Chapter 40 Irena
IRENA
The next morning, I wake up thinking that the events of the day before must have been a dream. But if they were, then why am I wearing the ragged gown the witch gave me and why am I curled up against Valen’s broad chest?
I guess it all really happened, I think and blush when I remember sucking Valen not once but twice—and the second time just because I wanted to.
Also, I let him touch me and make me come.
I can’t believe I did all that! If anyone at Court ever found out…
but they mustn’t. I can’t tell anyone the things I’ve been doing lately.
The quest, it’s all for the quest—I have to get the Healing Draught, I remind myself firmly. No matter what I have to do, it’s worth it as long as I can get that and cure Mother.
It’s a poor excuse but I make it work and turn my attention to starting the day.
Though if I’m honest, I’d rather cuddle in Valen’s muscular arms—which is wrong.
No matter what he says, we’re still enemies.
I have to remember that. We’re only together for as long as this quest lasts.
After we finish, we’ll part ways and never see each other again.
Why does that thought make me sad?
No matter—I shove my sorrow away and get moving. There’s nothing more to eat and only a few swallows of water left to drink—we share them equally. Then we step out of the cave and start looking for the path.
It takes some time to find it but at last I catch a glimpse of it, curving through the trees.
“There!” I point it out to Valen and he breathes a sigh of relief.
“Fucking finally,” he growls. “Come on, Princess—let’s get back on it.”
But the next forward step we take, the path completely disappears and we’re suddenly in a different part of the forest—a part we passed a few minutes ago. I know because I remember admiring the fan-like purple leaves of a vine climbing up a birch sapling.
“Hey—what happened?” Valen stops short, looking around in disgust and confusion. “Goddess damn this fucking forest! Where is the fucking path?”
“Stop—don’t move. Don’t move your feet at all,” I warn him. I tell him about my experience yesterday and how I heard red-beard back at The Slaughtered Lamb talking about how you have to go back to move forward.
“So we need to walk backwards?” Valen looks down at me incredulously.
“I know it doesn’t make any sense, but it was working for me yesterday when I was trying to get back to the path,” I tell him. “Well…until Old Man Oak showed up.” I feel a cold chill race down my spine at the memory.
He sighs.
“All right—might as well try it. How big of a step should we take?”
“Not very big at all—just kind of shuffle backwards. But first…” I reach for him and take his hand. “So we won’t get separated,” I explain, feeling my cheeks flame when he gives me a quizzical look.
“And here I just thought you liked holding my hand.” He’s teasing—I can tell by the sparkle in his eyes.
My cheeks get even hotter and I try to ignore him.
“On the count of three we’re going to just barely shuffle backwards,” I say, not meeting his eyes. “One…two…three.”
We both take a shuffling step back and suddenly the path is only ten feet away.
“There it is!” Valen’s voice is surprised and excited. “Fuck—it’s like magic.”
“It is magic—the kind that wants you to get lost in the forest,” I remind him. “Come on, we’ll do it again on the count of three.”
This time we take a bigger step and overshoot the path. We have to turn around and shuffle backwards again and then again until finally we land squarely in the middle of the long, dusty road.
“Finally!” Valen runs a hand through his long, black hair. “Fuck—thought we’d never make it.”
“We did, though.” I look down at my soiled dancing slippers—they used to match the silver-green of my dress and eyes but now they’re positively black with forest dirt. “Let’s not leave it again—for any reason,” I say in a low voice.
“Agreed,” Valen says shortly and I’m relieved that he’s apparently not going to remind me that I’m the one who left it in the first place. “Come on, Princess,” he adds. “We have a Sorceress to find.”
And we set off again, with me praying that the stronghold of the Lady of Thornmere isn’t too far away.