Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
T he shadows around us elongate as the suns quickly set, shifting the sky into the nightly change of colors that I can never get enough of. Dane clutches my hand as he leads me down the pathways in the opposite direction of camp.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“I am serious about making sure you trust me. It doesn’t help me if I just tell you.” He winks, then pulls me to his side and drapes his arm across my shoulders
“You are frustrating sometimes, do you know that?” I say with a glance up at him.
He lets out a low chuckle. “I’ve been told that once or twice.”
Stars are starting to peek through the deep purple above as darkness falls over the island. While I normally look forward to their appearance every night, I’m filled with unease tonight.
“Shouldn’t we go back? It’s getting dark fast. ”
“We need the dark this time. We’ll watch for the Castaways. Don’t worry.”
A cool wind picks up as we approach the edge of the island. The cliff in front of us drops off just ahead, and I start to pull out of Dane’s embrace.
“No, Dane, I told you before, I?—”
“Lennox,” he says, stopping and stepping in front of me, blocking my view of the drop. He wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me in closer, his fingertips pushing slightly into my ribcage. It feels comforting, like he won’t let me fall. “I’m not going to bring you anywhere that you are afraid of, but it’s okay to let go a little bit. I know we haven’t talked much about your past. I hope we can change that, but I think you had to rely a lot on yourself, and you didn’t let many people in. I want to change that. I know I wasn’t honest with you when we first met, but I’m here with you now, and I want you to trust me.”
My eyes stay locked on his before I give him a small nod. He leans down and brushes a soft kiss across my lips, and a shiver that has nothing to do with the breeze runs down my spine.
“We’re going to approach the cliff, but it isn’t what you think. You can hang on to me the whole way if you need to.”
“Alright,” I say quietly and wrap my hands around his arm. The muscles beneath my fingers tense, then relax as I hang on to him. As we get closer, I see a divot cut into the ground. Dane positions himself on the side closest to the cliff, easing my nerves slightly.
Steps carved out of the dark stone wind down the side of the cliff toward a black sand beach below. The beach and cove are tucked away under a cliff, hidden until you stumble upon it, so I hadn’t seen this place from the lookout when we arrived.
“We’re going down there?” I ask.
Dane nods. “We are.”
He starts down the stairs in front of me, and I keep a steady grip on his arm. It’s not the cliff itself that makes me nervous now that I know there isn’t a long fall into roaring waves below. It’s the proximity to the water that sets me on edge. I know I’m safe as long as I stay on hard ground, but I haven’t been to any of the other beaches yet. I do my best to avoid searching there, not wanting the island to spit me out into the sea to see if I can swim.
We stop when we reach the last step.
“You might want to take those off,” Dane says, nodding toward my boots. He reaches down and pulls off his own, shoving his socks inside them. I do as he suggests and step forward to squish my bare toes into the dark, cool sand.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, taking in this new piece of Dawnlin. The moon shines off the water in the middle of a crescent cove made of jagged black stone. Calm waves slowly lapping at the black sand, the sound repetitive but soothing. The beach is small, not long and winding around the edges of the land like the others I had seen.
This one is quaint, quiet. Secluded.
I wish we had places like this in Blackwood.
“You’re shivering,” Dane says. He runs his hands up and down my arms, the movement bringing me some warmth. “Come this way.” Just ahead, closer to the water, I see a blanket spread over the sand with a basket sitting on top. Next to it lies an unlit fire with wood stacked up into a peak.
“Didn’t see the sense of wasting the wood before we got here.” Dane crouches and starts striking a flint rock at the base of the woodpile. Some sparks light on a bit of kindling shoved underneath, and he crouches down to blow on it, igniting the flames which start engulfing the larger logs. “It’ll be warm in a few minutes. In the meantime…”
He reaches down and picks up a coat off of the blanket and wraps it around my shoulders.
I push the coat away. “It’ll get all muddy,” I laugh. He ignores my refusal and wraps it around me anyway. His scent immediately engulfs me, and I draw the coat closer, breathing in as much of it as I can .
He pushes a piece of stray muddy hair behind my ear. “It doesn’t bother me. Are you hungry?”
My stomach growls at the mention of food. I never had the chance to eat the food I brought with me today. I was too busy struggling my way through all the traps.
“Starving,” I say. I glance over at the small basket of food sitting on the blanket and plop down next to it, with Dane following suit. He leans over and begins pulling out wooden containers and opening them up between us. Steam and smells rise into the air when he lifts the lids, and my eyes widen with surprise.
Blackwood is a landlocked kingdom, and despite being royalty, we can’t try any foods that are commonplace in seaside kingdoms. I’d read descriptions and recipes for these exotic dishes, but had no idea what they would be like. I imagine now is my only chance to try anything like them, and Dane has brought them right to me.
He lays an array of dishes in front of us. The mixture of garnish and spices overpowers the scent from his coat, and my mouth waters. I lean forward, eyeing each dish, trying to decide where to start.
Dane chuckles next to me, glancing down at my growling stomach. “Sounds like we made it to dinner just in time.”
“I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” I say sheepishly.
“There should be plenty,” he says, opening the last of the containers. “Do you know what any of it is?”
“No, you’re going to have to tell me. Unless you think it’s best I don’t know, otherwise I won’t eat it.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “No, not this time. Maybe next time you can be a little more adventurous. But if you don’t like something, it’s okay, that’s why I brought extra.”
He hands me a wooden plate with utensils, and pulls out serving spoons, then points out what is inside each of the containers.
“Over here we have some simple fish steaks. Those are what’s called shrimp. These here will take some work to get the meat out. I can show you.” He points to a bunch of long, hard looking things. “This is lobster tail. These are oysters, and then we have some pasta and bread, just in case you don’t like any of the fish.”
