, raging rivers, and rocky mountains, and beasts of legend said to be lurking within.
There are no villages or towns in either direction for at least a three days’ journey—and that’s only so long as the snow holds off.
I look upward, knowing it will start within the hour.
I can feel it heavy in the air, calling to me, reaching out in welcome like an old friend.
I sigh, wanting to embrace it back. I’ve missed it so much that my heart aches, but at least I’ll see it again soon.
With a snowstorm, it could take a week to get to the nearest town, and being stranded would be a nightmare.
So, yes, having a point halfway through The Perilous could be the difference between life and death. I wonder why it was abandoned.
“A newer one was built farther south. Travelers take that route across The Perilous now—it’s safer,” Blackheart answers my unasked question, making me jump as he seems to materialize out of thin air behind us.
How in the ruddy fuck does he move silent as death like that?
His lips quirk for a heartbeat, apparently amused by my surprise.
“The ice dragons and frost cats like this area a bit too much for most people’s liking,” he adds, before walking on without a backwards glance.
“Are they truly real?” I whisper to Odessa. I’ve managed to crack her outermost shell of irritation towards me, so though she still doesn’t like me, she tolerates me without outright disdain now, which is a win in my eyes.
“Oh, most definitely,” she says with a sly grin, and I can’t tell if she’s serious or not.
We haven’t come across any as of yet, and I’ve always assumed they were merely myths, but…
I glance around now, as if one of the beasts is going to burst out from behind a building any second.
Odessa notices and laughs lightly, rolling her eyes.
“Frost cats, yes. Dragons, no. They used to exist, but they’ve been gone for a long time now.
” She sounds sad about that. “But make no mistake, The Perilous truly is filled with all manner of beasts that would happily make a meal of you.”
I glance to the woods again, the dark mountain peaks, and can only hope that the sheer size of the army is enough to keep them at bay as we make the crossing. We walk past several long cabins, large enough to house the entire army I’d wager—and apparently that’s exactly what they’re for.
“Sleep houses,” Odessa explains, nodding to the rows of cabins on either side of the path.
Travelers must have been able to pay for a bed within when this was still an active trading post. “Everyone gets a break from the tents tonight, thank the Makers.” My stomach twists at the thought of sleeping in a giant open room with hundreds of soldiers, plenty of which still give me scathing looks when I pass, but most importantly, Turner and his brood.
“That’s the kitchen and dining hall,” she continues, nodding to another large cabin at the end of the path. “Bath houses.” She points to four smaller structures to the left of the kitchen.
We keep walking, though I’m not quite sure why—shouldn’t she be showing me to my assigned cot for the night? I don’t complain though as I’m not in a hurry to be cooped up inside with all of those bodies. I want to stay out and enjoy the cold as long as possible.
“This was the main commissary, where everyone brought their wares to sell and trade. There are private quarters upstairs, which is where you’ll be sleeping tonight.”
“But why…Oh,” I finish, realizing the answer before the question is even out of my mouth: I need to be watched.
I’m still a prisoner. I nearly laugh—I’d almost forgotten that was the case for a few minutes.
Pity flashes in Odessa’s icy blue eyes for a heartbeat.
Pity fills my own heart, but then it's forgotten and I sigh in utter contentment, my lips curling into a smile. Here it comes.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m home,” I whisper, so quietly I know she can’t have heard me clearly.
“What? Are you alri—oh!” she gasps as the first flakes fall from the sky, thick and fluffy and so beautiful my eyes water.
I’d made it snow that day I was captured, sure, but then I hadn’t been in a position to truly feel it then, to appreciate it and revel in it and let its presence fill me with utter contentment.
I feel like I’m whole again, like a part of me has been missing for fifteen years and I’ve finally found it once more.
I love my life in Helios. I love the sun and the crystal blue water, the sights and the smells and the sounds, but this is who I am. This is where I belong.
“I love the snow,” I say simply, tilting my head back and grinning at the sky as the flakes fall, faster now.
