“No. You may go.”
We all rise and make our way to the front entrance. It feels weird to be leaving now, after so many secrets and revelations were exposed in this small, warm cottage.
“Thank you,” I say to Maethrel. I almost reach out to hug him, but I stop myself. He would probably think it strange. But I’ve grown sort of fond of him in this short time, even though he still scares me. And irks me.
“One more thing,” Maethrel says, stopping us. “You will meet two friends unlike either of your kinds very soon on your journey. Trust them. Let them join you.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. That’s a very bold demand to make, asking us to blindly trust a couple strangers with such a big secret when we haven’t even met them yet. “We’ll see.” That’s the best I can give him right now.
He doesn’t look surprised as he nods at us with a smile. “And trust each other,” he says with a smooth, lilting voice.
An interesting choice of parting words. They feel ominous, laced with a warning.
I follow Raef outside into the dark woods and Daegan follows behind. We make it all the way down the lined path and onto the barely-there trail when Daegan says, “What the fuck?”
We both spin and look at him. His face is scrunched in confusion as he feels different pouches and straps.
“My favorite dagger. I must have left it in there when I was laying you down. I’ll be right back.”
“Want us to go with you?”
The ghost of a smile lights his face as he lifts an eyebrow at me, already turning to walk back toward the cottage. “I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t be long,” Raef calls after him.
We watch as Maethrel opens the door nearly the moment he knocks, then he guides him inside and gently closes it.
“That was… weird,” I comment.
“Everything Maethrel has done is weird,” he answers absently, his gaze still on the cottage door that holds his friend inside, along with a multitude of Maethrel’s secrets.
I decide to rummage through the small sack that’s strapped across my body. This gets Raef’s attention.
“Got any snacks in there?”
I nod, pulling out a couple pieces of hard fruit and handing it to him.
“You’re the best. I’m starving,” he says dramatically. His eyes roll in the back of his head as he takes his first bite of the pink, juicy fruit, tilting his head back. His throat bobs as he swallows. “This is the best fruit I’ve ever had. What is it?”
“Hazeberries,” I answer as I toss one into my mouth. It tastes amazing. Maybe that’s because I haven’t eaten all day.
He lowers his head and looks at me. “Isn’t that the berries that make that crazy wine?”
“Pink wine, we call it. And yes. But don’t worry. It doesn’t have that effect unless it’s fermented.”
“Okay,” he says, taking another bite. “I trust you.” There’s a teasing gleam in his eyes.
I pass him a water-filled flask after that.
He looks at me like I just gave him his own castle.
“Okay, if you always come with badass snacks and refreshments, you’re required to come on all of our journeys from now on.”
“Do you not bring food and water when you travel far?” I ask with a laugh.
He shrugs. “Sometimes. The essentials, at least.”
I shake my head.
