Page 81 of The Unseen Hour

CHAPTER 35

By the time we reached Orion’s cottage, we were well into the Ether’s night. I looked overhead, watching the vibrant blues and greens dancing in the sky.

“This is one thing I might just miss,” I told Orion before we made our way inside.

“I’d most miss the tree hoppers,” he responded.

They were clever birds. And I had noticed that several in particular returned over and over to his cottage.

“How long do you think, until she gives us the signal?” I asked.

“With Death, who knows? You’ve seen her idea of a short time. I vote we stick close to the cottage and prep some bags. We’ll need food, water, and a few blankets. There’s no telling how long we’ll be sleeping outdoors once we leave. I’ll grab an extra knife.” He was already moving around the small space, gathering items. “And we’ll also want to take some waterskins along.”

“Will you bring your new book?”

I was still dying to see it, but he’d kept it closely guarded.

Orion pulled it from the satchel we’d taken to the Meadow and set it on his bookshelf.

“Better not risk it. We don’t know what we’re going to run into in the woods. If Charon does somehow find us, well, I’d rather be concerned with items to help our survival. Not personal things that could give away secrets.”

“What do you mean, secrets? It’s not another journal, is it?” He’d told me it was a novel, like the one with his pirates.

Ry shook his head.

“No, but all the same. Charon reads into things.”

Ry busied himself with preparation, and I went out to the garden and collected some food for our supplies. When I returned he’d already packed the remainder of things we would need.

Orion was on one of the cots, leaned up against the wall with his leg kicked out. He held up a blanket for me.

“I’ll roll these into our packs when we get the signal. Something you said before, about what you would miss, got me thinking.”

I made my way over to him. He tucked the blanket around my shoulders and pulled me close so that my head was on his chest.

“Do you think,” Orion started, “that Charon is going to realize what we’ve done? We still have months left here.”

I wanted to reassure him, but I’d had the same thought. He ran one hand up and down my arm. The comforting touch lulled me into relaxation and lit me on fire at the same time. His hands were callused from years of work in the Ether, and I appreciated them all the more for that. Orion was capable, and he didn’t back down from any challenge.

“I think Death has the most insight into this situation. If she’s asking us to get them now, then she must be at least somewhat confident that he either won’t go looking or that she can distract him from it. Think about it: if he really is worried about her meddling, or another god’s, he might not want to draw attention to the locations.”

“So he might be less inclined to visit them and check,” Orion guessed.

“Exactly.”

“But as it gets closer to the hour, particularly with this being his end goal, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t do everything he could to ensure his success. That has to include monitoring his Shades and the way to control them.”

“We’ll have to ask Death about it, once we have the items and see her again.”

The deity had indicated she’d show us what to do with the two things, and that she planned to return at least once more before the hour. When she did, we could come up with a ruse for Charon.

“If your theory is right, and I suspect it is, that means that searching the canyon and the beach is likely a very safe move. We’ll be more hidden from Charon there than his Meadow,” I said.

Orion relaxed a bit, although I could still feel his muscles where I leaned into him, strong and solid.

“Feeling tired, Starlight?” Orion asked when I almost nodded off, waking as my head fell into his lap.

“I didn’t hurt your leg, did I?” I jumped up, but he pulled me back against him.