Chapter 28 #2
“Ikar…” My voice rises several octaves as I look down and see nothing but the forest floor growing farther from us as we continue rising with the twisting and growing tree trunk.
We end up surrounded by branches in a basket like enclosure in the tree tops, bits of much-missed sunlight filtering through the loose weave of crisscrossed branches and fluttering green leaves.
Our hands are freed, and I find myself tucked beneath his shoulder, my hand clutching his solid waist. We stand silently for a long moment, waiting to see what the tree will do next, but nothing happens.
“What do we do now?” I whisper, worried the tree will hear me.
Ikar tries prying apart the weave around us with his free hand, but it holds strong. He slams a fist against it.
I pull magic and offer it to him—pure lucent. “Try again.”
He slams it again; this time, it cracks a bit with the extra strength he’s gifted with. But the crack disappears quickly, and a new leaf sprouts from the same spot. That’s odd.
“What about your sword?” I suggest it only because his is much bigger than mine.
The affronted look Ikar gives me tells me that it was a horrid suggestion. “It’s not an axe.”
I roll my eyes.
After over an hour of trying to pry the branches apart, we sink to the floor of our branch prison as far apart as we can get from each other.
Even with the effort, our shoulders remain only inches apart.
After a while, Ikar begins to sprawl out, lying back and crossing one leg over the other.
I pull my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them, attempting to keep my distance, but it’s difficult when his large form takes up most of the small space.
I spend two hours spewing random guesses at magical keywords that will make the tree move.
“Dragon’s blood.”
I count five seconds under my breath. Rupi gives an encouraging chirp from outside the tightly woven branches.
Nothing.
“Nestberry.”
Nothing.
“Blackipor.”
Ikar snorts.
I give him an affronted look. “I’m running out of ideas.”
He appears completely relaxed with an arm thrown over his eyes as if he’s about to sleep. “Thank the blazes.”
I would smack him in the arm, but I need to keep my hands off him.
I scoff. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Nope.”
He looks so calm and unflustered while I struggle and appear to be the only one affected by our proximity, and that irritates me. After days of doing everything I can to keep my distance, it seems all of it was for naught.
We don’t say much as the suns descend. This is complete torture.
Ikar is both the first and the last person I want to be stuck in a tree with. Even if we wanted to do something, like kiss, we couldn’t because he’s a blasted king. The only option is to talk, and I’m about to lose my mind, so talk it is.
“What does a day in the life of a king look like when you’re not adventuring for magical plants?” I ask, somewhat blandly and with a hint of sarcasm. I swallow my pride like a hot lump of coal to be the one to act like things are fine first.
“It doesn’t seem like you actually want to know.”
“I actually do, or I wouldn’t have asked.” I soften my voice. “I really would like to know.”
He finally drops his arm from his face and looks up at me.
“No two days are alike. When I’m at the castle, on any given day, I have to meet with several different advisors and leaders, those meetings can take hours.
I also join my army in training and on expeditions, visit with the people, tour the kingdom, oversee the low kings, write correspondence, meet with delegates from other countries… all sorts of things.”
“And what do you do in your personal time?”
He scoffs and mutters, “Personal time?”
“You must have some.”
He thinks for a moment. “A little. I often read in my rooms, hunt with Arrow and Simon, and I do enjoy training. I spend time with Champion, my horse…” I’m about to ask about his horse, but he adds, “I also often sneak food from the kitchens after supper.”
I laugh. He says it so seriously that I can’t decide if he’s joking. “You’re the king. You don’t need to sneak food; they’re your kitchens.”
“You’ve never met my cook.”
“She must be terrifying.”
There’s a humorous gleam in his eye. “Very.”
“What is worth the danger of sneaking past this terrifying cook, then?”
“There’s these pastries…” He closes his eyes as if he’s savoring one right now.
I laugh loudly, and Ikar grins. For a moment, all is well between us.
We’re just two regular people who feel for each other, who are stuck in a tree. We talk late into the night, and I let myself revel in the feelings of normalcy between us, even though I know it can’t last. This is all temporary. It has to be.
