“We are friends, aren’t we?”
I swallow against the lump in my throat. Despite his arrogance, a sick feeling coils in my gut. “I know I tried to hurt you.”
He raises a brow. “I’m not easy to hurt, Arlet.”
I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t worry.” My fingers tighten at my sides.
He stops, then grabs one of my shoulders. “If anything, it is I who should worry over you, Firelocks.” Then, softer, almost reluctant, he says, “And I already do.”
Two days pass without incident.Each night, he ties me up before bed only for me to wake on a bedroll.
The forest thickens the closer we get to the Sisterhood’s Enclave. Snow thins until it disappears, and the trees grow larger and older until their roots tangle across the ground like the veins of some ancient creature.
Mist curls around our ankles, and the air is cool and damp,carrying the faint scent of moss and wildflowers. Still, it is better than the frost. I only need to wear my coat and gloves at night.
Vann also opts for fewer clothes, and proudly displays his cleaver strapped to his pack. His white tunic clings to his skin when it grows damp with sweat and mist.
Sometimes I stay back just to watch him move. He’s quiet, and I like the way his tail flexes in time with his ass.
But that is a secret I will take to my grave.
I know we’re getting close when the trees begin to change. Their bark shimmers faintly in the low light, and their leaves glow, casting everything in an ethereal green hue.
Though they are beautiful, sometimes the hair stands up on the back of my neck. I sense something—like the trees peer out at me with unseen eyes.
Vann had explained we hadn’t taken the common path as to avoid any other travelers, especially ones linked to King Arion.
The Elf King is a threat to me, but he’s lower on my list than removing this curse.
I stop in my tracks as a clearing comes into view. Three enormous trees circle the area. Their trunks are so wide, they seem to go on forever in both directions.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Not in Zlosa, with the dangerously tall trees, nor in Enduvida, where the city is ruled by fungi rather than traditional flora.
Approaching one, I lean in closer to inspect the trunk. The bark is rough and gnarled, etched with lines and grooves that look like a language I haven’t learned to read.
The branches stretch high into the sky, disappearing into a canopy of glowing leaves that pulse faintly, like a heartbeat. Recognition flickers. This is where Mother Liana told me to come.
We’ve made it to the Sisterhood’s Enclave.
From my studies, there were many factions of elves, but the vast majority adhered to the rule of the crown. Elves produce fine wood makers and expert archers, which I suppose could be expected from a land filled with hills, mountains, andtall trees.
I had no more than glimpsed Mrath in passing during her visits in Enduvida, but I know that the sisterhood was home to a great deal of deadly elven women. Assassins, thieves, spies. Even though they are our allies, I wasn’t totally at ease with the idea of being surrounded by them.
“We’re supposed to just walk in?” I glance at Vann. “Where?”
He hesitates, something I’m not used to seeing from him. “I’ve never done this before.”
I blink. “You don’t know how to get in?”
His jaw tightens, and he gives me a withering look. “From my understanding, someone should come to greet us.”
I chew on the inside of my lip. “What do you need me to do?”
Vann looks at me with an appraising expression as he moves to another tree, presumably searching for clues.
“Your current actions are adequate.”
“I just stand here and wait?”