His smile turns beaming. The light returning to his eyes. “Yes! Luckily the healer had encountered the poison before and knew how to handle it. It was a bit touch and go, but she ended up just fine. You should know. It was Mandi.”
My mouth drops open. “Mandi?” Horror, guilt and betrayal swirl in my gut.Why was I never informed of this? We had grown so close over these last few years. How is that something you can hide for so long?My palms are sweating and I do my best to retain my outward composure.
“Yes.”
I cannot help but thank Ptheryeth she is okay, butfuck. My stomach drops. Mandi is my aunt, not just a dear friend.Why she had served as my handmaiden all these years, instead of as part of the royal court?Will I ever find out now that she has escaped the castle? If she of all people could retain such a secret for so long, what else could I be missing?Question after question invade my head asI sit with this new information. Right before I feel like I am about to be thrown into a panic attack, Sorin interrupts my thoughts.
Sorin stretches. “As much as I wish we can stay in this little cocoon forever, we need to get going. We do not know how much progress the people who captured us have made since we escaped. We are safest if we keep moving. How are you feeling?”
I force a smile. “Better. I slept well.”
“Good.” He unravels himself from me and stands, offering me a hand up. I take it and stand. “Let’s get going, it’ll be harder to find Sam once the sun goes down.” He touches the cave wall and focuses, before leading me outside.
I turn around and look at the place we took refuge the night before. It is now covered with vines and branches, its exterior camouflaged in the world around it. I give it a little pat before setting off with Sorin.
We walk for a while through the dead limbs of the forest. I have decided to tuck Mandi’s secret into the recesses of my brain fornow. I have far too much to figure out and at the very least I should confront her about this revelation before making any final decisions.Hopefully I will get the chance to do that soon.
My dress is now, thankfully, swirling around my thighs rather than snagging on branches surrounding us. The gentle brushing of the fabric against me causes my body to flush with the memory of Sorin's hands on my thighs the night before. I try to sneak a glance at Sorin, only to make eye contact.Shit, he totally knows I am blushing.I trip over a stray stick, and he laughs.How embarrassing.
“Sooooo….” He slowly starts.Here it comes.
“So?” I brace myself.
“Looks like someone’s come into her powers.”
My eyes widen and I stop in my tracks. “Powers?”
“Of course,” he laughs, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward to continue “The cave on fire last night? It was kind of hard to miss.”
My eyes are saucers at this point. “I thought I was going crazy; you did not react and—” I process what he just said. “Wait, that was me?”
He gives me a confused smile. “Of course, Firefly, who else would have done it?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “So now you too then?”
He tilts his head. “What?”
“With the pet names! This is the second time you have called me that!”
“What?” He snorts. “It’s cute! You made the whole cave glow!”
I toss my head back in frustration. “Whatever... you would think Lace would be enough.”
His laughter lessens. “You’ll always be my Lace.” I soften slightly. “But.... now as it so happens you are also a firefly. A glowing light that is so fun to chase.”
I huff and roll my eyes, but a smile peeks through. “I thought we were under attack.”
He squeezes my hand. “Nope. Someone just got a little too excited.”
“You are one to talk.”
“I am.” He scratches the back of his head.
“I should probably be more in control of my powers before we do that again then, so that I refrain from setting our surroundings ablaze...”If he wants to kiss me again after all of that.Elvisera start to do cartwheels in my belly as I let the unspoken question hang in the air.
A sparkle enters his gaze. He pulls me to a stop and presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “That would probably be a good idea." He answers my unspoken question and I try not to jump for joy. "I think it is important we enjoy our time here as much as possible and ensure we can find a good way to control that power of yours while we do it, as dangerous as this place is it could be the perfect opportunity for you to train these abilities of yours.” We continue walking.
I smile to myself, feeling more confident as we continue. “While we are talking about training... I think it might be good if I could learn some extra skills. I know we went on a couple adventures back in Tikilium but none where I really have had to wield a weapon. Nor any I have felt truly in danger during. When the men found me in the woods I could only do so much before running was my only option. I do not want to feel that way again. A couple fake sword fights with Sam and you only can really get me so far it seems.” I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Tension dropping from my shoulders.
