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His eyes widened with relief as he spotted her sitting rather disgruntled at the bottom of the hole. Her golden hair glinted in the sunshine as she looked up at him.
“Is that you?” she asked.
A surge of joy filled Tristan’s heart. She was alive, at least. “Yes, it’s me. Hold on.”
He turned to find Midnight had cantered to his side, the end of a rope hanging in his mouth.Good horse.Tristan pulled the rest of the rope from the saddle and wrapped it around a tree trunk, securing it with a tight knot.
“Here,” he called down to Aurora, tossing the rope into the pit. “Take this, and I’ll pull you up.”
The tension in his shoulders eased as Aurora grasped the rope and began to ascend. Tristan gripped the rope tightly, muscles straining as he hauled her out of the pit.
As she emerged, he knelt beside her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
She rolled over, eyeing him with both irritation and relief. “What took you so long?”
Tristan couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not as if I have a kingdom to run or anything,” he teased, offering her a hand.
Aurora allowed him to pull her up. Once on her feet, she slapped the dirt from her pants. “We still have a ways to go,” she said.
Curiosity gnawed at him. “What happened down there?”
“Scorpions,” she grumbled, her cheeks flushing. “Disgusting creatures.”
Tristan suppressed a chuckle. Even in her disgruntlement, she was still beautiful. Yet, as he watched her, he noticed her blush deepening. It wasn’t anger but embarrassment that colored her cheeks, and it only made her more endearing.
Aurora’s head snapped up, catching his amused expression. “What?”
Tristan shook his head. “Nothing.” But he couldn’t erase the smile from his lips.
She rolled her eyes but then, to his delight, a smile spread across her face. Her gaze dropped. “Great. I’m making a fool of myself in front of a prince.”
Stepping closer, Tristan met her eyes. “Here, I’m just Tristan,” he said, his voice soft. “And you could never be a fool in my eyes.”
Her gaze held his, and Tristan wished he could discern her thoughts. Was she pleased to see him, or had he become an unwelcome intrusion in her life?
“Thank you,” she finally said. “For rescuing me from the pit.”
Tristan waved it off. “It’s the least I could do considering how you’ve been helping me.”
“Oh, don’t thank me yet,” she said, blowing out a breath as she walked past him. “You haven’t met Millie.”
“Who’s Millie?” Tristan asked, quickening his pace to keep up with her.
“She’s the fairy who stole the parchment,” Aurora said irritably. “And I’m fairly certain she won’t give it back without a price.”
“What kind of price?” he asked.
Aurora shook her head. “No idea. But I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
Crows circled the skies above and beads of sweat clung to Tristan’s temples as they traversed higher up the mountain. The forest grew denser, the towering trees casting a dappled shade over the forest floor. Patches of sunlight scattered like gold on the ground, contrasting with the eerie stillness that settled over the place, broken only by the distant cawing of crows against the azure sky.
Approaching a gaping chasm, Tristan eyed the vines hanging down from above. They hung like boas, curled around the branches of the unfathomably tall trees. He grabbed one and gave it a firm tug. “Seems secure,” he said, looking back at Aurora.
She regarded the vines skeptically, her eyes scanning them as if they were serpents poised to strike. “How can you be sure?” she asked.
Ignoring her doubts, Tristan wrapped the vine around his forearm and swung across with ease. Turning back to Aurora with a triumphant smile on his face, he tossed the vine toward her, then watched as she tugged on the vine one last time.
Aurora took a deep breath and leaped into the air, soaring over the chasm. “See? I told you—” But the vine snapped mid-swing, sending her plummeting. Tristan’s reflexes kicked in, and he snagged her hand as she went down. His knees hit the ground to brace against the force.
