by Jenn Vakey
“A boat?” I asked, my heart starting to race again. This time with excitement. Rhydian looked over, his eyes making a sweep over my face. Though he tried to hide it, I could see him fighting back a smile. “As in an actual boat?”
I had never seen one. No one in Eden had. Boats were things from the history books, like aircrafts or automobiles. I hadn’t even considered they would still be around. Apparently he didn’t seem to think my question warranted an answer, because he just turned back to the hallway ahead without saying another word. I was too excited to care.
I recognized both of the people Stassa was sending with us. The first was the guy from the meeting yesterday. The one with shaggy black hair who was questioning Dallin. I think I heard someone call him Jaythan. The other was a woman. I didn’t know her name, but she was almost always by Stassa’s side when I saw her. By the looks of her, she actually could have been Aarys’ older sister. She was a few years older than Rhydian, with straight red hair that she had put white streaks in. It wasn’t a look I had seen before, such things not permitted in Eden, but I didn’t dislike it.
Joury was talking to Jaythan when we walked out. I had hoped that it might be a sign she could be turning her attention to him, but that was quickly squashed when she looked up and saw Rhydian. It was the way her eyes seemed to be smiling, despite her surprisingly successful attempt to keep it from her face.
Rhydian went over to talk to Stassa’s people and Joury. I wanted to go with him, for no reason other than because I felt safer by his side. Okay, and because I liked being around him. I was still so confused about what was going on, though. I didn’t want to push him. So instead, I walked over to where Zaydan stood. He still looked half asleep. His short brown hair was at odd angles on one side, which made me fairly certain he had just rolled out of bed before coming out. Now that I thought about it, this might be the earliest I’d ever seen him up. He never went on retrievals, or at least not the ones I had seen.
“I like the new gear,” he said, motioning to the harness as he ran his fingers through his hair. It did nothing to straighten it. Not that I thought he cared. “Hopefully we won’t actually have a need for them, although I’m sure you’re ready to try it out. These trips are usually pretty quiet.”
Except the last time. Zaydan was the one person I knew I could ask who would actually tell me what had happened. I was tempted, but decided to just trust Noella and Rhydian on this one.
We didn’t waste any time before leaving. The sun was barely starting to peek up, which gave the woods an almost orange glow as we moved through them. No one really talked as we covered the five miles between Alkwin and the archway. I wasn’t sure if everyone was still waking up or if it was nerves. If we were going to run into Sentry, that would probably be the place for it.
I felt almost guilty for the small part of me that hoped there would be someone. Not any real danger, but enough of a fight that I could feel that high battling brought. It didn’t appear that I was going to be getting it today, though. The archway was quiet and empty when we reached it.
Instead of following the path I had always been down, we took a new one that moved to the right. It was wide like the other one, about ten feet across. Looking down, I could see something a little different about it, though. Well, maybe not different. Just more noticeable. Just under the layer of dirt, I could see a hard surface. It wasn’t solid by any means. It was cracked and broken, the hardened dirt filling in the missing places. Looking to both sides of the path, I could see what looked to be signs that it had once been even wider. Before the woods started to move into it.
“What are you looking at?” Joury asked, walking up beside me.
Of everyone in our group, she appeared to be the most awake. Maybe it was just her almost constant, bubbly way of carrying herself.
“Did this used to be a road?” I asked.
Joury looked down herself, then gave a half shrug. “It would make sense,” she answered. “We know the archway was a building of some kind. And I guess there would have had to have been roads going to Eden and going in and out of Denver. I’ve honestly never really thought about it.”
“Almost no one ever does,” another voice interjected. I looked past Joury to see Rhydian in line with us at the other side of the path. He didn’t look over. Despite what I had been told about the chances of running into Sentry, he was still moving his eyes around. Watching. “To answer your question, yes. Both this path and the one to Eden were roads before the war.”
Joury hummed her appreciation for the information, then turned back to face me. “You know, for someone so observant, you seem to completely be missing the opportunity you just had dropped into your lap.”
I gave her a hesitant look, almost afraid to ask. That was mostly because I was fairly certain I already knew what she was going to say. Still, I couldn't not ask. “And what would that be?”
“Alister,” she said with a slight nod of her head. “He keeps asking about you. You know, like what you like. If you had a guy either here or in Eden. Stuff like that.”
Rhydian turned toward us, but I looked back ahead and pretended not to notice. I knew the attention Alister gave me bothered him. Even if I wasn’t sure what the reasoning for it was.
I hated this. Being so up in the air with things. As much as it would hurt to know that that door had permanently been closed, part of me was starting to wonder if it would be better than this uncertainty.
“He’s just not used to all of this excitement,” I said, brushing it off. “It’ll pass.”
“That’s my point,” Joury countered in an exasperated way. “You said you don’t have time for guys because of this Eden business, but it will be done with soon. Who knows how many more girls will be coming in when that happens. He’s really cute. You should lock that down before it’s too late.”
By this point it was actually a struggle not to look over at Rhydian. Not because I wanted to see if it bothered him or not. It was Joury’s persistence. I wanted someone to laugh with about it. Aarys would have been my first choice, since I had seen Joury pull this on her, but Rhydian was the only one here.
“You might not have that problem, though,” she went on. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks permission to court you before too much longer. He asked Evanly last night if you had family here.”
I felt myself pale at the thought. I hadn’t even considered that was still a thing. Dallin wasn’t around. The person who would need to be asked was Orson. With how unhappy he was with what had been going on between Rhydian and me, he might just agree to force me to stay away from him.
I nearly stumbled at the thought.
Could he do that? Would I have to follow through for the required time like in Eden?
“Do you really think he has the courage to ask Orson to court his daughter?” Rhydian stepped in.
I let out an involuntary growl at the mere mention of being Orson’s daughter and finally met his eye. He glanced over briefly, his eyes almost studying my expression. