The next morning, I awoke to the warm smell of eggs, sausage, and yeasty bread. Elden brought in the trays of food, placing one on the corner of the bed for me.
“Eat your fill. This will be our last good meal for the next few days at least.”
“Ugh.” I groaned. I’d never overindulged in anything but pastries before. My head pounded, and my mouth was dry. I felt on the verge of losing my enormous helpings of dinner andcaramel cakes. I would never take too much of Jel’s potion ever again.
I picked through breakfast, trying to get my stomach to settle, but focused on the plain yeasty bread which I dipped in my warm honey and dandelion tea. Elden was already dressed in his traveling clothes, so I tromped up the stairs noisily and changed from my wrinkled green party gown back into my traveling tunic and form-fitting pants. Cool air puffed out before me as I scrubbed my body quickly with warm water and a cloth. If this was to be my last nice meal, it might also be the last time I get to clean myself in a good while. I thanked the stars that I had my monthly bleeding last week.
I hurried to pack my saddle bags, rolling my satin dress the way Rafia taught me, then Elden and I made our way across the bridges that stretched like branches from the great big Towering Trees of the Inn—all in complete and terribly awkward silence.
We found our horses out front, well rested and fed.
I scratched Sapphire behind her enormous ears as Elden strapped our saddlebags to the beasts. Tabitha and Todd greeted us with hearty waves.
Tabitha hugged me tightly and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Was a pleasure baking with you. Here’s a few supplies to speed you on your way.”
She handed me a large sack tinkling with a glass bottle of fresh buttermilk, eggs, bacon wrapped in brown paper, and happily, a large sackful of those salted caramels.
I smiled, touched by the kind gesture. “Thank you.”
“Stay safe, sweet Noelle,” Tabitha shot a wary eye out to the horizon. “A darkness is spreading. Make sure you stay clear of it.”
“And you as well.” I nodded. There had been no mention of blight among the people of Spindlewood last night, but they were aware of it. The last patch of blight Elden and I came acrosswas only a half day’s ride from where we now stood. What would the people do if their lands were overtaken? Where would they go?
As if on cue, my legs ached, the pain stretching farther past my knee and over my thigh. It spread down as well, lancing pain across my foot in sharp stabbing scrapes.
Elden and I shared a look, one heavy with meaning. We had to hurry.
“Thank you for everything.” I pulled Todd in for a hug. “It was an enchanting night.”
“Keep her close,” Todd charged Elden, “Hard to find a female both this kind and this beautiful among the fair folk. I’m one of the lucky few.” Todd smiled and pulled Tabitha close into his side.
Elden only nodded, eager to leave this village and his fake marriage to me behind. I may have been a little too… open last night. Unguarded. I couldn’t have actually meant tokissthe king, could I? Heat burned into my cheeks. I was an idiot.
Elden turned his horse, and the two of us rode out of Spindlewood in the early silence of the morning—a strange coldness growing frost between us.
20
FEET LIKE ICICLES
We rode as if a phantom were on our heels, stopping only to eat hastily and empty our bladders. The king was in a fine mood. All I could do was push my horse along, gripping the beast with my legs, praying not to fall from her massive flanks. What would my mother think of me now, traipsing through the wood with the Elf King, relieving myself behind the shrubberies?
Instead of thinking about that almost kiss, about how I’d practically thrown myself at Elden last night, I focused instead on what Icouldcontrol—and that was learning my magic. What had I done when I’d baked those cinnamon rolls the first time in my own shop? What about the second time when Elden had tasted my magic in the mincemeat tarts?
I knew I hadn’t had clear enough intent when I made those caramels with Tabitha last night but there had to be more. The first two pillars of magic were intent and touch. What else was I missing? I was far too sheepish to ask the king, and we were riding too fast for conversation, anyway.
I puzzled as we rode through the cool autumnal air, the wind hardly a whisper against my nose and cheeks thanks to my enchanted jacket. Though as we rode along, the autumn season seem to morph straight to the middle of winter. The air stung my nose with a much frostier temperature. Did the seasons vary so much in the land of the elves?
The giant trees of Spindlewood fell away, leading to taller, thinner pines and evergreens as we traveled ever closer to the looming blue mountain in the distance. We rode past several more pockets of dark blight. The ground stretched like scratches of charcoal. The hanging tree limbs twisted ominously in the ever-changing daylight, as if the sun itself were wary of the blackness. The darkness was a reminder of our mission, what we stood to lose.
We stopped several more times to stretch our weary legs and give the horses a break, barely saying a handful of words. Gone were the easy conversations of yesterday. The almost-kiss hung heavy over us as dusk fell upon us like a dark woolen blanket.
Elden slowed and slid from his horse. “We’ll need to stop here tonight.”
“Here?” I asked, not quite understanding. We were in an uninhabited wood. There were no elves about, no inns, no proper beds. No food.
“Yes, here, Little Baker.” Moonlight glinted on Elden’s bright white teeth as he grinned, almost in challenge.
I rallied. “Wonderful.” I forced a smile on my face, though my nerves were far from my cheery front. “I used to go camping with my family all the time. This will be so fun.”
