Page 54 of A Sunwoven Ascent

“And yet,” she said, stepping forward to fold him into a sudden, fierce hug, “you are still here.”

He went still for the briefest moment before returning it, his arms settling around her with careful warmth. The embrace did not last long, but it carried more than either of them could have said aloud.

Evelyne stepped back and placed a folded wool blanket in his arms, then a basket laden with roasted meat and fresh provisions. “For later,” she said. “You may be glad of it.”

He swallowed. “Thank you.”

Her smile softened. “I am going to draw Heidara away for a walk. You have a little time. Go on. Put things in order.”

“Evelyne?”

She paused at the tent flap.

“I owe you more than words,” Alaric murmured.

She smiled. “I’m just glad you made it back to us.”

Alaric drew in a slow breath and nodded.

He moved beyond the reach of the nearest firelight to a shallow dip in the grass, where the stars stretched wide above without a single branch to break them. He spread the blanket with care, set the basket beside it, then lit a lantern and turned the flame low until its glow was soft and warm.

Nothing grand. But something.

Footsteps approached behind him, followed by the murmur of Evelyne’s voice on the breeze.

“Oh, how careless of me,” she said. “I quite forgot myself. I must get back to Kaldrek at once. You must forgive me.”

“What? But you—” Heidara began, and Alaric turned.

She stood in the lantern glow, her hair unbound and shining, long golden waves spilling over her shoulders. She had taken the trouble to freshen herself, though only lightly, enough to seem effortless and all the more devastating for it. The night carried her scent to him: lilac, clean earth, and something that was simply Heidara. For one suspended moment, Alaric forgot how to breathe. How to speak.

Evelyne gave Alaric a brief, conspiratorial smile, then slipped away without another word.

Heidara watched her disappear, then turned back to him with a smile that already knew the answer. “This was a setup.”

“Yes,” he said honestly. “But a well-meaning one.”

She laughed softly and stepped nearer. And gods help him, Alaric realized he had never been this nervous in his life. Not beneath chandeliers. Not while making promises he had not yet known how to keep.

Tonight mattered.

He cleared his throat. “Would you… would you do me the honor of sitting with me?”

Heidara’s mouth curved. “That is far too proper.” Still, she came closer and lowered herself to the blanket with easy grace. “But yes, I will sit with you. I am starving, though, so I hope you brought—oh.”

Her gasp broke into delighted laughter the moment she spotted the basket.

“You did bring food.” She clasped her hands together like a child let in on a secret. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Alaric let out a long breath, and some of the tension finally eased from his shoulders. She made it too easy to be near her. Easy to smile. Easy to speak. Easy, for a moment, to forget that his heart was fluttering like a trapped bird.

He sank down beside her and offered the basket, grateful it was Evelyne’s doing. Left to himself, he would have come with nothing but good intentions and a stammer.

“I cannot, in good conscience, take all the credit,” he admitted. “Evelyne had a great deal to do with this… rather deliberate arrangement.”

Heidara wasted no time. She snatched up a roll and roasted meat and ate with such open enjoyment that Alaric found himself staring. She looked like someone who had never learned to apologize for her appetite or her presence.

She caught him watching a moment later and swallowed. “All right. Either you’re not hungry, or I have something on my face, or you’re about to tell me something terrible.” Her eyes narrowed, playful but sharp. “Because you’re staring. Explain.”