Chapter Seventeen
Shortly after the second fight, we stumbled across a stream.
We filled up our canteens, purified the water, and washed away the monster blood.
No one was brave enough to fully bathe, since that would leave us too vulnerable, which meant we had to wash with our clothes on, then lay ourselves out to dry.
Maximus set up a campfire and made us all tea with honey. Clean skin, warm tea, and the gentle sounds of a babbling brook and leaves rustling overhead made for a downright pleasant evening.
It also made me highly suspicious. I sat up suddenly and peered through the trees. “The ghost wolves are quiet again.”
“They haven’t bothered us since the centipede,” Fitz said. He was already tucked into his bedroll, reading one of his books. “Did you know the creatures we fought last night are called minor dryads?”
“I thought dryads were beautiful women,” Angelica said. Her head was wrapped up in a towel, like she was lounging in her own bedroom rather than on a forest floor.
“No relation,” Fitz explained. “I think someone used a lazy naming convention, since they both guard trees.”
“How do we ward them off so that they don’t attack us tonight?” I asked.
“Are they fae?” Maximus asked.
Fitz flipped through a few pages before confirming.
“Then we make them an offering.” Maximus poured a large measure of honey into a mug and walked it several feet away from our campsite. When he returned, he explained, “My mother always puts out milk and honey for the fae.”
“Do you have a lot of fae in Gloom?” I asked as I settled onto my own bedroll, propping my head up with one hand.
He shrugged. “I never see them, but the bowls are licked clean in the morning.”
“That sounds more like cats than fae,” Delilah said. She peered into her teacup sadly. “I wish we had some cream.”
“Doesn’t exactly travel well.” My eyes slowly drifted shut. I forced them back open and shook my head to keep myself awake. “Are we doing the same watch schedule as last night?”
“Yes,” Maximus said, his smile soft. “Go ahead and get some sleep.”
I turned over and cushioned my head with my arms. “Mm, alright. Wake me for the next monster attack.”
“Don’t say it like it’s inevitable,” Angelica whined.
I ignored her. The peace wouldn’t last for long, so I planned to enjoy it while I could.
A few hours later, after Delilah woke me for my shift, I sat by the fire, toying with the compact mirror. There were no new messages from Wilde.
Not that I wanted to hear from him.
Alright, so maybe I wanted to brag about how we’d defeated two monsters on our own. Let him know I was surviving without his help. But calling him up to brag seemed petty and like I needed his attention.
In the end, I tucked the mirror away without talking to him.
The night passed without any interruptions from monsters or frustrating apprentices.
The next morning, we ate breakfast, packed up, and continued making our way toward Traumstead. Since the city was built near a river, Fitz suggested we follow the stream to the river, then follow the river the rest of the way.
It seemed like a great idea until an hour later when we stumbled across our own campsite.
“Don’t tell me we’ve been walking in a circle this whole time!” Delilah wailed as she collapsed to her knees.
“I don’t understand,” Fitz said, walking a few feet forward. “We followed the stream the whole time, and there’s no significant bend.”
“Are we sure this is our campsite?” Angelica asked.
Maximus pointed to some markings in the dirt. I squinted at them and realized he’d sketched a little dog, probably while he’d gotten bored during his watch shift.
“We got turned around somewhere,” I said. “This time, we’ll leave a breadcrumb trail, so we know where we’ve been.”
“That’s stupid,” Angelica scoffed. “The birds will just eat it.”
“Mm, birds,” Delilah murmured, licking her lips.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, then a rock trail or something.” There were plenty of small pebbles in the streambed. I scooped up several and stuffed them into my pockets. After a few seconds, the others followed suit.
This time, as we walked, we dropped a pebble every few inches, leaving a solid trail.
Which turned into a circle an hour later.
Fuck. Monsters, I could handle. Weird forest magic? Not so much.
Fitz sat cross-legged on the ground and pulled his map out. “What are we doing wrong?” he mumbled, tracing a finger over the route.
