“I don’t like it either, but…” He shrugged.
“Rhain?” she asked.
“You and I, we have to stick together. I’ll go along with this. For now.”
“Good.” She loosed a breath of relief. Without their support, none of this would matter. They needed fighters if they were going to take on another king, real or not.
When a dim light shone through the trees, they gathered their supplies and turned back east. They’d been travelling for ages, but their journey wasn’t over yet. It would take several days to reach the city of Murias. By then, over half of their allotted time would be gone.
They spent most of the day crunching through the underbrush, away from the Dryads and the hope of a cure. As they drew further and further away, Reyna’s dread came back in full force. Screams began to echo in the distance once more, and smoke rose through the trees. The curse was spreading, and fast.
They found a spot to camp far before nightfall. To avoid being detected by cursed fae, they’d decided to build their fire and cook their meat before sundown. And then douse the fire before settling in for sleep. That way, the light wouldn’t give them away.
After they rolled their pallets across the forest floor, Lorcan edged up beside her. “There’s still a few hours yet before sundown.”
“Yep,” she said as she hid her ice glass dagger beneath her pallet. “That’s the whole point. The cursed fae seem drawn to fire, but only after dark. If we cook our food now, maybe they won’t spot us.”
“I suppose you’re happy about that. You hate fire.”
“If we could do without it, I would jump for joy.”
He chuckled. “It’s hard to picture you jumping for joy.”
A smile crept across her lips. “You’re right. I’d probably stab something in joy.”
A familiar, comforting blanket of hope settled over her shoulders.Thisfelt like Lorcan. They’d shared this joke a dozen times. As weary as she’d grown of war, she still liked sparring. The smooth movements, the strategies that happened as quick as a mouse, it calmed her mind in a way nothing else did. Meditation with a blade.
No one else had ever really gotten that. They just thought she was brash and impulsive and bloodthirsty.
How could he be faking this? Should she let go of her unease?
Not yet.Not until they reached Murias and saw the pretender on the throne. Then, and only then, would she let herself fully relax around him.
“Come.” He held out a hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”
Her heart pulsed as she slid her chin onto her shoulder, peering up at him. “What is it?”
He shot her a wicked grin. “You’ll see.”
Need pulsed in her core, and she cast a furtive look at the rest of their party. “As much as I want to say yes, I worry now is not the time. Everyone is on edge. There are cursed fae lurking nearby, and they’d probably hear us.”
“It’s not that,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Though I can’t wait until we’re back in Murias, in our shared chambers. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’m desperate to have you.”
A flush crept up her neck. “Then, what is it you want to show me, Lorcan? If it isn’t yoursword?”
“Just trust me,” he said, shifting closer so that his hand now hovered before her eyes.
Trust him.Ha!That was the hardest ask of them all. Still, she slid her hand into his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “Alright. But we can’t go far, and as soon as the light starts to dim, we have to come back.”
“Done,” he said with a grin.
“Where are you going?” Thane called after her as Lorcan pulled her toward the forest.
She cast a quick glance toward him. “Don’t worry. We’re just going to go look at something. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Reyna…” Thane said.
“She’ll be fine,” Glencora whispered. “She has her familiar. And she’ll be on guard.”
