AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ecaeris gives me a wicked grin that says he most definitely knew what I was thinking, and later, I’ll pay for acknowledging those thoughts aloud. I’m not upset about it at all. My favorite crime of passion is being a snarky bitch who gets tortured orally. But I’m keeping that to myself. If he knew, he’d stop, and I would graduate from throwing pebbles at him to actual boulders.
If I can even pick them up.
We round the corner into the catacombs, and weave through guards who’ve just gotten off duty. They’re exhausted, but all smiles as they chat with each other. It strikes me again just how much I love the sense of community within the Mongrels tribe.
A man waits at the forest exit of the catacombs, impatiently tapping his foot. When he sees us, he gripes, “What took you so long? You and Talodus would keep the entire village on their toes—”
“It’s her fault,” Ecaeris claims, nodding his head at me.
“Do I look like an idiot to you?” the man snipes at the prince, then turns to me. “It’s lovely to meet you, dear. My name is Garben, and I’ll be your escort. We can leave him here to pick flowers with Tal.”
“I’m Ada,” I greet, grinning. “Ecaeris would rather stomp on the flowers than pick them, but if it keeps him quiet, I’ll be happy to leave him standing here.”
Ecaeris sighs obnoxiously as Garben bellows with laughter.
“I like you,” the guard tells me as he leads us into the forest. “We’ll take him today, but next time, we’ll leave him.”
“Garben,” Ecaeris scolds. “Don’t instigate. She doesn’t need to be in any more trouble.”
“Aye,” he agrees. “She’s got enough of it with you lot.”
“It’s not us you have to worry about,” Ecaeris mumbles, only falling quiet when Garben laughs at him once more.
I tuck my hands in my pockets and enjoy the company. Garben is an older man with salt-and-pepper hair, though I can only tell he’s up in age by the way he acts toward the prince. When simply glancing at him, I swear he looks barely older than his early forties.
The farther into the forest we travel, the more my mind whirls with my subconscious thoughts of the past days. I latch onto one thing in particular.
“I have a question,” I state.
“Of course you do,” Ecaeris mutters.
I roll my eyes at him, and then gnaw at my lip as I try to word my concern correctly.
“How do I continue to protect myself and still help other people when I’m triggered by the situation?” I inquire.
“Triggered?” he asks, needing clarification. “I’m not familiar with that term.”
“Uhm. Bothered?” I guess, shrugging. “Sometimes it means offended, but not in this case.”
Ecaeris nods as he mulls over my question. “You just have to remain calm. There’s a time and place to show your emotions, but meeting someone new isn’t it.”
His answer churns in my mind as I walk beside him through the forest. There isn’t really anything I can say to that, other than he’s right. It’s what I’ve done for as long as I can remember.
We reach the orange mushrooms that signal the third circle route, and Garben motions for us to keep following him. A short trek away, Talodus stands, his body tense as he stares at the woman before him.
Nesta appears unbothered, dirty blonde hair flowing in the slight breeze. Her light eyes are striking, even from our distance. Lyell looks like his mother, though I don’t think he will appreciate me saying that to him.
Her indifference melts into semi-concealed ire as she spots us. The temperature around her rises slightly, tinting the apples of her cheeks with a pink flush.
“Let me do the talking,” Ecaeris murmurs.
I shake my head and hold my hand over my mouth to hide my words as I whisper, “You’re not in a position to bargain with her. Nesta knows Isolde would be the first to step down and let a new queen reign. Your mother has explained as much to me. I’m well aware of what she’s about to say.”
“It’s getting difficult to argue with you,” he grouches under his breath.
“Then stop,” I snark, grinning at him.
My grin morphs from sarcastic to disgustingly polite as I make eye contact with the green-eyed enemy. Isolde predicted Nesta would show her face soon, though only one of our scenarios had her waiting patiently.
