Page 31 of A Kingdom of Shadows

"Listen," the boy says. "You need to be careful of him and anyone else here, and if they offer you a Mullvern berry, you must not take it."

"Mullvern berry?"

"It's a type of fruit harvested by the faeries of the forests. The more you take it, the more you grow weak. It's what he uses to make sure no one ever leaves."

An instant reminder of a specific blue fruit comes to mind. One Renward had also offered me in his hut.

Darius and I glance at each other, his thoughts like mine.

We must leave.

Returning my gaze to the boy, I ask, "Why are you telling us this?"

The sheer panic in his eyes is disrupted by something sorrowful. "Because... My mother died thanks to Renward sending her deeper into the dangers of the forest alone. I—I don't have anyone else."

My heart twists into the tightest knot watching the fresh pain pour out of him. Maybe it's seeing a young boy with no mother or father that I fight to keep my emotions in check. "What is your name?"

"Aias," he replies with a bow of his head.

I turn to face Darius. He's staring at me with such concern that he forgets I can see how much this bothers him as well. He never met his father, and when he finally got someone, he could call family, he lost him as well.

"Aias," I whisper without meaning as I turn to him, already thinking I can't leave him behind. He has no one else. "Do you think you can get us out of here?"

"I don't exactly know the way, but—" His lips pinch in thought. "I know Renward has a map back at his hut, sectioning safe routes out of here."

A flutter of relief cascades over me. It must be the one I saw on his desk. "I think I know which one you mean." Wasting no time, I turn to the side and glance at the ground. "Tibith, you go and gather any supplies we might need, food, weapons, anything—"

"I'll go with him," Aias interjects. "And once you have the map, you can meet us over the bridge." He points to where I first saw him, outside a caved-in hut.

I nod in agreement before he and Tibith dash off, leaving Darius and me as the last two people. We're in the same clothes as last night, which reinforces my memories of us sharing a bed. It had to be the fruit I ate; whatever was in it turned me insane.

My cheeks heat up, and I clear my throat. He speaks before I can, "And what am I to do, Goldie?" There's a seductive undertone in his voice as he smiles, making my breath scatter.

I lift my chin. "I want you to use your skills as a thief to steal a map on Renward's desk."

Excitement flashes in his eyes—a thief in his element. "As you wish." He bows at the waist as he's done hundreds of times in Emberwell.

I roll my eyes and shake my head, turning to push the door open to my hut when Darius's hand covers mine. My shoulder knocks against his chest, and his rosewood scent fills the air around us, citrus and the warm summer air blending into one. As my gaze slides from our hands to meet his eyes, I'm captured by the fierceness in them.

"And you?" He asks, voice thick. "What are you to do?"

"I'm going to distract him." My voice comes out small. I detest that it keeps happening so much lately.

His lip quirks into a closed smile. "That should be easy."

My brow arches. "Why do you think that?"

He hasn't let go of my hand yet, and he doesn't appear to be in any hurry to do so. He moves his head closer to the side of mine as he glances ahead of me. "You're already quite distracting as it is, Goldie," his murmur reaches my core, sending goosebumps up and down my spine.

I tilt my head, our lips a breath away. "Is that so?"

He hums. "It's terribly annoying."

"Now you know how I feel about you."

He smiles, his eyes hooded as he looks down at me. "I distract you?"

I glower. "You annoy me." Which is just the same in many ways.

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