15. Chapter 15
The following morning arrived with haste. The moment she had laid her head down, she had fallen fast asleep despite having spent most of the day dozing. In what felt like the blink of an eye, Bri was knocking on her door, waking her. She had Erick, who carried a breakfast tray, in tow.
“Morning,” Erick chirped, sitting in her armchair.
Yareli glared at him. “You told me August and I were friends! He flees from me every chance he gets.”
Erick snorted. “Yeah, well, you know how emotionally available men can be.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Look at it this way.” He set the tray on her lap. “You’ll have three whole days and two nights with him without any distractions. Corner him.”
It was Bri’s turn to snort. “And do what? Beg him to answer her? No, Reli must wrangle it out of him. I’ll pack some rope for you.”
“What will she need rope for? All she needs to do is take—” Erick pressed his lips together.
When Yareli pushed him to finish his sentence, he shook his head, saying, “I almost said too much. You can’t demand all the answers.
Remember, your memories must heal and come back to you like a slow-moving creek. A fast-moving current will drown you.”
She grabbed her fork and stabbed a sausage. “Didn’t you promise we would start treatment today?”
“August had different plans.”
When she opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. “We will get started when you return.”
Bri chimed in. “Besides, you don’t want Erick meddling in your brain, considering what you’re doing today.”
“Shh!” Erick wagged his finger. “You can’t scare her yet, or she won’t finish her breakfast!”
"And I told you that food before she attempts shadowstepping is a bad idea!”
“I’m shadowstepping?!”
She dropped her fork, regretting the few bites she had already taken.
“It’s the fastest way to get to the mountains where the Curse Eater lives,” Erick explained.
Yareli pushed the tray away. No need for food if she was only going to expel it in less than an hour.
“You need to eat. You’re still recovering.”
“Nope, and you’re not changing my mind. I’m bathing,” she said with a finality Bri understood at once.
Erick, however, tried to argue. Bri grabbed the tray with one hand, Erick with the other, and dragged him out of the room.
Yareli couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. She was starting to understand how they were friends in the past. She only wished she could remember already. But first, she would tackle the problem at hand—the miserable time that shadowstepping promised.
Dew clung to the short grass behind the cabin, and the crisp, morning air flooded her chest. She coughed, reminded of her lungs’ ailment.
She’d have to ask Erick to heal it when she returned.
Although still dark, she tugged her hat lower on her head.
Fae had better eyesight, and while it wasn’t exactly night vision, they could make out details in the dark better than humans.
She shuffled to the group waiting by the edge of the yard.
Everyone had gathered for her departure.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
However, she wasn’t the last one; Erick was missing, which was odd considering he had brought her breakfast. She attempted to meet Leo’s gaze, but he avoided her. His emotions were stormy like a slow-rolling summer storm, but she didn’t have time to check in with him. The Curse Eater awaited.
“By Erick’s standards, you’re early,” August said, surprising her.
“Right.”
They stood in a circle. Awkwardness pervaded their group, penetrating deep into Yareli’s pores. She swore she could feel it stifling her joints, making her self-conscious of every movement. She tried to catch Leo’s attention again, but he was resolute in his avoidance. It irked her.
When Erick arrived, cheeks flushed and nose red, the awkwardness melted away, but it left the air tainted.
“You’re late,” August said, but there was no real reproach in his tone. It was simply a matter of fact.
“Greatness is never late,” Erick replied. “Besides, I was foraging for some herbs for Yareli. I had to go really far and quickly.” He handed her a small, cloth pouch. “These should help with your headaches. It theoretically could also aid your recovery.”
Yareli opened it, greeted by a pungent smell. The spiky blue-green leaves were unfamiliar to her.
“You’ll want to steep them for a minute in hot water. Drink it twice a day—once in the morning and again in the evening.” Erick took it from her, tucking it into her backpack. “Use one leaf per cup. Got it?”
She nodded and thanked him, touched by his care. His face scrunched up as he took in the gloomy mood.
He clapped his hands. “Liven up, people! This isn’t a funeral. The Curse Eater will break the curse, and Yareli will get home nice and safe!”
“Right you are!” Leo laughed, and she watched him with a forlorn feeling. She missed laughing with him already.
“It’s going to go smoothly,” Bri said.
