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The pixie plucked one and offered it to Emerald, who graciously accepted and added it to the growing pile in her arms.
“Leave those behind,” Rick warned. “The pollen and petals might leave trail tracks.”
“Would they leave trail tracks, Yu?”
The pixie shook his head. “Sturdy. No tracks.”
Rick took the bundle from Emerald, then gave her a warning look when she tried to argue. She relented but kept accepting stems until her arms were full again. Rick took the next bundle, then placed his body in front of her when Yu kept going.
“Enough. You’re cute and all, and I’m sure you find her beautiful and want to shower her with all the flowers in the world, but this is not a courting session.”
The pixie tilted his head, not understanding the last part. With a sigh, Rick pointed at Emerald. “She’s tired of carrying flowers.”
That one Yu got, his face scrunching up in concern. When Emerald opened her mouth to appease him, Rick gave her another warning look, then directed a cajoling smile toward the pixie.
“But you can honor her beauty another way. How about a little help burying these flowers and showing us the way to the mountains instead?”
“Mountains?” Emerald echoed. Then her expression cleared. “If a portal isn’t underwater…”
“It’s way up there,” he finished, pointing ahead. He could tell there were mountains, but they were covered by fog and other stuff he didn’t want to dwell on yet. “How about it, Yu? Em finds mountains very fascinating.”
That was all it took to get the pixie moving. He gave Emerald a triumphant smirk, then willingly handed the picked flowers back to the enthusiastic little creature. When she snatched one stem from him and tucked it in her pocket, Rick bit back a smile and marched ahead.
The hours went on while the sun beat down on them before clouds moved in to give them some reprieve. He didn’t trust those clouds one bit so he urged them to hasten until they were out of the field and back in the forest. When it was halfway through the afternoon, he felt his body lose its remaining energy and the lack of sleep numbing his brain, his steps becoming heavy. Quietly, he instructed Emerald to keep an eye on Yu while he stayed behind, battling the urge to sleep. There were scurrying sounds here and there, but nothing that warned them of the pixies’ return.
When he missed a step and stumbled, he bit back a curse and his shield turned off. Rick willed it back on…then, halted when he almost slammed into Emerald.
“Em, what—”
“You need sleep.”
Immediately, he straightened. “I can keep going.”
“No.”
“I swear I’m okay—”
“Maybe I need to rest too,” she cut in, then pointed at the pixie, who was hovering over them curiously. “And Yu. Let’s not make stupid decisions and venture into the night like Yu suggested.”
“But it’s not yet…” He trailed off, looking up in surprise when he realized the sun had gone down. The forest was quieter, too, as if the scurrying creatures knew better than to wander around at this time. “Right. It’s nighttime. I suppose it’s only reasonable to take a break.”
“No cave around,” she murmured, scanning the vicinity. “Yu, any suggestions?”
The two started a low discussion, one his foggy brain could no longer join in on. Surprise filled him when Emerald took his hand after and led him to…a tree.
“The pixies…”
“They can’t reach the highest parts,” she reasoned. “And as long as your shield stays on…”
Safe.They would be safe, depending on how his shield performed—which meant he needed to get some rest before he dropped dead. The thought of getting that rest shot a burst of energy down his body, renewing his senses as he brushed the two off and made the climb himself. When Emerald paused and struggled mid-climb, he reached out and seized her up in one long pull. She teetered on the edge of the branch, then gasped when he pulled her again toward him.
“I got you.”
Green eyes flickered up, meeting his gaze. His hand tightened around her when her lips parted.
“Thanks.”
“Long fall,” he said. “And no problem.”
