AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Could I do that? Did I have a choice?
I knew what the right thing was. At least I still had that ability.
My mouth left his and I pulled away, closing my eyes in surrender. Even though my heart broke, I would let him go.
Chapter 23
Sierra
The next day, after a nap and lunch, I felt well enough to explore the outside a bit. Demos never left. After our talk at the nest, I kept to myself, only speaking when spoken to, and spent the rest of that day sleeping and eating. My body was still weak, my muscles wasted, and every movement winded me, but I was determined to at least spend an hour or two out of the cabin today. Together, Auria and Demos seemed to swallow up all the space inside the small dwelling, leaving me with none. There was too much to think about, and being alone, in nature especially, had always been the way I worked out my thoughts.
I found the pond I had spied yesterday. It had plenty of space for me to swim in, and the clear blue water looked clean. That would be my goal, I told myself as I admired it. I needed to get my strength back if I wanted to get “better.” Rest and food weren’t going to be enough. Plus, the time alone would heal me as well. I had no idea how many days we’d be staying here before we left, so I made a plan to spend the next morning swimming.
When I’d had enough exploring for the day—only to the pond and back—I neared the cabin’s window and heard my name. I stopped, far enough away that I couldn’t be seen but close enough to eavesdrop.
Demos and Auria must’ve been at the table, because I heard them clearly enough to make out their words.
“When will you be leaving?” Auria asked.
“Depends on how fast she can heal, but I’m thinking four days. It’s going to take a while on horseback to get to the Basilica,” Demos replied.
“Are you sure that is wise, to go there? Why not have them meet you closer?”
“That was the original plan, but I was told that Lysander Trajan would only agree to meet there. His brother wasn’t pleased with that, but basically said it wasn’t up to him, and that he would join us on our ride to the Owl.”
Demos had spoken to Fadon? How? When?
“…not long, and of course I will be careful. I know what to do,” Demos was saying, but I’d gotten so distracted that I missed the beginning of it.
“And you’re confident you can trust the Ongahri captain to not just take the omega straight to the Mor? The man must have a lot of patience, as far as you’re concerned.”
I heard a spoon tap against a cup as I waited to hear Demos’ answer.
“His honor and his word can be trusted. So no, I don’t think that scenario is possible.”
“He must trust you, then,” she said softly. “He sounds like his father, who was also a man of honor.” She mumbled something, but I couldn’t make it out.
Minutes went by before any more was said.
“I feel for her,” Auria replied, breaking the silence. “It will be a long journey, and she’s so young, Demos.”
I had a feeling she was speaking of my fate, not literal distance. I swallowed, not sure how I should be feeling.
“She is strong. I have confidence in her,” Demos said.
“Does she know everything? You told her—” Auria stopped speaking as I held my breath, waiting for what she was about to say.
Instead, I heard movement from inside, a chair scraping against the floor. I quickly headed around the cabin in case they had found out I’d been listening in on their conversation. I spotted some wildflowers growing near and picked as many as I could into a bundle. The door to the cabin had been open throughout the day, and as I grew nearer, I saw Demos seated at the table. Auria was taking the linen off my bed.
I cleared my throat as I crossed the doorway. “I picked some flowers. Do we have anything to put them in?” I said, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that I was out of breath, that my flushed cheeks wouldn’t give anything away. I knew I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but by the gods, I was tired of not knowing anything. This was my life, and already it had been proved, over and over, that I had little control over it.
Demos stood and walked to one of the cabinets. He pulled out a tall clay vase and added some water to it. I thanked him, not meeting his eyes, and put the flowers in the vase, which I placed in the center of the table.
“I think we’ll have an early supper,” Auria said behind me. “Demos, you said you caught some fish? I think that will make a good meal.”
I pulled out a chair and sat down, watching the two of them, listening to the banal conversation between them. I wondered again how they’d met. Their relationship seemed intimate enough that it had to have been of some duration that they’d known each other. Were they related? There wasn’t any resemblance. Looking at the woman now, I again noticed that she seemed younger than when I’d first met her. Almost as if each day, a year or two had been erased, slowly bringing her back to her youth.
I had been staring at her so intensely that I blinked when she looked back.
