Chapter 26
Rhydian and I barely made it back to the little cabin, our legs giving out entirely as we stumbled inside and collapsed on the cot.
There was no way either of us would be able to make it down the mountain without at least a little rest. I didn’t even have the energy to tell him to move to the floor, that I wouldn’t sleep next to him.
With the way he slumped against the wall, eyes immediately closing, it appeared he didn’t care much about moving either.
The problem was the combined weight of the two of us on the rickety old cot made it dip in the middle, and our shoulders sank together. There was nothing I could do to stop my tired neck from resting my head against his arm.
Much to my surprise, I didn’t feel the need to pull away.
The warmth leaking from him into me was actually…nice. I told myself it was just because neither of us had the strength to start a fire to drive the cold from the cabin, and not for any other reason.
Even more surprising, Rhydian didn’t try to move away either.
I dared a glance up at him and found his eyes closed, deep shadows carving the space beneath them. I’d seen him look tired after using his magic in the past few days, but I’d never seen him look so drained that it made me question whether death waited nearby to pull him under.
Neither of us spoke for so long that I thought he had fallen asleep when he finally murmured, “Rest…here for a…little…while.” The words were slow and drawn out, as though he didn’t have the strength to even speak.
The heavy weight of exhaustion sank its claws into me, pulling me down into its depths.
Mere seconds later and Rhydian’s breathing evened out as he succumbed to sleep. The last dregs of my adrenaline finally faded as I sat there listening to his soft snores. It was like a strange sort of lullaby that quickly lulled me into a sweet, peaceful dreamland.
***
My eyelids stuck together as I struggled to pry them open. Without a fire, the cabin was dark save for the dim light of the moons shining through the little window, so I had no idea how many hours we had been asleep.
Reality was slow to return as I fought against the sleep that wanted to pull me back under. I was vaguely aware of something warm beneath my head.
My eyes snapped open. Sometime while we slept, I had lain down and put my head on Rhydian’s lap. I tried to turn to look at him, but a strange sensation stopped me.
His fingers were tangled in my hair.
I expected my first instinct to be to roll off the cot, put as much distance between us as possible.
But for some reason, I felt a deep warmth that I hadn’t felt since coming to Eroth.
It filled me to the brim, and settled into my core like a hot, comforting drink.
I thought about moving, untangling from him, but my limbs wouldn’t agree.
Nothing would move, and for some reason, I was okay with it.
I tried to convince myself that it was just because he’d saved my life from the Lavawraith, and not because I was developing feelings for the Fae who had brought me here against my will.
Rhydian was still asleep, his head resting against the rough wall of the cabin, mouth slightly agape.
My eyes were just starting to slip closed again when he jerked awake, his fingers momentarily tightening in my hair.
Muscles tensing, I waited for the moment that he got angry that I had slept in his lap, waiting for him to yank me off him.
But that moment never came. That strange warmth bubbled hotter when I felt him relax, his fingers beginning to stroke my hair instead.
What is happening?
I pretended to still be asleep, not ready to let go of this unfamiliar feeling.
“I know you’re awake,” his deep voice rumbled quietly a few minutes later. “Even with depleted magic, I can feel your emotions are far too chaotic for you to be truly asleep.” There was a trace of amusement in his voice.
Holding back a groan, I pushed off his lap and sat up, unable to meet his gaze.
“Sorry,” I said, though I wasn’t exactly sure what I was apologizing for.
Rhydian’s face twisted in confusion, staring at me as if he were trying to decipher the wild things happening in my head that I didn’t even understand. I did my best to put space between us, but with the way the cot sank in the middle, it was impossible.
Finally, he cleared his throat and got to his feet, stretching his limbs. “We should get going. It’s a long journey back to the castle.”
I didn’t feel nearly rested enough to climb back down a mountain, but what choice did we have?
“You really can’t just Flash us back to the castle?
” I asked, hoping his magic had somehow returned to full strength after that measly amount of rest. My legs were still wobbly noodles, and my stomach felt like it was eating itself from how hungry I was.
I hadn’t eaten in at least a day—it was hard to say for sure since I still couldn’t read the moons—and if I didn’t get something in my stomach soon, it felt like I might pass out, and then he’d have to carry me back.
