“Yes?” Fitz replied, not sounding sure at all. “Why, is something wrong with it?”
“It’s different than I expected, that’s all.”
“Different is good though, right? We don’t want the evil mage to anticipate our moves.”
Wilde shrugged, like the decision didn’t involve him at all.
“Unless you know something we don’t,” Maximus said.
“I know a lot that you don’t, Maximus, most of which you’ll never learn.”
Maximus narrowed his eyes but dropped the conversation.
“Can we go, please?” Angelica demanded. “I’d like to make some progress before dark. It’d be simplyembarrassingto spend our first night an hour from the border.”
Fitz packed up his map and we started moving again. This time, we stayed in a closer cluster and kept an eye out for any other minions spying on us from the trees.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Wilde
Later That Evening
The Grimnight Forest
Which Needs a New Name
After the incident with the imps, we traveled more quietly, like a pack of prowling wolves through the trees. Fitz and Trey led the party, one with a map, the other carrying twin swords. I hoped if more imps found us, he would ask questions before attacking.
They’d argued over the purpose of the ‘Lord of Grimnight’s message’, whether it was a misdirect or a warning. Truthfully, I hadn’t given the champions a message at all. The little miscreants had simply been drawn toward my argument with Trey. The imps probably hadn’t expected to be caught by their master and had scrambled to convey a clumsy message: “Follow this route to find an easy path and nice warm beds.”
When we stopped to set up camp for the night, Delilah sidled over to me and asked, “Is there really a lovely cottage?”
“Probably several.” The minion applicants I’d turned away had spent the past two weeks renovating the old buildings in the forest. The ones near the city center would take more work, but the ones closer to the edge of the forest could be ready in a few hours with some cleaning and tree trimming.
Delilah sighed heavily and watched her cousin build a fire. “I wish we couldtellthem.”
My own gaze traveled to Maximus, assessing the food he’d brought and deciding what to cook for dinner. “I’m sure they’d listen properly and not jump to any conclusions,” I replied dryly.
She pursed her lips and pinched my side hard enough to bruise. “You don’t have to be a sourpuss. People have a right to be upset if you lie to them.”
“Upset, yes.” I watched Maximus’ hands, and my throat tightened, as if his massive paw was still closed around it. “I’m more afraid of their murderous tendencies.”
“Maximus is sorry he hurt you.”
I snorted in disbelief.
“Or … he would be if he remembered hurting you. He just wants to protect people from evil.”
“And who will protect me from good?”
Her brow furrowed and she quieted, unable to give me an answer.
Speaking of protections—I’d joined the quest under the guise of an assisting mage, so I needed to perform some magic to earn my keep. Time would reset if anyone was grievously injured, but it would take less energy to lay a few protective wards around the camp to prevent the danger in the first place. During the royal champions first quest, they’d been ambushed in the middle of the night by a tribe of minor dryads. The dryads were just protecting their territory, but they were vicious, hard to kill fae who attacked in overwhelming numbers. Better to avoid encountering them altogether.
As I drew a ward on one of the trees, a meaty hand grabbed my wrist. “What are you doing?” Maximus growled.
Not this again.I looked at his hand pointedly. “Let me go.”
Confusion mingled with the distrust in his eyes, like he remembered the last time he’d confronted me. The distrust won, and he squeezed my wrist until I flinched. “What kind of spell are you casting?” he demanded again.
