AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The buildings of a coastal city became visible through the haze of the twilight. Behind the grayish rooftops, the shimmering ocean greeted the sky.
“I wish you’d had the chance to meet him when he was alive. I’m sure he would have loved you like I do.” It was almost as if she whispered the words to herself and not for him to hear. His heart went into overdrive, regardless, making his pulse race.
Had she just admitted that she loved him?
One of his hands drifted over her stomach and settled on her hip bone. He cleared his throat. “I met the best part of him, in you,” he whispered in her ear and felt the goosebumps which broke out over her neck and arms in response.
The trees changed in size and spacing, losing some of their thickness and vibrancy the further down they went. Winter was milder in this coastal town. The homes with thatched roofs and sun-bleached wood sidings squeezed tightly together. The hills lay at their back and a turquoise sea stretched out before them.
They crossed under a wooden archway, painted in blue tones and weathered by the unforgiving nature of salty air. The gold leaf that once had made the sign shine had cracked and come apart.
Gavin stared at the name he had seen for the first time when he’d accessed Violet’s family records back in the Iron Kingdom. Sagewood. A town of fishermen—and, apparently, miners.
Thalea slowed down ahead of them and waited for them to catch up. “I bet it all looks different to you,” she said, as if Gavin wasn’t even there. Not that he could blame her for hating him right now. Not after what he’d done hours ago.
“There’s no one out in the streets,” Violet observed.
“The town has been struggling ever since the Crows sealed the mine. It’s hard to keep a working city going when half of its population got wiped out.” Thalea jumped off Twenty-one’s back. She pointed at the lodge which stood tall next to them and dusted off the white fur that stuck to her black wool pants everywhere. “The inn is open, although you can always come home. Mom wouldn’t mind it.”
“I think we should stay here. It’s been a while since she’s seen me. Besides, I’m not alone.”
“Ah, yes.” Thalea’s eyes were glazed with unshed tears as she looked at him. She forced a smile to her face. “Then why don’t you join us for a meal tonight?”
“Tomorrow,” Violet promised with a nod and slid off her horse. “We need to rest. I will see you both then.”
“Don’t tell mom you found me in the mines. Or that dad was there.”
Violet tilted her head and nodded after a moment of silence. “All right.”
The young woman hesitated where she stood. As if she thought that by turning around and leaving, she might cause Violet to disappear for good without another word. But eventually the silence grew so charged and uncomfortable that Thalea hugged Violet one last time and took off. His wife remained stiff throughout the embrace, her arms dangling limply at her sides, as if she didn’t know what to do with them.
“You know, you can probably hug her back, right?” he said, once Thalea was gone.
“I’m not a hugger.”
“You could have fooled me.” His smile widened with her glare.
Seagulls mewed loudly above them, diving to pick at trash that littered the main road. The briny sea air carried the taste of seaweed. The winter breeze burned his cheeks and nostrils as he drew a deep breath, letting the horror of what had happened earlier that day wash away.
There weren’t any people in the streets, even though the sun was still out and the weather was much more pleasant than it had been while they’d crossed the mountains. This felt like the wolf’s village. Another town broken by the Crows.
A lone footman’s steps interrupted them. The wooden flooring around the inn creaked beneath his feet as he walked over to them. Gavin gave him two gold coins for his trouble, and he promptly took their horses back to the stables behind the building.
“I thought I said you aren’t rich anymore,” Violet said as they trotted up the steps.
“Says who?”
“Me. You’re now a fugitive of the law.” She looked around as if a Crow would jump out of a dark corner to take them at any given moment. To be fair, they had no idea what had happened to the bounty hunters working with Julius back in Scoria. Whether they would continue their hunt was up in the air.
A problem for another day. “My family’s funds aren’t tied to any magical tracking. My parents made sure of that the moment I presented my healing gift. Because of our connections with the Crown, pockets of the money are protected and hidden throughout the kingdom.” He tapped Violet’s nose as he walked in front of her, rejoicing in the way her lips parted in shock. “Granted, I will need to find a larger city before too long to access it, but we should have enough to still pay people to feed our horses in the meantime.”
He was thankful his parents couldn’t track his whereabouts. After Julius’ betrayal, Gavin wasn’t sure who from his family’s contacts to trust. It was safer for them if they just assumed he was dead… at least for now.
* * *
Their room faced the bay, and the gentle sloshing of the waves crashing ashore in the distance welcomed them as they walked in. The cold winter breeze blew through the set of doors at the end, pushing his hair away from his face.
He closed the door behind him, and the tension in his shoulders eased. It was nice to be in a space where they could be on their own. Violet stood still, her stare fixed on him with an intensity that made him shift in his spot.
