Chapter 2 #2
Draven stomps over. Twigs snap under his boots. “Is it your plan to alert the entire forest of our location?”
Behind him, feedbags are strapped to the horses’ necks.
“Don’t be such a grouch, Draven.” Darius slings an arm over the surly Fae’s shoulder.
Draven shrugs him off then shoves him aside. “I liked you better unconscious.”
“Aw, come on, big brother. You don’t mean that.”
Draven ignores him. When he turns to me, the slightest hint of amusement twists his otherwise stern lips.
“You should clean up.”
I blink. “Excuse me?”
“I hear a stream through those trees.” He motions behind him, in the direction Rian went.
He hears it?
Draven continues, “It should be clear. Take some time to clean up.”
I look down at myself. Ferria and I had washed before leaving the Fae camp and changed into the dresses Juniper sent for us. The tawny fabric is dusty from the road, but not dirty. And my hands, too, are clean.
Is there something on my face? I wipe my hand over my cheek, but my fingers come away clean.
Darius snorts. “I see you’re as gentlemanly as ever, brother.”
Draven scowls. “Does she not wish to bathe?”
My cheeks heat when Jaxon and Darius chuckle.
“I’ll need soap,” I say.
“You can share mine, love.” Darius reaches into a rucksack on the wagon and hands me a brown square. “Then you’ll smell like me.”
The heat morphs into a blazing fire.
Shadows ripple overhead, and the slithering darkness blots out the sun. I stiffen, braced for an exertion of power, but the shadows fade like smoke on the wind.
“A death wish, I tell you,” Jaxon mutters, reaching into his own rucksack. “That’s what you have.”
He straightens and tosses a folded piece of black cloth in my direction. I catch it against my chest.
“Please. Rian won’t kill me,” Darius raises his voice and faces the forest. “He is too fond of his favorite cousin.”
I readjust the fabric in my arms and realize it’s a towel—the softest, thickest towel I’ve ever felt. It feels brand new.
In Verdanthia, clothes and towels are often reused or repurposed several times before they’re shredded and tossed into a garden for compost.
“Keep it up, and I’m not sure your familial ties will be enough to save you from his wrath.” Jaxon grins, but there’s a tinge of true warning in his tone.
The Fae continue to bicker as they take items off the wagon and set up camp. I use the opportunity to escape to the stream.
Shadows ripple faintly above me as I shuffle on stiff, sore legs. Their movement is too deliberate to be natural. The darkness is watching. Waiting for something.
The forest grows denser the farther I go. The terrain becomes uneven, not smoothed by Rian’s shadowy power that cleared our path throughout our journey. Minutes later, rushing water reaches my ears.
I grip the soap and towel tightly and gingerly make my way toward the sound.
By the time I reach the stream, twilight blankets the sky. Water gurgles as it flows over rocks, shining silver under the dying light.
The stream is narrow, less than four feet across, and it’s slow moving.
Good.
I’m not a particularly strong swimmer.
I sit at the edge of the trees where the ground is dry.
After I place the towel and soap down, my tired fingers begin to unlace my boots. The tiny muscles running through my hands tremble from gripping the pommel. Every part of me is fatigued. Especially my mind.
I tug off one boot, wipe beads of sweat from my brow, and then work on the other.
My thoughts drift to Ferria and Anton.
Has her former apprentice explained glamour to her?
He must have.
There’s no way Ferria hasn’t demanded an explanation for how he lived among humans for years without detection.
Gods, help Anton.
I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of my sister’s wrath.
Though he kind of deserves it after deceiving us. After deceiving her.
I glance over my shoulder. The dim, empty forest stares back at me, confirming I’m alone.
Standing, I pile my hair on my head and secure it with the string tied around my wrist. Then I reach around and loosen the ribbons holding the back of my gown together.
Fabric pools at my ankles. Leaves crunch under my bare feet as I move to the water’s edge and dip a toe in.
I squeal and pull my foot back.
Gods, that’s cold!
I bite my lip and stare at the gentle current. The water doesn’t look deep. It’d probably come up to my shoulders. I don’t have to get my hair wet. I can jump in, scrub, and rinse off in minutes. I don’t have to linger.
I return to my gown and pick up the towel and soap. Then I shimmy out of my sheer chemise and undergarments before I rush to the river’s edge, eager to conceal my nakedness under the silver surface.
Tossing the towel close by, I suck in a breath and hurry in.
The frigid water bites my flesh. Goose bumps erupt over my body, and the shivers begin immediately.
But then the magic in my chest awakens. A tiny ball of heat balloons into a pleasant fire. Warmth flows to my extremities.
Within seconds, my body temperature rises. I glance at my palms and trace over the faint glow pressing against my skin.
My power hasn’t fully replenished following Darius’s healing, but it’s getting there. In addition to making the water comfortable, the discomfort in my fingers lessens, as does the pain in my backside.
Thank you.
My magic vibrates in a silent purr.
I sink into the cool water, relaxing as the calming sensation of magic ripples through my veins, coaxing the soreness from my muscles.
Water rises to the base of my throat. I lean back, allowing my neck to relax, and for the first time all day, I rest my eyes.
The bubbling water soothes. My toes dig into the rocky streambed, holding my position. I breathe deeply.
A tear leaks from my eye.
Then another.
And another.
Tear after tear rolls down my face, plopping into the water to be carried away by the stream. If only my pain and fear would do the same.
I thought I had it all figured out when I healed Darius.
I thought I’d fulfilled my obligation to the Fae.
I thought I’d mastered my power and found a way to defeat the horrible curse that had ravaged his body.
But I was wrong.
Not only has my body been battered and bruised by my neighbors, but so has my confidence.
I’m determined to heal Darius and get back to Ferria, but what will it take? And where will I be in the meantime?
Tears continue to fall as any semblance of peace I found flees at the reminder of my precarious situation.
I sniff and try to stem their flow, so distracted by my pain that I don’t immediately register the fierce hiss that punctures the quiet air.
My eyes fly open.
Water explodes around me.
I barely have time to scream before two crimson eyes cut through the spray, and a snarling creature launches at me.