Page 20 of Curse the Flame

Crossing my fingers and hoping she meant it when she said it was safe, I took a bite.

It tasted like a peach crossed with honey. It’s possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten, and I think the same thing about the apples we find, and when I scoop up some of the crystal clear water running in a babbling brook and drink it to quench my thirst.

Now I just want somewhere to sit down. I’m keeping my eye out for something that might pass as a decent shelter when, suddenly, Sir stops so abruptly that I nearly trip over him.

“What the⁠—”

One ear twitches before he wags his tail and bounds forward, tucking his body behind the thick trunk of an enormous oak. A second later, he poke his head out expectantly, waiting for me.

Great. Looks like it’s time for us to hide again.

I hurry after him, pressing my back against the rough bark just as a voice drifts through the trees ahead of us.

“I’m not asking you to stop being who you are.” That’s a woman’s voice. Young and undoubtedly frustrated. “I’m asking you to come home, Theo. That’s all.”

Very carefully, I lean around the edge of the trunk, tiptoeing a little closer to see if I can spy who is talking.

CHAPTER 5

STILL WALKING

WILLOW

There are two of them. The man is tall, broad-shouldered and tanned, with dark curls brushing the collar of a cream-colored tunic. A weathered leather pack hangs from one shoulder, and the sword resting against his hip looks well-used instead of ceremonial.

He doesn’t look like someone expecting a fight. Instead, I get the feeling he’s preparing for a journey.

The woman facing him is a few years younger than he is. Chestnut hair tumbles over her shoulders in loose curls, and the pale blue folds of her dress ripple softly as the setting sun falls on her. She’s beautiful, of course, though in a much more approachable way than Cassandra.

She’s also incredibly expressive. Everything she’s feeling is written plainly across her face. She looks tired, though not exhausted like I am. More like this is an argument that they’ve had countless times before, and she’s only hoping that the outcome will change this time even though she knows better.

“Theo,” she says again when he doesn’t answer her. “I don’t want another goodbye. I want you to stay with me in Delphi. Like you’re supposed to.”

The man shifts the leather strap over his shoulder. “I won’t be gone long, Aria, my princess. I’ll be back before the seasons change again.”

“That’s what you said when the leaves started to fall. I didn’t see you until after the snows melted, and now you’re leaving me again.”

His shoulders rise and fall with a slow breath. “I know. But I’m a hero. That’s what heroes in the Other do. We must go on quests to satisfy the magic. If you want our story to have a happy-ever-after, I must go.”

She folds her hands in front of her, and I can feel the ache of her heavy heart from where I’m watching them. “Why hasn’t our story ended yet? If you’re my soulmate⁠—”

“You know that I am.”

Her expression says she’s not so sure. “Then why must you always go? Theo… Theseus… maybe you’re meant to stay with me. Start a family. Give up the quests… unless you’re hiding something from me.”

Oh, no. Did I just stumble upon the Ancient Greek version of a soap opera here? Is he cheating on her?

Theseus… the name is familiar. What did he do in Greek mythology? And Aria… who can she be if she’s anyone at all? I don’t remember—and then Theo (or whoever he is) speaks again, and I want to throw a rock at him on her behalf.

“I promised you when you accepted me as your soulmate that I would never betray you in this lifetime. We have a second chance at a future together. But, to do that, I must go when adventure calls. If you love me as much as you claim to, you’d understand.”

My nose wrinkles. Dick. If you loved your Aria as much as you want her to believe you do—and, suddenly, I’m not so sure—then you wouldn’t manipulate her like that.

I want to warn her. However, before I can, he adjusts the pack on his back again, then brushes his thumb across the height of her cheek. “Wait for me, my princess.”

Her brow furrows. “You know I will, but⁠—”

For this guy, there is not “but”. He starts to walk away without a backward look at the woman, and though she stares at his back as he goes, he never once turns around.