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My dream flashed to the forefront of my mind, the taste of copper riding my tongue. I took a step back as if I had been pushed.
“I dreamt of you last night.”
“And what was I doing, Little Goddess?” he asked, his masculine features chiseled out by the light of the moon.
“You coaxed me to bite an apple that tasted of blood,” I answered, my hand instinctually drifting to my throat. “You said that I was your blessing . . . That you were my Curse.” My voice fell just above a whisper as I looked up at him and gestured to us both. “What is this? Between us?”
“Fate.”
And it sounded like the most logical thing I had ever been told.
Iwas losing my mind. Clearly.
I didn’t really believe in fate, so how could I find logic in it?
How could I feel so tethered to someone I had known for such little time?
The only feasible explanation was that I was losing my mind, that my marbles were finally rolling loose. I cursed Ezra under my tongue—her insanity had finally worn off on me.
Or maybe this was a long-lasting side effect from her truth tonic.
I sighed. I would ask her about it when we were reunited—the three of us.
“Is something wrong?” Arkyn asked from across the carriage, amber eyes locked on the document he had spent the last four hours reading over. A satchel sat at the base of his feet, the button flap thrown open, showcasing the stacks of paper rolls tucked inside.
“No, nothing,” I lied, peering out the window at the vast marshland dominated by waterlogged soil and billowy, swaying reeds. Not wanting the carriage to get stuck, the coachman had kept to higher ground. Unfortunately, that meant instead of cutting right through the marsh, we were forced to go around it. And from where I sat, I saw no end to the treeless landscape.
“How much longer?” I asked, my head rolling back as I looked at him.
“Another five hours or so. We won’t arrive at Thornhill until nightfall,” Arkyn replied, his tone clipped, occupied. He leaned forward, his gloved fingers walking through the papers in his satchel.
“What are you reading?” I inquired, tired of the silence, of my private thoughts.
He tilted his head up and smirked, “Oh, you know, advisor of the king things.” The way he said it was like it was some private joke that I was not privy too.
“Such as?” I asked.
“Reviewing taxes. Drafting laws. Managing the day-to-day running of the kingdom,” Arkyn replied as he plucked a stack of paper from the satchel.
“Sounds riveting,” I replied sarcastically.
Arkyn didn’t reply.
I wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. “And what of Kaleb? Do you know where he is?”
He spared a glance my way, although he did not look pleased. “Yes, I found him.”
My heart began to race, my mind whirling. “And?”
“I will tell you later.” He reached for another roll.
“Why not tell me now?” I interjected before he could delve back into his work—forging more laws to rip off the poor could wait.
“Because if I tell you now, you have no reason to stay.” He sighed.
“Wouldn’t that be better for you? Then you could return to your work.” I gestured to his never-ending papers. “It’s not like you are getting anything out of this deal anyway.”
“On the contrary, Sage. I’m getting everything.” He stated it as if it were a matter of fact. Dismissing any more conversation, he returned to his papers.
