Chapter 30 #2
“Following me, are we?” I retorted. “How did you even find me?” Something told me I could drop the usual formalities and pleasantries around Filip.
He spoke in a way that was so unlike the usual superficial fluff and pretty words of courtiers.
It was refreshing. I may even have liked him, if he wasn’t trying to sniff out all of my secrets.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Your tracks were simple to follow, and you move so slowly that I could catch up to you with little effort.”
“Rude.” I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. “Why are you following me?”
“Because I had a suspicion that you were up to something.” He gestured to the surrounding forest as if to prove his point. “It looks like I was right.”
“There’s no chance of you turning around and going back to the campsite, is there?” From the determined set of his eyebrows and the firm line of his mouth, I already knew what his answer would be.
“None.”
“Fine,” I exhaled. “I’ve heard rumors of a witch, Basia, living in the deepest part of this forest. I’m looking for the holly trees that will supposedly lead me to her.”
The look he gave me was incredulous. “You’re going into the deepest part of the forest to hunt down a potentially dangerous witch, unarmed and all by yourself?”
I studied my nails. “So what if I am?”
“Do you not see how insane that is?” He shook his head. “If she turns out to be the murderer, how are you planning on defending yourself?”
“Why do you care?”
His jaw ticked. “Like I said the other day, I owe you a debt. Which is why I’m coming with you.
” I opened my mouth to argue. “Before you argue, you should know I’ve been coming into this forest since I was a boy, so I can help you find this witch’s home.
And you, I am assuming, are not trained in combat or weaponry.
If things turn ugly with the witch, I’m your best chance at defending yourself. ”
That’s what you think. “If you must,” I said with a dramatic sigh. As much as it pained me to admit it, having him lead the way would be useful. Especially when it came to navigating my way back out of the woods. “But, for the record, I would have been fine. I’m a fast runner.”
He rolled his eyes. “Let’s get going,” he said. “It could take us all day to get there and back, so we need to move quickly.”
Without so much as looking back at me, he started ahead into the trees.
Following his lead, my eyes fixated on the two swords sheathed across his uniformed back.
He moved swiftly but deliberately, and his posture remained tense.
It was clear from the way he scanned our surroundings that he was constantly assessing for potential threats.
We had thousands of warriors trained in physical and magical combat in Vantillios, but I had never been taught to fight.
My grandmother said there was little point when the curse meant the outside world didn’t pose any threat to us.
Besides, she’d say, I had my detail of guards to keep me safe.
Too bad for her they couldn’t keep the Crow away.
Some kind of physical combat training would certainly have come in use right about now.
As long as Filip was with me, I couldn’t use my powers, which meant that, if Basia was a dark witch, it would be up to him to save us.
No offense to Filip, but I didn’t fancy those odds, so I hoped to Vell it didn’t come to that.
“How long have you been a guard?” I asked as I trailed him across the terrain of roots and low-hanging tree branches.
“Why do you want to know?” he responded, his voice laced with suspicion.
“Just making conversation. If I’m to spend the day with you, I may as well get to know you.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he said dryly.
Undeterred, I continued. “You’re clearly of noble birth, yet you choose to be a personal guard for Prince Hugo. Is there a story behind that?”
He abruptly stopped, causing me to collide into his back. Turning to me with narrowed eyes, he said, “Firstly, how do you know I’m of noble birth? Secondly, my reasons for joining the Royal Guard are none of your concern.” Without waiting for my response, he resumed walking.
“I know you’re of noble birth because it’s obvious by the way you talk.
And the weapons on your back are fine. Much finer than the ones the other guards carry.
Not to mention the onyx ring you wear on your finger.
” He said nothing as he continued ahead of me.
I took that as confirmation I was right.
We continued in silence for a while. The forest grew darker and denser the further we walked. Eventually, we came across a stream emerging from the bottom of a narrow ravine paved in grass, weeds, ferns and roots. We made our way down slowly until we reached the mossy rocks at the water’s edge.
I cupped my hands into the bitingly cold stream and admired the clear water, so pure that I could see my own reflection in its surface. For a moment, I longed to dive in. To feel its currents against my skin, against my tail. Instead, I drank, savoring its unspoiled sweetness.
After filling our flasks with water and eating an early lunch of the bread and cheese I had snuck into my pack, we continued our venture into the dark forest.
