Page 174 of A Legacy of the Light

The trees to our left thin out until, eventually, we reach an embankment.

The lake curves round in a wide arc that stretches far to the other side, where the forest thickens and darkens again along the foothills of the mountains that shore that side of the water.

“We’ll stop here and rest the horses,” Tavish commands.

We spread out along the stony shore and lead the horses to the water where they quench their thirst. I slip a sugar cube out of my pack and give one to Mabel when she’s finished drinking. As she takes it into her mouth, she nudges me with her nose, prompting a smile from me.

Reyne stands next to me as her horse takes large gulps from the lake. I hold out Mabel’s reins to her. “Can you take Mabel while I . . .”

She nods and moves to take them from me.

“Go with Elsie, please,” Tavish requests, taking Mabel’s reins from my hand before Reyne can take them.

“I don’t need someone to hold my hand while I pee behind a tree, Tavish,” I challenge.

He chuckles. “Not taking the risk, little warrior. We don’t know what’s in the woods, and Brollachan would be more likely to attack you on your own.” He looks to Reyne. “So, Reyne, please go with her.”

Tavish nods at one of the other guards and he takes the reins of Reyne’s horse as we walk into the cover of trees.

“Little warrior?” she asks when she’s confident Tavish is out of earshot. “Is that what he calls you?”

Heat crawls up my neck. I nod, not daring to look at Reyne.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” she laughs. “Eòghann calls me ‘sunshine’. I swear every time he does, it’s like a Seòlta thread straight between my legs.”

I slap a hand over my mouth to muffle the loud laugh that escapes me.

“This will do,” I say, stopping by a large tree that’s wide enough to hide me behind it while I become one with nature. Reyne nods and turns her back while I shuffle round and do what I need to. They don’t talk about this in my fantasy books either, needing to pee in the forest with a guard of Seelie men fifty feet away.

“You know,” Reyne begins, louder than she would normally talk. I shake my head, aware of what she’s doing. “We never did get to talk about how it was.”

“What do I wipe with, Reyne?” I interrupt.

“Oh, hang on.” I hear her shuffling through the forest and her small hand appears around the tree with some toilet paper.

“Thanks,” I reply. “How what was?” I continue, pulling my pants back up and walking round to meet her again.

“The sex. With Tavish,” she whispers.

I giggle and check we’re still out of hearing distance. “It’s the best sex I’ve ever had. It’s like he can see into my head, knows every thought, and every fantasy, and wants to make them come to life.”

“I knew it would be good between you. You had chemistry from the beginning.”

I smile, wide and unrestrained.

“Wait while I go?” she asks, nodding at the tree I just used.

“Sure.” I hand her the toilet paper and turn my back to her like she had for me. “What happens to the toilet paper?” I question.

“It turns into leaves when it hits the ground,” Reyne calls from behind the tree.

“Magic?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Clever,” I mumble to myself.

When Reyne is finished, we head back to the group that have settle onto large logs, and lunch is being passed around.