Rhydian’s eyes glanced at me for a split second before he held his palms out to me. Nothing happened. “I really can’t.” His magic still hadn’t replenished.
“But you turned the monster into confetti.” The memory of watching the gold specks flutter to the ground was ingrained in my brain. I saw it every time I closed my eyes, like it was burned to the back of my eyelids. If I had thought his magic was terrifying before, it was nothing compared to now.
“Yes, well, turning the monster to confetti took all I had left. More than I had left. I haven’t used magic like that since…before.”
“Before?”
“Before the curse was placed on me.”
“Then how did you do it?”
He scowled, the expression clear even in the dark cabin. “I don’t know.” His shoulders were bunched by his ears, and he stalked back and forth in the tiny space, radiating frustration.
“For living here your entire life, you sure don’t know much about this place.”
He jerked to a halt, turning to face me. “Not everything has an explanation, Maren. At least not one I can give you. Accept it.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
We glared at each other for a few long seconds until Rhydian let out a sigh.
“We need to go.” He rummaged in his bag before he slung it over his shoulder and headed for the door.
Something caught the light of the moons as he tossed it at me.
I barely caught it before it hit the floor.
It was a small roll of bread. “Once we get to the bottom, the cave we sheltered in on the way here is about an hour’s walk.
” He slid knowing eyes to my stomach. “We’ll eat more then. ”
As if in answer, my stomach growled so loud that my cheeks heated. Rhydian quirked a brow, the barest twitch to his lips, and he left the cabin.
I worried that I had officially lost all feeling in my body as I stepped outside, because the cold no longer seemed quite so bitter or frigid.
While it was still freezing, I wasn’t violently shivering like I used to be.
Rhydian led the way back the way we came.
The path was rocky and narrow, crunching beneath my boots as we worked our way back to the edge of the mountain before we had to climb down.
The diamond-shaped relic was heavy in my pocket, and I fiddled with it inside my coat, fingers roving over the cold metal and the strange small wings sticking off either side. What was it anyway? Rhydian had made it sound like it would help in breaking the curse, but how?
I still didn’t know what to do with it. Did I hand it over to Rhydian and forget everything Carrow had said?
Or did I try to get rid of it, hide it somewhere, and pretend to fail like Carrow had asked of me?
Rhydian already knew it was in my pocket, so it wasn’t like I could act like I never found it.
Surely if Rhydian was the cruel, terrible Fae that Carrow had suggested, he never would have saved me from the Lavawraith.
But did that mean I trusted him?
I was confused over who to believe, but Rhydian had saved my life on Mount Kharos. If nothing else, he’d earned the relic, the truth.
“Here,” I said with a sigh, fishing it out of my pocket and handing it to him. “First task is done. Here’s your relic thing.”
The golden metal glistened in the moonlight, and Rhydian paused, blinking at it for several seconds.
“You actually found it.” The tone of his voice made it sound like he wasn’t so much doubting that I would find it, but that he was still in awe that we made it through the first task alive.
“Did you doubt I would?” I folded my arms over my chest. “I guess I’m not just a dumb human after all.” I fought the childish urge to stick my tongue out at him.
“I sent you into a dark cave in search of a tiny object. The odds were against you.”
I considered for a moment and then shrugged. “The cave might have been dark, but the relic wasn’t. That’s how I found it. It was glowing.”
Rhydian’s brows shot up his forehead, his steps slowing. “Glowing?”
“There was a blue light surrounding it. I don’t think I would have been able to find it otherwise.” I dared to lightly punch his arm. “Thanks for sending me into a pitch-black cave unprepared by the way.”
Twin furrows appeared between his brows as he stared at the relic held aloft between his fingers.
“What’s wrong?”
Rhydian brought the object closer, studying it.
“I’ve never seen this glow before. Are you sure you weren’t imagining it?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
His eyes met mine over the relic, but I couldn’t read whatever was in his expression.
“What is it?” I pointed at the diamond-shaped orb. “What does it do?”
Rhydian finally slid the relic into his pocket and started walking once more. “What lies inside is required for the second task.”
“Inside? What’s inside?” My curiosity was piqued. The object was already so small, what could possibly be hidden in it?
“You’ll find out when we start the next task.”