Soon, I’ll sneak away.
ChapterThirty
Hot flames crackle inside eight, large metal braziers, giving the square an ambiance of summer even though winter lingers. I tuck my cloak closer and savor my newfound freedom. Hector doesn’t hold on to me. Rope doesn’t bind my hands. Maybe he’s trusting me in a way he couldn’t before.
My throat clenches as I think of stealing Leah’s armor earlier in the day. I would lose every ounce of that trust I built with Hector if he knew what I did.
I shake away those thoughts and focus on the heat radiating from the flames, the sweet flavor of wine, the couples twirling in the center of the large clearing, and the drums pounding out a steady beat.
My heart races as I sway my hips to the rhythm. The Bloodstone’s Winter Festival is like the one we held in Kyanite land.
Everly approaches and stands next to me. “I brought you something.” Shyness sparks in her eyes as she pulls a blue ribbon from her cloak. “I noticed you didn’t have anything like this. I thought you could put it in your hair.”
“Oh.” Warmth threads through my chest, mending it in a way nothing has in days. “Thank you.”
“Shall I help you with it?”
When I nod, she ties the silk ribbon around the end of my braid, giving me something I have rarely been offered in my life. A gift. To others, it might seem simple. To me, it’s so much more than that.
“Thank you.”
She smiles and stares out over the dancing people.
For several moments, I watch the couples in front of me before voicing a question that has been plaguing me. “Do you know how long we will stay here before we continue our journey?”
Her forehead creases. “I haven’t heard. But I know before we left Astarobane, Luc said if we had delays on the way to Karra, it was likely we wouldn’t be able to get through the mountain passes.”
“So, we can’t travel?” I ask with a bit too much enthusiasm.
Everly shrugs. “We can get to some of the villages nearby if we need to, but there will be no more travel between Astarobane and Karra, and certainly no paths open north to the cave…if that’s what you’re worried about. The passes are treacherous during the winter.”
Dread seeps into my throat and tightens around it like a vice. There’s no way forward and no way back. I am beyond relieved we will not be going to the cave anytime soon. But this means I likely will not be able to leave Karra and return to Kyanite land to renew either.
Stealing Leah’s armor was pointless, then. So pointless.Nor is there any avoiding my growing attraction to Hector.
“We are stranded here,” I say, deflated.
Everly smiles. “Stranded? No. Karra is fantastic. I’ll show you around,” she says as though we just won some extravagant prize.
All I can do is nod.
“Are you going to dance with Hector?” Everly continues, unaffected by our prison sentence.
I glance sideways at my husband. He doesn’t look like the dancing type. He stands with his back against a building, arms crossed in his usual Hector pose. He is always alert. Tonight, deep lines tighten his mouth. His eyes stare vacantly, as if his thoughts are far away. I wonder if they are as far north as the cave. I can only imagine his disappointment. Surely, this will set his plans back several weeks, if not months. I cannot say I am sorry for that.
Kheldar stands next to his brother, but Wrenley is nowhere in sight. Kheldar said something earlier in the day about her not feeling well.
“I don’t believe so,” I say as I shift my attention back to Everly.
She bites her lower lip and glances at the warriors standing on the fringes, those who don’t have a woman to partner with. And, no doubt, those who would rather saw off their legs than dance.
“I don’t have anyone to dance with either,” Everly says.
“What about Cenric?”
Everly laughs and shakes her head. “He would never dance.” She attempts a deep voice and what I assume is her impression of Cenric. “Says it’s not a warrior thing to do.”
The combination of her scratchy voice, the narrowing of her eyes—which is more playful than lethal—and silly smirk makes me giggle. Which makes her giggle.
