Page 21 of Queen of the Night
“But what about all the boulders?” Darvy questions.
A muscle in Ikar’s jaw works and I can tell he’s thinking. “Wedidpass the engraving in the mountainside this morning. So whether we saw the boulder field or not, we know that, as of today, we’re on the right track. And if we’re right, that means we’re at least halfway there.”
My eyes dart between the three of them as the discussion continues. I have nothing to offer, but my eyes continue to snag on the book that I haven’t quite gotten a good look atyet. I lean over a bit to see if I can catch a better view of the page so I can read it myself the same time as Rupi lands on Ikar’s hand that holds it. She tilts her head toward it, then pecks at the page before sidestepping backward and forward along his forearm. Ikar attempts to assuage her with a placating pat on her tiny head, but she quills a bit as she ducks from beneath his touch and pecks at the page again until he finally turns it. She tilts her head again and eyes it closely, then chirps happily as she bounces across his forearm. She can be quite forceful when she wants to be. I smirk, having experienced the same. But when he sees the page, he pauses.
“The nymphs…” Ikar mutters as he runs a hand through his hair, mussing it delightfully. “We discussed bypassing them to save time… a shorter route…” He frowns as he rereads the page that I can’t quite get a clear view of without leaning any farther into him and being obvious about it.
Darvy takes the book to reread the passage. “Remember, though, the nymphs might be dead. The shorter route might still be the best option.”
Rhosse folds his arms and glances at the page Ikar and Darvy are so interested in. “But if they’re alive, and they can lead us straight to it… might be worth it. Who knows what has happened to the alternate route. It’s a risk either way.”
Straight towhat?I’m ready to tear the book out of Darvy’s hands and satiate the curiosity that is killing me.Stay professional.I open my mouth to politely ask if I can take a look, but Ikar takes the journal and snaps it shut so decisively I feel stray pieces of my hair blow out from my face. He tucks it within his armor before a word leaves my lips. “We’ll find the nymphs first. Keep an eye out for another set of three arrows. The nymph cave should be nearby.”
I purse my lips. I gathered a whole lot ofnothingfrom that conversation.
I jog to catch up with Ikar, leaving Rhosse and Darvy slightly behind as I try to get the answers I’m craving, but Ikar beats me to it.
“Do you have lucent?” Ikar asks, looking my way.
“Of course I do.” I can’t help the offense in my voice. If there’sonething I can contribute with confidence on this journey, it’s lucent. I pull a small lucent orb in my hand closest to him and show him just to ease his worry. “Plenty.”
He stares at it for a moment, then brings a hand up and cups my smaller one in his. “I don’t know how you’re doing it. The lucent is so sparse here that it almost feels like I’m cuffed again at times.” His laugh lacks humor.
My orb flickers, reflecting my fear… Should I have been more careful? Should I have pretended it’s harder than it is? I silently curse and snuff the orb out, and now it’s just his hand cupping mine. He adjusts his hold, now moving his calloused thumb across the palm of my hand where the lucent orb just flickered.
“If you ever feel like you don’t have enough, you’ll tell me?” He ducks his head to meet my eyes.
I stumble with the intensity of his focus, and his hand grips mine tighter while I gain my footing.
“Rhosse, Darvy, and I all know how to fight and having lucent is helpful, but it’syourgreatest weapon… If there’s not enough…” He pauses and swallows. “Sometimes I feel guilty for contracting you for a journey so dangerous?—”
My chest grows warm seeing his concern. “I’ll tell you,” I agree, just to appease him, but somehow, I know I’m not going to run out of lucent. Ever.
I glance at his face, getting the perfect view of his darkbrows, blue eyes, the hard line of his nose, his strong jaw, and lips that I know from experience are exquisite?—
His thumb runs over my palm once more, leaving it tingly and warm. “Either way, stay close.”
I force myself not to cling to his hand even as he lets mine drop.Stay close?That’s one order I am more than happy to obey. For survival reasons only, of course.
We keep a pace that nearly has me jogging to keep up with these longer-legged officers while I try to warn away the turkeys that have been trailing us off and on for the last few hours with shooing motions when the men aren’t watching. But I fear they’ll likely become dinner—it’s always harder to eat them when they’re friendly.
I can’t worry over them for too long, though, because a crawly sensation that prickles at the back of my neck prompts me to look over my shoulder, searching for the cause, and I know it’s not the turkeys.More whispers, or something else?The view is the same as always—ailing forest and gloam. A hint of a shadow catches at the corner of my gaze before it disappears, and I stare hard at the spot until my vision grows blurry.
Rupi turns on my shoulder, looking over my back, her head jutting forward suspiciously as she searches the depths of the forest the same as I. She’s a guard at heart, even if she does look more like a fluffy wad of cotton. I pat her tiny back in comfort and force a small smile to Rhosse who turns his head to find what I’m looking at.
“Did you see something?” he asks, still searching the shadows behind us.
“I thought so… but maybe not.” I bite my lip.
Nothing materializes, so after a few more moments, I turn my gaze ahead and try to ignore the feeling. It seems Rupi is picking up on my anxiety, and now so is Rhosse—I need tocontrol it better. I still feel like someone, or something, is watching us, but I don’t bring it up because, of course, somethingiswatching us. The gloam is so thick it looks almost solid at times. But aside from that, I’m still catching sight of the dark shadows, always in my peripheral, that I started seeing weeks ago, and I don’t know what they are. It’s likely too much stress.
I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart and wipe my sweaty palms on my trousers, worried if the gloam doesn’t get us, my paranoia will.
Chapter 14
Vera
We survived our first day and night in the Lucent Mountains, but between the chill gloam so thick it felt as if I might suffocate and listening to every creaking branch and leaf crunch in the forest, I didn’t fall asleep once. It appears I wasn’t the only one who struggled.