“That’s funny,” Odessa says. I turn my head slightly to quirk a brow in question, but keep my face upward.
I feel like an old wound I’ve been ignoring all this time is slowly healing with each flake that touches my skin.
“That a fire wielder would love the snow.” I merely shrug.
After a moment, she adds quietly, “We love the snow too. Duskthorne gets heaps of it, as you can imagine. Mia is going to be so excited.”
Other soldiers start calling out orders and Odessa curses under her breath.
“I need to help get some things taken care of before the snow gets too heavy.” She points to the commissary building to our left.
“Up the stairs. You’ll be in the room at the end of the hall.
Your trunk should already be there. I’ll come get you for dinner soon.
” I nod and take one more minute to enjoy the snow while she jogs off into the melee.
I finally sigh and head inside. It’s a bit dank and dusty, but overall, it’s in fairly decent shape for an abandoned building in the middle of The Perilous.
I find the stairs in the back of the room and though they look a little rickety, I’m assuming if two men hoisting that trunk could make it up, I’ll be fine.
I start down the hallway just as Blackheart steps out of his room, pulling a tunic over his head and I stutter step, eyes wide, mouth dry. I blink. And blink again.
Great. Fucking. Makers.
His body is…immaculate. Ropes of muscle beneath taut skin, more tattoos snaking up his ribs. His leathers sit low on his waist, showing deep indentions beside his hip bones and a fine trail of dark hair leading downward from his navel…
I make a sound that’s somewhere between a gasp and a cough, and he quirks a brow once his shirt is in place.
I suddenly hate the fabric with the fire of Sola, the sun Maker herself.
I swallow hard and tell myself to get my thoughts in line.
But instead, I find my gaze following a droplet of water from his damp hair as it slowly treks down his jaw and along his throat.
I have the strongest urge to wrap my arms around him and capture it with my tongue, to tangle my fingers in his hair and pull his mouth to mine, to have him lift me up and press me against the wall…
“Red?” he asks, voice low and rough. Or am I imagining that? What in all seven hells is wrong with me? He’s my captor. He’s the leader of an army defending a monster. He’s a prick.
A man can be both a prick and incredibly sexy, I remind myself, you can hate someone and still have them fuck you within an inch of your life…
I scowl at that tiny little voice until it retreats into the dark corners of my mind, cowering. I shake myself and meet his gaze, taking a small step towards the other side of the hallway to put extra distance between us.
“It’s snowing,” I say cooly because I honestly don’t know what else to say and I need some words to come out of my mouth or I might just let that little voice speak up again, let it take the reins and do something incredibly fucking stupid.
Not that he’d allow it, of course, but that would be even worse, to be rebuffed and ridiculed mercilessly afterward.
“I can see that,” he says, nodding towards my hair.
I reach up and realize I still have snowflakes there, just beginning to melt.
I pull the mess of hair over my shoulder, cursing myself for not braiding it today, and comb through it with my fingers, shaking out the remaining flakes.
I glance up to find Blackheart staring, his eyes intense, but not in the way I’ve seen before.
This feels…different. The air in the hallway suddenly feels thick and heavy.
It only lasts a heartbeat, but something passes between us…
doesn’t it? But when he straightens and looks as if nothing is amiss, I think maybe I imagined the whole thing.
I quickly turn my nose up and walk away, ducking into my room and closing the door.
“What in the ruddy fuck??” I hiss to the empty room.
I shake myself and take a few big gulps of water from the canteen on the table.
The room is in surprisingly good shape, with only a crack in one window showing any signs of disrepair.
There’s a bed, a small writing desk, two highbacked chairs near the fireplace, an armoire, and even an old tub in the corner behind a screen.
I pull one of the chairs from in front of the fireplace over to the window and settle into it, watching the snow fall and feeling more at peace than I have in too long to remember.
“Tess?”
I blink my eyes open to find Odessa standing beside me, gently shaking my shoulder.
“Makers, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How long—”
“A few hours. I came earlier but didn’t want to wake you, but don’t want you to go all night without supper. Are you hungry?”
