Page 50 of Quest

She sighed. “There’s no need to appease me. If I made a mistake?—”

“You didn’t,” I said. “I lied the first time.” A hit on my pride would be well worth returning her lovely smile.

She frowned instead. “Why would you do that?”

I could think of no excuse other than the truth, which was far too embarrassing for my male pride to confess. I averted my gaze and simply shrugged. I felt her staring at me, searching for the answer that had become my own secret. I had never noticed the weight of another’s gaze before, but I could almost feel hers caress my face, as gentle as every other part of her.

My cheeks warmed beneath her scrutiny, a sensation accompanied by another foreign sensation that just wouldn’t leave—my heart twinged, and with the sensation I realized that I had encountered my most dangerous obstacle on the quest yet.

CHAPTER 20

Mei

Ever since my confession, Darcel had been behaving differently…but not in the way my fears had initially anticipated. Aside from his distance the changes were difficult to discern, but I sensed a definite shift between us, unseen yet tangible.

By the time the sun had fully risen we’d resumed our journey to the cavern that housed the eternal flame. The morning was brisk, mist clinging to the leaves like a lingering whisper of the night’s secrets, a contrast to the air between Darcel and me, thick with a new, awkward tension; his occasional stilted smiles and the way his eyes darted away when our gazes met spoke volumes of his inner turmoil. Every glance and word seemed measured, laden with hesitation, as if he were struggling to reconcile the companion he had known with the woman I truly was. With each step towards the cavern, I could feel the weight of my confession settling into the soil beneath my feet, rooting me deeper into the reality that Darcel now knew me not as Ren, but as Mei.

As we drew near the grove that had once denied me passage, the atmosphere grew tense. My steps slowed, my heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and hope. The memory of being deemed unworthy to proceed by the sacred grove’s magic lingered like a cold shadow at the edge of my thoughts, stirring the deep-rooted insecurities I’d harbored my entire life that I was truly fit to be an herbalist…let alone qualified to guide a quest that would affect the entire kingdom.

Yet my recent confession to Darcel gave me the courage to take a tentative step forward and touch the altar. The air, once heavy with an invisible resistance, shifted. There was no dramatic flurry of wind or light, but the mystical barrier that had once firmly held me at bay seemed to simply dissolve, melting away like morning mist beneath the gentle rays of sunlight, a sign that the magic within the grove recognized the sincerity in my confession to Darcel, as well as the truth of my identity.

Relief and triumph flooded through me at the grove’s acceptance that was more than just a passageway, but a vindication, a healing balm soothing the deep-seated insecurities I harbored about my worthiness to uphold my family’s legacy of herbalists. The ancient trees stood as sentinels as we passed, their towering forms imbued with a solemn dignity. I could almost hear their leaves whispering in hushed reverence, a soft chorus that seemed to echo their quiet encouragement. With every whispered rustle I felt a piece of my old doubts fade, replaced by a growing peace that settled deeply within my heart, knitting together the frayed edges of my confidence and giving me strength for the next leg of our journey.

Darcel’s figure cut through the early light that danced between the towering trees as he led the way past the grove towards the cavern entrance. The way the muscles on his back shifted beneath his shirt riveted my attention, a silent testament to the readiness with which he faced our quest. Yet despite his focus there was an awkwardness in his posture that hadn’t been present before, a hesitance that made him seem almost…vulnerable. I caught him stealing repeated glances at me over his shoulder, his eyes darting away whenever I met his gaze.

As the path lined by wild ferns and the occasional wildflower narrowed, Darcel’s behavior grew increasingly erratic. He often cleared his throat, as if to speak, only to shake his head and push forward in silence. When a pheasant suddenly burst from the brush he almost reached for me, his hand hanging suspended in the air before he pulled it back, clenching it at his side.

Each of his nervous fidgets hinted at an internal struggle, and the way he deliberately avoided my gaze made me fear that I was at the heart of his turmoil. The way he stiffened when I sidled closer only confirmed my unease. “You’ve been behaving oddly ever since…you found out. Are you upset with me?”

“Of course not.” He made the insistence a bit too hastily to be convincing.

I frowned. “Really?”

He ran his hand through his hair and angled his body away, as if he couldn’t face me. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the prince’s peculiar behavior—after one of Darcel’s many awkward interactions with me, Sir Jiang pulled him aside.

“Are you certain nothing happened with Ren last night that we should know about?” Despite his efforts to keep his voice low, it was too deep and loud to entirely evade my notice.

“Nothing unusual happened,” Darcel said. “Ren received the approval of the grove, so clearly he is trustworthy.” His voice hitched on my name, as if he suddenly found it awkward to say.

Sir Jiang frowned and cast me an uneasy glance. Though he thankfully didn’t press the matter, I sensed the matter wasn’t fully resolved in his mind.

Darcel’s strange resistance seemed to entirely falter when we came to a stream barring our way. As I paused at the bank assessing the best way to cross, Darcel suddenly appeared at my side, his hand outstretched.

“Let me help you.” His low voice was almost drowned out by the rush of the stream, the soothing sound of water acting as a balm to the strange tension festering between us.

My gaze darted towards Kael and Sir Jiang, who’d already waded halfway across without any concern for getting wet. “I am perfectly capable of crossing by myself. Besides, it’ll look too suspicious?—”

“Let me help you.” A hint of pleading filled Darcel’s tone and I sensed a deeper meaning in his request. I tentatively placed my hand in his, the warmth of his grip encircling my fingers like a promise.

His touch was firm and secure as he guided me over the slick stones. Even after we reached the other side his fingers lingered around mine, as if hesitant to let go. The heat from his hand seemed to seep through my whole being, stirring something within me that I struggled to keep buried. He hastily released me when the others glanced our way—Jiang in confusion, Kael with an almost calculating look—leaving my hand colder, as if it had been submerged in the water we’d just traversed.

Ahead, the cavern loomed like a gaping maw on the mountain’s side, its entrance draped with vines that hung like curtains shielding against the lingering dawn. As we drew closer, the air chilled, hinting at the presence of the eternal flame ahead with each whispering breeze that rustled through the foliage.

The last stretch of the ascending path was unusually rocky, which kept Darcel at my side. “Watch your step, Mei.” He murmured my name quietly enough for the others not to overhear, but the way he spoke it sounded like a new discovery, as if he was still coming to terms with the person he now saw before him.

Carefully, we navigated the uneven ground, the tension between us palpable yet unspoken as each step brought us closer to our destination until we reached the cavern entrance.

“Stay close behind me.” Darcel entered the darkness with a torch in hand. The cool, musty air enveloped me as I followed him into the cave, the walls glistening with moisture that reflected our torchlight in hundreds of tiny stars. Darcel remained close, his presence a constant heat against my back. Every so often I felt him lean in, as if drawn by a force he couldn’t resist, only to catch himself and step back, leaving a cold space between us.

---