Chapter 9 Borrowed Clothes and Broken Promises
Borrowed Clothes and Broken Promises
AEOLUS
The inn's warm air carried her scent to me before I saw her.
Smoke and sunlight, with an undertone of lavender soap.
The White Hart's common room smelled of woodsmoke and last night's ale, its worn floorboards creaking with age.
Some of the regulars watched her with equal parts fascination and wariness, and I had to wonder what I'd missed out on last night.
Her copper-streaked curls hung heavy, still damp from bathing.
The unfamiliar clothes hung loose on her frame, likely stolen from some local's washing line, though I couldn't fault her resourcefulness.
The innkeeper's map crinkled in her grip as she studied it, flame-script shifting beneath her skin like living embers.
I feigned interest in the wood grain of my table, tracking her movements from beneath lowered lashes while pretending to arrange the spread before me: still-steaming porridge, fresh bread, and two leather packs bulging with provisions.
My fingers idly traced the rim of an untouched mug, maintaining the illusion of casual disinterest even as every sense remained attuned to her presence across the room.
In one of the packs I'd prepared sat a bundle of properly fitted clothing I'd bought from the town's seamstress at dawn: riding clothes in deep greens and browns with touches of silver embroidery that would complement her coloring.
But showing her now would only make her bolt, proud creature that she was.
Better to let her discover them herself when necessity demanded.
When I'd slipped in with the dawn's first light, the common room had been already half-full with early risers.
The whispers had started immediately. "…
another one of them," "fae-touched," "not natural.
" Followed by the scraping of chairs as several patrons made hasty exits.
Others had drawn closer, curiosity overcoming caution, their eyes reflecting the distinctive wariness humans had always had towards my kind.
The innkeeper had met my story with shrewd eyes and crossed arms. My claim of being Adara's traveling companion, separated only briefly and now reunited, should have slid past his defenses like honey.
Instead, I'd found myself spinning an increasingly detailed tale, my usual fae-touched persuasion falling oddly flat.
I tried weaving a subtle glamour between my fingers, a shimmer of suggestion that would normally make my words irresistible, but the magic flickered and dissipated like mist in sunlight.
I masked my momentary alarm with a charming smile and reached for my coin purse instead.
Perhaps my dwindling powers were to blame, or maybe years of guarding wayward travelers had given him immunity to silver tongues and supernatural charm.
Either way, his eventual acceptance had come from mundane coin rather than magical influence.
A humbling reminder of my changing circumstances.
"Just another curse to break," Adara murmured, her fingers trailing the worn paths on the parchment. She drifted past my table, lost in thought, the map's edges catching the morning light. The familiar cadence of her voice stirred something in my chest even as she remained oblivious to my presence.
I reached out, my fingers barely grazing the sleeve of her borrowed shirt.
The touch was enough to halt her measured stride, drawing her gaze from the mysteries traced in ink before her.
"I ordered you breakfast," I said softly, gesturing to the steaming bowls and mugs that promised warmth and momentary respite from our uncertainties.
Her amber eyes met mine, flickering briefly to molten gold before settling back to their usual warm light-brown hue. A dozen emotions crossed her face in rapid succession: surprise, irritation, and something that might have been relief before her features smoothed into careful neutrality.
"Ah, so you're the first to find me," she said, arching one perfect eyebrow as understanding dawned.
Her lips quirked into a sardonic half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Your skill with tracking scents won out over the others, I see.
Or did you just draw the short straw in the 'who gets to babysit the phoenix' lottery? "
I allowed myself a lazy smile, though her casual dismissal stung more than I cared to admit.
"Please. I communed with the winds themselves.
" I gestured again to the empty chair across from me.
"They're quite fond of gossip, you know.
Especially about mysterious storytellers who pay for lodging with tales of ancient gods. "
In truth, tracking her had been more arduous than I cared to admit. My entreaties to the wind had grown hoarse by midnight, the curse forcing me to rely on questioning stable boys and bribing street vendors instead of simply stepping through shadow. Still, the challenge had been oddly refreshing.
Her lips twitched, though whether in amusement or annoyance, I couldn't quite tell.
"And here I thought I'd have at least until midday before one of you caught up.
I do appreciate the effort it must have taken to win the race.
" The words were light but carried an edge that suggested she knew exactly what I was doing.
"Disappointed?" I kept my tone light, playful, even as I noted how she remained standing, ready to flee at a moment's notice. "Come now, surely breakfast with a devastatingly handsome fae is better than cold porridge alone?"
"Devastatingly humble too," she muttered but finally slid into the offered chair, tossing her copper-streaked curls back with a practiced flick. "I suppose you'll just follow me if I leave anyway. Might as well enjoy a hot meal before I ditch you again."
I pressed a hand to my chest in mock offense. "I would never be so crude as to simply follow you. I prefer to think of it as... providing unsolicited companionship."
That earned me a genuine laugh, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. The morning light caught the subtle glow beneath her skin, highlighting the delicate curve of her neck as she threw her head back. "Is that what the fae are calling stalking these days?"
"We're creative with our euphemisms, as always." I pushed a bowl of porridge toward her, noting how her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the spoon. Still adjusting to her newly awakened body, no doubt. "Eat. Whatever grand adventure you're planning will go better on a full stomach."
She paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth, studying me with those penetrating eyes that saw far too much. "What makes you think I'm planning anything?"
"Besides the map you're trying to keep to yourself?
" I leaned back, allowing a hint of my true nature to surface, just enough to remind her I was more than merely charming.
"The winds, and patrons of this establishment, whisper of corruption in the hills.
A sacred spring running dry. Beasts of unusual size and ferocity. "
"And I suppose you're here to stop me?" Steel crept into her voice, her power rising to the surface like heat from banked coals.
I met her gaze steadily, letting her see the truth in my eyes. "I'm here to help you."
"Why?"
"Because whatever darkness plagues these hills, it's connected to the curse that diminishes us all.
" I hesitated, remembering the sickly-sweet decay I'd tasted on the wind as dawn broke.
The same rotten sweetness that had begun to permeate parts of the Court of Whispered Secrets.
"The taint here carries the same foul signature as what spreads through my realm.
This isn't random corruption. It's systematic.
" I gestured to the provisions I'd packed.
"And because two sets of eyes are better than one, especially when one of us can actually see in the dark. "
She snorted, but some of the tension eased from her shoulders. "And the others? Are they lurking about too?"
"Probably," I admitted. "Though I suspect they'll be significantly less charming about their arrival."
Adara's spoon clinked against the bowl as she considered my words, her copper-streaked curls falling forward to partially shield her expression. I resisted the urge to brush them back, to test if they felt as silky as they looked. Such gestures of familiarity would only make her bolt faster.
"And what makes you think I need your help?" she asked, though the edge in her voice had softened slightly. "I've been reborn more times than you've had hot meals, Stormchaser. I'm not exactly helpless."
"You're still finding your feet in this new world. Lucky for you, I'd be delighted to show you around. Someone needs to keep you from stumbling into trouble."
Her eyes flashed molten gold, flame-script rippling beneath her skin like a warning.
"Bold of you to assume I'm the one who needs looking after.
When was the last time you checked in with your court?
You seem awfully far from home." Her gaze was piercing, cutting through my carefully constructed facade with unnerving precision.
Her lips curved into a reluctant smile. "I notice you're conveniently alone.
What happened to all that talk about unity and working together with your new guardian allies? "
Her words hit closer to home than she could know. The distance from the Court of Whispered Secrets weighed on me like physical chains, each day draining more of my essence. But revealing that vulnerability wasn't an option. Not when I needed her to see me as a valuable ally.