“Mhmm,” she mumbled.Time to talk about something else.“So,” she said, eyeing his immobile legs. “How long until the rest of this reverses?”
His gaze was burning a hole in her arm, apparently reluctant to let this go, before he sighed and accepted her change of conversation. “Any moment now, if the rest of me is any indication. Those buggers must have developed a new formula; I’ve never had it last this long.”
Hazel’s eyes shot open. “You mean to tell me this has happened before?”
“First, pick your jaw up off the floor. Notthatsurprising, is it? Second, yes. More times than I care to recount, much less admit to. Always minor, though. While we’re waiting, I think I’m the one who should be questioning you.”
Oh, this will be good.She folded her arms. “Go on…”
“You can shoot. Quite well, in fact. You never said you could shoot.”
“You never asked.” It was her turn to smirk at him.
“Really? And why would I? You didn’t exactly strike me as the kind of woman who would be able to draw a bow, much less pick off our enemies.”
“What was it you said to me before? I need to stop taking things at face value all the time? Maybe you should take your own advice. My father taught me some basic survival skills, should I ever need them. Plus, our farm is on the edge of town, half a day’s ride from the market. It’s just easier to source our meat from the woods when we need it. And he and I enjoyed the occasional target practice duel. I only beat him once, and I’m still not convinced he didn’t let me win out of pity.”
“Huh. Well, I guess I’m glad he did. Wasn’t planning on giving away a life debt anytime soon, and especially not to you, but I wasn’t getting out of this mess in one piece if you hadn’t been here.”
Hazel blushed and averted her eyes.
“And on that note, I guess I should thank you for coming. Had you stayed in bed, I would probably be a dead man.” There was no sarcasm. No ire.
Compliments from Slaide made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t pinpoint why. Was it the questionable authenticity? The way his compliments made her feel warm inside when they absolutely should not? She cleared her throat, ready to change the subject.
“So,” she said, gesturing to the corpses around them, “I’m assuming these are what you were hunting?”
He shook his head. “I wish it were that simple, but no. That was just a chance happening, though if I’m honest, ambushes aren’t all that uncommon out here. What I’m searching for… It’s not any sort of beast or creature.”
Hazel kept her eyes locked on him, waiting for him to explain. She was growing tired of his cryptic half-answers. As though feeling the weight of her stare, he looked up from where he was watching his still-motionless legs and caught her gaze.
“What?” he questioned.
“What’s going on? What are you looking for out here?”
“I’ve already said more than I should have.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “Someone, something, is tearing rifts in the Border. I’ve been—unofficially—tasked with tracking the rifts and closing them when possible. Usually, there are signs of increased magical creature activity near these rifts. That, or the beasts themselves.”
“And the gobkins?”
“Shouldn’t have been on this side.”
“There’s a rift nearby?” Hazel thought she might be catching on.
His demeanor shifted, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek, mulling something over. “Possibly. Listen, Hazel. I should probably take you back. This has already amounted tomore than I was expecting, and my mistake could have cost you your life.”
“Why do you care? I’m honestly surprised you’ve let me live this long. Seems it would be easy enough to let me fall prey to something like this.” She nudged the smelly creature with her boot.
Slaide shrugged. “I find you interesting. Most people with power chase it. Use it. Bleed kingdoms with it. You’re dangerous, Hazel, but you’re an enigma. I can’t figure you out, andthatinterests me.”
“You’re a shit witch hunter,” she shot back, instantly regretting it.
“You’re probably right,” he said, staring at her a moment too long before letting out a sharp whistle.
He was answered by the thundering of hooves pounding the ground, and Phllip and Nanna came charging around the bend. She turned to face Slaide, then, and found him maneuvering his legs, attempting to pull them under himself.Stubborn ass.She rolled her eyes and stepped in to help.
And despite his burning pride, he let her. By the time the horses had settled, he’d nearly regained his strength. Still, Hazel doubted he could sit astride Phillip without falling off. He could hardly stand.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She put her hands on her hips.
