“Well, you did tell Caleb to take his shirt off, in front of him,” Ashley reminded me.
“It wasn’t like that,” I said rolling my eyes.
“I didn’t mind…” She smiled as she glanced back at Caleb, who flung his shirt back on, meeting her eyes this time.
“Watch it, you’re becoming the new Eve,” I snapped at her.
She gasped, clearly offended as her eyes shot back to me. “Take that back!”
“Once you sort that complex head of yours out, sure,” I said, standing my ground.
Ashley gritted her teeth, forcing a smile. “You’re a tough bargainer… Maybe I’ll listen if you share your carrot soup with me.”
“This is stupid, let’s just go eat,” I muttered, pushing past her. Ashley chuckled, delighted over creating chaos, or at least watching it unfold.
We silently unpacked some of our rations and placed ourselves along the tree line, taking time to finally breathe.
What was waiting inside of the woods for us? None of us were sure. It was best to rest up and eat before entering, just in case. I wondered how long it would be before we reached Darkshire. Hours? A day? I realised that I hadn’t really studied the map this far, I had left that to Lionel and Malakai. They were better at navigating and Lionel was constantly scribbling down our journey on a piece of paper to keep track of our whereabouts.
But right now, we ate in silence, no one had the energy to have a conversation. I glanced over at Ashley, and she was grinning at me, almost as if enjoying how uncomfortable I felt in this situation, waiting for something interesting to happen. Caleb’s leg twitched, clearly stressed by the situation as Faelin cleared her throat, her eyes fixed on her soup.
“Well, this is… something,” Nate said, finally breaking the silence. I figured, he also thought it was painful whenever it was quiet around the squad—we were pretty similar in that manner.
“It’s odd,” Jaden agreed. “Ashley always has something to contribute, what’s the matter?”
“I’m simply enjoying the dramatic pause,” she snickered, like a child.
I rolled my eyes, but it was Nate who flicked her forehead this time. “Stop playing around.”
“Ouch,” she muttered. The air around her shifted in an instant, the childish smile gone, replaced by a nervous gaze into her carrot soup.
As I watched them, I wondered how long they could hold out; they kept resisting as if they would hurt each other for certain if they gave in, as if their love was forbidden and it was better to bury it and live with the pain of never telling thetruth. What a cruel cage they had put themselves in, where their own feelings turned out to be their greatest enemies.
“So, is this your first time fighting demons?” Eve asked, looking over at Caleb and Faelin.
“Well… yeah,” Caleb confessed, his body tense. Was he ashamed of it?
“I’ve seen them before, but…” Faelin murmured, not raising her gaze. “Never up close like this.”
“Terrifying, isn’t it?” Jaden huffed, looking pissed. “To think those things were born because ofus.”
Silence spread between us.
There it was, the dispute that had the Ashen Corps and Aetherions battling each other for decades. I saw Eve’s eyes light up like fires, a predator ready to pounce, but Lionel shook his head, ignoring the invitation, resulting in her holding back as well.
Nate took a deep breath, on edge, watching.
“Well… some of us,” Caleb said low and I felt my heart sink.
He took the bait.
Faelin’s eyes darted to him, the first person she had looked at since we began eating. “So you’re better than us because there’s no risk of you letting a demon through?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Of course not, yet you still had to point it out?” Faelin cut through his words, her voice sharper than I had ever heard it.
“I wasn’t saying you specifically, just… greedy people in general,” Caleb barked back, straightening himself, clearly prepared for the struggle or even a fight if needed.
