Page 131 of Blood of the Stars

She shrugged. “Annoy me a bit more and you can find out.” Her gaze softened as she ran her fingers down Gullet’s feathers.

To Gaeren’s frustration, Cyrus rode up between Gaeren and Daisy, sticking his hand out to pet Gullet. “We should bring him the next time we go hunting. Hawks are supposed to be great hunters.”

“I didn’t realize Dai—Aeliana went on the hunts,” Gaeren said.

Her eyes narrowed when he stumbled over her name. He couldn’t stop thinking of her as Daisy, but he’d at least tried using her given name when he spoke out loud.

“I don’t anymore. I haven’t been able to kill anything.”

Once a week, they rested the horses while they hunted, and every few days they broke camp early to forage between cities. It took a lot to feed a group this size, which was one of the many reasons they’d continued at a painfully slow pace. But Gaeren had watched her train in the evenings, both with her magic and her archery. If she hadn’t killed anything, it was because she hadn’t tried.

“We should go out tomorrow. I’ll bring Gullet and give you some tips. It might help get your mind off Felk.”

She dragged her gaze away from Gullet’s feathers to give Gaeren a glare. “Sylmar would never let you take me.”

“But if he did, would you go?”

She stared at him, her face unreadable. “Yes.”

“Sylmar,” Gaeren called out, still studying Daisy.

The old man grunted from behind them. It was as good a reply as Gaeren was going to get.

“Tomorrow’s a rest day,” Gaeren said. “Aeliana and I were hoping to hunt.” Even as the words left his lips, Gaeren knew the answer would be no. Why would they let someone they only partially trusted take weapons and go out alone in the woods with his sworn enemy, a woman they fiercely protected? But he watched for Daisy to react, and as the silence wore on, he finally saw her confidence falter.

“We’re approaching the wetlands,” Sylmar said. “The closer we get to your territory, the more advantages you’ll have in finding prey. The two of you can go north while we have another party backtrack south.”

Gaeren’s mouth went slack for a moment. Sylmar actually said yes? Then he grinned at Aeliana, whose face turned red, her eyes narrowing into slits. His mind tuned in to a memory of Larkos groaning about Gaeren’s immaturity.

Daisy turned away, and Gaeren’s grin faded.

“Well, then, tomorrow we hunt.” Gaeren raised his voice in an attempt at cheer, but the words fell flat.

Daisy slouched even deeper in her saddle. “Tomorrow we hunt,” she mumbled.

As the land sloped down toward a valley, the forest thinned, providing open lands and a sense of safety that night. Sentries would see anything approaching from a long way off, allowing their watch to be a little more lax. For once, everyone gathered around the fire together, even Daisy. Sylmar had given her the night off in preparation for their morning hunt.

“I hear Jasperus is quite the storyteller,” Riveran said. “Velden says the best one involves a giant squid.”

Jasperus guffawed. “That’s because it’s his story.”

“Can you blame me?” Velden said. “It’s one of your best.”

“Let’s hear a new one tonight,” Daisy said, reaching over to tug on Jasperus’ sleeve. “Which one’s your favorite?”

“Well, I always like the tragedy of Lovers’ Falls.”

Half of the group groaned.

“We’ve heard that a dozen times,” Holm complained, even as Iris smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

“It’s a beautiful story,” she said. “It’s not his fault if you can’t appreciate it.” But then she wrapped her arm through his, and they exchanged a look that confirmed Gaeren’s suspicions about them.

“How about the story of King Melchinek,” Kendalyhn suggested, her predatory stare locked on Gaeren.

Everyone grew quiet, the pop and sizzle of the fire the only thing breaking the silence of the night.

“I could probably recite it in my sleep.” Gaeren grinned at Riveran, attempting to lighten the mood, but Riveran shook his head slightly, and Gaeren’s smile fell.

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