CHAPTER 26 #2
“Thank you, Lenore,” Charie said. She gave her a small smile in response. Grateful warmth softened the tired bags under her eyes.
“You’re welcome,” Lenore replied. “Let me know if there’s anything else.” Her smile wavered as she turned away. With pursed lips, she headed toward a slab of meat sitting on a wooden cutting board. The thick tongue did little to perturb her, too distracted in her observations to care.
Is she really on the same side as the others? When Lenore glanced at Ryker and Winter—both sharing jovial laughter—she didn’t know what to think.
A small bowl of peppers was placed next to Lenore. Charie smiled apologetically.
“Um, I’m sorry to bother you extra. But if you could help me with mincing these afterwards, that would be great.” Charie blushed and twiddled her fingers. “I’m sorry again. I’m a little behind on my end of things.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Lenore said. “I’ll get that done, too.”
The sudden movement from Pip tore her attention away. The light sprite was practically bouncing inside her pocket—the skirts of her dress subtly rippling. She turned away quickly, grabbing a knife to mask her actions.
What’re you doing, Pip? Lenore’s panicked thoughts didn’t stop the sprite from fidgeting around. Her arm pressed close to her side, trying her best to subdue Pip as best as she could.
Charie spoke up, her quiet voice carrying surprising weight. “Azelf and Hesper are here.”
Lenore’s heart pounded in her chest. Breath held, she looked back.
Two wolves were heading their way—drawn out of the obscurity of darkness by the illuminating light of lanterns that led toward the outdoor kitchen.
Paws transformed into black boots as they landed onto paved stone.
The click of boots echoed across the floor, each step cutting through the sound of crackling fire and bubbling pots.
Each Nyven’s head dipped in respect. Ryker grimaced before he too followed suit.
Amid the chaos, Azelf’s relaxed smile stood out all the more. Pip had calmed down in Lenore’s pocket.
She frowned. Was it a warning?
“Hello to all my favorites of the evening,” Azelf said. He stopped in the center of the kitchen, with a scowling Hesper right behind.
“You’re only saying that because of the food,” Arielle said. She rolled her eyes lightly.
“Me? Never.” Azelf inhaled the air deeply. A twinkle of light shone in his black eyes. “You’re all my favorites for the hard work you’ve done, of course. So much that I have another surprise for you—” he pointed with his thumb at Hesper. “Tadaah. Another werewolf to clean up after all of you.”
Ryker snorted loudly. Hesper clenched his jaw, then forced out a smile.
“It’s... such a pleasure,” he said through clenched teeth. “Don’t worry about staying behind after. Ryker and I will deal with it all.” He shot a nasty look at Ryker, who only shrugged back.
“Did we switch ranks with you?” Winter jested. The others howled with laughter, and Azelf’s smile broke into a wide grin.
Lenore glanced to her side. Charie kept quiet, continuing to chop away at her final garnishes—a subtle tremble in her hand each time she lifted her knife.
As Charie’s head shifted slightly toward Lenore, she looked away.
Lenore’s eyes met Hesper’s.
There was control in his gaze now, far different from the manic intensity he had before.
But the cold of her arm warned her. Nothing had changed.
A phantom jolt of pain ran up her injured ear.
A flash of discomfort appeared on Hesper’s face, conflicting with the irritation that kept his mouth in a hard scowl.
They hadn’t spoken since the incident, and Lenore was glad there was a bit of distance between them.
Azelf cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention once more. “Now to give you the bad news. We’re all starving, but naturally we don’t want to rush you all. So how about... ten minutes more?”
Complaints rose immediately until Azelf lifted his hands. “Think about our Caernith. He’s holding out for all of you.” His eyes landed on Lenore. A muscle twitched in his jaw before he kept up his smile. Her grip on her knife tightened.
A brief silence followed. Then, hurried shuffling and clanging pots echoed all around Lenore while she shifted around to begin slicing the meat.
The next ten minutes stretched into an eternity—and yet it was over just as it began.
Rumbling wheels rolled across weathered wooden planks stretched over the glowing blue lake, where Lenore had first met the Caernith and the others with him. Bluish-white light dappled across her body like a slow-moving wave, ignorant of the storm of nerves sweeping through her.
Not a single word escaped the others, their focus fixed on keeping the food carts steady until they reached the other side of the lake.
Lenore gave a fleeting glance at the pavilion they passed.
Its grandeur felt even more pronounced now that no one occupied the space.
The light of the lake shimmered and danced along the stained glass-panel in the back of the pavilion—the depicted werewolf and white raven somehow offering a strange sense of solace to her.
Their passage eventually led them to the end of the lake’s bridge and into an archway of trees that guided the group into a curving paved path of stone. Between the stepping stones grew clusters of moss, dotted with tiny white flowers that crumpled under the carts’ wheels.
Hushed conversations rippled among the Nyvens. Lenore could hear Winter bemoaning forgetting something back in the kitchen. Azelf was at the front, reassuring her that it was fine. Leif nervously drummed his fingers against the cart’s handle.
Lenore’s heart couldn’t calm down, no matter how hard she tried. But hope kept her fear at bay—Edmund would be there.
Even imagining that stern glare of his felt more comforting than anything else. Lenore clutched the cart’s handle tightly. He had taken care of her in his own, annoyingly guarded way. Just maybe, she could trust him to do the same tonight.
And there it was. That tug blooming in her chest. An inexplicable feeling that urged her to go faster. Lenore dug her heels into the ground, resisting the sudden spring in her step. The cart jerked underneath her hands, and a soft touch to her shoulders had her head turn.
“Something wrong, Lenore?” Charie asked, her voice laced with concern. She was the last one in the group’s line-up, with no cart in hand.