Chapter 12
I’ve never been more thankful than when I see Alfred open a door and light floods the confined space of the tunnel. I see steps leading up and start to make my way toward them when I feel a hand on my elbow. I look over my shoulder to see the roadblock to my progress: Timber. I huff and roll my eyes, but he only grins and walks around me, releasing my elbow as he heads for the steps.
I meet Ash’s eyes where he stands a few feet away and wish I knew the right words to say. I want him to say something; give me a smile, share some part of the former carefree Ash, but then I hear Timber’s commanding voice in the room at the top of the steps.
“I need you guys to clear out,” he commands. Without hesitation, several sets of footsteps begin to fade away, followed by the sound of a closing door.
“Jewel?” I turn to look at Timber and see his hand reaching towards me. I give one last glance at Ash, noting his rigid body and clenched jaw. The tension between us has to stop!
Timber braces one hand over the trap door and reaches his other hand down to me. I take his hand and he hauls me up the last few steps, ducking my head when he says to and narrowly missing the lip of the trap door, which happens to be located underneath a rather large table. Hunching forward, I crawl under the table and make my way over to where two chairs have been scooted back. Paul and Alfred are there to help pull me up.
“Why did we stop back there?” I ask, not letting on that I’d felt the portal opening.
“Another race entered our realm through a portal into our kingdom,” Paul replies, providing no further details.
Sensing I’ll get no specifics out of him, I turn my attention to the room in which I just emerged. Each wall appears to be constructed of thick branches, standing tall and carved with intricate designs. My eyes travel the expanse, following them all the way to the top of the room where the branches curve along with the domed ceiling, fading effortlessly into a painted, midnight sky. Wildflowers line the branches, twisting around the edges of the alternating thick and thin branches. A gasp escapes me as I turn around and take in the massive ballroom, my hands clutched at my heart. I’m stunned at the splendor of the room. It’s as if we’re standing in a small opening within a forest.
There is only one table in the entire space, which is the one we crawled out from under. The table is flanked by chairs on either side, and I realize this must be the royal table. The two chairs I crawled through are ornately carved, and it dawns on me that they belong to King Forrest and Prince Timber.
A hand intertwines with mine and I look up into familiar green eyes. “Timber, this is beautiful,” I say in awe, smiling. I glance behind me and meet Ash’s eyes. “Isn’t this beautiful?” I gush, gesturing to the opulence of the room, but his eyes never leave mine.
“Yes. Very,” Ash replies, maintaining his intense glare.
I blush, knowing he’s not referring to the room, and break eye contact. I look down, belatedly realizing my fingers are still intertwined with Timber’s. I start to pull my hand free, but Timber gives a little squeeze and tucks it into the crook of his elbow before escorting me from the room. I give a heavy sigh.
As we walk, we leave tracks of dirt on the ballroom floor. A shiver runs through me just thinking about the tunnel. It’s definitely not my favorite way to travel.
Timber addresses Alfred, Paul, and Ash, never breaking his stride. “Meet me at The Roots for a debrief.” His voice is stern again. It’s the one I recognize as his military tone. “We need to find out what – or who – just came through.”
As we start to exit through the immense ballroom doors, I turn my head to say goodbye to the others. “Thanks for everything. Ash, see you later?” But Timber doesn’t wait for Ash to respond; he just keeps walking.
I can barely keep up with his hurried pace. His demeanor is all wrong; jaw clenched, shoulders tense, and brow furrowed. We walk in silence all the way to my room, where he opens the door and gestures for me to enter. Molly is sitting on my bed, but she stands as soon as she sees who it is. Someone must have already told her I was back. I give her a small smile, but a look of disgust crosses her face when she surveys the state of my muddy pants and shirt.
“Molly, get the bath ready,” Timber instructs, although now instead of his military tone, his voice sounds depleted.
I frown. When Molly goes to the bathroom, I turn to look at him. “Everything okay with you?”
He lets out a long breath and dips his head, drawing me into a long hug. I tense for a moment before my body relaxes. As he rubs my back, I feel his chin rest on top of my head. “It’s been a really long day, and the entity who entered the realm wielded fire as they left.” I rest my head on his chest. “Oh, my! I’m so sorry, Timber.” I squeeze tighter, hoping to comfort him. He should know there was nothing he could have done about it, even though I knew he was thinking of his mother.
Surprisingly, he loosens his hold but doesn’t let go. I go for a change in subject, trying for light and teasing I add, “Thanks for taking me on my run. I loved the nature walk, even though your bugs are terrifying.” My smile widens at the memory of the rather large bug landing on my arm.
He looks down into my eyes with a wide smile. “I’m sorry it was cut short.”
I shrug my shoulders and look down. “Eh, it’s okay.”
He places a finger underneath my chin. “No, it’s not.”
Why do I find those eyes so damn comforting?When his gaze drops to my lips, my heart rate spikes and I go rigid.
“Okay, all done!” Molly chirps, coming out of the bathroom. “Are you ready…” She trails off when she sees us, embarrassed, and doesn’t finish her sentence.
I jump guiltily and Timber releases me. Trying to control the flush creeping up my neck, I turn to Molly. “Thanks, Molly. I can’t wait to wash all this grime away.” I turn to Timber and struggle to meet his eyes. “Thanks again.” I take several measured steps back and he grins.
“It was my pleasure,” he responds with a smirk, executing a princely bow. With that, he turns and walks out the door, shutting it softly behind him.
A sigh escapes me. When I turn, Molly scrutinizes my face.
“Are you alright, Jewel? I heard you came up through the trap door.” She lightly touches my shoulder, her face filled with concern. “Were you attacked by the Fallen who came through?”
My eyes widen. “What’s a Fallen?” I exclaim. I was so distracted by the grandeur of the ballroom, I forgot to ask Paul about the ‘other race’ who entered the kingdom.