Page 22 of If The Crown Fits
We made lunch over a fire next to a small stream and left her sitting on the grass by herself. It was a trust that perhaps she hadn’t earned yet, but Brutus started unpacking our food and I half grinned as she sat and watched him, not appearing to be making plans to go anywhere. She was hungry, too. Even if she did run now, civilisation was still fairly far off and she would be lucky to make it out of the woods alive without proper food or clothing. I assumed she knew this just as well.
She rested against one of the trees and opened her eyes in surprise when I handed her a plate with some bread and cheese. She offered no thanks, however. And I held back a sigh. All things considered, I didn’t see much of a reason for her to complain. She was the one who stole from us in the first place. We weren’t planning on keeping her for ever and she was certainly getting much better treatment than any other thief would. Especially if they stole from a prince. Lara did appear to be enjoying the food, though. While she ate, she watched each of us carefully. I pretended not to notice her intense staring and observation. There was no way to know what exactly she was thinking, what conclusions she was coming to.
We didn’t rest for long. As soon as she’d finished her last bite, I ordered us back on the horses.
The sun baked my skin and a trickle of sweat rolled down my temple. The forest floor crunched beneath the horses’ hoovesand I maintained all my focus on keeping my attention away from the female body seated behind me.
“So, Conner.”
The blond boy turned his head towards me.
“Yes, Your... yes, Alcott.” He quickly corrected himself.
“Jack tells me you’re advancing in your training. He says you’re particularly excellent with the bow and arrow.”
Conner’s eyes lit up at my words, though he tried to hide his satisfaction.
“Don’t flatter him too much,” Jack called out from where he was riding at the back. “Or it will all go to his head and then what will I do with him?”
“You would know better than I,” I replied. “You let everything go to your head, after all.”
Jack laughed and my eyes landed on Conner again, who was still trying to hide a smile.
“Where are we?” the female voice piped up behind me.
“Should be somewhere close to the centre of the forest,” Jack said.
I immediately felt her tense up behind me. “You need to get out of here.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“We cannot be in the centre of the forest. You need to get as far away from here as possible.”
I met a concerned gaze from Alastor. “Why?”
“There’s a legend about what lurks in the centre of the forest. During the day there’s a mist so dense that if you are caught in it, you will be wandering around, lost, until you die.” The more she spoke, the higher her voice got, and I realised she was truly afraid.
“And we’re supposed to believe this, based on what?” I asked in disbelief.
Perhaps this was the explanation to it all, her lies, the fact that she was wandering the forest in her shift in the middle of the night and now raved about magical mist that will kill you... she was insane.
“Umm, guys...” Conner was staring behind us, eyes as big and wide as saucers. “I don’t think the lady’s lying.”
I looked back, following his gaze, and there it was, faint and close to the ground, but unquestionably mist, during the middle of the day.
“And you’re positive this mist can kill you?” I asked.
“Well, no one ever survived to deny it!” She squirmed behind me.
“Perhaps we should make haste,” Jack suggested.
I looked behind us again, and this time the mist was closer and slightly thicker than before.
“Well, I’m not risking my life while the lot of you decide what you want to do.” She hit my horse’s behind with her flat palm, hard enough to cause him to rear slightly. “Go, go!”
We started into a gallop and the faster we tried to outrun the mist, the closer it started creeping up on us from all sides.
“Do you people live under a rock? Everyone in Everness knows to stay away from the centre of the forest!” she yelled.
