“Sorry for interrupting,” Katharine says, stepping into the room.
“I’ll, um… I’ll go see Jingu about our rations,” Aren says, rushing from the room. Maybe she’s embarrassed. Maybe she doesn’t want to be seen kissing me.
That’s a possibility.
I’ve made it quite clear how I feel about her. I almost killed myself with my own power rather than admit my feelings. But now I realize I have absolutely no idea how she feels about me, beyond the undeniable spark between us.
Maybe she’s just on this journey for that pot of gold and to save her people, like she said at the outset. Then she’ll walk out of my life forever.
“She feels so much for you, that one,” Katharine says, as if reading my mind.
I don’t know what to say. I wish she were right, but I’m pretty certain what she sees is just a physical connection. Aren ran away, embarrassed to be caught kissing me, after all.
Katharine clicks her tongue, muttering something about “young love” before handing me a pair of goggles. “These will help protect against the sun’s rays and from any illusions, natural or otherwise. You’ll need them in Osian’s territory. Your horses are ready. Are you?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I allow.
Even a well-deserved rest and a meal of healing herbs and fruit can’t change my trepidation.
“Travel at night,” she says. “It’s too hot during the day without proper shade. We’ve packed some more provisions for you and Aren to help stave off the worst of the dehydration, but take care. You will be at the whims of the winds. Boreas’s wrath inflicted on this land was unflinching, and nothing can save you. Do not hold out hope that nature will be merciful.”
“I won’t.” I look at her keenly. “I wish you would join us in our fight against the coming darkness. It’s already on your doorstep. We can stand together, cousin,” I say. “Like the three kingdoms did in the old days.”
Katharine holds my gaze like she’s deciding what to reveal and how much she trusts me still. Finally, she sighs. “We’ve survived this long after getting chased out of Penrith by keeping our heads down. I will not put my people in even greater danger.” She reaches into her pocket and hands me a small vial. Inside is a clear liquid, slightly thicker than water. “Take this with you. You might need it where you’re going. Tread carefully and trust your instincts.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“A precaution. To protect the thing that matters most.”
She tells me how to use it, and I don’t hesitate to tuck it into the folds of my new jacket.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dietan
At sundown, I find Aren outside the stables, petting a majestic white mare with unusual flat hooves wider than dinner plates. The horses here have adapted to enable them to trek across the soft sand without sinking. The horse beside it, also white, is already loaded with our packs and eagerly stamps its hooves.
Aren is dressed as I am, in long, draping white linen. While mine is a loose tunic and trousers, hers has clasps that secure it close to her body, cinching her waist and complimenting her figure. I’ve never seen her wear such a fitted outfit, defining her every curve.
I’m staring so intently that when she turns around, I almost drop the goggles I’m holding. I hand them to her, attempting to be smooth.This isn’t the time or the place, I remind myself, trying to assume a nonchalant air, even though every nerve in my body comes alive in her presence.
“Thanks,” she says, looking at me curiously as she takes the goggles and rests them on the crown of her head.
“You look ready for the desert,” I say, trying to regain my cool.Stop wanting what you can’t have, I tell myself.She likes kissing you, but that’s all she’ll ever want from you. She thinks you’re spoiled and stupid.
“Pretty great, right?” she says with a smile, as if the earlier awkwardness of our interrupted kiss never happened. “This side protects me from the heat, while the other side”—she shows me the black lining of her coat—“protects from the cold.”
I nod, trying to focus on her words instead of how good she looks. I’ve been given a coat like it, too. The fabric is handwoven, the hood large and sturdy, sheltering me no matter the temperature outside.
“I meant what I said back there,” I tell her. “About you being the most loyal person I know.”
We can be friends. I can do that—be the bigger man. Try not to murder anyone who looks at her the way I look at her. I can let her go…after a few more of those kisses.
Aren looks at me from beneath her lashes before tearing her gaze away and smiling. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all sappy on me.”
Definitely friends. Or? This woman confounds me.
Before we leave, Katharine, Jingu, and their daughter come to wish us goodbye. The girl, who can’t be more than eight, stares at Aren and me, her awed expression making me smile.
