Page 48 of The Curse of a Kingdom
She needed Arkimedes trusting Devon so they could get him out of here. If he didn’t trust either of them, she would be screwed. “I’m going in that forest, whether you or the king try to stop me. Unless you plan to take me to that castle against my will.” For a moment, she really thought he would take her up on it, and she wasn’t ready to go down without a fight. “Aren’t you at least curious about what I have to show you?”
His tense pose relaxed a fraction, his eyes narrowing on her. “Fine.”
Nava turned around and headed into the forest before he could change his mind. She let her intuition guide her. Here the air was thick and dry; moats of dust and ashes floated in the air as if gray snow was falling from the sky. Even though she couldn’t see a trace of flames anywhere, it was sweltering hot the farther in she went.
Her eyes watered as she moved forward, knowing Arkimedes followed closely behind. The knot in her throat thickened as bees came to her. The forest differed from the ones in Grey Island. Moss didn’t hang from every surface, and the trees were sparser, with a gentle mix of conifer species and others, like pecan and maple trees. Their energy embraced her, welcoming her.
Her body was weightless as she walked forward, the tentative smile she wore had her cheeks aching. But it wasn’t only happiness that had her giddy.
This was home, the scents of wood and soil. The rattling of the leaves as the wind passed through them. Her body refilled with energy she hadn’t known had been depleted until this very moment.
The treetops waved with unnatural force, and Arkimedes pulled her behind him, his magic exploding into a plume of black ink that embraced them in a protective shield. “Stay behind me.”
“It’s fine. I know who it is.” She pressed her hand against his back, right underneath where his wing protruded from his coat. A creature of wood and bark landed in front of them, crouching on the ground before he stood over seven feet tall, looking down at them with black eyes.
“It’s nice to see you, dearest.”
“I wasn’t allowed to leave. I had to escape today—and barely made it.”
Ari stared in silence.“Blackness hugs the mind of our protector like poison.” The Beekeeper turned his head to the side, studying Arkimedes with an expression that morphed into one of worry. “That is why he didn’t bring you along the last few times he has been in the forest.”
“He doesn’t remember us,” Nava said and heard the loud intake of breath coming from Arkimedes. She chose not to turn to face him, not to dwell on the lack of recognition on his face. With a few strides toward the Beekeeper, she placed her hand on top of one of his wooden legs. “It’s good to see you again, Ari.”
The creature nodded. “You have finally let your body unleash some of your power. You have transferred. I can sense it in your skin.”
Even though Ari didn’t speak out loud, the creature’s mouth ticked up in a prideful smile, and that alone took some of the burden that weighed her heart. She turned to Arkimedes, who was staring open-mouthed at the both of them.
“I have never seen a Beekeeper this close before,” he breathed.
If only he remembered all they’d gone through, their adventures, the knowledge they’d both gained, their life together. “You have,” she whispered.
He turned toward her, a brow raising. “How would you know?”
“It’s easy.” She shrugged, but her eyes stayed on him. Unblinking. “You have seenme.”
And to prove her point further, she lifted her hand, and bees came flying down, circling her palm. Tens. Hundreds of them. The buzzing grew louder, and Arkimedes staggered back. His eyes widened as he followed the swarm.
Ari grasped her shoulder, and their energy blended together, soaring with their nearness.“He doesn’t quite remember us, but the memories are still there. Trapped under an enchantment.” The Beekeeper’s eyes shifted to Nava. “You, dearest, lost something greater. The shadow man's touch was on you.”
Her body crumpled down, or maybe it wasn’t her physical self, but everything inside. An emptiness in her heart grew like a black hole, sucking the energy she had just regained.
She didn’t want to be reminded of it, not now. She had cried enough already.
“It can’t be. A human can’t be a Beekeeper.” Arkimedes shook his head, but his eyes traveled from the bees to her.
“Surprise.” Her lips turned into a weak smile, but the heaviness that lingered in her heart was anything but happy. “The Zorren have been coming to our dimension more and more. Ari needs me here.”
“The Zorren?” Arkimedes repeated, his skin growing pale. “We suspected it was humans using dark magic to burn the forest, but we didn’t expect demons.”
“I sent one back to their realm a couple of days ago. There is one more I have tracked down. They have opened a gate in this forest, but my power alone doesn’t let me find it.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Yes, we are connected.” The three of them. However, she hoped Arkimedes didn’t see the mark carved in Ari’s chest. She didn’t want to have to go through the soulmate-bond thing while she had to deal with everything else. Cowardly? Perhaps. But after realizing she’d lost her father and her ability to make potions, she was determined not to lose Arkimedes as well. “He says there is a gate opened in the forest, but he needs our combined forces to find it.”
“We have seen the destruction scattered around the west side. They’ve killed a few hunters, and our farmers claim the land has been poisoned.”
“We should go there, right?” She turned to Aristaeus, who quietly observed them.
