Chapter 91
I sighed and stood up. "I need some air."
Rhaevan looked up. "Oh... alright?"
I picked up the chest, hugged it against my side, and slipped out through the back door before he could ask anything else.
The evening air was cool against my face. The little garden behind Benedict's cottage was peaceful, bathed in the soft orange light of the setting sun. Somewhere nearby, birds chirped lazily as if the world hadn't nearly exploded an hour ago.
I lowered myself onto the old wooden bench beneath an apple tree. The chest rested beside me.
"...Don't get any ideas," I told it.
I leaned back and stared at the sky. Unfortunately... that gave my brain enough room to think.
Don't think about it.
Immediately, I thought about it. Wonderful.
I groaned and covered my face with both hands. "What was I doing..."
The image replayed in my mind with crystal-clear accuracy: Rhaevan leaning closer, his eyes, the way he'd looked at me, and the way I'd... not moved away.
I buried my face deeper into my hands. "Nope. No. We're deleting that memory."
Except my brain politely declined, replaying the scene again and again, each replay becoming more embarrassing than the last. I peeked at the chest.
"This is your fault. You're a terrible conversationalist."
I sighed dramatically. Maybe we had both simply been overwhelmed. People weren't exactly known for making excellent decisions while escaping collapsing mountains. Perhaps he'd simply been relieved that I was alive, and I'd mistaken relief for something else.
Yes. That sounded reasonable. Very reasonable. I nodded confidently to myself.
Then another thought wandered in. What if he thought I was Lysenne?
...Did he hit his head? Was it the Solithium? Can Solithium make people nearly kiss each other? Lead to questionable romantic decisions?
I groaned for what felt like the fiftieth time. "I hate feelings."
"You've been talking to a box for nearly five minutes."
I jumped so violently that I almost fell off the bench. Rhaevan stood a few steps away, one hand tucked behind his back, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.
"I wasn't talking to it."
He glanced at the chest. "...I see."
He walked over and sat on the opposite end of the bench, leaving enough space between us that neither of us had to acknowledge how close we'd almost been outside the cave. For a few moments, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable-just careful.
Muffin wandered out of the cottage a moment later, spotted us immediately, and trotted over with complete confidence. Without asking anyone's permission, he leapt onto the bench, then squeezed himself directly between us.
I smiled despite myself.
"Traitor."
Muffin wagged his tail.
"He appears determined to keep the peace," Rhaevan observed.
I scratched behind Muffin's ears. "I wasn't expecting to come home with a fox today."
Rhaevan gently stroked the silver fur along Muffin's back. "I've only read about them."
His expression softened almost imperceptibly as Muffin leaned into his hand. "They're said to choose only those they trust."
I looked down at the little fox. "So he's either incredibly wise... or his standards are alarmingly low."
Rhaevan laughed-not the restrained huffs from before, but a real laugh. Warm. Quiet. For just a moment, the weight of the day disappeared, and I found myself smiling without even realizing it.
Muffin had apparently decided he was the official mediator of human awkwardness, lying sprawled across the bench with one paw resting on my thigh and his fluffy tail draped over Rhaevan's knee. He looked absurdly pleased with himself.
"So..." I said at last.
"So," Rhaevan echoed.
"...Today was eventful. And I thing I kind of messed up again."
"You didn't... but you did threaten two enemy mages with an experimental Solithium amplifier."
"I was improvising."
"You certainly were."
"I think I did rather well."
He looked at me, his voice entirely free of teasing. "You did... You protected us."
The words caught me off guard. "I also caused the explosion."
"You prevented something much worse."
"I nearly got us killed."
"You saved us."
I looked away, the breeze stirring the branches above us. I absentmindedly scratched beneath Muffin's chin. "I still can't believe we found him."
Rhaevan smiled faintly. "I don't think we found him... I think he found us."
Muffin lifted his head proudly, as though agreeing with the statement.
"Don't encourage him," I muttered. "He's already convinced he's royalty."
Muffin gave an indignant chirp.
"I rest my case."
Another comfortable silence settled between us. It was strange-just yesterday, sitting quietly beside Rhaevan would have felt impossible. Now it almost felt easy. Dangerously easy. Which was exactly why I needed to leave before my traitorous heart decided to embarrass me again.
I stood, carefully lifting the chest back into my arms.
