Chapter 30
“ W e are of no use to our friends half dead,” Alandris said, setting down his pack. “I know you want to keep pushing forward, but you look as though you’re moments from collapse. We can rest here, do a quick check for the flower, and then resume our search for Kaz and Zorinna. You said he was going to look for her. I am confident they will be fine if they are together. Kaz will protect her.”
He was right, I knew, but it didn’t bring me any relief. Instead, I changed my focus. “What’s the flower supposed to look like, anyway?” I scanned the room. All the flora in the cavern looked rare and valuable. In all of my reading, I’d never seen anything like that which was growing here.
“Amorphael said I’d know when I saw it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t question a Fae. A pointless endeavor. It’s all riddles and questions in lieu of answers. ”
“I wonder if she knew just how awful of a forager she was trusting with her precious flower.” I laughed.
He threw a playful glare my way. “Hilarious, my love. Regardless, it can wait. I’m covered in grime and blood, and there is a sparkling body of water calling my name.”
A cloak dropped on the rock beside us. A shirt. A belt. He was moving so quickly I didn’t have the time to process what he was doing before I was met with his bare back, muscles flexing right in front of my eyes as he worked the buttons of his pants. I turned away, my face already heating at the sight.
I caught the sound of him snickering behind me. “If you’d like to join me, I’ll turn around.” His voice drew further away. “One moment, I’m getting settled. Ah, it’s quite nice. Not too cold.”
My stomach flipped, my wild imagination taking hold of my thoughts and painting me a vivid image of what was happening behind me. There were so many other things, more urgent things, to worry about, and here I was fantasizing about how the rest of him looked. Imagining the sensation of his hands running down my bare skin, how his lips would taste, both of us drenched in the glittering water. Gods, he was ruining my mind, and he hadn’t even touched me.
“Are you, then? Joining me?” His words were more tempting than a siren’s call. I could hear the water lapping against his skin as he swam.
It was a bad idea. Awful, really. The worst idea I’d ever had when I opened my mouth to speak. “Fine. Turn around. ”
I waited until the sound of the water splashing reached my ears before I turned. Alandris had acquiesced to my request, the water hitting his back just above his hips, the rest of him hidden beneath the stirring pool. He was a vision against the stunning backdrop of the grand tree. Long pale ears poking out behind longer black hair, tangled at the ends from being dipped in the water. He had an ethereal beauty to him, a natural grace that was only magnified by our otherworldly surroundings.
I removed my cloak first, piling it on top of his discarded garments. I fumbled with my shirt, boots, leathers, hands shaking with nerves. He wouldn’t see me, I knew. He wouldn’t turn around unless I told him to, but he would be right there. Close enough to touch—skin to skin. There was something almost comforting in it—baring ourselves physically after sharing everything we’d shared with each other emotionally. The final layer pulled back before we would be fully exposed to one another, down to the soul.
I tiptoed into the water, gasping as the chill bit my skin. The shock of the cold tapered off into a comfortable coolness as I brought myself deeper into the water. I came to a stop behind Alandris, the water nipping at the skin below my breast. I was close enough to see him clearly. The smoothness of his back was broken up by a few scars, each one a story I wanted to learn. There was still so much of him that was unknown to me.
“What happened?” I spoke in a whisper, tracing the line of the deepest mark. It appeared old enough that it had faded to a translucent white .
Alandris’ back straightened at my touch. “Though not in the same way as you, I too have lived several lives before this one.” He settled, easing his posture, before continuing. “The Mages Consortium didn’t always have as much independence as they do now. I was only eighteen when I first arrived, and things were not as peaceful between the Kingdoms of Lustria at that time. Though the Consortium accepted mages from all over Lustria, being located in Nil’Faerith, the expectation was that you swore loyalty to the Elven Kingdom of Val’Naeris. To defend and protect in times of dire need.
“I’d only been in training for two years when Val’Naeris was attacked by the Dwarven Kingdom in the North, Kor Migdahl. It was the shortest war in history, quite literally. Sometimes I think our kingdoms fight every few hundred years because it is what is expected of us—a ridiculous racial feud repeating itself since the dawn of time. The Kings settled it amongst themselves after one bloody battle, but one battle was all it took for the Mages Consortium to be called to action.