I stand and stretch my arms over my head. “Starving,” I admit. Odessa’s lips curl.
“Come on, we’ll scrounge you up something.”
I grab the coat from the back of the chair and pull it on before following her down the stairs, eyeing Blackheart’s door warily as we pass. Maybe I’d dreamed the entire encounter. Though I don’t really need the coat for warmth, I do pull the hood up to keep the snow from my hair.
“Wow, it really came down, didn’t it?” I say as we step outside. The snow is piled up to my knees, though paths have been cleared between the buildings. I gasp quietly. “Zaro!”
“Zaro?”
“My horse. Er, the horse I’ve been riding. I named him Zaro because of the star—you know what, it doesn’t matter. Are the horses ok?”
“They’re fine. They’re bred for this and we have tents up for them.” She studies me.
“What?”
“You’re just…different than I thought you’d be. At least sometimes.”
I don’t have a response to that and she thankfully doesn’t seem to expect one. I know I should be mindful of showing my true self and keep up the wall that Tesni puts between herself and the rest of the world, alienating them, but I can’t seem to care at the moment.
We make our way down the cleared path towards the kitchen.
It’s empty now, but the space is full of tables—some circular, others rectangular or square—and I can imagine it as a bustling meeting space once upon a time, where people gathered and laughed and fought.
It reminds me of the tavern a bit and a pang goes through my chest. I wonder what Math and Cece are thinking right now—do they have any idea that I’m in danger?
Do they think I’m still with Tesni? Are they worried?
More importantly, are they safe? A wide center aisle runs down the middle of the room, the tables set up in random patterns on either side.
“Cookie should have some leftovers in the back. I’ll be right—Mia? What are you doing up??” I turn to find Mia slipping in the door, cheeks tearstained. My stomach dips, my power flaring to life as if I can fight off whatever made the girl upset. “Mia! What’s wrong?”
“Nightmare,” the girl says brokenly before plowing into Odessa, wrapping her arms around her sister and burying her face in Odessa’s shirt. I get the feeling she’s embarrassed about it.
“Sweetheart, it’s ok,” Odessa tells her softly, gently stroking the girl’s hair. The moment is so tender that I feel as if I’m intruding. Over Mia’s head, Odessa says quietly, “She gets them sometimes, ever since our parents died.”
I nod, telling her I understand.
“I have them too,” I say, and Mia twists so she can look at me, still holding on to Odessa for dear life.
“Really?”
“Uh huh. All the time. They’re nothing to be ashamed of.” I lean forward and look around dramatically before whispering conspiratorially, “I bet even Blackheart has them.”
Mia laughs a little at that, sniffling. She turns back to Odessa.
“Can you walk me back and sit with me until I fall asleep?”
Odessa looks to me, clearly torn between her duty and her sister.
“Go take care of her. I’ll stay here until you get back.” She worries at her bottom lip, cutting her gaze between me and the door, clearly torn. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I give you my word that I’ll stay here and wait for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“She’ll stay,” Mia says confidently. “I know it.” I smile at her and she returns it, thankfully seeming to feel better after her dream.
“Ok, I’ll be back soon, I promise.” Odessa takes Mia’s hand and leads her back to the door.
“Good night, Tess,” Mia says, waving.
“Good night, Mia. Sweet dreams.”
Just before they step through, Odessa looks back over her shoulder.
“Thank you,” she says, making sure to hold my gaze, telling me she means it.
I incline my head and she disappears out into the darkness.
I promised I’d stay, but I didn’t promise I’d wait for her to return before I found some dinner, so I head to the back room.
I find the food stores and make myself a plate of one of the leftover meat pies, some cheese, and a handful of melon.
I’m just walking back into the dining area, picking through the cheese and not paying attention to much else, when a voice sounds through the room, making me jolt and nearly drop my plate.
Turner and two other men step through the door, locking it behind them.
“Well, well, well. It’s about ruddy time, pet.”