Page 76 of In Darkness Forged

Undeniable. Inescapable.

He loved his tiny, fierce human with all her boundless courage and willingness to embrace the darkness for those she cared about.

“Are you angry with me?” Her voice was soft and uncertain. Waiting for his reply.

Angry? No. He wanted to crush her to his chest again, to know that she was well and whole and remind himself that whatever hardships she had endured, she had also survived. He wanted to tell her the staggering truth he’d just discovered, but there was still anxiety in her eyes, and his bone-deep certainty would only frighten her.

“I am not,” he said, sitting up slowly and painfully to rest his elbows on his knees. “But I feel you have much yet to tell me. Such as”—his gaze pierced hers—“why I am still alive.”

Aislin looked back, her chin lifting defiantly. “I bargained with the Arantha Queen for two drops of her venom. One was for you.”

Tal’s mind spun, half amazement, half stunned horror. She’dbargained? With thequeen?

“She was not what I expected,” Aislin admitted. “I don’t know how much you know about their queens, but they are…” She shook her head. “Powerful, intelligent, cunning, and undeniably magical. She could speak inside my head. She asked what I wanted, and I told her. In exchange for the venom, she asked only for my promise to negotiate with Vanadar for a sovereign territory for herself and her children. So I agreed.”

The full import of her words finally struck him. Aislin had bargained and accepted the queen’s terms. Had agreed to ask Vanadar to grant the queen’s request. The regent had offered each of them only a single boon, which meant Aislin intended to exchange the queen’s petition for her own. She had, in essence, sacrificed her own desperate need in order to save his life.

“Why?” he demanded suddenly, shifting forward to stare at her intently. “Why did you waste such a gift on me? I was near enough to death that you could not tell the difference. You could have saved both drops of venom. Fulfilled your promise to the queen as well as gained what you needed. Instead, you risked everything on the chance that I might survive.”

He was still not angry, but there was a strange, tight feeling in his chest—some unnamed anxiety, and a need that would not be quieted.

“I told you,” Aislin said simply. “I couldn’t let you die.”

“That is not the full truth, is it?” Tal shifted nearer, his entire body taut with urgency as he awaited her answer. “Aislin, I heard what you said to Rhone. What was it that you believed you would never get a chance to tell me?”

She hesitated. Bit her lip. Looked at the ground.

And that was when Cuan finally got tired of waiting. With a low growl, he pounced, knocking Tal backwards and shoving his furry head right into Tal’s face before taking a vigorous swipe with his slobbery tongue.

Rolling out of the way, Tal got to his feet and allowed himself a moment to lean on his oldest friend, arms around his neck, face buried in his thick fur.

“Thank you,” he murmured, and Cuan answered with a brief anxious whine.

The wolf was right. They should not stay here. The cave’s mouth still yawned behind them, and the night was yet young. Predators would be roaming these woods, and they would be safer if they were on the move.

“We should make our way toward the settlement,” he said, turning to Aislin with an assessing gaze. “That is if you feel strong enough to go on for a few more hours. We can find a safer place to make camp for the day and assess our injuries there.”

He could see her bone-deep weariness in the hollows of her face and the droop of her shoulders, but she nodded anyway as she rose shakily to her feet. “Against all odds and expectations, we’re alive,” she said simply. “We should make every effort to stay that way. At some point, I will probably collapse, but for now, my relief is enough to carry me on for a few more hours.”

Pushing past the pain of wounds he dared not even stop to enumerate, Tal picked up his pack, vaulted onto Cuan’s back, and held out his hand. And this time, Aislin did not hesitate. She placed her hand willingly in his, and he lifted her up to sit not behind him, but in front. Surprised, she looked over her shoulder in weary confusion.

“If you fall asleep, I can ensure that you do not slide off,” he murmured in her ear, and she seemed to accept it without complaint as his arms encircled her waist.

Then Cuan broke into a run, and they were once more racing through the moonlit forest.

It was the same and yet different from every other time.

The same because he was again one with his dreadwolf, and the forest was as beautiful as it had always been.

And also different becausehewas different. Because of the woman in his arms. Because of the strange warmth that had replaced the ice around his heart. The anger and resentment that had sustained him for so long had somehow melted away. Perhaps they would return when he saw Paendreth’s face, but for now, there was nothing in the dark, churning place where they had once rested. Nothing but a sense of deep contentment and… peace.

An utterly unnerving thought.

“I suppose,” Aislin said, her voice already beginning to sound drowsy, “I should prepare to ask Vanadar for another task I can undertake.”

Tal supposed he should disabuse her of the notion that he would stand aside and watch as she did anything so nonsensical. But they were both tired, and he did not want to argue. He simply wanted to revel in the knowledge that she was close and safe. Later—after they’d both slept—would be soon enough to discuss his intentions.

“How great is this favor you requested that he would send you on such a dangerous errand?” he inquired mildly. “You mentioned a broken shield. I cannot imagine that being such a difficult thing to fix.”

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