“Can’t a girl feel pretty in the middle of the woods?” I asked, hiking up my skirt as I attempted to mount by myself. Sticking a foot in the stirrups, I bounced on my other leg, building, if not momentum, then courage.
Hauling myself up, I managed to swing my leg around and seat myself in the saddle. Seth whistled. “Maybe she doesn’t need pants, after all.” Throwing his pack over his shoulder, he mounted behind me.
I leaned forward when his chest touched my back, and his legs trapped mine against the horse’s flank. “Eleos said the one not holding the reins sits behind, not in front.”
“Normally, I’d agree.” Seth took the reins and gently ordered Athena forward. “But it’s easier to stop you from recklessly throwing yourself into danger if you’re in front of me.”
Shifting awkwardly, I tried not to notice every inch of him touching every inch of me. We’d been too close for too long, and I was starting to like it.
Seth hummed. “Nowyoulook emotionally constipated.”
Chortling, I sat back against him. We’d both woken this morning and attempted levity, but our words felt hollow. Knitting my fingers together, I stared up at the faint smudge of black I could see in the sky.
“Do you think. . .” I trailed off.
“We can try, princess. Nothing more.”
“And if it doesn’t work? If I’m a farce?”
“We look for the others.”
Biting my lip, I asked the question I didn’t want to consider. “What if they’re gone?”
“You saw what happened back there,” Seth said softly. “Life no longer dispels the empty. Our time runs short. We carry on in their names, or we perish with everyone else.”
18
Chapter 18
Seth stood atop a high ridge, cape billowing in the breeze, overlooking the most terrifying sight I’d laid eyes on.
The Empty spread before us, in every direction. The black void pressed against the sheer mountainside to our east and reached toward the canyon plummeting to our west. A thin woods separated us from the impassable abyss.
We were trapped.
Seth’s hand tensed on the pommel of his dagger as his gaze swept over the landscape. Releasing Athena’s reins, I climbed up beside him and glanced over his back.
“You wouldn’t be able to make little blood wings, would you?” I asked.
“Good question,” he murmured, distracted. “I’ve never tried before.”
“Because if you can’t,” I said, “We have two choices: scale the mountain behind us with no gear, or-”
He interrupted me. “Don’t use this as an excuse to be reckless.”
“I’m not. You learned how to wield magic. If I truly have any myself, you’ll be able to teach me.”
He grumbled. “I don’t have a teacher’s patience.”
“It’s not that hard.” I knit my hands behind my back. “All you need to do is give clear instructions and provide an incentive.”
He raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down. “And what would you consider a proper incentive?”
“Gold”, I answered readily.
Chuckling, Seth whistled for Whisper to follow and descended the slope. Taking one last look at the bleak vista, I followed him. My foot caught on an uneven rock, and I stumbled the last few steps to the bottom.
Seth caught my hand, steadying me. Brushing myself off, I laughed. “Thanks. Maybe you were right about finding pants.”
