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Seven
Kelia
The man with the barn ushered us out early, probably eager to see me go and I was happy to be on my way. Not only did Callum hold me while we slept, but at some point during the night, we had tangled around each other, legs entwined, me resting on his chest. I had never slept next to anyone other than my sisters when I was a child and that was nothing compared to the entanglement I awoke to.
“Thirsty?” He handed me his canteen, a quirk to his lips. He hadn’t mentioned last night, but I didn’t miss the smirk on his face when I woke up.
“Thanks.” I took the drink and greedily chugged the cool liquid. We had walked all morning to reach the mouth of the river.
“Out of curiosity,” Callum mused. “How are we going to travel down the river without a boat.”
“We’re not.” I searched my bag for my true-seeing eyeglass. Somewhere hidden around this bush was a re-enforced rowboat that would get us through the rapids before dipping into the Mouth of Omens and taking us into the Underground.
Holding the mystical tool up, I slowly turned and scanned the area. In front of a trio of maple trees, the air shimmered, revealing a black boat with two sets of oars, and glowing purple runes on the sides.
“There.” Knowing where the illusion hid, I walked over and grabbed the side of the boat. The moment my hand touched the wood, the illusion shattered.
“Clever,” Callum said and helped me drag the boat to the shore. “This will do. Climb in and I’ll push us out.”
I grabbed our stuff and tossed it into the boat then jumped in. I sat on one of the benches and tied our bags to the ropes secured at the bottom against the sides of the planks.
Callum shoved us across the pebbled ground. The sunlight made his hair a wild color and it covered part of his face. He was handsome, and I bet he knew it too. As if his ears prickled from my thoughts, he looked up and smirked as he jumped into the boat.
Grabbing the oars, he guided us out. “I can row for now. We’ll trade off when one of us gets too tired.”
“Okay.” I sat back on the bench, admiring the serene view around us. “Have you traveled this river before?”
“Once or twice.” Callum pushed and pulled the oars in and out of the water in slow strokes. “It’s not a pleasant journey.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll need to go under a waterfall without losing ourselves or the boat.”
Holding a hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I surveyed the river ahead. My power would protect us from capsizing. “That won’t be a problem.”
He arched a brow. “If you say so.”
The river wound through the woods, picking up speed. Birds flew across the water, singing, and playing with one another. Beautiful birch trees dotted the banks and the sunlight hit the water in a sprinkling of rainbows. My home had a river like this, one I had played on many times. Years after the attack, I could still hear my mother’s voice calling for my sister and me to come home when we were playing in the woods, but not anymore. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember what my mother sounded like.
A slow painful ache bloomed in my chest. I fisted my hands and shoved the emotion back down in the dark where it belonged.
Feelings were dangerous.
“What are you thinking about?” Callum asked, his voice lifting me out of the darkness of my thoughts.
“Nothing important.”
“You seemed far away.”
“How long before we reach the cave?”
“Here,” he said, stopping the oars and pulling them in. “Why don’t you row for a bit.” He pulled his shirt over his head, showing off a muscular chest. “It’s hot today.”
I gripped the handles and began rowing. “It’s summer.”
Callum chuckled and threaded his fingers behind his head, leaning back against the boat. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?”
