Chapter Sixteen
Thebodyofthepig-creatureKadehadstabbedwasonlytwentyfeetorsoawayfromthetentwhentheybrokecampthenextmorning.
“Can you eat these?” Florian asked, gesturing toward it. Jerah made a face that immediately told him that Blighted creatures probably were not edible.
“I wouldn't try it,” Jerah said, as they started walking.
Florian held the spell without an issue for the first half of the day. He was getting better at judging the time despite the unchanging light, and by around midday Jerah turned back to him.
“Drop the spell if you're tired,” he said, and Florian grimaced.
“I can hold it for another hour,” he said. He could easily hold it for longer, but knew Jerah would pester him until he relented, having been quite convinced that Florian needed to rest.
“Don't push yourself,” Jerah repeated, giving him a lingering look before turning away once more to continue along.
Luckily, they didn't run into any more Blighted creatures, and the rest of the day passed without anything much of note. Kade was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. The landscape was getting more hilly and rocky, but still there was no plant life to be found; and it was easy to find a suitable rock outcropping to set up camp.
As they sat in the shelter and began to eat, Florian couldn’t help but notice how Jerah would look between himself and Kade every few moments. He obviously wanted to say something, but for whatever reason he kept silent. Kade seemingly took no notice, but Florian looked away whenever Jerah’s eyes found him, feeling absolutely certain his face would somehow give everything away.
Once he was done eating, Jerah leaned back with a sigh, propping himself up with one arm where they sat on the ground and rubbing his face with his free hand.
“Only another day of this, I think,” he sighed; and when he pulled his hand away, for an instant he looked older and more tired than Florian had ever seen before. When Jerah looked up to meet his eye, he still managed a smile, and the peek of unrestrained exhaustion disappeared. “Getting home should be easier. Thank you for your hard work so far, Florian. Both of you. This is all going to be worth it in the end.”
“Yeah,” Florian agreed, nodding weakly. It was selfish, but all he had been able to think about was Kade, and what he was going to say to him; despite the gravity of their mission, he had all but forgotten about the Golden Arrow that they were out in the Blight to retrieve.
“I'm off to bed. Get some rest,” Jerah sighed, standing and walking a few steps away to his own sleeping bag.
Florian let his eyes linger on Jerah's motionless form for a while, until he was sure the man was asleep, then he glanced over at Kade. As if already sensing his intention, Kade was looking at him for what felt like the first time all day, but his eyes were dull and cold.
“Can I talk to you?” Florian asked softly. Kade took in a slow breath and sighed, then silently gestured for him to continue, his expression never changing. The sight of him looking so guarded made Florian's skin cold. He hesitated, then moved to sit closer—Kade tensed, but didn't move away.
“Sorry,” Florian blurted, every thought about what he wanted to say to Kade out the window now that the conversation was happening. “I, uh... I shouldn't have said what I said to you. I was just... being mean. You didn't deserve it. I'm really sorry.”
Kade peered at him for what felt like an uncomfortably long stretch of silence, his eyes searching.
“Thank you,” he finally said, quiet and measured. “I appreciate the apology.”
“Can we just... I don't know, start over?” Florian asked, reaching for his hand—and Kade pulled away so reflexively that his whole chest flooded with heat, sticky and painful. Why? Why had he pulled away? Was he that bad, that unbearable?
“I'm not…” Kade started to say, but Florian barely heard him as he abruptly stood. “I—Florian—”
“Why are we even doing this?” he asked, feeling his voice rise with emotion but unable to stop it. “I'm serious. What are we even doing? Are we dating? What is this?”
Kade blinked, looking up at him in utter bewilderment. The way his lips had parted in surprise would have been cute if Florian weren't so angry at him.
“I... I don't know,” Kade stammered out, clearly taken aback. “Are we?”
“I don't know!” Florian exclaimed, and Kade winced, glancing nervously in Jerah's direction. “I don't know either. We should just stop, whatever this... this is.”
Kade's eyes immediately flashed back up to Florian at the words, a mix of surprise and hurt and frustration flashing across his face all at once. He opened his mouth, then closed it—his brows furrowing in a pained expression before speaking again.
“If that's what you want... Maybe you're right.”
All the heat roiling in Florian's belly grew cold, all the tension draining out of him at once. Whatever he had wanted to hear from Kade in response, it certainly hadn't beenthat.
“Whatever,” he muttered, and before he could think better of it, he turned away and headed for the tent flap that was tied closed.
“Florian,” Kade's voice came from behind him, immediately sounding almost panicked in a way that gave Florian a sick satisfaction. “Florian! Stop!”
