That earned him an exasperated sigh. She leaned her head against his thigh and closed her eyes. “You’re serious about a lot of things.”
“I’m allowed to be.”
“You are,” she agreed. “But it must be heavy, carrying all that seriousness around.”
He shook his head, lips twitching. “It’s heavier when you ignore it.”
She hummed. They sat like that for a while. The fire popped. The stars drifted higher.
Finally, she murmured, “Will you tell me a story?”
“What kind of story?”
“Any kind. One with trees. And rain. And a place where thingsbeginagain.”
Resh exhaled through his nose, then leaned back, propping one hand behind him in the grass.
“I’ll tell you about a grove I once saw,” he began, voice low and even. “Far beyond the Reach, past the Waking Hills. It only blooms once every five years, and when it does, the entire valley turns blue from the petals…”
Auryn smiled as he spoke, her breathing slowing. The bread sat forgotten in her hand. Her lashes fluttered, then lowered. By the time he reached the part about the twin silver ravens that guarded the grove, her fingers had slackened, and she was fast asleep against his leg.
He looked down at her.
Bare feet.
Grease on her chin.
And utterly, impossibly unbothered by the weight of the world.
Resh brushed a curl from her cheek and whispered, “You’re still going to wear shoes tomorrow,” because it was easier than admitting any of the things that must remain unsaid.
The next day arrived with an unforgiving swell of heat. The sun hadn’t climbed far yet, but the temperature had already begun its slow, relentless creep across the moorlands. Dew steamed off the grass as the company made their way along the trail, a ragged column of footsteps, groaning wagons, and quiet muttering. The storm hadn’t broken overnight, though the pressure in the air promised it was only waiting for the right moment.
The great war-wagons of the Kelvasari rolled like fortresses across the grassland, their wheels banded in steel and reinforced with ribbed plates to keep them from splintering under the weight of armor, supplies, and siege gear. Each rotation carved fresh trenches through the moor, gouges so wide that even the tallest warriors stepped around them with care. After the recent rains, the ruts ran deep—knee-deepfor Auryn in some places.
Auryn walked beside Resh in borrowed sandals—straps loose, soles too thin, barely more than a concession. Resh kept her close to the firmer edges of the trail, positioning himself between her and the trenches without seeming to. If she’d been barefoot, one misstep would have swallowed her to the shin, and the mud here didn’t let go easily. He didn’t mention it—he rarely did—but this was precisely why he’d insisted on the sandals.
She hadn’t wanted them, of course. She’d argued until he’d bargained her down from barefoot and belligerent to minimally shod and sulky. The sandals flapped with every step, reflecting their wearer’s malcontent.
Resh glanced at her every few strides, half-expecting her to kick them off and run like a wildling into the trees. But so far, she’d behaved.
A sudden sharp cry rang out. Resh’s heart shot into his throat as he turned—just in time to see her crumple to one knee with a gasp of pain. He was at her side in seconds.
“What happened?” His hand went to her shoulder, steadying her as she braced against the earth.
“It’s nothing,” she muttered, though her face was tight with pain. “Just—stepped on something.”
He knelt beside her, eyes scanning her foot. One of the sandals had slipped halfway off. The ball of her foot was pierced clean through by a plant he didn’t recognize, something barbed and black.
“Stay still,” he said, sliding an arm around her back. “Lean on me. Let me see it.”
She obliged, albeit reluctantly, shifting her weight so he could cradle her foot in his hand. Her skin there was soft,fragile, and the thorn jutted through her flesh like a cruel needle. His brow furrowed.
“All will be well,” she assured him. “Pull it out.”
“I don’t want to make it worse,” he murmured, fingers tightening on her ankle. “If it’s barbed, it might—”
“Kailorien.”