Looking at the map was useless. As much as I hated to admit it, our best way out of whatever trap we’d stumbled into was to consult someone who understood magic. “I’ll be right back.”
“No, no, no!” Delilah shrieked, grabbing my hand. “What if there’s another monster?” Her collar jangled as she shuddered.
“It’s not safe to separate from the group,” Fitz replied sternly. “Especially if we don’t know what’s going on.”
“Why do you always want to go off alone?” Angelica demanded.
A host of excuses flitted through my brain, none of them good enough.
Everyone was staring at me, waiting for an explanation.
What could I say? ‘I’m secretly working with an evil mage’s apprentice to guide you through the forest?
’ I might as well replace the last part with ‘guide you to your doom’, because that’s all they would believe.
The moment I opened my mouth to explain, I blurted out, “I need to talk to my boyfriend.” The spicy aftertaste of the geas coated my tongue.
“Your what?” Delilah shrieked, yanking on my arm so she could yell directly into my ear. “When did you get a boyfriend?”
“And who would ever voluntarily date you?” Angelica sneered. “Oh, there’s a thought. Perhaps you blackmailed the poor man?”
Gods dammit, why did it have to be ‘boyfriend?’ Usually, the geas made me spit out secrets, not outlandish lies.
I struggled to think of an explanation as I yanked my arm out of Delilah’s grasp.
“I—I didn’t mean—he’s hot, but he’s not—” I bit my own tongue before the geas could spill any other bullshit.
“Is that why you wanted to go on a quest?” Maximus asked, his eyes downcast.
“Oh, because you wouldn’t want to marry one of us while you’re in love with someone else,” Fitz finished, nodding along.
“I’m not in—it’s recent, alright?”
“How do you contact him?” Delilah demanded.
“Maybe he doesn’t actually exist,” Angelica replied. “In fact, that makes more sense than blackmail. Only an imaginary man would put up with Trey.”
Wasting time hiking in circles would have been better than this interrogation. I put my head in my hands and let their criticisms and speculation flow over me. Once they quieted, I asked, “Are you finished?”
“No,” Delilah replied. Her ears perked up and her tail flicked behind her in excitement. If she pounced on me, I would toss her into the stream. “You haven’t told us how you communicate with him.”
I sighed and pulled the compact out of my pocket. “He’s a mage’s apprentice.” Not that I could explain which mage. “When I told him about the quest, he made this for me so we could keep in contact.” It was almost embarrassing how well Wilde’s actions fit the boyfriend story.
“That’s so sweet! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Because you’re a nosy little sneak who would try to listen in on our conversations.”
She gasped in affront. “How could you accuse me of something like that?” After a few seconds, she added, “You’re right, but it still hurts.”
“Yes, so, can I please have some privacy to talk to him now?”
“No,” Fitz said. “We shouldn’t separate. Besides, if he’s a mage, I’d like a word with him as well.”
How was I supposed to say the summoning spell with them listening? Wilde would be furious if I revealed his name. “He might be busy, so if he doesn’t answer, I’ll just … try again later.”
They all crowded around me. When I opened the compact, I saw pieces of them in the reflection—Delilah and Fitz on my right, Angelica and Maximus on my left.
I cleared my throat and said, “I call on thee, Wil—Will, as your … boyfriend?”
The mirror’s reflection remained unchanged.
“See? He’s busy, doing apprentice things.” I started to shut the compact. “I’ll try later—”
“Treasure?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Please don’t look obviously evil. Taking a deep breath, I opened the compact the rest of the way. “Hi, honey.” I scanned the image, my eyes widening in shock.
Oh, this was so much worse than if he looked evil.
Wilde’s eyes were half-closed and messy white hair hung in his face. He mumbled in a confused, sleepy voice, “Why’d you call?”
Fuck, he’s beautiful. Suddenly, I wasn’t in a dark, haunted forest surrounded by a bunch of nosy royals. I was in a soft bed, lying next to Wilde, waking up after a long night, exhausted for all the best reasons. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his pale skin and moonlight hair.
