A painful silence stretches in the vast space between us, and just when I thought that things couldn’t get any more awkward.
What else are we to discuss? We don’t have anything in common.
I go to take off my cloak, but then he stops me, getting to his feet. “No. Keep it on. You’re going to need it.”
I wrap it back around my shoulders. “What for?”
A mischievous glint gleams in his eyes. “It’s a surprise. Follow me.”
He shoots towards the exit, and I startle, moving after him. Now our only source of light is his glowing eyes as we meander through the dark.
I try to keep close. He may be a little scary and messy at times, but I would rather not lose him to the shadows. Besides, I still find his scent pleasant, like pine and wood smoke.
“Have you had anything to eat?” he asks casually.
All I spy are his shining eyes, and once again, those vertical pupils regard me with indifference. It’s quite rare to see the whites of his eyes. Only when he is particularly mad, they show.
“I had a few berries earlier,” I reply.
Tegwyn sighs. “Suppose they’ll do.”
We continue down the tunnel, and I’m not sure how much time passes by the time we reach the slope. Under the cool blanket of night, we descend, and I shiver the whole way down, tightening my cloak around my body. “Where are we going?”
“Out.”
Fog escapes my mouth. “A little more clarification would be nice.”
He smirks that evil smirk, tapping the end of his upturned nose. Then he’s on the march again, showing off his impressive stealth.
I’m not as surefooted as he is, and I find myself stumbling several times, using trees as an aid. All the while, I search the shadows, worrying my bottom lip about bugbears. Once or twice, I spy a dark shape in the corner of my eye, but it turns out to be a harmless bush.
Just a few more yards, and I’ll be at the foot of the mountain.
Tegwyn is already waiting for me by the time I get there, leaning against a tree. He checks his claws rather impatiently. “I was wondering when you’d finally show.”
I toss him a withering look, doubling over as I gasp for breath. “Well, I’m here now. No need to worry about me.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
He vanishes into the inky darkness again, and I just about manage to keep up. When he chuckles, I glare at the back of his head. He really is heartless.
“Don’t worry, human. We’re almost there. No need to piss your knickers.”
I ignore his rude comment, gazing around the forest. All I see are moonlit trees.
“Where—?”
He pauses, holding up a finger. “Justlisten...”
So, I listen.
A lone vixen barks in the night, and then an owl hoots upon his perch in a shadowed tree. But there’s not much else to be heard.
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Of course you don’t. You’re mortal, but just stop and trulylisten…”
I roll my eyes. “Listen for what?"
