50. Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Lea
T hey’d been riding for days, barely stopping to use the bathroom and refill their canteens. Two more moonflower petals had fallen from Lea’s crown as they rode, and each time, Gray had gritted his teeth, kicked Obsidian's sides, and pushed him harder. The relentless riding left Lea not only exhausted, but without the opportunity to speak to her father about his part in her plan. She needed a moment alone with him—and soon.
Luna leapt over a fallen log, and as she jostled up and down in the saddle, Lea didn’t even have to pretend to feel nauseous. Water sloshed around in her empty stomach, and she swallowed, leaning to her right to clear Luna’s side in case she did actually vomit.
"Little Flower?" Gray said, catching her attention. His shadows reached out to her, caressing her cheek as he tilted his head, his eyebrows lowering in concern.
"I’m fine," Lea said. "Just an empty stomach." On cue, her stomach rumbled.
Frown lines bracketed Gray's mouth as he slowed Obsidian to a trot. "You look weak," he said. "And pale."
Lea pulled Luna’s reins, slowing her. "Do you think we could stop? Just long enough for you to hunt something fresh? Maybe you could take the others, and Dad and I can build a fire to cook it on?" Lea’s stomach growled again, but she pretended to change her mind, shaking her head. "No. I’m sorry. We should keep pushing forward."
"Stop," Gray told Obsidian, who halted immediately. "Of course we can eat. You need strength to fight. A quick stop won’t hurt us." The lines around his eyes deepened, and guilt slid into Lea’s empty stomach, coating the walls and making her even more nauseous. She knew how it made Gray feel when she was hungry. When her most basic needs weren’t taken care of. He’d always taken responsibility for taking care of her, and anything short of that felt like a failure.
Gray looked around at the landscape. "There’s a fresh stream not far from here. Can you wait a few minutes?"
Lea smiled gratefully, another, sharper stab of guilt almost making her look away. But she ignored it. She was only doing what she had to in order to save her kingdom.
Gray wasted no time once they reached the stream, helping her down from her horse and making sure she drank some water.
“Henry, make sure she rests. Cole? Patrick?” Gray inclined his head toward the woods, then stalked off, dagger in hand. Lea felt a quick bolt of panic. She didn’t have much time. Gray would work quickly to find something for her to eat, worried that she was wasting away. But Daniel was still around, and she couldn’t risk him overhearing what she was going to ask Henry.
"Daniel?" Lea asked.
Daniel jumped to his feet, rushing over to her, and Lea was once again reminded that she was no longer a girl from Bearswillow, but a queen.
"Would you move the horses over to the shade down there? Let them drink from the stream where they’re out of the sun?"
"Of course," Daniel said, practically tripping over his feet to do what she'd asked.
"Dad?" Lea tilted her head, signaling him to come over. He dropped the pack he’d been rummaging through and came to sit beside her, leaning down and kissing her forehead. It was a glimpse of the affection and attention she’d so desperately wanted after her mother’s death, and right now, it felt too late. But she couldn’t hold grudges. Not anymore. She had no more time or energy to waste on such things.
"I need to ask you to do something for me," Lea said. "And I want you to let me get it all out before you argue."
Henry’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded hesitantly.
"I have a plan to defeat Alaric, but I can’t do it without your help. The goddess said I have to be the one to kill him. But Gray can’t be with me when it happens."
Henry’s shoulders rose toward his ears, but he didn’t interrupt.
"When we get closer, when we find Alaric and scout out the camp, I need you to freeze time so I can slip away. Alone. Without Gray following me, at least not immediately."
Henry’s mouth dropped open, and he shook his head slightly. "Alone?"
"The goddess said only I could defeat him. I can’t do that if I’m worried about keeping everyone else safe. Evangeline has seen it," Lea said. "She’s seen me going alone to battle him. Seen me ruling a peaceful kingdom afterward. But only if I go alone. I’ll be okay, if you help me."
Henry’s eyes darted around as if searching the sky for some excuse, some flaw in her logic. "Evangeline’s seen this working? You’ll be okay?" he asked.
"Yes.” Lea lied. “If you help me, I can defeat him. She’s seen us all, happy and safe. But only if Gray doesn’t follow me.”
Henry remained quiet, thinking, but Lea couldn’t afford to waste time allowing him to consider the different options.
"It feels like fate, doesn’t it? This began with me—with us—when Evangeline sent me to grow up with a father and mother who loved me, the only ones who could keep me safe. This is part of that, Dad. It ends as it began. You helping to take care of me, freezing time so I can go defeat Alaric. We all die if I don’t. This is the only way."
Henry took her hand, squeezing it tight. "You are the strongest, bravest girl," he said. "My little girl." He cupped her cheek, his eyes searching her face, but he wouldn’t find any hints of innocence or childhood there. They had been burned out of her, tragically and violently.
"Okay," he said. "If you say it’s the only way, then I’ll help you."
"Thank you," Lea exhaled in relief. She’d been prepared for more pushback, but how could he argue with her when she told him it had already been seen? Maybe it wasn’t a lie. Maybe by now, it had been seen. Maybe she’d find a way to survive taking Alaric’s magic and make Evangeline’s vision of her and Gray ruling beside each other come true without killing Evangeline.
"Thank you," Lea said again. "I’ll tell you when it’s time. Don’t say a word to anyone."
"I understand."
Gray appeared just then, a foobil in hand.
"Care to cook it for us?" he asked.
Before he could even drop the animal, Lea held out her hand and engulfed it in flames, keeping her fire going until the hair had burned off and it was cooked through.
"Look how domestic I’ve become." She gestured to the cooked rodent, and Gray laughed.
"She cooks, and she kills," he quipped before ripping off a leg for her. "And now, she eats ."
Lea rolled her eyes at his protectiveness. He was as stubborn and worried about her as always, and it only confirmed to Lea that she was doing the right thing. Even if Gray knowing her plan didn’t carry the risk of Eudora seeing it and alerting Alaric, even if Evangeline hadn’t seen them failing with Gray around, he’d never allow her to go through with taking Alaric’s magic, knowing it would kill her. He’d take the magic himself somehow, or force her to pass it to Evangeline. To anyone else. He’d allow the entire kingdom to fall before he’d let her risk her life again. But that wasn’t fair. This was her battle. Her burden. Written in the stars by the gods themselves.
Lea lifted the meat to her lips, taking a bite. It had already cooled, and she ripped off a large chunk to make sure it had actually cooked all the way through. Relieved to see there was no pink inside, she popped the piece into her mouth.
As they ate in silence, a hawk soaring in the distance caught her eye. She waited to see if it would turn toward them, wondering if Genevieve was trying to reach her again, but it disappeared back in the direction they’d come from.
Henry stared after it, his jaw set in a firm line, his eyes full of worry.
It will be okay , Lea wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t. Until they were alone again, she would just have to hope that Gray didn’t notice that while he was gone, something in the air had changed.