My eyes drag over the food. It is so different from anything I had ever eaten before, and I want to try it all. Dane spoons some of each item on my plate, and I eat. Flavor explodes over my tongue as I try every new dish. Dane shows me how to crack the crab legs and pull the tender meat from them, and how to pluck the meat from the oysters.
A moan escapes me as I try an oyster, the cheese and butter melting on my tongue. I slap my hand over my mouth and giggle uncontrollably as Dane smirks from behind his bite.
“Sorry,” I say. “It’s just all so good.”
“I’m glad you like it. You didn’t even question it, you just trusted me. I think that’s a win for me.”
I nudge his shoulder playfully with mine. “Okay fine, you’re right, that was a win for you.”
“Good, because we’re not done.”
I eye him warily. “What do you mean?”
He stands and reaches down for my hand, pulling me up with him. “Come with me.” He laces his fingers through mine and leads me toward the edge of the water.
“Dane, no, please.” I pull back against his hand.
“Don’t worry, we aren’t going in the water. But we’re going to be close to it.” He faces me and continues to walk backward toward the surf. “Will you trust me again tonight? I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
My heart pounds harder in my chest the closer we get to the water. It isn’t the water itself that scares me, it is the fear of losing control. I can’t swim, and submerging myself in the ocean is vastly different from sitting in a bath back in the castle, which I’d done countless times.
If something goes wrong, if a current sucks me under, I won’t be able to get myself out .
Dane stops next to me, facing out toward the cove. He points out into the bay. “See that set of rocks right there? We’re going to go stand out there. We won’t be in the water, but we are going to get wet. I don’t want to push you, but know I’ll keep you safe. If we’re going to do it, we have to hurry.”
“Why do we have to hurry?”
He smirks. “That’s part of the surprise. And the trust.”
I take a deep, settling breath. I’ve come this far. I’ve done so many things and had so many experiences that months ago I never would have expected I’d do. I trust in the magic and have hope for change. I can do this. It isn’t like he is asking me to jump in without knowing how to swim.
“Alright. Let’s go,” I say firmly, clenching his hand a little harder in mine.
We cross the beach and step out onto the strip of rocks that forms the edge of the cove. Dane walks backwards, holding my hands for balance as I watch my feet to anticipate any slip or stumble. The darkness surrounds us as we slowly creep along, the light from the moon our only guide as I carefully place my feet on the rough surface of the rocks.
“This should be far enough. Any second now.”
We wait in silence for a few moments, but nothing happens. The quiet sounds of the soft waves in the cove and the crisp smell of the salt of the water overwhelm my senses, especially in the darkness.
“Dane, what are we waiting for?”
“Shh. Just one more second.”
Barely a second later, my eye catches on the sea beyond the cove. Waves are rolling toward us, but they aren’t like the gentle waves near the shore. The waves are glowing. As they roll toward us, bright blue light glows from within and rolls in the sea right into the cove.
“That is amaz—” I call out, but am cut off by an enormous wave slamming into the rocks. I shriek, digging my fingers into Dane’s shoulders, clutching onto him for security. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in closer as the water comes crashing down around us and soaking me completely.
“Oh my gods!” I yell, reaching with one hand to push my now drenched hair out of my eyes. I can hear Dane’s boisterous laugh above the crashing of more waves around us.
“Look down!” He yells and takes a partial step away from me. He keeps his hands on me so I don’t fall, but there’s enough room so I can see the rock below.
I gasp at the beauty unfolding underneath us.
Everywhere the waves crash, the rock lights up around us. Pinks, greens, blues, and yellows, glowing like nothing I have ever seen. I bend down slightly, steadying myself on him and see that it isn’t the rock itself, but the world that lives in and on it. Plants and animals all glowing as soon as the water touches them, showing off their beauty underneath a clear twinkling sky.
I don’t care at all about the surrounding water, or the waves crashing over me, or the rivulets of mud washing off my skin. I crouch down, careful of where I am moving my feet so I can get a better look.
“This is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this!” I look up at Dane, my cheeks hurting from all the smiling. Between the thoughtful dinner and now this, I feel like I am floating.
He looks almost shy as he smiles back. “I hoped you would like it. It happens every time the tide comes in.” He gestures to the cove, where the rolling glowing waves are still rolling in and crashing into the beach. “Was it worth taking the risk of coming out here?”
“Absolutely.” I look around at the rest of the cove and see that every surface of rock is glowing, and the cove itself is bright and full of life. “It’s gorgeous. Can you show me more?”
“Of course.” He crouches down and points out different creatures along the rock. There are so many, even some that I don’t know if they exist back in our world. Glowing blue crabs scuttle along the surface, and tiny bright pink fish swim through the caverns carved into the rock .
I am moved by the effort Dane went through to bring me here and show me this. He knows about my fear of the water, but for a few moments, I’ve completely forgotten about it. I even feel comfortable enough to walk along the rock face on my own and explore new areas.
Dawnlin is changing me, maybe more than I had realized.
I never had the opportunity to let anyone into my life. Brynne and Edmond were the only two I truly trusted. Living in isolation, with nothing to look forward to, nothing to hope for, made me pessimistic and resentful of everyone experiencing life outside of my walls. It made me angry for my father’s decisions, layered on top of the guilt I felt, knowing I had been the ultimate cause for him to make them.
But Dane…Dane has given me someone new to trust. This place gave me a new hope, not only for something more for my life and relationships here, but for eventual change in what was waiting for me in Blackwood.
Edmond was right. Maybe hope was something that everyone needed. Dane was right too, and he had definitely earned my trust tonight.