Page 47 of Shadows in Bloom

Everyone was preparing to break off into their own groups for the evening when I tugged at Kaz’s sleeve. “Would it be alright if I join you fishing instead this time?”

He broke into a gleeful smirk. “Trouble in paradise?”

My responding look must’ve been so despondent he didn’t seek to tease me further. “Leave it to me, girl.”

Kaz made a show of moving to the center of camp and throwing an arm around Kallistra and Zorinna. “Here’s the thing—if I have to spend another evening alone fishing and catching nothing, I’m liable to keep everyone up all night listening to the tales of the beasts I’ve killed. I’m taking Nairu fishing with me tonight since she’s the only one who appreciates my storytelling. So, one of you needs to accompany Alandris. From what I’m told, he is a magnet for poison.”

I was powerless to refrain from seeking out Alandris and noticed his eyes focused on me. The hurt in them was almost enough for me to throw up my hands in surrender, but I knew what had to be done, and to do it, I needed him as far away from me as possible.

Zorinna rolled her eyes and strode toward Alandris. “I will go with him.” She then pointed to me. “Make sure Kaz doesn’t spend the entire time blabbering on. I would like to eat more than vegetables tonight.”

“The last meat we ate was my kill, was it not?” Kallistra shot back with playful confidence, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Don’t think I will fail just because you’re no longer on my team.”

Zorinna smirked. “Sure, you made the shot, but I tracked the hares. Tracking is the majority of the battle.”

“Whatever. Enjoy your gardening.”

It was nice to see them bicker in a friendly manner, considering, not long ago, Zorinna had wanted to kick Kallistra and me from the group based on Kallistra’s behavior. Even if Zorinnastill didn’t trust either of us fully, she was obviously warming up to the idea. If things continued to improve, there was a chance I wouldn’t have to withhold so many secrets—lies. I found it impossible not to laugh at the irony of that thought, particularly as I was about to tell another lie.

Kaz made his way back to me and slapped me on the back. “Off we go! Don’t think I’m going to take it easy on you, either.”

“I would never assume such a thing.” I smiled softly and followed behind him.

As we’d continued farther south into the Azog Bog toward the point on the map, the large open fields had given way to more forested areas covered in long moss. It’d given us more cover and shade, but it’d caused us to slow our pace substantially. Identifying routes to walk that were not blocked off by impassable, decayed wood or questionably deep water had proven to be a struggle. We were within days of the cave, according to the map, but if we continued to encounter obstacles at every turn, it could turn into well over a week before we reached it.

I wasn’t certain I had the capability to endure another week in the Bog. Aside from the miserably hot and humid weather, that left me a puddle of sticky sweat, there were regularly bugs the size of my fist buzzing past my ears or crawling up my clothes. I would welcome the change of pace a cave would bring, regardless of the terrors it held within. Nothing would be more dreadful than this, except maybe a cave full of such bugs. I shuddered at the thought. Surely Amorphael’s idea of danger was something else. Anything else.

Swatting another creepy flying insect off of my pants, I followed Kaz through the trees, to an area surrounded by green algae tinted water. It was impossible to see through the water to the bottom, and I sincerely hoped Kaz didn’t intend for us to trudge through it blindly. He’d brought along a spear and a small net, both of which would require us to get very near the water, if not in it.

“What I normally do is kick off my boots and blindly stab at the water while I leave my net positioned somewhere with a rock,” Kaz explained excitedly. He actually enjoyed this?

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “You go into the swamp… barefoot?”

He set down his bag and began tossing off his boots in answer. “It would take forever to dry these, and I’ve lost one too many pairs, hanging them over the fire and forgetting about them.”

“You aren’t afraid of getting dragged under by some sort of swamp beast?”

He laughed, a deep and throaty chuckle. “I wasn’t until you said that.” Spear in hand, he rolled up the hem of his pants as far as his muscled legs would allow and walked into the water. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to join me in here. You’ve looked down and depressed all day. I figured I’d give you a break.”

I took a seat on a dry, sturdy log to watch over him. “It isn’t what you think.”

Kaz thrust his spear down into the water with a grunt. “Damn it!” When he pulled it from the depths, it was empty.He paused to answer me. “The others may be oblivious to it, but I am not. I can tell when two people are in love, even when they themselves cannot see it. You, my girl, have got it bad.”

The bluntness of his words struck me, and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. I didn’t want to talk about Alandris and me, or whatever feelings I may or may not have been feeling. Not now. “Have you ever been in love, Kaz?”

Again he drove the spear through the water, and again it came up empty. This time when he answered me, the usual cheerfulness was gone from his tone. “I have. Once.”

“Should I not have asked?” I picked at the hem of my shirt. “You need not tell me if it is not a pleasant memory. I don’t mean to pressure you. I was simply curious.”

“It’s alright.” He let the tip of the spear sink into the mud, resting some of his weight against it. “Her name was Shamsi. She was the most amazing woman I’d ever known. I swear to you, her smile was comparable only to the sun. Living in the desert, you’d think I’d have grown sick of the sun, but I lived to see that smile.”

“What happened to her?” I knew from the way he spoke, from the anguish that permeated his every word, that Shamsi was no longer of this world.

“I was a mercenary, as I am now, but back then, I took mostly local jobs. I never wanted to be away from her for long. The jobs didn’t pay nearly as much as what I am used to these days, but it was enough to get by, and the work was safe. Nothing big. Nothing dangerous. Shamsi didn’t approve of the work. Alwayssaid I kept her up at night, wondering if I would make it home to her. So, those were her conditions. Nothing big. Nothing dangerous.

“I was at the harbor looking for work when a ship docked in the port carrying some big shot merchant from the Freehold of Tempestas. He was looking for someone who could haul and hold on to some crates of product for him until his buyer arrived by caravan, at which point the crates would need to be passed off. Said he needed to ensure the ship was cleared so they would be able to head back out to sea without delay. Was paying way more than normal for a job like that. I was an idiot then, so I didn’t recognize the dangers, and of course I said yes.

“After about a week, the caravan the merchant had described rolls into Rajandi, and they’re looking for me. They start harassing people around the city until someone tells them where I live. I wasn’t home when they broke in. Shamsi was the only one there… I found her.”

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