He turned away first and headed down the path between the cabins. He disappeared a moment later, and I wasn’t sure which cabin was his.
I didn’t know if Allegra had been honest about her relationship with Morco, but if she had, did they live together? I didn’t know because I didn’t know where he slept at night. I didn’t know if he slept alone.
I didn’t know if he felt as alone as I did.
I went into the cabin, lay on the small grass mattress, and stared at the fire, trying to sleep when I felt so much trepidation for the next day. All those nights I’d slept soundly in the castle, I’d taken for granted.
I drifted off eventually, and when I woke up again, I had no idea if I’d slept for just a few hours or an entire night. The only way toknow was to open the front door and look to the Gathering to see if anyone was there.
People were already seated at the tables eating breakfast, so I assumed it was morning. I returned inside and got dressed in my travel gear. Morco had given me a canteen and a pack to use, along with boots and a long-sleeved black shirt that blended into the darkness better than the attire I’d worn when I arrived—or fell.
I stepped into the light of the clearing, immediately feeling the warmth of the bonfire that burned nonstop, continuously fed with new firewood. I got in line for my breakfast and saw Morco seated at a table with Caius.
“I thought you weren’t coming?” Caius asked him as he spooned his food into his mouth.
Guilt burned inside me like a newly lit fire.
“Changed my mind.”
Caius shifted his gaze to Morco, who looked at his food as he ate. “This will be your third trip in a week.”
“I’m aware.”
I kept my eyes forward and handed my empty bowl to the cook, trying to act like I couldn’t hear their conversation. I was such a coward that I couldn’t even carry the shame.
“Then why?” Caius asked.
I felt the weight of the bowl once it was full of hot stew. Steam immediately wafted to my face, and the smell made my stomach rumble. I grabbed a spoon from the table then looked for an empty table where I could sit.
I scanned the tables and felt a pair of eyes staring at me.
Krull.
I couldn’t tell if Morco had spoken to him or not because his stare was exactly the same. Intense. Predatory. Fucking annoying.
Morco got my attention with his eyes then nodded to the chair across from him. “Sit.”
I stilled at the command, aware of the other looks that came my way. That was when I noticed Allegra’s ruthless stare too. Wanting the attention to end, I obeyed Morco’s request and took the seat.
Caius went quiet when I joined them, pretending like their conversation had never happened.
I focused on my food, feeling like an intruder even when I was invited.
“Liam and Xavier volunteered,” Morco continued. “The more we bring back, the better chance we have of making this harvest work. In a few years, we won’t have to rely on theapricumat all.”
“We have to rely on it to stayawayfrom us.” Caius stirred his spoon in the contents of his bowl but didn’t take another bite, like all the good pieces had been eaten or he’d lost his appetite.
“How do you know only oneapricumis lit at a time?” I asked.
Caius turned to me, like the question had been directed at him when I spoke to Morco, the only person I ever spoke to. “Because we can only see one.”
“The world is a big place above, so it must be below,” I said. “What if there is more than one?”
Morco stared at me, those dark eyes dormant with stoicism. “My family has been here for generations. We’ve only identified fiveapricumsin this chasm—and only one is lit at a time. Every time the light changes, the Knives change with it, moving closer to it, while we move away to avoid them.”
“But there must be a reason why it changes.” The change wasn’t random. There was some event causing the energy to transfer to a different root bulb. “Flowers and crops need sunshine, water, and nutrients in the soil. I wonder if something on the surface is causing it to change, like the weather…or the seasons.”
Morco’s eyes narrowed slightly, his rapt attention even stronger than before. “Even if that’s true, it doesn’t help us.”
