Page 119 of Lost in the Dark

Eventually, Iris stirred, leaving behind a small trail of drool as she rubbed her face over my chest.

“Morning, angel,” I whispered, and ran my rough palm over the smooth skin of her back.

“Morning,” she said as she propped herself up on her elbows, placing her head between her palms and fixing those deep brown eyes on me.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, and tugged on a strand of her hair.

She dug her teeth into her lower lip and looked away. “Of course I slept well after that.” A bright blush spread over her pale cheeks.

It was delightful to see her like this. So sweet and so shy. In our short time together, I had somehow gained her trust. Given all she’d been put through in her short life, that was no small feat.

I let out a deep laugh and wrapped my arms around her. So badly I wanted to kiss her, but it was time I put some distance between the two of us. Leaving her was going to be hard enough without continuing this affection through the day.

I released my grip and cleared my throat, rolling Iris off of my body and onto the furs. I turned my back to her and fastened the belt of my kilt before stepping into my boots.

When I turned around, Iris was cinching her bodice. My gaze caught on her bare feet and I caught her arm just as she was about to stand.

“Your feet. Let me wrap them.” In my pack sat a heavy bag of coins, and I’d see to it that the first thing Elric got for her was a nice pair of shoes. That she’d have all the nice things she was worthy of.

Iris stretched out her legs and watched me as I worked.

“They look much better,” I said as I finished binding them.

“Hmm?” she asked with a faraway look in her eyes.

She stared at me, her face solemn.

“Your feet. They look much better.”

Just as I was about to rise to my feet, she grabbed my arm.

“Sel, I—” The corner of her mouth pulled down into a frown, those brown eyes pleading with me.

“We should get going,” I said, and helped her to her feet.

We fell into the same routine that we had established a couple days ago when we walked the tunnels. There was a noticeable tension between us, a silence that seemed to seep deep into our souls. Words we wanted to say, but wouldn’t permit ourselves to speak.

I wouldn’t even allow myself the comfort of holding her hand. Instead, I kept my distance and minimized my glances at her.

After awile, Iris broke the silence. That melodic hum of hers filled the tunnel. Even though I tried to fight it, I began to hum it with her.

We hummed and walked for what felt like an eternity, until a pinprick of light could be seen out in front of us.

“Ah,” I said as I squinted my sensitive eyes. “We’re almost there.”

“Oh, lovely,” Iris said quietly as she narrowed her eyes at the light off in the distance.

I’d expected her to express some excitement over leaving the caves and seeing the light of day, but there was none to be found. A blank expression was plastered to her face as she continued hobbling forward, paying me little to no attention.

As we reached the mouth of the cave, the smell of fresh air filled my nostrils and the cool breeze of winter swept over my body. From the corner of my eye I could see Iris shivering in her thin dress.

“Come here,” I said, and removed one of the furs from my pack and draped it over her shoulders.

What I really wanted was to cradle her to my chest and warm her with my body heat, but this wasn’t the time for that.

“My God!” Iris exclaimed as she looked at the valley before us with wide eyes.

I came to a stop next to her and couldn’t believe what I saw.

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