It didn’t take long for the boredom to settle in. I would have to find ways to amuse myself on this never-ending trek. “You and Prince Hugo are obviously very close.” My voice cut into the eerie silence.
Filip’s back stiffened. Without looking at me he asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re working with me to find his attempted killer. You wouldn’t resort to such desperate measures unless you cared for him.”
When he didn’t respond, I filled the silence. “You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?”
“And you’re a woman of many. Is Prince Tarben aware that the current jewel of his affection is such a busybody?”
The current jewel of his affection? I wasn’t just some jewel; I was the crown. Ignoring his little jibe, I said, “I was only taking a polite interest in the man who owes me his life—”
“A debt.”
I continued as if I hadn’t heard him. “But, if it bothers you so much, I’ll stop talking.”
“That suits me perfectly fine,” he sneered.
I grinned to myself. Who knew getting under his skin would be such sport? “If you answer one question.”
He clenched his fists. He was losing patience. “What?”
I may as well address the whale in the fishpond. “Why doesn’t Hugo like me?”
“He doesn’t trust you,” he responded tersely.
“Yes, but why? He disliked me from the moment I stepped foot into the castle, and I want to know why. What did I ever do to make him distrust me?”
We continued into the forest and, for a long moment, all I could hear was the crackle of dried twigs and leaves under our footsteps.
“Prince Hugo is wildly protective of his family. He regards all newcomers with varying degrees of wariness, until they prove themselves to be trustworthy.”
“I see. I’m glad to know it’s nothing personal,” I joked.
“Oh, there is definitely something about you that’s off. Prince Hugo has a knack for sensing these things. He believed you weren’t being completely honest, and, based on my own experience, I’d say he was probably right.” Over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at me.
I fixed him with a flat look. To steer the conversation away from myself, I asked, “How did you gain his trust?”
“I didn’t have to. I’ve known him since we were boys. We grew up together.”
This surprised me for some reason. Try as I might, I couldn’t picture Hugo as a little boy, playing happily with the other children. “Has he always been so prickly?”
“Prince Hugo has always been…”
“Antagonistic? Difficult? Smug?” I offered.
“Set in his ways,” he said, and I could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. “It may not be popular with everyone, but it doesn’t faze him in the slightest. He’s completely himself and he doesn’t waste his time with false niceties.”
“Is that why you two are such close friends?”
“We’re close because, once you’ve earned his trust, there’s no greater friend or fiercer supporter than Prince Hugo.”
I was admittedly thrown by this. I’d never thought of Hugo as anything other than the loathsome younger brother of Tarben, but Filip painted a picture of a completely different person. The type of friend anyone would be lucky to have. A man worth saving.
We continued further into the forest until my feet began to ache, and I could feel a blister forming on my left toe. Just as I was about to insist that we stop and rest for a moment, he came to a halt.
I opened my mouth to thank the goddesses, but he held up his hand to silence me. Surveying our surroundings with a furrowed brow, he was clearly gathering his bearings.
By now, the canopy above us was so thick that it blocked any sunlight from reaching the equally dense forest floor.
In the dim shade, I could make out mushrooms and mold growing in patches on the ground and on the sides of trees.
The air that had been harshly cold and misty was now refreshingly cool and foggy and smelled of damp earth.
Then I saw it—silver yew. Icy fear skittered across my body at the sight of its distinctly twisted base and the shriveled berries clinging to its silver, needle-like leaves.
I immediately wanted to get as far away from it as possible, but at its shadowy side sat a holly tree.
My heart leaped. There wasn’t just one, but a scattering that led further into the bowels of the forest.
I hadn’t noticed before, but it was completely silent.
I could no longer hear the tweeting of birds or the rustling of insects and small animals in the bushes.
It was as though no life existed in this part of the woods, aside from the plants and fungi that seemed to thrive in the darkness.
The effects of using too much ambient magic, no doubt. It was chilling.
Slowly, silently, we continued through the trees, following the holly until we reached an impressively-sized mound decorated in mud and moss and jutting roots. As we neared the top of the mound, Filip held up his hand to me in warning. He wanted me to stay where I was.
I watched as he crept up to the top, then gestured for me to join him. Panting slightly, I took a spot beside him, crouching low behind a pine tree.
He held a finger to his lips then pointed towards something. An unnecessary gesture because I spotted it almost immediately.
In the nearby distance, a clearing opened up. Nestled amongst the skeletal trees was a small wooden cottage.
We had found Basia’s home.