Page 20 of Quest for her Knights
A small giggle slips out, and Blaze looks down at me, a smile playing on his lips as he asks, “What?”
“Dad’s mad at us.”
He throws his head back, letting out a loud laugh, which makes me giggle even more.
When we reach the stream, I let go of his arm so I can stretch my arms over my head. “It’s nice to finally be able to stand up. How much longer do we have to go?” I ask curiously.
“It’ll be a few hours still. Is it uncomfortable back there?”
“It’s not terrible, but it’s a bit lonely. I was reading, but now my stomach hurts from motion sickness,” I say, rubbing my belly.
“I might be able to help with that,” he says, his eyes scanning the ground. I watch curiously as he wanders along the edge of the stream, then disappears briefly into the trees.
After about five minutes of silent searching, he calls out, “Aha!” and I watch as he bends down and plucks something from the ground.
He heads back toward me, plucking a leaf from the plant and shoving it into his mouth to chew. “Here, it’s mint. It’ll help with your stomachache.”
“Really?” I ask, taking the offered leaf and giving it a sniff. It definitely smells like mint. I shove it into my mouth and start chewing, and surprisingly quickly, it eases my stomach. “Wow, it’s working!” I exclaim. “Thanks, Blaze.”
Chapter eight
Blaze
Iwatch, transfixed, as she wades through the stream. She had slipped off her shoes, gathered up her skirts, and stepped in before I could stop her. The water is only a couple of inches deep, so she’s in no danger of drowning, but I still worry she’ll fall.
“What is she doing?” Draven asks quietly as he steps up beside me, his signature scowl in place.
“It feels so nice on my feet!” she says with a laugh, making me smile.
“I dunno, she’s enjoying herself, though. That’s all that really matters,” I say with a shrug.
“She couldfall in there.”
“She could fall out here,” I counter. He just grunts in reply as we watch her splash around like it’s the most fun thing in the world.
“Why don’t you two join me? It feels so refreshing!” she calls over to us.
“I’d rather watch you,” I tell her, realizing that may come off as a little creepy.
“Draven?” she asks, thankfully overlooking my awkwardness.
He shakes his head, making her frown. She turns away and continues moving down the stream. I elbow him in the ribs. “Oomph!”
“You could at least try to be nice to her. You know she’s nothing like the other Elora, right?”
“I know that,” he grumbles, watching her for a moment before storming off back to the carriage.
He’s never spoken about what Princess Elora said to him years ago, but we all know it caused him to withdraw and grow angry. Hopefully, he can come to terms with the fact that she’s gone and never coming back.
I’m sure it’s hard working in a castle under someone you hate, especially when they’re essentially your boss.
“What are you thinking about?” Elora asks, pulling me out of my head.
“Nothing important. Are you having fun in there?”
“Yeah, but I wish you’d join me. Everything’s better when you have someone to do it with,” she says a little wistfully. Anddammit all, I can’t resist her when she sounds like that. So I roll up my pants, slip off my boots and socks, and step into the water with her.
She cheers, clapping her hands in excitement as she tries to jump up and down, but quickly starts to fall sideways. I grab her waist and pull her close as her hands shoot to my shoulders for stability.
