“Clearly.” I glanced around his hut.
“Then why are you here?”
“I have no other place to be,” I responded.
“What? The golden boy doesn’t know how to spend his day?” He laughed, throwing his head back.
“Golden boy?” I frowned.
The old man was quiet for some time. He stood up and walked around the hut, the torn rags that he wore brushed the unfinished, dirty floor. I followed him with my eyes, surprised that he preferred to live this way. When I last sawhim, he had a big house in the city. He used to be someone important in the clan, but when I knew him as a child, his drinking had started to take over everything.
He paused by the bed and then his eyes peered into me. I could plainly see that he was plotting something. At last, he came to some sort of a decision. Out of nowhere, his demeanor changed. I scowled, not liking where it was going.
“Fine. I will help you. I know things no one else knows. I was the best Seer out there, the council hung on to my every word. The clans were terrified of me, and even the Red Queen herself listened when I opened my mouth to speak.”
I raised my eyebrows unimpressed.
“What do you want in exchange?” I asked.
“I’m getting older and this house is not warm enough anymore. I need someone to rebuild it.”
“And that someone is me?” I frowned.
“You catch on quick.” Sage stretched his lips into a nasty smile.
I could physically feel his dislike of me. Even more so because the hatred that poured out of him was not a new thing. He always detested me.
“I’m no builder,” I said at last.
“I’ll show you what to do. I just need a capable set of hands. And with proper management, even you can be useful.”
My thoughts went back to Grace’s cottage, to Alina. I had to find a way to get all of us out of here. Without the protection of the council we were in danger. Staying here wasnothing but a short term solution. I had to find a way out for all of us. I scrutinized the old man.
Did he know anything useful? Was he capable of helping me?
“Fine. What do you want me to do?” I asked and Sage’s eyes lit up in not so hidden triumph.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ALINA
As I walked through the fields, visions of days long passed invaded my thoughts and I could not help feeling the sad melancholy of the milky white fog and the almost artificial stillness of the air high up in the mountains. Memories of my past did not want to let me go, and I felt frustrated and uneasy without understanding what triggered the change of my mood.
I paused and turned to look at a spot in the gray sky that indicated the presence of the sun up above. I could not believe that the beauty that surrounded me did not touch my soul this time around, I craved something else. Fragrant, flowery fields, the bright, warm sun touching my face, and Tynan. I could still feel his strong arms on my back and theincredible sensation of his burning mouth on my skin. I stopped, shocked, confused. My eyes opened wide. I was daydreaming about Tynan without knowing how he felt about me. I was nearly ready to beg him to touch me, and the realization embarrassed me. Even though I had been with a man before, I still felt lost as never before.
What if it meant nothing to him? What if he simply took what was so easily offered?
These thoughts echoed with pain, deep in my heart. I lowered my head and continued up the hill.
There were no houses around, probably because I was close to the foot of the mountain. I could see the shades of trees and some brush growing underneath. I had to turn back. I did not know these lands and it was not a smart idea to get lost somewhere.
Moments later, I spotted a man on horseback in the distance. I looked away, examining the path I just took.
Only then did I realize that there was something else nearby, some presence I did not catch right away. The feeling overwhelmed me and I looked around, noticing fresh tracks on the ground and the disturbed soil. Then, heavy breathing and snorts made me turn my head. I was afraid to look back, but if it was a crawler, I needed to see it. In the midst of the tree trunks, I spotted a wild boar that lowered its head to the ground. I could see foam coming from its mouth, and its body portrayed the signs of an impending attack. I swallowed, taking a step back. Trying not to break eye contact, I backed up some more, but theanimal charged, and I could not help screaming. My instinct told me to run down the hill, but the piercing thought that I would be easily intercepted without any natural protection made me turn toward the woods. I gathered my skirts, dropping my shawl. My heart was beating somewhere in my throat as I sprinted up the hill away from the village.
I turned to look, and another scream escaped my lips, the animal was catching up with me. I ran toward the trees desperately hoping for a way to escape. The tree trunks were completely bare of any branches I could reach, and I circled around feeling that my panic would get the best of me.
“Turn!” Someone shouted.
