“Is it true then?” I gasped. “Do demons roam the land?”
Romulus snorted. “Demons. Nay. The true ones are in the capital, guarding the wall, but the children of gods and demons march through the land. We are in no danger from them unless we approach the kingdom of men. Out here in the wild lands we face different kinds of danger.”
He glanced at Takari when he spoke and I wondered about the elves. Stories told by the centaurs depicted them as creatures of grace, beauty, and light. Like the centaurs, many of their kind worshipped the old gods and lived in a delicate balance with nature. Suddenly, I wanted to meet them.
Nothing more was said and a stilted silence came over us as we walked. The landscape never varied, with woods on one side and the river on the other. Takari sank into her borrowed cloak, hiding from sight. I put her and her odd ways out of my mind.
That evening we camped by the river bank. While Takari and I gathered twigs and grass for a fire, Romulus took his nets out to the river and caught fish. Pleased to eat food I was familiar with, I gladly offered to scale and debone them before cooking them over the fire. The fish meat was tender and Romulus used a seasoning I was unfamiliar with to enhance the taste. After a delicious meal, we stamped out the fire and huddled under a willow tree to rest. I lay restless before falling into a deep sleep, and a dream carried me away to an enchanted place.
I stood in the hollow throat of a tree, where spiral stairs twisted up its broad trunk and wide green leaves sealed off the rooms from each other. White petals floated in the air and a sweet tune played on a stringed instrument made of gold. Crushed jewels covered the floor, sending a soft glitter of colors through the air. I wore a blue dress as light as if it were crafted from sky and clouds. My red curls cascaded down my back. I’d never felt so beautiful, and a breathless sensation captivated me.
A man held out his hand, his long fingers intertwining with mine and sending delicious shivers of delight down my spine. Longing twisted in the core of my being, a wet desire, a thirst that would not be fulfilled. He pulled me close until our warm bodies touched. I trembled at the sensation as I smelled him and my body tingled with arousal. Overwhelmed, I dropped my head, but his hand came under my chin and caressed my lips. I understood what I was awakening to—the deep desires of humankind, of love and lust, of desire and temptation, and of falling into something that would misconstrue all my thoughts and bind my soul to the soul of another.
If I fell, if I loved, would I remember who I was? Would I still desire to complete my quest? Find my mother? Take back the kingdom of men? But the caress was insistent and an urge flared up. I lifted my eyes to his, my pulse racing at how close our faces were. Specks of light danced in his slate-gray eyes and the ice in his white hair did not seem so chilling.
My heart beat harder as his lips parted, and a small sound escaped my throat. His arm came around my waist and pulled me tight against him. My legs shook and something tightened in my chest. He dropped his head and his lips came so close to my ear, I thought he would kiss it. My heart thudded against his chest as his words, sweet as honeysuckle, drifted to my ears. “You are exquisite.”
Chapter Nineteen
I could not lookat Romulus when I woke, sweating despite the cool winds. A taste of warmth brushed against my skin and my magic tingled, sending a strange glow into the wild. Averting my face from my companions, I hoisted my pack onto my back and checked to ensure my knife was tucked away.
My dream rose before my mind—the slate-gray eyes, gray as Romulus’s eyes, and ice-white hair. During our travels, his hair had become matted and dark with mud and dirt, and a beard covered his chin once again. My heart twisted as I recalled the way he’d looked outside my door at the Vale Inn, clean and crisp, showing off his surprising youth. His mannerisms were frosty, leaving me wondering what went on in his head, and behind his strange eyes. But he and Takari were friendly, and he was much kinder to her than to me, which explained my dislike of her. I hated to admit I was envious of their friendship.
I dared a glance at Romulus and my face burned. Inwardly I chided myself. I should not think of love and the warmth of a man when I had a quest. I needed to find my mother and ask her who my father was. I needed to learn if it were possible for me to take back the kingdom of men from the angel of death. Desire and longing would only distract me.
