Chapter 5 Declan #3
I didn’t know how to respond to that. Here I was, thinking about our objective, our future, and Ayden was still struggling with the honorable path to aid someone we’d never even met.
I knew he was an arrogant prick, a privileged noble who’d never faced real-world challenges or struggled a single day in his haughty life.
And yet, when faced with a real-world dilemma, his first thought, the one that lingered, was consumed by honor and selflessness.
Spirits, I wanted to hate this man, to spit at his feet just to mar his perfectly brushed boots, but the innate goodness I was coming to see in him made that bitter taste turn.
It was so much simpler to despise him, so much clearer.
The last thing I needed was for the other Rangers to think I actually liked a noble, that we were friends.
Surely, they saw the same egotism and feckless arrogance I did.
Why would anyone—anyone who wasn’t a social climber—befriend someone like Ayden Byrne?
And why was I spending so much time thinking about him?
I shook my head in frustration and focused on the trail ahead. The test required all my focus, especially since I was the only one of us who possessed any tracking skills.
“You alright?”
Ayden’s voice startled me, and I nearly stumbled over a fallen log.
“Yeah, just got lost in thought.”
“You were shaking your head. Did your thoughts argue back?” There was amusement in his tone. Arsehole.
“I’m fine. Keep your eyes scanning and try not to make noise. We’re entering an area where a large number of deer feed. There are salt deposits just past that cluster of trees where they gather.” I pointed in the distance.
“What is the plan once we find the deer with the ribbon?”
I patted the bow slung across my back. “Guess you’ll finally see what kind of marksman I am.”
“You don’t want to try to capture it? We might be able to avoid killing—”
I turned. “Ayden, the moment the deer smell us, they’ll dart away. We don’t have time to set up snares. Besides, deer rarely fall for snares. We have to take it down.”
“That means we will have to clean it and haul it back.”
I smirked. “Why do you think I brought a sturdy lad with me?”
Ayden cocked his head, something he did a lot. “Of course, I will do my part, but . . .”
“But what?”
“You think I am strong?” He looked down at his arms.
His tunic and cloak hid his muscles, but I could picture them in my mind, corded and lean, pulling taut with each bend and curl. I could see how his chest flexed as he reached forward, how his shoulder tightened.
I shook my head again, something I did often, apparently.
“Yes, you are strong. Strong enough for this, at least. Now keep quiet, or we’ll never find the damn ribbon.”
I turned and stepped carefully, avoiding twigs and other foliage that might give us away, just as the senior Rangers who’d taken me under their wing had taught me.
Ayden tried. I could feel him staring at the ground, weighing where to step, but regardless of his choice, each stride rustled or snapped.
His tutors were city men, no doubt experts in their fields, but none had taught him how to move silently through the woods.
We would never find the deer together.
“I have an idea.” I stopped and spun to face him. His head was down, staring at the ground ahead of his foot. “Let’s find you a place to sit and wait. The deer are more likely to find us than the other way around. If we split up, we can cover more possible ground.”
“But . . . if we split up, we might never find each other in time to return.”
The hesitation, almost fear, in Ayden’s voice made my lips twitch.
“You’ll stay in place. I’ll be able to find you. Trust me.”
He eyed me a moment, then nodded. “Okay, you are the expert in this.”
His admission surprised me. I’d pegged him for a man who thought he was the best at everything. Why? I wasn’t sure. It just fit with the arsehole noble thing. I didn’t like how he kept dispelling my assumptions. The blanket of hatred and resentment I’d wrapped about myself was warm and cozy.
“How good are you with that bow? No modesty now. I need to know the truth.”
Ayden’s chest rose, and a glimmer entered his eyes. “I would love to compete with you one day. You might have more competition than you imagine.”
He knew I was an expert marksman, the best shot in the Academy, and would soon be one of the best among all Rangers. If he really thought he could give me a run . . .
“All right, that’s good.” My teeth ground against that admission. “Come on, let’s find you a spot, then I’ll go about a half mile farther, near the salt.”
We found a hiding place for him where he could see a wide area littered with deer droppings and tracks. With any luck, they would wander right by, and he would have a clear shot.
As I turned to leave, to find my own place to set up watch, Ayden’s hand found my shoulder. It was so unexpected that I didn’t turn, I couldn’t.
“Be careful, okay,” he said. The genuine concern in his voice weighed more than his palm.
“Uh, sure. Okay. You, too, I guess.”
I suddenly felt like a child trying to speak to a room full of adults.
Utterly flummoxed, I fled.
Yet, the feeling of his hand on my shoulder remained long after I stepped away.