He bowed. “If you so choose, go right ahead. However, asI am a knight and you are a damsel, I must be honorable and warn you, that way leads deep into the forest where bears and wolves and all manner of hungry animals await.” He turned and strode away.
“Oh, you’re funny,” Bree called after him. She clasped the girl’s hand and hurried to catch up to him.
After an hour or so, Bree noticed the trees thin out and more bushes encroached on the path. Even the sun’s rays found holes in the forest canopy. She spied black berries on the bushes and stopped.
“Hey, Horland.”
He turned.
She plucked some berries off. “Are these safe?”
He peered at her hand. “Yes.”
Bree grinned and she began picking and eating the berries. The girl yanked on her cloak and Bree flicked her hand away.
“But,” said Horland, “if you eat too many raw, you will be sick in the stomach.”
Bree spat out what was left in her mouth. “How many is too many?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, and heat rose in her cheeks. She knew he was laughing at her.
“About what you’ve already had.”
Bree smashed her lips together and narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, you’re hilarious.”
The little girl was picking berries and placing them in her coat pockets. Bree bent her head close. “You knew that, didn’t you? Are they okay if we cook them?”
The girl nodded and Bree picked as many as she could and put them in her outer pockets.
“That’s enough,” Horland said and began walking off again.
If Bree didn’t need him, she would have let him go, butshe had the girl to think about and being lost in a thick forest wasn’t the smartest move. Plus, now she had the worry of getting stomach cramps.Ugh, he could have told me before I ate the darn berries.
They walked in silence and Bree fretted over being poisoned, but by the time the sun was high in the sky and she had no signs of cramps, she figured she was okay. She glanced up at Horland’s profile. His nose was long and straight, and he held his head in such a way that if he turned to face her, he would be looking down his nose at her.
Pride goeth before a fall.The phrase popped into her head and she laughed. Horland looked down his nose at her and she laughed harder. Holding her hand over her mouth, she said, “Sorry, I just thought of something funny.”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing you would understand. Are we there yet?”
“No, but we should make a fire and cook the berries before they turn to juice in your pockets.”
Bree hadn’t thought about that and slipped her hand into one of her pockets to check. They were a bit squashy but otherwise, still intact. She gazed at Horland’s smiling eyes. It was as if he knew she was laughing at him earlier and once again he had turned the tables on her. She decided not to take the bait. “Good thinking.”
The girl was already collecting kindling and Bree picked up some larger branches. Once they’d started the fire, Bree stared at the growing flames and put her hands on her hips. “We got something to cook them in?”
Horland took out a small pot from his pack and gathered some stones. He got down on his haunches and placed the pot on them.
Bree’s hands felt wet. The berries were in the pockets on her hips. She stared at the purple stain.Great.
She pulled out what berries she could and plopped them into the pot.
Horland threw his head back and laughed.
Bree glared at him.
He stopped and stood up, smirking. “I did warn you.” He moved in close to her and put his hands in her pockets. “Here, let me help.”
