Page 76 of Her Shadow so Dark and Lovely
“There’s a spot not far along that we can stop and rest safely,” he says, turning and starting on again. This time, I follow. “They’d need a blood tracker to find us there.”
I laugh, softly. “I don’t think the King will risk that again.”
Corus mutters a prayer to the stars. We fall into silence again as the light falls off, the cave’s cultivated plant life disappearing. The water trickles on into the darkness and the tether is pulled as tight and delicate as spider silk. It pinches as I walk.
And then it snaps. My steps stutter, but I forge on. I hold Lorel tighter, breathe in her paper and ink scent. Think of her fingers digging into my thighs. Her sweet sighs and her less sweet mouth. I do not know how long it will take, this unraveling of my being, but for now, for her, I will hold myself together.
Chapter 46
Lorel
There isthe faint sound of rushing water when I wake. The gentle sway of Sila’s footsteps is gone and I feel her body shift beneath mine as I rub sleep from my eyes.
“Are you awake, little mouse?” Sila asks, gentle hands finding my face. She sits against the wall of a cave. I am settled against her, my face pillowed on her chest. She watches me and her face is soft and fond, and I would dearly love to kiss her.
“Where are we?” I ask, instead. The air is damp with the taste of earth and salt that I would expect from bathwater.
“Corus found us somewhere to stop, so you could rest,” Sila says.
Corus crouches beside Sila, holding out a flask. “It’s as she says. Here.”
I take it and sit myself up with Sila’s help.
“I can refill it, so don’t hold back,” he says.
I stay settled in Sila’s lap and look her over. She does not seem weary. Whatever Vika had done to her, it didn’t carry the weight of the sanctified sword Jaime had used. The wounds are now nothing more than faint marks across her skin. I brush myfingers over them, just to reassure myself. She must be able to tolerate an incredible amount of pain to fight so. Seeing her fight is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. She’s a magnificent force of shadow and darkness. Entirely reckless. Breathtakingly beautiful. I’m still baffled to have caught her attention at all.
“Lorel?” Sila says.
“Was I out for long?” I ask.
“Not so long, but you were exhausted,” Sila says, taking my face in her hands to inspect me further. “Your eyes are clearer already.”
I smile at her. “I don’t quite feel it yet.”
“Because you need to eat,” Sila says, entirely sure of it. The rough piece of bread that Lune had shoved at me while I was being dressed seems a world away now.
“That’s easy fixed,” says Corus, rummaging in his pack before holding out a cloth-wrapped parcel. “You too,” he says to Sila.
“I do not need it,” she says. “Give it to Lorel, unless you think it is better kept by.”
“Suit yourself,” he says, swapping the empty flask for the bundle. Two soft buns roll into my lap as I open it. Sila watches me as I eat.
“What is it?” I ask. I take another bite and watch as her eyes track it.
There is amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. “I don’t feed you nearly enough,” she says.
I make a disbelieving noise. “You’re always trying to feed me.”
“Because you need it,” Sila insists. “And there is something rather sweet about you when you eat.”
I stare at her as I shove the last of the bun into my mouth. Sila’s eyes flick to my mouth. Corus clears his throat.
“We need to be getting on,” he says hesitantly
“Alright,” I say, dusting my hands off on my borrowed clothes. I still feel a slight bit too warm. Still feel that ache that will take an age to sleep off. I use Sila’s shoulders to pull myself up to standing. My legs protest, but it is only the protest of the unused.
“You sure you’ll be right?” Corus asks as Sila unfolds herself to stand up behind me.
