They both shrugged their shoulders, and Cahir replied, “Maybe hunting for mice or something.”
Askold laughed. “Between us, I think Benny wants to kiss the mouse breath.”
Seda laughed. “I saw him watching her. He really does have the hots.” She stood up and stretched her legs. “How will I know no one is watching?”
Cahir stood with her.
Askold raised his palm over his heart. “I, Askold Gardner, solemnly swear not to piss off Cahir.” Cahir looked at him impatiently. “Now we just need to get Kalon to swear the same thing.”
“I make no guarantees,” Kalon said as he walked around the tree, shaking out his long hair and sporting a serpentine smile. He looked at Seda and winked.
This fucking man.
“Dude, stop trying to start fucking fights,” Askold scolded.
“Nah, I won’t look, Seda,” he responded. “I’m not a desperate puppy dog.” He fixed his gaze on Cahir, and Cahir’s nostrils flared.
He was going to take this man’s fucking life slowly and savor every gods-damned moment.
“I’m going to find Roya and Ferona first,” Seda ignored them and walked around the tree, leaving the men alone.
Seren and Benny approached them.
“How long do we give them?” Benny asked.
“Until they say they’re done,” Cahir said as he sat back down on the ground. The others sat down next to him.
“What about Feich?” Benny asked as he played with the same piece of moss Seda had earlier.
“That guy is more bird than man,” Seren said with a laugh.
Cahir waited with the others while the women bathed in the pond. He half listened as the other men bickered and joked with each other. He thought about what Seda had been through, what she had discovered, and Lord Mordred’s meeting with her.
He knew she was special, but how did Mordred?
He has the stone.
He thought about the lack of desire he felt to finish his journey of finding the stone. He thought about how he failed at retrieving it for Umbrea, despite all of the ‘meetings’ he had spent looking. It was something he had been after for the last few years, but instead of spending time finding the stone, he spent his time with her.
He didn’t care anymore. Let Mordred and the monsters keep the fucking thing.
He thought about Seda showing anger toward those who hurt her and others, and how her magic flared to life when she talked about it.
She’s absolutely stunning.
She would want the stone, but would it also benefit Umbrea’s cause? All of this was intertwined, and he didn’t know how the pieces fit together. His emotions for Seda kept getting in the way, and now, as a result, he gave no fucks about finishing his tasks.
He just wanted to get her to Umbrea, where she could live her life safely… withhim.
“All done, boys,” Ferona said as she walked around the tree, chewing on a crunchy bug.
“How do you keep finding those?” Askold asked her with a shiver. “So gross.”
“This is the forest, Askold,” Ferona said as she rolled her eyes. “What’s gross is the sludgy part of the pond you left behind when you bathed,” she retorted and threw the last of the bug in her mouth, purposely crunching it louder.
He raised his arm, sniffed his armpit, made a face, and then shrugged. “I personally think the pond appreciated my manly musk.”
Ferona rolled her eyes again and walked back down to the pond. Cahir got up and followed the others. They finished setting up their campsite for the night and stayed up chatting until the stars were reflecting across the water and the fireflies had vanished.