“It will,” August echoed. “Should we head out?”
The question was directed to Yareli, and she hesitated.
Leo looked at her with gray, churning eyes, his feelings simmering under the calm demeanor he projected.
Cold, then hot. Hot, then cold. The sudden aloofness was jarring.
It had been easier back when it was only the three of them at his private residence, back when it had been a boisterous energy that enveloped him.
A stormier personality was unknown territory for her, and she didn’t like it.
She smiled, but the strain behind it hurt her cheeks.
In the grand scheme of things, Leo’s affection shouldn’t have affected her. What mattered was returning home.
She straightened. “Let’s go.”
The others retreated to the back porch, leaving Yareli alone with August. A searing stare burned her back; she didn’t have to look to know who it was.
It made her feel guilty, like she was doing something wrong.
She shifted her feet but kept her gaze firmly on August. He wore a nonchalant expression, but it seemed, unexpectedly, softer than last night.
He gestured at her to get closer, and she took a step forward. Only a foot separated them now.
He explained, “Shadowstepping is teleportation magic. It takes you from point A to point B in an instant. Its limitations include the raw power needed, and it must be to a location you’ve visited before.
Due to the high magic requirement, shadowstepping isn’t feasible for most Fae, much less bringing along passengers.
However, since Leo has already shadowstepped with you, there is a higher chance of success with me. ”
Yareli was transfixed, stunned into rapt attention by his warm, authoritative tone. He spoke like a teacher; it was familiar, as if this was not the first time he had taught her a concept. The urge to keep him talking hit her.
She asked, “Is there any way to make it more… pleasant?”
“Unfortunately, no. Only with experience will the worst symptoms subside.”
“Why does it suck so much?”
“It may be comforting to know that these are universal symptoms. Every Fae who has ever shadowstepped experiences them. On average, it takes about four to five times for the vomiting to stop.”
“Great. Only four more times to go,” she muttered. “So, how does it work when you’re not being hunted by nox creatures?”
“You’ll want to stick close to me.” He raised his arm, signaling her to close the remaining distance.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m always serious.”
She raised her eyebrows. Underneath the ice shell existed the August she had befriended, and although she couldn’t remember, she knew he wasn’t always serious. His arm remained raised, revealing his well-defined chest underneath his open jacket. Warmth crawled up her neck.
“How come Leo isn’t shadowstepping with me?”
His features hardened. “He shadowstepped with you under great duress—an emergency—but it’s too risky with his level of power. And… he’s never visited the Curse Eater before.”
She understood two things then: One, August didn’t approve of Leo risking shadowstepping with her. Two, he had visited the infamous Curse Eater in the past. Her interest was piqued, and noticing he had relaxed, she was emboldened to ask the question that had been on her mind all morning.
“Were we actually friends?”
It had the intended effect. His irises lit up, a myriad of emotions warring in the browns and greens. He stamped them out, like snuffing out a flame, but not before the word escaped his lips like a confession he hadn’t meant to make.
“Yes.”
The turmoil fascinated her. She knew not of a friendship that had caused such throes before, but Yareli, like an expectant juror, deemed his answer sincere.
She slipped her arms around him, and unlike his cold demeanor, he was warm.
It rushed through her, building into a steady pulse in tempo with her heart.
It was nothing like Leo’s heat—red-hot flames threatening to consume her until she was nothing.
She ignored the leap of her heart. It was traitorous to feel nervous with Leo nearby.
But August smelled like a forest. Pine sap and wood filled her nostrils, filling her lungs with its delicious, earthy scent.
It left her lightheaded, almost giddy. Unlike August, who seemed unfazed, she struggled to keep her face neutral.
He continued his instruction without missing a beat. “I’m going to place my arm around you.”
He enveloped her, and she swore he stiffened. Her pulse quickened. Her nostrils flared.
“You need to be closer than that,” Leo yelled, and Yareli flinched. Guilt hit again like a hot blade in her lower back.
“He’s right. Come closer.”
August’s words sent a shiver down her back, and she knew she was fucked.
She tried blaming it on her nerves. It was the pending adventure; the newness of it—a new location, a new friend from her lost past, a new hurdle to overcome.
It was a paltry defense, and she knew it, but she would hold onto the denial for now.