"Well... I should probably get some sleep."
Rhaevan nodded and rose to his feet. "We've had enough adventures for one day."
"Several lifetimes' worth, actually."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I won't argue with that."
I took a step toward the cottage, then another. "Good night, Rhaevan."
"Good night, Cassie."
I had almost reached the back door. Almost.
"Cassie."
His voice stopped me. I froze. Slowly, I turned around.
He hadn't moved. The fading sunlight caught the edges of his dark hair as he stood beneath the old apple tree. For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. Then he slowly crossed the distance between us.
He stopped an arm's length away. "Cassie..."
There was an unfamiliar uncertainty in his voice. His hand lifted slightly, as though he meant to reach for me, then seemed to think better of it.
Finally, his fingers gently closed around my wrist. It wasn't tight-just enough to stop me from walking away.
My pulse instantly forgot how to behave. He lowered his gaze for a brief moment before meeting my eyes again. "...About today."
I knew exactly what he meant. "...What about it?" I asked, even though I already knew.
"The cave. But... not the explosion."
My heart sank. Of course. That.
I forced a laugh that sounded painfully fake even to my own ears. "Oh. That. Nothing happened, Rhaevan."
His brows drew together, in confusion.
"We nearly died." I kept talking before he could interrupt. "People do irrational things after almost dying. It was... stress. Exhaustion." I gave him what I hoped resembled a reassuring smile. "We weren't thinking clearly."
His fingers around my wrist loosened slightly. I swallowed hard. "It would probably be best... if we just pretended it never happened."
Silence. The evening suddenly felt much quieter.
"We have more important things to worry about." I lifted the wooden chest slightly. "This. The Solithium. The people behind the mine. We have a mission. I don't want things to become..." I hesitated. "...awkward."
His expression became unreadable. For several long seconds, he simply looked at me. Then, very slowly, he let go of my wrist. "...Right." His voice was quiet.
I nodded a little too quickly. "Good. Then... good night."
This time, he didn't stop me. I slipped inside without looking back, went straight to my room, and closed the door. Only then did I lean against it and let out the breath I'd been holding.
"...You're an idiot, Cassiane."
I wasn't entirely sure whether I was talking to myself... or my heart.
(Third-Person POV)
Rhaevan remained exactly where she had left him, watching her retreating figure. The evening breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying with it the scent of herbs from Benedict's garden.
He lowered his gaze to the empty space where Cassiane had been standing moments before, shutting his eyes as he took a deep breath. What was he even thinking? He had no idea why he had leaned to her back at the cave. It was almost as if he couldn't keep his resolve around her.
Maybe his action frightened her. He had seen it in the way she'd avoided his eyes, the way she had rushed through one excuse after another without believing a single one herself. Stress. Exhaustion.
But none of them explained why she hadn't moved away. None of them explained why he had wanted to kiss her in the first place.
He let out a slow breath. "...Pretend it never happened."
He repeated the words quietly to himself. "That may be more difficult than I expected."
A soft chirp interrupted his thoughts. Muffin had wandered back outside, padding across the grass before stopping beside Rhaevan's boots. He looked toward the cottage door, then back up at Rhaevan, almost knowingly.
Rhaevan crouched and gently scratched behind the fox's ears. "So... you think I'm an idiot, too?"
Muffin blinked. "...I'll take that as a yes."
The fox nudged his hand once before trotting away into the garden. Rhaevan watched him disappear among the flowers before finally making his way toward the guest room Benedict had prepared for him.
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Elsewhere inside the cottage, Benedict's workshop remained brightly lit.
The elderly mage carefully placed the sealed Solithium amplifier onto a stone workbench engraved with ancient containment runes. One by one, he activated the circles surrounding the table-blue, gold, white-until the runes hummed softly, locking the weapon inside multiple layers of magical restraint.
"That should hold you."
He adjusted his spectacles and picked up his crystal lens once more. For several minutes, he examined every rune carved into the amplifier, his expression gradually shifting from curiosity to concern.
Someone has refined it.
This wasn't an ancient relic. It was built.
His fingers traced a familiar pattern etched near the weapon's core.
The dark mages were actually getting closer....
He exhaled and straightened on the chair..."Theo... I hope you knew what you were sending that girl to find."
His gaze drifted toward the workshop window.