“You’re a monster.”
He took a step closer. “And you’re a little lamb who has no idea how cruel the world actually is. The people I kill, I kill for a reason. They are people who deserve to die, so save your sympathies for someone whodeserves them.”
“How can you be sure they’re bad people? You don’t know them. That man you killed would never hurt anyone. How do you know you aren’t just given a name and taking away an innocent life?”
He snorted. “Innocence is for children and virgins. Aradonis has his reasons, and that’s good enough for me. You can make this journey a whole lot easier on yourself by doing as I say and keeping your mouth shut, or I can permanently attach my shadows to your face.”
Orelia gave him her best you-sicken-me look, but he didn’t seem to care. The sooner they reached Dorsey and reversed the spell, the sooner she could be rid of the soulless man in front of her.
They didn’t speak as they walked through the woods. An entire mark passed before she stopped focusing on the killer leading the way and let her revulsion turn into something else.
“You’re good at finding the light even in dark places,” Teegan had once told her.
Orelia tried to look at the positives of their situation. She had lived in Minro all her life, and now she had her first real chance at seeing more of Nivinia. Though she didn’t have much money, she was with someone who did, and she knew enough about the world to know money could not only make the trip a lot more comfortable, but it could also sway anyone if they got into a sticky situation.
Vade may be foul company but seeing how deftly he wielded his sword, there was no doubt that he was capable of keeping them both safe. She had a protector, even if he hated the responsibility and she detested what he did for a living.
Knowing she would be able to safely explore had her steps turning softer and more eager. When they came to the northern edge of the forest a half mark later, Orelia stopped and looked out at the world shining in shades of gold in the late afternoon sun.
Rolling hills, rivers in the distance, and clusters of trees brought a massive smile to her face, so big her cheeks hurt. She took a deep breath and inhaled the perfumed spring air, reveling in the new sight. The Wooded Road wove through the riverlands, waiting for her to follow its dirt trail that would take them all the way to Dorsey.
Orelia had always wanted to see the world, and here she was, standing at the beginning of it.
seven
Vade was right.
Her clothes caught on every damn thing. After walking for several marks, Orelia had more snags in her clothing than a beggar in the streets. When she’d asked why they hadn’t stayed on The Wooded Road and were trudging through the forest instead, Vade said it was harder for anyone to track them this way. She’d protested, but he’d waved her off, and that had been the end of it.
Sweat dripped in hot lines down her back, and the wind had disappeared completely. If not for her innate healing, her legs would have been as heavy as bricks and blisters would have bubbled on her heels. Even with her rapid restorative health, the day’s travels had Orelia plopping down on her bedroll the second Vade said they’d be stopping for the night.
She poured water into her hand and rubbed her neck, moaning from the cool relief. If every day was going to be like this, Orelia didn’t know how she was going to make it. Drenched in sweat for wordless miles was not her idea of fun.
Vade freed the wide-handled weapon strapped to his back, and she turned her nose up as it morphed into a double-sided battle axe,glowing white with seidr light. He headed into the woods without telling her where he was going or what he was doing.
She didn’t mind being alone, as it gave her time to catch her breath and fix her damp mess of hair. Orelia pulled a few leaves and twigs free that had lodged themselves in her wavy locks and tossed them aside. She fell back on her bedroll with an exhausted huff. The canopy of highly placed pine needles gave her patchy views of the sky turning pink as dusk approached.
She had just closed her eyes for a bit of respite when Vade returned carrying two rabbits and a bundle of firewood, not looking one bit fatigued from the efforts on top of the day’s exertions.
Orelia sipped from her waterskin as she watched him use one of his many knives to shave off a few thin pieces of wood. He set up the heftier logs in a pyramid shape, then stuffed the kindling he’d made inside. After scraping some shavings off his flint rock, he turned the flint over and struck it with his knife. In one motion, the shavings caught fire, the kindling curling as the flames stretched higher, the wood quickly catching.
She preferred a much easier way to make a fire. A few drops of oil onto the bottom log in the hearth, followed by a toss of a lit match, and the fire would start. She couldn’t imagine having to go through all the steps Vade went through anytime she wanted a fire.
The rabbits were skinned and skewered, then set atop a spit he’d fashioned out of a few pieces of joined wood from his pack. Her mouth watered and her stomach rumbled as he turned the pair over and let the flames lick their pale pink sides. Vade had been silent since threatening to drag her across Nivinia with his shadows, andshe hadn’t been itching for conversation since. Orelia worked alone and lived alone; she could handle his brooding silence.
As the crackling fire cooked their dinner, dusk faded and brought the forest’s understory into the beginnings of darkness. The insects began their chorus, and a cool breeze started, carrying the scent of honeysuckles from somewhere nearby. Thank the gods it was spring and the nights were bearable, unlike the hot, sticky summer weather that lingered no matter the time of day.
They ate the rabbits as the crickets sang, Vade inhaling his like someone was about to take it from him. When he was finished, he wiped the juices off his short beard and stood.
Before she could ask him what he was doing, his fingertips began glowing white. He held his arms out in front of him, palms facing out. As he panned from left to right, a white film formed a few yards past the campfire, starting from the ground, and curving inward as it stretched taller. The forest quieted, or perhaps the ward he was erecting blocked out the sounds. Vade slowly turned, wrapping the ward that rippled like water around them until it formed a high dome.
When the final part of the ward had sealed above them, the light faded from his fingertips, and the white barrier turned clear. Upon closer inspection, Orelia noticed it wasn’t fully clear, but slightly blurred like a dirty window. Details were obscured, but she could make out the shapes of the trees beyond. Despite sorcery being strictly forbidden and decidedly wrong, she couldn’t hide her fascination at seeing it used.
“How can you cast seidr magic if you aren’t a sorcerer?” she asked. “I get the weapons and stones being infused with it, but how canyouuse it?”
“It was a gift.”
Orelia lifted her brows, encouraging him to expand on his answer that wasn’t actually an answer.