A low thrumming sound, as if a hummingbird is hovering nearby, wakes me from sleep. My eyes flutter open for a moment, then sleepily close again, the pillow far too comfortable to face waking. Pillow?
“Vera,” Ikar whispers, but I hear the pleasant rumble of it beneath my ear.
“Hm.”
“Wake up.” He jostles me gently, and I force my eyes open only to find my head settled comfortably against his broad chest, and his arm wrapped around me.
I’d take a moment to die of embarrassment, since it’s apparent it was me that moved toward him at some point in the night, but there’s no time when I see what’s before us.
I scramble to sitting as a small being that appears to be a mix of tree bark and fairy hovers above us, standing the length of one of my hands, wings beating as quickly as the hummingbird I thought I heard.
“What are you?” She tilts her head to the side inquisitively as she hovers before us.
“Soldiers sent by the king of Moneyre. We’re in search of the nymphs,” Ikar says.
“Nymphs, you say?” She spins and swoops down before she comes so close to Ikar’s face he nearly has to back away. To his credit, he doesn’t even flinch.
“They don’t like outsiders,” she whispers. “And neither do I.”
“So they still exist,” Ikar says with satisfaction.
She backs away so quickly she becomes a blur before my eyes, then stops.
“Never said that.” She eyes us carefully.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen humans here.
You are humans, aren’t you? You’re very entertaining.
” She swoops near me and pokes me in the arm.
“And this one has lucent.” Her wings seem to beat twice as fast, which I wouldn’t have known was possible.
“What are you?” I ask, ignoring her comment about my lucent.
“A nymph, of course. Can’t you tell by the beauty of my tree? My name is Endri.” She eyes us closely, and I get the idea we may offend her if we don’t tread carefully. I look to Ikar, at a loss for how to respond to this odd creature.
He steps in. “Can you take us to Odella?”
She tilts her head and thinks for a moment. “And what shall you do for me?”
Ikar and I glance at each other. He’s the king here. I’m sure he’ll find a way out of this.
“Restore lucent.” He’s never sounded more confident.
The flying lady laughs so hard it nearly sounds like high-pitched squeaking.
Ikar remains expressionless.
“Impossible. But you can give me the woman. I need lucent.”
I’m sitting so close to him that I feel his muscles tense, but you’d never be able to tell from the easy smile that turns his lips.
“The woman is more trouble than she’s worth.”
I’d balk at that, but if it keeps me from becoming a nymph’s plaything, I’ll go with it.
The branches around us shift and wind a little tighter, and I find my hand wrapped around Ikar’s upper arm.
Rupi appears unperturbed as she watches from outside our prison, eyeing the nymph with curiosity.
Either that means Endri’s not dangerous, or something is terribly wrong with my bird who’s usually very protective—given that she loves the king I’m currently clutching, it could most definitely be the latter.
“I must speak with Odella,” Ikar reminds her, and the little being frowns at his tone.
“It’s been a very long time since Odella allowed anyone entrance. I think you’ll likely be killed,” Endri says. “Even I have not been able to gain entrance since she locked her doors.”
“Odella won’t kill me.” Ikar has never sounded more sure. “She’ll want lucent restored as much as I do.”
She tilts her head thoughtfully and stares at him for a moment. “You truly believe you can restore lucent?”
Ikar nods, confidence unwavering. If not for the creases at the corners of his eyes that I’ve come to realize belie his worry, I’d believe him too.
She comes closer, her interest piqued. “I’ll show you to the entrance and Odella can decide… on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You must take me with you. When Odella closed off the passage, I waited too long. I didn’t realize that the forest would die so quickly… If you’re so sure you won’t be killed, I’d like to return with you.”
Ikar agrees with a nod. “If Odella allows it.”
Immediately the tree twists and turns until we’re standing on the forest floor once again, and the limbs that surrounded us silently draw back.
It’s then I notice that I still hold tightly to Ikar, and it pleases my magic, so I grudgingly pull my hand away and hold to my pack straps instead.
They don’t offer the same effect as gripping his bicep, but they’ll have to do, I suppose.
The fluttering woman takes off ahead. Ikar and I look at each other, then follow after her. But before we get much farther, she spins around quickly.
“I forgot to mention… my tree caught two others. Do you know them?”