Clearing my throat, I shoved the image away, firmly planting myself in the unpleasant present.
Wilde was not someone to fantasize about.
First, he was evil—literally, his whole goal in life was to become an evil mage.
Soft beds and sunlight didn’t suit him. Second, his idea of affection was probably to tie someone up and order them about and whip them if they didn’t obey—dammit, don’t react to that!
I shifted uneasily, hoping none of the others noticed my unfortunate arousal. Obviously, my brain had malfunctioned from all the quest related stress. “Uh, sorry … but we need your advice.” Maybe if he knew we had an audience, he’d forget about making me beg.
The reflection shifted as he set the compact down, offering a glimpse of his pale chest. There was the barest hint of a pink nipple, then he disappeared from the frame entirely so all we could see were black silk sheets. By the time he’d returned, he’d put on a shirt.
Disappointment unfurled in my chest before I ruthlessly quashed it. Not the time, place, or person!
“By ‘we’ do you mean your friends?”
“Fellow champions,” I corrected.
“I’m his cousin!” Delilah said excitedly, squeezing herself in front of me. “He probably talks about me all the time because we’re very close.”
I couldn’t see his expression with Delilah blocking the mirror. I planted my hand on the top of her head and shoved her down. “Sorry about her.”
“Is she wearing a magical collar?” he asked, leaning closer to the reflection. His pale hair slipped into his eyes, and he tucked it gently behind his ear.
“Yes!” She almost smacked my chin with the top of her head as she bounced back up. “Uncle Rick made it for me! It gives me ears”—she grabbed her furry ears to show him—“and a tail!” She held up her tail, obscuring the image as she waved it in his face.
“Clever. I’d love to examine it more closely.”
I finally pushed her to the side and ordered, “Stay out of the way.”
She hissed at me but stayed down.
“I’m calling because we’re lost, and I hope you can help.”
He arched an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t say something like ‘are you prepared to beg’ or anything else that would raise questions. “Lost how?”
“We’ve been walking in circles.”
“Hold up the mirror and show me where you are.”
Turning the mirror toward the forest, I showed him the stream and the campsite.
“Good boy.” Wilde’s voice was still soft and husky from sleep, giving the simple praise more allure than it deserved.
Even though Wilde couldn’t see me, I scowled at the mirror. This is not obedience training. ‘Instructions’ and ‘orders’ are two different things!
He continued to give instructions without offering any more praise. After I walked him all around the campsite, he explained, “You’re stuck in a spatial loop. They’re scattered throughout the Grimnight Forest to trap trespassers.”
“How do we escape it?” I asked.
“Find the trap you triggered and break it.”
I looked around the forest. “Does anyone remember triggering anything?”
The others shook their heads.
“It’s easiest if you can sense magic,” Wilde offered, his tone light.
Gods, I know where this is going. Still, I held onto hope and asked, “Can anyone here sense magic?”
More headshaking.
“Would you like my help, Treasure?” Wilde asked, his dark eyes sparkling. I had no idea what he would make me do to pay for his services.
And I absolutely was not a little excited at the thought. I was just … anxious about getting out of the situation, which was why my heart skipped a beat.
I looked to the others, who all nodded eagerly. Sighing, I said, “Yes, I would like your help.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
My eyes widened in panic. “No, that’s alright. You can just tell us how to—”
His image disappeared from the mirror. Hadn’t he ever heard of saying goodbye?
“We get to meet your boyfriend!” Delilah exclaimed, hugging me around the middle. “This is so exciting!”
‘Exciting’ wasn’t the word I would use. ‘Terrifying’, ‘nerve-wracking’, ‘a complete fucking disaster’ were all more appropriate. I shouldn’t have called him. We should have walked around in circles until we eventually figured it out ourselves.
Even as I chastised myself, another thought hovered on the edges of my mind: what kind of boyfriend would Wilde be?