I stumble on a hidden rock and fall forward. Before I can tumble down, Royo reaches out and grabs me. With one strong hand to my stomach, he stops me. I rebalance, but he leaves his arm out so I can use it to steady myself. My heart fills, but I try not to smile. I walk holding his biceps while he clutches an axe in his other hand.
Euyn leads, scanning the horizon. Mikail stays by Sora’s side, but he’s constantly looking around, too. I leave my free hand by my neck, just in case. And Royo always looks for trouble. Everyone is alert, except for Sora.
We make it inside the warming hut that’s not much bigger than an outhouse. Euyn shuts and locks the door behind us.
No idea what the little lock is supposed to do, but who cares, if it makes him feel better?
There are four benches, one on each wall, and a stove in the middle with wood stacked next to it. Exactly what we need. It smells like oak and charcoal, and it’s clean and dry in here.
Euyn gets to work starting a fire while Mikail takes a knee by Sora’s feet and helps remove her boots. Royo just stands in front of me, frowning at my shoes.
“I can’t believe you hiked in those,” he grumbles.
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” I shrug.
He nods and sits on the bench next to me, then pats his lap.
I stare at him.
“Gimme your foot,” he says.
Surprised, I turn on the bench and put my boots in front of me. He starts trying to untie them, but he gets frustrated. He tosses his heavy gloves to the side, then undoes my laces and slides my boots off. My socks got soaked, so he removes them as well. Then he breathes into his hands and puts them on my feet.
The heat from his palms is amazing. I didn’t realize how cold my toes had gotten until now. They’re bright red, and I can’t feel them the way I normally do. Royo massages my long, narrow feet, focusing so hard, he has lines between his eyebrows. It’s so cute and sweet that I can’t help but smile.
I’ve never been cared for like this in my life.
The fire in the stove begins to throw off heat. Everyone is quiet, but in a content way. I look at the four of them. I wish we could all stay here forever—Royo’s hands on me, and all of us safe and warm. But we can’t. Life is a series of fleeting moments, and this one will end soon.
We have to get inside the temple, and we need to start a war.
But for now, we have the fire in a snowstorm.
I begin to feel sleepy, the tension and worry that kept me awake fading. My head bobs, and I struggle to fight it. I made it through the worst of the amulet fatigue after my brief horse nap, but now I’ve also been up for nearly two days.
Drowsy, I reach down and stroke Royo’s hand. He stills for a few seconds before he withdraws.
I pretend it doesn’t crush my heart.
He clears his throat and sits up straight. “The, uh, fire will help.”
Royo gets up and puts his gloves back on. I try not to be disappointed. He took care of me, and he didn’t have to. That’s enough for now. He places my boots and socks right next to the stove to dry.
I really wish he could get over me planning to betray everyone. I mean, really, hasn’t everyone here? But maybe that’s asking too much, too soon from him.
Then again, it would be good if I could remember that he murdered his girlfriend. He lied on the Sol when he made it seem like he wasn’t responsible—they said so in the throne room. Although something bubbles in my chest. It feels an awful lot like doubt, but it’s probably just hunger. I hope we find what we need quickly so we can visit that bread house in town.
I extend my feet out near the stove but not close enough to burn them. It takes a while, but eventually I can feel my toes again.
The hut only has one small window, and it faces the lake. Mikail stands by it with something in his hand. I’m not sure what, but it’s green and gleaming. I think it’s jade, but he’s not really one for jewels, and it’s much bigger than a gemstone. Yet it’s polished like one.
“What is that?” I ask.
“It’s a key I stole from Ambassador Zeolin,” he says, flashing it at me. “We think it might be to the door of the Temple of Knowledge.”
I run my hands along the lace and heavy satin covering my thighs as I think about how convenient it would be. Ambassador Zeolin didn’t seem like a guy with any connection to knowledge, but I guess looks can be deceiving. Still, that’s not like any key I’ve seen. It’s almost round, but with many notches. And if it is to the temple, where is the door?
Sora glances at Mikail, her small feet out by the fire. Her feet are, unsurprisingly, perfect. But a couple of her toes look so dark red they’re almost blackened. That can’t be good.