The day passed without mishap, a long, quiet day with my silent companions. As we put one foot in front of the other, a new scent wafted through the air. The riverbank curved into a forest on one side and a meadow on the other, and as I walked, a sudden knowing struck me. I stopped and stared across the river, putting a hand over my eyes to shade them from the sun. It may have been a trick of the light, but something glimmered. I blinked and squinted, watching the wind toss up a bright green leaf. It struck something and disappeared as though an invisible beast had snatched it out of the air. A gasp of astonishment left my lips. Forgetting the glow of my dream, I pointed. “Do you see that?”
Romulus and Takari turned back and stood by my side. Romulus was the first to speak. “Nay, what do you see?”
Takari took a sharp breath and her voice came out breezy and soft. “Spell of spells. I have seen nothing like this. In the name of Druantia, what magic is this?”
Another leaf fluttered against the shimmer and I glanced at Takari. Pushing back the cloak, she held out her hand and allowed the blue swirls on her skin to move. I shuddered. “Don’t look directly at it,” Takari instructed. “Glance to the side and you’ll see it out of the corner of your eye. It wants to be seen but only by the right person. If you touched it, what is invisible would be revealed.”
My heart pounded and I lifted a hand to my throat.
“By the gods, is that an Evasion Spell?” Romulus stepped forward, his boots sinking into the soft mud on the bank.
“What’s an Evasion Spell?” I asked, heart pulsing as my mind flickered back to my vision from the gods. I recalled being pressed flat into the dirt and a ringing sound in my ears.
“A spell to avoid being seen by undesirables,” Romulus explained. “It is a powerful spell, and rare. It’s something I would expect from the angel of death but out here in the wild it is unheard of. Unless we are closing in on a trap.”
A memory of my vision cascaded around me, and again I saw the bend in the river, the house made of logs, the wind stirring, the leaf slapping against the door. Suddenly my voice went thick with longing. “It is no trick. This is where I am meant to be.”
Unwanted tears pricked my eyes. I balled my fingers into fists and tapped my foot against the riverbank. I needed to wade across the slick rocks, climb the bank, and knock on the door. When I opened it, would she be there, my mother, waiting for me?
“Aofie.” A hand touched my bare shoulder, and Takari turned me to face her. Her eyes were soft and her voice gentle. “This is where your vision led you?”
I nodded, unable to find my tongue.
She smiled at me. “I can see it. I recognize the wood. One of my brethren fell to doom and gave up branches to honor this home. I can see the spell woven around it, shimmering in the air like the promise of a rainbow after a storm. I can’t see inside, but I sense the strong emotions warring within. Go. And we will walk beside you until you need us no more.”
Her kind words surprised me but did not stop the pounding of my heart. Nausea boiled in my belly, making me wish I hadn’t eaten breakfast. Takari took my hand, her fingers threading through mine. “If you wish it, I will give you a spell for peace, regardless of what happens.”
“No,” I croaked, pulling away from her. “I do not need a spell. What will happen will happen.”
Unsure whether I wanted them to walk with me or leave me alone, I plunged into the river, leaving the decision up to them. I held my arms out for balance as the cold water rushed around me. My next step took me to a slick rock, and I balanced deftly on it, seeking the next rock to step to. A boulder perched a short leap away, and I went for it, striking out like a dancer at a ceremony. My feet slipped, and I fell. My hand scraped across the stone but I caught myself and scrambled upright. Taking a breath, I continued, leaping from rock to rock as I headed for the other side.
The brown riverbank sloped sharply in front of me and I had to hold on to the long bulrushes to pull myself up to flat land. My pulse pounded and sweat dripped down my face. I took deep shuddering breaths to calm myself but it was impossible. Now the glimmer swam before my eyes, and I forced myself to walk uphill until the shimmering faded and a structure stood in front of me. It reared up almost ten feet tall, a house made of logs with a wooden door. It was small, perhaps one room, and even the sight of it made me cry. What if my mother truly didn’t want me? What if she didn’t know me? What would I say? What would I do if she turned me away? I froze in front of the structure, my hands shaking as I tried to force myself to walk forward. Anything other than this was preferable. I’d rather fight a beast or human than this.
