Page 51 of The Great and Terrible

“He’s my guide, nothing more.” Despite the occasional flirtation, we hadn’t reached the valley of decision.

“Sure, sure. I believe you.” She exaggerated a wink. “Denial is always best with a royal guard, considering most people hate them.”

“And why is that? Other than beheadings and taxes, I mean.”

“Those reasons aren’t enough for you?” She released a pft sound. “They are emotionless yet wild, highly volatile yet unresponsive. They detest commitment and have no mercy. We aren’t even allowed to look at them without permission!”

I mean, she wasn’t wrong. On the other hand, Jasher was the steadiest, most dependable and protective person I’d met in Hakeldama.

“A relationship with him won’t end well,” she stated.

“I don’t recall seeking your opinion.” Before I left forcollege, Dad shared a nugget of wisdom I utilized to this day. If you wouldn’t trade lives with someone, don’t follow their advice.

“I wouldn’t call it an opinion so much as a fact.”

We lapsed into silence, waiting for Jasher’s return. And waiting. Finally, he arrived, splattered in blood. Silent and stoic, he marched past us. We glanced at each other, wide-eyed, before rushing to catch up with him.

Our threesome resumed the trek, but we didn’t pick up our former topics of conversation. Leona was too busy issuing a rapid-fire stream of questions at Jasher.

“You killed all the trappers, right?”

“Those who tracked us, yes,” he replied.

“Is anyone else tracking us?”

“Not currently.”

“So we’re safe?”

“Never.”

“Do you?—“

“Enough.” His flat command finally quieted her.

Amid the silence, I got lost in my thoughts. Facts I’d been previously unable to process demanded consideration. Daniel Shaker wasn’t my biological father. He’d comprehended that truth, surely. My mother would’ve been noticeably pregnant when they met. And yet, he’d never mentioned the lack of a biological tie to me. Never even hinted at it.

My good hand balled. Why had most of the people in this land despised King Ahav and Queen Sandrine, royals who’d been “great” and “kind,” according to Greta? What did the prophecy that wasn’t a prophecy have to do with them? And it must connect to the pair. Why else would the old woman point me in this direction? Critical details were missing from the story. Jasher must know more than he’d admitted.

I wondered if the shadow ring on my finger represented the royal seal. But how did it sense danger and flood me with strength at critical junctures?

Hey! We had deviated from Dead Man’s Pass again. Why?

“—need to rest before I die,” a huffing Leona was saying as I pulled myself from my head. “That’s not too much to give a girl…if you’ve got a heart.”

Jasher remained silent, stoic and didn’t slow. Okay, so, he was in a mood. I didn’t bother asking my question.

Leona sniffled. “How can you be so cruel to me? I just lost my only home, my few friends. My very purpose!”

Been there. I almost—almost—felt sorry for her.

Still Jasher marched on. Nugget returned, chasing a rodent.

Light faded as evening approached. Just when darkness arrived in full force, we came to a majestic section of the forest with huge glowing mushrooms and purple flowers with glittering petals. Tree branches had grown together, forming a row of arches. A narrow river flowed gently at our right.

The beauty wowed me, which meant one thing.Dangerous. I stiffened, waiting for a new threat to appear. Minutes passed without a burn in my finger to signal genuine peril. Dare I believe we were safe?

“We’ll stop here for the night,” Jasher announced, dropping his pack.

---