Page 46 of Winter's Fate

CHAPTER 19

The bandits’ fire was a far cry from the sad little flames Laena had kindled on their first night. Callum might’ve been impressed with her ability to coax warmth from steel and stone, but they’d had no tools to chop proper firewood, which had necessitated constant maintenance to keep it going.

When the bandits made camp, she set to work helping them collect kindling while Fizz and the others chopped larger fallen branches. Soon the flames were crackling, and Maynard was encouraging Laena and Callum to sit while Fizz tossed savory roots into a pot.

When Laena dipped her hand into her pocket to check on Brin, the little shimmerling licked at her fingertips. Callum had produced Brin from his pocket as soon as they’d stopped, and Laena had barely been able to restrain herself from throwing her arms around his neck.

She wasn’t sure he’d thank her for that.

With a silent promise to sneak some food Brin’s way, Laena settled on the ground beside Callum, holding her hands out to the flames.

“At odds, are you?” Maynard asked.

Laena blinked at the older man, confused, but he merely chuckled and waved his finger back and forth between herself and Callum. “A married couple, and a young one at that, seated by the fire with nary a touch? After such a frightening adventure? You’re at odds, or I’m the King of the Sea.”

Laena had nearly forgotten that she and Callum were meant to be married. Though Callum hadn’t been able to say as much, she could guess the reason for the ruse. Kindly though Maynard and his ‘bandits’ were, it might be too great a test to reveal their true identities. The captain of the King’s Guardandan Etran princess? They’d make more from a ransom than whatever Callum had promised to pay.

Callum scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. He kept his fingers loose at her side, where other men would have taken the excuse to sneak a squeeze. It was the bare minimum of decency, certainly, only… Laena found herself wishing he’d try it.

“We’re not at odds,” Callum said. “We’re merely exhausted.”

Maynard smiled at them, bobbing his head like he knew better. Laena wondered if she ought to play along, pretend to be angry with him. But exhaustion was starting to fray her ability to play this game. She was longing for a decent meal and a night of uninterrupted sleep.

With Callum’s body flush against her side, she might fall asleep right here and now.

Fizz appeared with bowls of stew and a proud smile. And, Laena realized as he hovered over Maynard’s shoulder, the expectation of a verdict on the quality of the meal. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Hand it around, Fizz,” another of the bandits complained, but the young man waited.

“We’ve got new tastebuds at the fire,” Fizz replied. “I can’t waste the opportunity to improve.”

Laena spooned a mouthful of stew into her mouth, eyes widening at the medley of flavors that Fizz had somehow mixed into the dish. It was savory and distantly sweet, and she had the feeling he’d created it as a companion to the molasses rolls he’d shared earlier. An herbal note in the background that didn’t drown out the natural taste of the roots… it was beyond any stew she’d cooked herself, truly.

“How did you do that?” she asked. “Out here in the woods?”

Fizz grinned. “Practice.” He winked. “And a satchel full of spices. I keep it with me at all times.”

“You’re forgetting the number of failures you’ve forced us to choke down.” Gretchen stomped over and jerked the pot away from Fizz. “Feed the rest of us, will you?”

Maynard ignored his crew’s squabbling, intent on his food. “Tell me,” he said. “How did you two meet?”

Unbidden, a vision rose to her mind of Callum appearing at the palace gates to insist that her own guards let her in. Truly she was a fool, to think of something so ridiculous—he’d also gone tearing out of his chambers half-naked to chase after an assassin. But it was the image of him staring at that guard, insisting the man respect her, that lodged in her mind.

If I had any sense, you would be in chains by now.

Would he have done the same, had he known about her magic?

“He assisted me,” she said softly. “In a… in a matter of some delicacy.”

Tucked beneath his shoulder as she was, she could feel him shift to look down at her, and she flushed. No need to let him see how much his intervention had saved her. His numerous interventions, at this point.

No doubt he regretted those now that he knew her secret.

“I’m a seamstress, you see,” she continued, “and he was justthe right size to model a wedding gown I was sewing. For a horse.”

Maynard threw his head back and laughed, and several of the others joined him. But it was Callum’s laugh that caught her breath in the back of her throat, the vibration of his chest at her back. “A tall tale,” he said.

“It isn’t,” she insisted, turning to pinch his chin between her fingers. “He looks beautiful in lace.”

---