4. Crystal Clear, Sir
Crystal Clear, Sir
Liam
“Finally,” I said to Aaric as I climbed off my steed and stretched. “I was afraid I would lose sensation in my lower half if we’d been on these damned horses any longer.”
Aaric gave me an amused snicker. “Let me take him for you, Doctor Pendragon.” He reached for the reins and led my horse away to join the others.
After riding all day, we’d made it to the outer edges of the Wilds of Magmira, where we’d be spending the entirety of our expedition.
But we had much farther to go before we reached our base camp nestled in the deepest part of the jungle.
There were several recently discovered species we were here to study, and the chances of finding another new creature were fairly high.
I didn’t care about the notoriety or fame which would come with such a discovery, I was just happy to get away from the stuffy building and my disaster of an office.
I was here to enjoy my time outdoors and have a bit of fun.
And do some work on the side, I supposed.
I scanned our temporary campsite; tents were being raised by the graduate students while our guide, Ivan, worked on building a fire for dinner.
Massive trees towered over us, covered in thick green vines with purple flowers the size of my hand.
Large yellow butterflies flitted amongst the blooms and the noise of a flock of parrots squawked in the distance.
Cerise chatted quietly with Dr. Lovelace. It seemed they were friends, which surprised me because as straight-laced and austere as Cerise was, I didn’t think she had any friends. Emberly seemed outgoing and free, full of smiles and warmth. The opposite of her friend.
Oh fantastic, she’s coming over.
“Have a nice ride?” I asked, winking at Cerise as she approached.
“It was lovely, thank you for asking,” she said, not seeming to understand my joke. “Now, I think we should sit down and discuss our plan of action.” She removed the notebook from her pocket and flipped it opened, her pencil poised on the blank page.
“What are you talking about?”
“Our plan of action,” she repeated. “How we wish to structure and record our observations. When to schedule our ventures into the jungle to search for new species.” She started jotting something down, though I couldn’t see what.
“Oh, and we must discuss our strengths and weaknesses. I’m quite good at insect identification, but I do sometimes mix up bird calls…
what?” she asked when she noticed me gawking at her, trying not to laugh at her intensity.
“Nothing.” I reached for her notebook, took it from her hand, and closed it before giving it back to her. “Listen, I’ve been on a horse for ten hours. I’m sore, exhausted, and hungry. My only plan tonight is to eat dinner and crash in my tent.”
She studied me as if I had just said the most offensive thing she’d ever heard, throwing her braid over her shoulder. “But—”
“We aren’t even at our main campsite yet. We can talk about logistics then.”
“But we must plan ahead,” she insisted, voice slightly on edge.
I tilted my head and looked into her violet eyes. She was tall—only a couple inches shorter than my six foot two frame—and willowy. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a meticulous braid and I had to admit she was quite pretty. Beautiful, actually.
But she was irritating, severe, and much too concerned with rules and order. Absolutely not my type.
“You seem stressed,” I pointed out.
“I am not stressed.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Emberly said as she joined us. “Cerise is almost always stressed. I told her this trip would be good for her. That it would push her out of her comfort zone.”
“She wasn’t fooling me.” I studied Cerise. “It’s written all over her face. Does she even know how to have fun?”
“She does not. Not really,” Emberly said.
“Excuse me,” Cerise interjected, placing her notepad and pencil back in her pocket. “Could you two please stop talking about me like I’m not here?”
Emberly regarded Cerise with apologetic eyes. “I’m so sorry, CeCe.”
“CeCe?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Only she gets to call me that.” Cerise gave her friend a pointed look. “And I do know how to have fun.”
The smell of dinner roasting over the fire taunted me, my stomach growling, but I ignored it, now curious about this conversation.
“Is that so?” I asked. “What do you like to do for fun?”
“I enjoy studying new species,” she answered.
“That’s work.”
“All right. Well, I like to write.”
“Write what? Academic papers?”
Emberly watched the two of us, her amber eyes rife with amusement.
Cerise straightened her sleeves. “Yes.”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t count. It’s also work.”
“Well, I just happen to enjoy work,” she countered.
“What do you do for fun?” I emphasized. “You know…hobbies?”
She took a deep breath. “I do like to have my tea and read before bed every night.”
“That’s something. But it depends. What do you read?”
She was silent.
“That’s what I thought.” I adjusted my glasses. “Academic journals…Field guides…Am I correct?”
Her face reddened ever so slightly. Was she angry? Embarrassed? She smoothed the front of her shirt, something I noticed she did often. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your job.”
She turned around, strode over to the rest of the group, and sat on a log, waiting for dinner.
“She’s not always like that,” Emberly said to me. “She’s actually very kind and thoughtful. But she’s obsessed with proving herself on this trip, so she’s just a tad more high strung than usual. Don’t take it personally.”
“What about you? What’s your story?”
Emberly crossed her arms and smirked. “Oh no you don’t. I’ve heard about you.”
“What? I wasn’t—”
“My wife would be quite bothered if she heard you were attempting to use your well-known charm on me,” Emberly chastised and left to join Cerise.
I stood there, dumbfounded. I wasn’t going to make advances toward her.
Not at all. I knew I had a reputation for being a heartbreaker, though it wasn’t entirely true.
I flirted regularly, yes, but I hadn’t been in a relationship in years.
Hadn’t met anyone worth pursuing. And I didn’t sleep around the way people seemed to think.
Running a hand through my hair, I joined the group, sitting on a log across from Emberly and Cerise, and feeling a bit ashamed. I didn’t typically care what others thought of me, but for some reason, I did tonight. And it bothered me.
Dr. Rosenshield stood. “Everyone please gather around the fire.”
“We’re already gathered,” I said.
Rosenshield gave me an irritated glance but looked around, noticing every member of the team was already seated, waiting for dinner.
He cleared his throat. “Right, yes. Well, then. Tonight, please spend time visiting with each other. Then get to bed early, as we will be leaving precisely at dawn.” He paused, regarding me with narrowed eyes.
“Precisely at dawn,” he repeated. “Is that understood, Doctor Pendragon?”
“Crystal clear, sir,” I said, waving my hand and leaning over in a mock bow.
Rosenshield shook his head and turned away. My eyes darted to Cerise who was watching with pursed lips, blatant disapproval on her face. She really wore her emotions on her sleeve though she seemed to think she hid them well.
“Anyway,” Rosenshield continued. “If we leave on time, we should arrive at our base camp early in the evening. It will be a long day. We’ll stop for meals and to give the horses breaks.
Spend the day continuing to familiarize yourself with your team and tomorrow evening we will have a large meal to celebrate the start of our expedition. ”