“I’d had little to no combat training, so when we were called to defend our Elven cities, well, I was lucky to survive with only a few wounds. With the ability of the more experienced Mages, the battle was a landslide. The battle resulted in such a landslide that they decided to prohibit any one kingdom from controlling the Mages Consortium and declared the island of Nil’Faerith as neutral territory. ”
I continued to run my finger along his scars. “Is that why you chose to remain with the Mages Consortium? The freedom of owing nothing to no one ruler or land?”
Alandris hummed in response. “That is part of it. I never wanted to serve the King. That was my family’s dream. I was furious when my decision to join the Mages Consortium resulted in my doing the one thing I’d been trying to avoid. It seemed like a cruel joke, like I’d never stood a chance against my predetermined destiny. When the treaty was signed freeing us Mages from political binds, I was relieved beyond measure. But now…”
I sucked in a breath. “Now?”
“Perhaps it is better I cannot see your face,” he mumbled. “I read Lyandril’s response in the journal when it was my turn on watch. Those people who attacked us, calling themselves the Divine Council… he is one of them. I believe he uses the Mages Consortium to recruit new members and hide in plain sight. I don’t fully understand it, or what their goals are, aside from hunting you down. But… but the one place I had found solace in has been corrupted yet again. Not by kings, but something worse.” Alandris sunk down further into the water, as though dragged down by the weight of his words. “And I have led them right to you.”
“That is not your fault, Alandris.” I reached for his shoulder, tugging him to turn and face me. I didn’t care if he saw me. I only wanted to comfort him in some way and ease the guilt that hung on his every word .
He turned slowly, pained eyes locked onto mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I-I needed time to process it all. Lyandril was dear to me… and the Consortium, it is what I’ve built my entire life around. I didn’t want to believe it, but when they attacked us, I recognized the symbol on their cloaks. I had seen it before in Lyandril’s office. The Mages Consortium must have been corrupted for much longer than I could’ve imagined.”
All along, Alandris had been my ray of hope, pushing me forward every step of the way, when I thought there was no future. Now, it was my turn to be that hope for him.
I took his hand in mine. “When we first met, when you told me of the Consortium, I thought it sounded like paradise. That doesn’t have to change.” I mustered the brightest smile I could manage, speaking confidently. “We have to collect a rare flower for a Fae who could probably kill us with the snap of her fingers, save our friends from a group of murderers, and find a way to exorcize the God living inside of me—what’s one more thing? Taking down a corrupt organization and saving your beloved Mages Consortium from becoming a tool—simple.”
He finally smiled, with a warmth that reached his eyes. “Simple,” he repeated.
At the same time, as though our thoughts were in sync, we turned away from one another. We stumbled over our words, embarrassment and awkwardness flooding the space between us. I’d forced him to face me in my desperation to comfort him with no regard for how exposed we were. My hair had covered a majority of my body, and the water had successfully masked the rest, but it was still… close. Close enough to make my head spin.
It wasn’t for lack of trust, nor lack of desire, that I shied away from him. Anything but. I trusted him wholeheartedly, desired him voraciously. If I indulged my wants, I would seal my fate for good. There would be nowhere left to run or hide. As much as I hated to admit my cowardice, it terrified me—this love so strong it felt like our lives had been weaved together by some divine force. If I let him any closer—if anything happened, I’d break. I was holding onto this one sliver of separation for dear life, at least until it was safe. Until I could guarantee our future.
Those thoughts were fears I couldn’t put into words, so I merely said, “I’ll go get dressed.”
“Right.” Alandris cleared his throat. “Call to me when you’re done.”
I was relieved his voice didn’t reflect hurt or rejection, only the faintest hint of nervousness. Perhaps he had the same sentiment as I. After. We would have our time after the madness, and I would hold nothing back.
I slipped from the water and swatted away the droplets from my skin. The spare leathers and cotton tunic in my bag were a blessing I was beyond thankful for. Being caked in dirt and questionable grime for as long as I had been, the clean fabric slid over my body like a glove. After I put on my fresh garments, I called for Alandris to come out from the water, occupying myself with examining the far end of the cavern .
When the sounds of him shuffling around our temporary camp reached my ears, I retraced my steps to the edge of the water pool. Even amongst the copious amounts of unique flora in the cavern, the tree was the one thing that stood out. The one thing that didn’t belong, and yet the focal point of the room.
I cursed aloud. “Of course it is.”
“Talking to yourself over there?” Alandris called out from behind. His footsteps grew closer as he approached my side.
I swallowed. “How opposed would you be to getting back in the water?”
He came to a stop next to me. “Highly.”
My mouth twisted into a frown. “I think I know where we need to check…”