Chapter 3
The way home seemed longer than usual. I had finally convinced Archie to let me leave after promising to take the fresh fish and bread he’d offered me. And after I’d promised that he could stop by later to check on me.
I couldn’t count the times he’s asked me to move in with him - with Lili, of course. But I’d always refused. He’d lose his head if it was ever discovered that he was hiding a darksome.
The sun made its slow descent, painting the now empty streets in shadows. I preferred the city like this. In the darkness, I didn’t have to be so careful. Most of the Defenders could be found in the various bars, frightening the keepers into drinking for free.
I clenched my fist and drops of water fell from the damp fabric of my gloves. The new pair in my bag was surely just as soaked.
Exhausted, I crawled inside to find Lili sitting on the floor, a row of coins stacked neatly in front of her. The sight drew a smile from me. I knew she enjoyed contributing to our savings.
“Good haul?” she asked, getting up to hug me.
“Don’t,” I warned, holding up a hand to stop her before she tore my stitches. Then I lifted my shirt and peeled the damp cloth from my body, leaving the wound at my side exposed.
Lili gasped, grasping my shoulder. “You’re hurt. Show me,” she said. I turned to show her the damage.
The sight made her wince, but she stared determinedly at it for a few more seconds. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story,” I tried, but a stern look from my little sister that reminded me so much of our mother made me recount the tale at once.
By the end, Lili looked as terrified as I had felt in that moment, but she couldn’t help but giggle when I told her how we’d gotten away.
“He just pulled you in?” she laughed, taking a bite of the bread I’d pulled out about halfway through the story.
I grinned. “Not even a warning.”
She let out another giggle, her blue eyes watering with tears of amusement.
“He’s actually coming over tonight,” I said, pulling out the fish from my bag. “He gave us these.”
Lili lit up from the news, taking the fish with trembling hands.
“Won’t he get in trouble?”
“He paid for them,” I lied, knowing very well that Archie caught them in the middle of the night when nobody was watching. Even the fish you caught yourself you had to pay the Harbormaster for. Not even working for the man, like Archie did, gave him any benefits or discounts.
I pulled off my damp gloves and dumped them in the corner to dry. Then, grabbing my new pair, I perched them on the ledge of the boarded window.
“Let’s cook the fish, and you can tell me about your day,” I suggested, grabbing some firewood from the corner of the shed before crawling back outside. Lili followed me with the fish and the two big sticks we used to roast our meat with.
After getting the fire started, I ran the sticks through the mouths of the fish. Lili pulled a tiny pouch from her waist bag and handed it to me.
I raised my eyebrow at her, then pulled the bag open. “Salt?” I gasped, whipping my head up to look at her. She nodded, cracking a smile.
I grabbed a tiny amount with my fingertips and sprinkled it over the fish. “How much did you make today?” I asked.
That look that reminded me so much of our mother reappeared on her face. “Almost 30 gold!” she exclaimed, like she’d waited for me to ask her. My mouth fell open.
“Lili that’s…” I stopped for a moment, processing the number. 30 gold on her first day out. “That’s amazing. Sorry I doubted you.”
She shrugged, plopping down to the ground before taking one of the sticks from me. Her eyes danced with firelight as she fixed me with an accusatory stare. “It’s fine. If you promise that you’ll stop treating me like a child.”
I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips, pretending to ponder the matter with great sincerity. She let out a laugh, dangling the fish over the flames.
“Quit laughing or that fish will come off the stick,” I teased, placing my own over the flames to cook.
Archie appeared around the corner, a fresh, dry outfit clinging to his body.
“Archie!” Lili yelped, thrusting her fish-stick into my hands before running to meet him.
“Hi kid,” he grinned and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Annora will bring some greens in a minute,” he smiled at me over the top of Lili’s head.
Sure enough, Annora’s form approached us mere moments later. “Thank you so much for today, I’m glad you’re alright!” I sighed, standing up to give her a one-armed hug while trying to prevent the fish from sliding off the sticks.
“What are you talking about Prue,” she squeezed me tight. “You were the one in danger. Not me.”
I shook my head. She had been in just as much danger. It was lucky the Defenders had focused all of their attention on me. Annora wasn’t a darkcaster, but even interacting with one, knowingly, could land you in a load of trouble.
