Page 5 of Queen of the Wildwood
The last thing I wanted to talk about was myself. My tone came out hard and clipped. “Yes. And no. When the villagers discovered I have abilities, they forced me to train with the Sisters of the Light. My magic is supposed to protect the people from the forest.”
He ducked under a low-hanging branch and glanced back at me, his eyes alight with curiosity. “You have great magic. I’ve sensed it before, and I sense it now. Are you sure you will not change your mind and return home?”
Filtered sunbeams blinked through the forest, and for a titillating moment, Aelbrin’s profile lit up in the delicate light.
A fluttering sensation passed through my chest, and a sudden urge to trail my fingers over the swirling runes on his skin came over me. Before today, I’d allowed myself to dream about the man who brought me roses. But now the truth of our circumstance and the truth of who he really was pressed up raw and realistic. I was a mage. He was Her knight. Any dreams I’d once held of stolen kisses and star-crossed love suddenly seemed a lifetime away.
My voice turned rough to hide my attraction to him. “You do not understand. I do not have a home to return to.”
Aelbrin gave a brief nod, his face returning to a mask of indifference. Then his focus drifted down my body to my bare feet. He gestured impatiently toward them. “Why didn't you say something? Your feet will be torn up walking through the woods.”
“I did not notice,” I mumbled in bewilderment.
“Will your magic conjure shoes for you?” he teased, reaching up to snatch a strip of bark off a tree. Setting his teeth, he tore it quickly and held out the mutilated strips.
Surprised at the gaiety in his tone, I bit back a laugh. “Magic is not used for creation, only to bring energy together. I can push away objects and pull them back together. I can change the shape of matter, especially herbs, salt, and blood. I can call on the wind to bring forth a storm, but I cannot create shoes with a snap of my fingers. Although that would be convenient.”
Aelbrin flashed a lopsided grin at me, and the transformation lit up his stoic features. I swallowed hard as he rested his bulk against a fallen log and tip-toed his fingers down its side. His fingers stroked and searched in such an intimate way that heat rose to my cheeks.
Blushing, I looked away, furious at myself for the weakness I felt.
Aelbrin pulled moss out of the crevices and packed it into the shallow boats of wood he'd created from bark. “Here,” he held them out to me. “These will keep your feet from experiencing too much discomfort. I keep extra supplies in a cave nearby and will likely find something fitting for you there.”
First a cloak and now shoes.
“Thank you.” Our eyes locked, and I gave him a genuine smile.
To distract myself, I reached out to take the shoes and unwittingly brushed his sun-kissed hands. A tingling sensation went through me, and suddenly I saw visions.
Aelbrin dragging people out of a fiery structure.
Aelbrin fighting a scaled creature that breathed fire and tried to consume the people he'd saved.
Throwing his arms around a woman who looked like him, the same sharp nose and deep-set eyes, possibility his mother? Or sister?
The Dark Queen riding out of the forest and banishing the firedrake but requiring souls in exchange for her actions.
Aelbrin yanked away, nostrils flaring, his voice rough. “What did you do?”
My cry died in my throat. Aelbrin’s tales hadn’t been tales at all. They’d been stories about his life.
My voice softened with sadness for him, but curiosity bloomed. “Was that your past? Your people?”
Aelbrin's face closed, and his eyes went dark. Lips set in a grim line, he dropped the shoes and marched away.
I tugged on the wooden slippers but still had to run to catch up with his long gait.
His hands were balled into fists, and when I caught a glimpse of his face, his jaw was set and his eyes steely with resolve.
Words tumbled out of my mouth with urgency. I had to know.
“What did I see? That was your past, wasn’t it? You offered your service in exchange for those people’s lives. Didn't you? That’s what I want, to make a bargain with the Dark Queen, to offer myself to save the villagers.”
“You shouldn't want it,” Aelbrin growled, tossing his words over his shoulder. “Committing your life to the service of the Dark Queen will cost more than you know.”
“I have nothing left to lose,” I protested. He could not tell me how to live my life.
He paused and spun around so quickly I almost ran into his chest. Rough hands came up and gripped my shoulders, and his eyes were dangerous, disapproving as he glared at me. He angled his tousled head closer to mine, making sure each word sank in. “You have your soul, untarnished, unblemished. You should keep it that way.”
