Page 30 of Essence of the Throne

I nod, trying to hide the relief that floods through me.

We find a small clearing off our self-designated path, hidden enough to avoid any unlikely prying eyes but open enough to keep watch. I gather wood from the abundance of it scattered on the forest floor and set up in the small area we found between trees. Ariella settles on a patch of grass, weaving fire into existence with the twist of her fingers. Her movements are slower now, the exhaustion catching up to her. She’s stubborn as fuck, but even she has limits.

I sit across from her and we both eat from our packs in silence. Moss and vines cover most trunks of the large trees, giving the forest an almost mystical feel. As if time itself refuses to abideby the rules of the realm. My eyes close of their own will, and I breathe in lungfuls of the fresh, crisp air. I suspect the atmosphere here is quite humid during the warmer days, which would have made this trip wildly uncomfortable.

Aside from the sounds of flame, the forest is quiet around us. I hear no birds or insects, or even larger animals—I thought the Amyst Wolves lived on these lands…

A loud crackle of the fire sounds between us, and I open my eyes to study Ariella in the flickering light. Her face is drawn, shadows accentuating the angles of her cheekbones. She looks as fierce as ever, but there’s a weariness in her posture that I’d be damned to ignore.

“Tell me something,” I say, breaking the silence. “What do you think Gavriel’s reaction was when I told him he couldn’t join us?”

Ariella’s lips twitch, the closest thing to a smile I’ve seen from her all night. “I’d bet my blade that the brute dropped to his knees and kissed each of your feet while begging you to let him come.”

I chuckle, rolling my shoulders. “I won't pretend to understand why you two hate each other so much, but I’ll admit it’s entertaining. You are wrong, though. I told him I needed someone to keep an eye on my father and Varrick, and he insisted on arguing with me until he gave in—not unlike you, actually.” I know I’m pressing her buttons, but I can’t help it.

“What did I tell you would happen the next time you compared me to him?”

My head tilts as I grin. “You going to cut my dick off, angel? Because I don’t think you will.”

“Hm—I seem to recall that the last time you underestimated me, my blade appeared in your abdomen.”

“You are a stubborn fucking woman,” I mutter, adjusting to lean against the cool bark of a tree. “Are you always so difficult to work with? Or am I just special?”

Her gaze softens in the slightest, the tension easing from her shoulders. “I don’tworkwith anyone else. This is strange, however.” She gestures between our bodies. “I’m not familiar with being alone with someone who is not trying to stab me in the back.”

“I am not your enemy, Ariella,” I assert, though I know it’s a lesson that’s been hard for her to learn. One she still hasn’t fully grasped. “Some of us actually want to see you succeed and be happy.”

Her eyes narrow, accusing. “And what’s in it for you, Caspian?”

I pause, considering the question. There’s the obvious answer—uniting against our common enemy, ending the horrors my father has unleashed, and learning just what her parents’ writing referred to—but there’s also something deeper, something she’s not ready to hear.

“Let’s just say I have a vested interest in keeping you alive,” I reply, maintaining my light tone. “Besides, you’re far too beautiful to lose so soon.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossibly handsome and charming, yes,” I lilt with a grin.

My wraith turns away, the hint of a smile playing at her lips. It’s something, at least.

We travel for two more days, and I again struggle to stop her long enough to do any self-care. How she’s kept herself alive this long is a mystery I’ll never solve, though she did mention she has never traveled anywhere before. This is the farthest journey she’s been on, and perhaps that’s why she’s continuously tapping her thigh and sounding so frustrated.

This is new to her. She’s uncomfortable. This cunning, beautiful, brilliant woman doesn’t like change.

I hum to myself and set aside that information.

We’ve fallen into an easy routine; Ariella prepares the tent while I gather wood and fill our water packs. After she weaved away the wards at her door and I confirmed she possesses all three infinities, it had never occurred to me that she had access to more strands than I’d already knew of. How many is that now? Flora, vital, aero, aqua, pyro, kinetic, and umbral. After our unexpected tryst, when she demonstrated her shadows, I suspect she is also able to weave the psionic strand.

I’ve no fucking clue what happened that day, but Iknowshe was talking in my head. The things she’d said didn’t sound like her,but they felt so right.

Then she bit me.

I wanted to bite her back.Neededto.

And I loved every bizarre second of it.

I shiver as sticks drop from my arms onto the bed of sand I’ve designated as the fire pit. My hand mindlessly reaches for the two dots on my neck and rubs the almost healed skin. Neither Ariella nor I have spoken about what happened after that day, though my mind has been churning from holding the questions back. I can tell the topic is discomforting to her, but we cannot lurk around the unspoken conversation forever.

Releasing a breath, I step back as Ariella starts the fire and reach into my pack for salted meat and a honey cake I think she will like. I will force it down her throat if she refuses to eat…she’s consumed nothing but water since yesterday. And as I watch her rearrange her bedding for a moment, the tension in her shoulders betrays just how well she’s faring.

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