We sat back down around the fire and Annora opened the paper bag she’d brought to pass me two big corncobs. My mouth watered at the sight of the golden vegetable.
Lili’s delighted exclaimation made the rest of us laugh with joy. “Pass the salt,” I demanded dramatically, flapping my fingers in her direction.
It’d been a while since we’d all eaten together. As afternoon quickly slipped into night, we chatted around the fire, savoring every bite of the fish and corn.
“We should do something special,” I suggested as the topic of Lili’s birthday came up.
They all nodded excitedly. “So, you’re in charge of party planning?
” I pointed at Archie with my half of a corncob and gave him a mischievous smile.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, scraping his teeth across the cob to steal a few of my precious kernels.
“Of course,” he said, chewing the corn with a wink at Lili. “You like fishing, right?”
He gave Lili a stern look as she burst out laughing, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.
“I’m not even going to answer that,” she managed to say between her giggles as she got to her feet. “But I’m tired.”
“So am I,” declared Annora, getting to her feet. “I’m calling it. I’ve got to get to work early tomorrow. Getting a big load of vegetables delivered from the countryside,” she beamed. “You have to come try the new apples.”
“Name a time and a place, and I’ll be there, Ann,” Archie said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “I just did, Arch.”
We hugged Annora goodbye and headed inside the shed. Archie grabbed the shabby blanket from the bed to wrap it around Lili’s shoulders. I sat down, leaning against the wall while taking in my favorite people.
Archie plopped down next to me, draping a lazy arm over my shoulders. I leaned into his side, grateful for the bit of warmth he provided.
“I bet you’re exhausted, big hustler,” I teased Lili. In response, Lili collapsed dramatically onto the mattress.
I turned my attention back to Archie. “What do you think about all of this?”
He scratched his neck and ruffled the top of his autumn hair to win himself a few extra seconds to answer. “I know what you think about it,” he said.
“That doesn’t answer my question, Red.”
He heaved a deep sigh, brows furrowing in thought.
“Well… she’s not a kid anymore. Maybe it would be good for you two to have some more gold.
” He hesitated but seemed determined to get it all out despite my furious stare.
“Plus, she doesn’t seem to get herself into trouble, unlike somebody else I know.
” He grunted as that last sentence earned him an elbow in the ribs.
Archie stood up and kissed Lili on the top of the head. “See you around, kid. Take care.”
Lili sighed in frustration. “You just said I’m not a kid anymore.”
He chuckled, the sound warm and low. “Sorry, kid. Old habits die hard.”
As he crawled outside, I followed him. Darkness had completely fallen, only disturbed by the dim flickering candlelight in the window behind us. I laid a hand on Archie’s arm, making him turn around.
“Thank you for…” I hesitated, staring into those wild, arctic eyes that brought me nothing but warmth. “For everything, Archie. But I can’t let you do that for me anymore. You could lose your job. Hell, you could lose your head.” My voice rose in concern.
He trailed his fingertips over my arm, the featherlight touch calming me down. Our hands found each other in the dim light from the moon. My darkened fingertips tangling with his sun-kissed ones twisted my stomach into knots.
“You can’t stop me from looking out for you.” He bent down to kiss my cheek, but on impulse, I turned my head to catch his lips instead. The surprise showed on his face for a second before he melted into me, pulling me closer.
My heart pounded in my chest like a drum. I wasn’t sure what had brought this urgent desire to feel his lips against mine. Perhaps the thought of how much he’d done for me, or because it only took one look from those bright eyes to warm everything inside me. He was my comfort.
His hand found my hip, digging softly into my skin. The knots in my stomach erupted into butterflies.
It had been so long since we’d shared our first and, up until now, only kiss. Though that night, we hadn’t stopped there.
Our bodies swayed against each other, and I placed my hand on his chest to steady myself. My other hand found the back of his neck. The light evening breeze swirled around us, causing tiny bumps to break the smooth surface of my skin.
I intertwined my fingers in his hair, tugging softly at the locks. Archie smiled against my lips before deepening the kiss. He tasted of smoke and salt and something undefinably sweet.
He pulled away, and I felt the butterflies turn into wasps in my stomach. I opened my eyes to find him already staring at me.
The expression on his face mirrored the feeling of confusion I felt. Then he untangled himself from me, tilting his head with a grin.
“If that’s supposed to make me stop helping you, your approach is all wrong.”