Chapter 9 Memory Lane
Memory Lane
Ashroot soup was disgusting.
How the hell did the people of Ashivire eat such a ghastly dish?
The soup soured in my stomach as I remembered I was the reason they had to dine on this dreadful meal.
I pushed away my bowl, rising from the plain wooden table to make my way toward the amber liquor calling my name from across the room.
The glass bottle was warm, courtesy of the brazier blazing with charcoal.
Yet another reason not to visit this sorrowful place—I couldn’t have a proper fire lit inside my tent.
My lip curled with disdain as I swigged the liquor straight out of the bottle. After the whiskey burned any remaining hints of ashroot soup from my tastebuds, I dragged the decanter away from my lips.
A burst of cool desert air slapped against my back, making my spine stiffen at the possibility of someone entering my tent uninvited. I spun around, but the tension eased from my body when only Landon entered, ducking his head as the canvas fluttered in the wind.
I scoffed when I saw he, too, was holding a bottle of whiskey. The linen flapped as it closed, leaving Landon and I staring at each other, each with a full bottle of liquor in tow.
“Ashroot soup is terrible.” My bodyguard dramatically shivered at the mention of Ashivire’s signature dish.
I nearly laughed, but I stopped myself by quickly bringing the bottle to my lips and muttering around it, “Tell me about it.”
After another delightful gulp, I set the bottle back on the table and moved to the makeshift bed to fetch my blood-red cloak.
“Going somewhere?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Landon subconsciously move his free hand to the hilt of the sword hanging against his hip.
“For a walk.” I worked to clasp the golden broach of my royal crest around my neck.
“It is not safe, my Queen.”
A scoff tumbled out of me. “Ashivire is a wasteland. Who is going to harm me when they don’t even have enough sustenance in their bodies to walk a few feet without fainting? I can handle myself against the scarce residents remaining in these ruins.”
He pursed his lips, and I knew that look.
He was going to put up a fight, and I didn’t want to deal with arguing.
“Come walk with me if you’d like,” I shrugged.
His lips parted, shock spreading across his features from my offer.
I rolled my eyes and breezed past my bodyguard, yet, when our shoulders brushed, I lingered next to him. We glanced sideways at each other, standing so close together I could smell the whiskey wafting off his breath and the trickle of rain seeping off his skin.
His eyes darted to my blood-red lips, his hand flexing at his side as if he wanted to wrap it around my waist and tug me against him.
I leaned in, waiting for the moment when his eyes fluttered closed and his lips.
Then, I snatched the bottle of liquor straight from his hands and made off like a bandit.
I was parting the flap of the tent open when I heard his inviting chuckle and the scoff of his boots trailing behind me.
Wearing a satisfied smirk, I slipped out of the tent and into the darkness.
I didn’t make it very far up the dune before shucking off my stilettos.
The feeling of cool grains of sand between my toes was actually rather nice, grounding me to the lands I once fled from.
How different I am from the girl I was when I lived here.
“What are you thinking about?” Landon climbed beside me, his breathing steady, as if we weren’t scaling a massive hill.
“I’m thinking about how I need to partake in more cardio when we return home,” I panted between steps.
He rolled his eyes toward the stars twinkling high above. “I’ve been trying to get you to join me on my morning runs for years now.”
I frowned at such an absurd thought. “It is not ideal to run in heels.”
“Crazy idea here, but have you considered running in literally any other footwear?”
I halted, and my bodyguard followed suit.
“Landon, I don’t even remove my heels when we fuck. Why would you think I’d do so for running?” I scoffed, resuming my trek while doing my best to hide my labored breathing.
His deep chuckle chased after me like the wind whipping our hair into a wild frenzy. “You really are unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”
I was so out of breath that all I could do was grunt in reply as we finally crested the top of the dune. As Landon spread out a blood-red blanket atop the soft black sand, I took a few moments to steady my breathing.
“I didn’t know you brought that.” I tilted my chin at the fabric, and he tossed me a charming smile over his shoulder as he finished straightening the wool cloth.
“I’m always prepared for anything you throw at me.”
I bit my lip, stopping myself from smiling at how well my bodyguard knew me.
