As before . . . nothing happened.
My brows furrowed together. “Kole, have you ever ridden this carpet before?” Seconds ticked by, but he didn’t respond. “Kole?” I said again.
He growled, so low that it was more like a vibration in his chest. “No.”
My nose scrunched up. “Then how did you get here? Didn’t you travel here on this carpet?”
He wouldn’t meet my eye, and once again, he didn’t reply.
Sighing, I was reminded of his secretive nature and decided to respect his privacy even though everything about his new carpet made me endlessly curious.
“I take it you don’t often travel by enchanted carpet?” I teased instead.
He made a noise in his throat, and a hint of embarrassment wafted from his aura. “What gave it away?”
I laughed and sat up straighter, smiling brightly. “You need to imprint the carpet to your voice before it follows your commands.”
I told him the simple instructions, which I assumed all fae knew regarding carpets, but considering Kole followed my directions, I thought that perhaps this truly was new to him. Odd indeed, but I bit my tongue and didn’t push further.
Once the carpet’s magic recognized Kole as its commander, I nodded at him. “Try again.”
Under his breath, he said, “Lift. Sail north on the road.”
The carpet rose higher and immediately began gliding down the main street back to the Wood’s road. Kole smirked.
I bumped the warrior’s elbow again. “That’s better, don’t you think?”
For the briefest moment, his lips tugged up, and I felt positively giddy to see another elusive smile.
“Do you think the weather will hold?” I gazed skyward. Threats of an impending gale continued. The wind was positively fierce, but unlike last night, a breath of warmth filled me since Kole’s body heat radiated out of him. Blessedly, I soaked up every bit of it. “But I suppose even if it starts snowing again, at least it’s not as cold as it was last night.”
“Not yet, at least. Weather can be unpredictable this time of the season. There’s no telling what’s in store for us.”
“Is that so?” I peered up at the warrior. “Do you know this area well?”
“Not as well as the locals, but I’ve been here before.”
We sailed out of Inisville, and the carpet settled into flight along the Wood’s road, going north as commanded.
“Do you have a certain destination in mind today?” I askedhim. “Other than going north?” I would ride with Kole for as long as I could, but if the seekerill told me to go in a different direction from him, we would have to part ways.
“Nowhere specifically. My orders are to stay on patrol.”
“Ah, wonderful. In that case...” I pulled out the seekerill and checked the needle. A cold breeze rushed over my cheeks as the carpet glided along its predestined path, and Kole’s heat continued to be a blessing. My spirits lifted, even when the needle showed that I should go more northeast, but the road we were on tracked steadily north instead, with no intersection in sight. I shrugged. “Close enough. Let’s stay on this road for now.”
Kole eyed my device as I tucked it back into my pocket.
“Is there any chance we could go faster?” I asked him.
He issued another command, and the carpet shot forward.
Grinning, I relished the speed as the land whizzed by us, and the fact that I was once again making headway caused my heart to soar.
We sailed over the Wood’s road, and the Wildland Mountains loomed, yet even with potential creatures lurking in the forest, my smile didn’t abate.
Kole glanced down at me, and asked in a curious tone, “What was that device you put in your pocket?”
My lips parted, surprise momentarily biting my tongue that the warrior had initiated a conversation.
