Taste of Darkness
Page 43
As they argued, I retrieved the bigger pile, noting another one had been stacked next to it. I scanned the woods, searching for Kerrick.
Eva joined me and scooped it up. “Are they always like that?” she asked.
“Yes. Another friend of ours nicknamed them the monkeys.”
“Fitting.” She returned to the cave.
I waited, but Kerrick must have gone for another armload of wood. Inside, flames stretched toward the ceiling, merrily consuming Loren’s pyramid. Quain joked with Flea and it almost seemed like old times. Kerrick was no longer missing and we just needed to find our lost Poppa Bear.
Eva ducked back outside while I placed my load of wood onto the growing pile next to Loren.
She brought in another stack. “Prince Kerrick said he’d take first watch.”
“Oh, no. He has lots of explaining to do,” I said.
“So do you,” Estrid said.
Glad she appeared to be snapping out of her funk, I didn’t look forward to filling her in on the events of the last two months. “After we eat,” I promised before dashing outside.
Another pile of wood had arrived, but Kerrick wasn’t in sight. I waited for a few moments. Unable to keep still, I strode into the forest. The desire to yell for him climbed up my throat. Instead, I stomped through the fallen leaves, crunching them under my boots and not caring that I made noise.
“Avry, settle down,” Kerrick said. He leaned against a tree trunk a few feet away.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone has to keep watch.”
“Uh-huh. What’s going on?”
He sank to the ground and rested his forehead on his knees. Alarmed, I knelt next to him. Touching his arm, I said, “It can’t be that bad. You’re alive! Whatever else is going on we can deal with it. What happened to you?”
Kerrick lifted his head. Leaning back on the trunk, he pulled me close, wrapping his arm around me. I snuggled in, pressing my cheek against his chest, almost content to listen to him breathe. Did it matter what happened? He was here with me.
After a few heartbeats, he said, “I promised you I wouldn’t die from the Death Lily toxin. Do you remember?”
“Of course. I’ve thought of nothing else since that night. It’s what kept me going when everyone said you’d died.”
“Your faith is what kept me alive.”
Warmth spread through my chest, but I waited, sensing there was more.
“But it came with a price.”
KERRICK
Avry pulled away from him. It was what he’d feared all along. Ever since they’d reunited, he wondered how they could be together when he couldn’t leave the forest, when he had to use magic to appear normal. Misery settled in his chest.
“How bad?” she asked.
He explained everything to her, from getting sick to waking in the forest and all the limitations he’d discovered so far. She remained quiet the entire time, and he knew she’d eventually put the pieces together. “And here I am, trapped out here while you and the guys are joking around inside. We’ll never have a normal life.”
She laughed. Shocked, he stared at her as she struggled to control the fit of giggles.
“Sorry,” she puffed. “But what made you think we’d ever have a normal life before?”
His guts twisted. “Well...after the war...I was hoping for...you know...marriage...”
Her sea-green eyes softened. “And it will be lovely. However, I’m a healer and you’re a prince—our lives will never be normal.”
“Not now that I’m stuck in the forest.”
“That’s a minor problem. We can live in an elaborate tree house or plant trees all around the castle in Alga. If Tohon can build a garden on his roof, we can make it work.”
“I can’t travel to Alga.”
“Who says? I can still share my energy with you and there are woods between the ridges.”
His dark mood lifted. “You know, you’re making it hard for me to sulk.”
“Good.” She leaned in and kissed him.
Desire shot right through him. At least that hadn’t changed. He deepened the kiss and drew her closer.
She broke away far too soon. “I have to explain a few things to Estrid first and see that the guys are settled. I don’t want them disturbing us later.” Her gaze burned with promise.
Eva joined me and scooped it up. “Are they always like that?” she asked.
“Yes. Another friend of ours nicknamed them the monkeys.”
“Fitting.” She returned to the cave.
I waited, but Kerrick must have gone for another armload of wood. Inside, flames stretched toward the ceiling, merrily consuming Loren’s pyramid. Quain joked with Flea and it almost seemed like old times. Kerrick was no longer missing and we just needed to find our lost Poppa Bear.
Eva ducked back outside while I placed my load of wood onto the growing pile next to Loren.
She brought in another stack. “Prince Kerrick said he’d take first watch.”
“Oh, no. He has lots of explaining to do,” I said.
“So do you,” Estrid said.
Glad she appeared to be snapping out of her funk, I didn’t look forward to filling her in on the events of the last two months. “After we eat,” I promised before dashing outside.
Another pile of wood had arrived, but Kerrick wasn’t in sight. I waited for a few moments. Unable to keep still, I strode into the forest. The desire to yell for him climbed up my throat. Instead, I stomped through the fallen leaves, crunching them under my boots and not caring that I made noise.
“Avry, settle down,” Kerrick said. He leaned against a tree trunk a few feet away.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone has to keep watch.”
“Uh-huh. What’s going on?”
He sank to the ground and rested his forehead on his knees. Alarmed, I knelt next to him. Touching his arm, I said, “It can’t be that bad. You’re alive! Whatever else is going on we can deal with it. What happened to you?”
Kerrick lifted his head. Leaning back on the trunk, he pulled me close, wrapping his arm around me. I snuggled in, pressing my cheek against his chest, almost content to listen to him breathe. Did it matter what happened? He was here with me.
After a few heartbeats, he said, “I promised you I wouldn’t die from the Death Lily toxin. Do you remember?”
“Of course. I’ve thought of nothing else since that night. It’s what kept me going when everyone said you’d died.”
“Your faith is what kept me alive.”
Warmth spread through my chest, but I waited, sensing there was more.
“But it came with a price.”
KERRICK
Avry pulled away from him. It was what he’d feared all along. Ever since they’d reunited, he wondered how they could be together when he couldn’t leave the forest, when he had to use magic to appear normal. Misery settled in his chest.
“How bad?” she asked.
He explained everything to her, from getting sick to waking in the forest and all the limitations he’d discovered so far. She remained quiet the entire time, and he knew she’d eventually put the pieces together. “And here I am, trapped out here while you and the guys are joking around inside. We’ll never have a normal life.”
She laughed. Shocked, he stared at her as she struggled to control the fit of giggles.
“Sorry,” she puffed. “But what made you think we’d ever have a normal life before?”
His guts twisted. “Well...after the war...I was hoping for...you know...marriage...”
Her sea-green eyes softened. “And it will be lovely. However, I’m a healer and you’re a prince—our lives will never be normal.”
“Not now that I’m stuck in the forest.”
“That’s a minor problem. We can live in an elaborate tree house or plant trees all around the castle in Alga. If Tohon can build a garden on his roof, we can make it work.”
“I can’t travel to Alga.”
“Who says? I can still share my energy with you and there are woods between the ridges.”
His dark mood lifted. “You know, you’re making it hard for me to sulk.”
“Good.” She leaned in and kissed him.
Desire shot right through him. At least that hadn’t changed. He deepened the kiss and drew her closer.
She broke away far too soon. “I have to explain a few things to Estrid first and see that the guys are settled. I don’t want them disturbing us later.” Her gaze burned with promise.