He was one of the few people I’d allowed, in my terms, relatively close to me, yet I still kept him at an arm's distance. But that was for both of our best interests.
I was incapable of feeling, of experiencing, emotions like love.
I was doing him a favor by building a stone wall between us, for no one wanted to fall for a monster like me.
After some final adjustments, Landon sprang to his feet and gestured for me to sit.
He offered me a hand, and I reveled in the warmth that kissed my palm as our hands braced.
Our eyes locked for a split second before I lowered myself onto the blanket, tossing my heels to the side.
Landon gently sat beside me while I ran my hands through the black sand over and over.
I did this.
I caused these lands to forever be changed.
“I know that look, Seera.” Landon pulled the glass bottle of liquor from the breast pocket of his coat, nudging it at me with a playful smile spreading across his lips. “Perhaps, this will help?”
I couldn’t help the small twitch of my lips, but it dissolved as soon as my fingers latched around the bottle, washing away all hints of joy from my face with each burning swig.
“Easy now, save some for me.” Landon reached for the liquor, and I begrudgingly handed it over.
The silent desert air stretched between us while we took turns sharing the beverage.
Our gazes were trained on the horizon—on the sparse lights shining down where Veranda laid.
As my eyes roamed past the ruined city, I was greeted with complete darkness.
What once was a land filled with thousands now consisted of maybe a measly hundred people, if that.
My immortal abilities were both a blessing and a curse in this moment, for I couldn’t stop myself from gazing toward that damn onyx stone mountain jutting into the sky.
“You’re quiet, for once.” Landon said, nudging my shoulder.
Maybe it was the liquor, but I laughed at his remark. My bodyguard arched a brow at me and smiled, clearly satisfied by my reaction.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about, Seera. And please do me a favor and spare me the bullshit this time. I want to know what really is racing through that beautifully wicked mind of yours.” He stared at me with a mixture of wonder and that same quizzical look he reserved only for me.
My lips curved into a rather soft smile, and I reveled at how I actually enjoyed the way Landon spoke to me bluntly.
“You want to know what I’m thinking about?”
He leaned in, close enough for me to see the stars reflecting within his glassy eyes.
“Spare no detail, my Queen.” He snatched the bottle of liquor from my grip, and I slapped his shoulder as he chuckled against the bottle and passionately drank.
This man was something else, pulling the exact move I did to him earlier, and I hated how it felt strangely pleasant to be playful with my bodyguard.
The void in my chest warmed a little, making me rub a finger against my cloak, wishing the simple motion could cease the warmness spreading through me.
“I’m waiting,” Landon sang, and I waved at him to shush.
For the second time today, I decided to offer a piece of truth to the man who stood by my side during my reign as the Serpent Queen.
“I’m thinking about how I haven’t returned to these lands since the day I met you.”
My words instantly washed the smile off Landon’s face, and I nearly regretted them when a deep wrinkle knitted between his brows. He tore his gaze from my eyes, glancing off into the blackness.
I chewed on my lip as only the whistle of a light wind responded to my dark statement.
If it wasn’t for my impeccable hearing, I would have missed when Landon spoke next, in a tone so soft it was nearly swallowed by the wind.
“The day we met was both the worst and best day of my life.” He glanced at me, and I was greeted with the fresh smell of rainfall dripping off his skin.
“Landon . . .” My tone was unusually gentle, but he cut me off by raising his hand.
“I’ve wanted to say this to you since the day we met.” He glanced sideways at me again, uncertainty shining in his eyes. “May I speak freely?”
Every part of me knew I should say no, but my curiosity burned as brightly as the stars. So, I offered him a small nod.
His raised brows were the only signs of shock he displayed before continuing on.
“You’ve seen me at my worst, Seera. I was on death’s door the day you stumbled along the ruins that were my family home.
I’ll never forget when I saw you through the window—you looked like a goddess with the way your hair whipped around you from trudging along on horseback with your guards .
. . I still don’t understand why you stopped that day. ”
I glanced at my nails, the familiar color sparking another truth to spill from my lips. “I saw the trail of blood and was intrigued.”
He groaned at my morbid words but carried on. “You could have left me strung up in the middle of my house, bleeding to death from the whips those men cracked against my skin over and over again.”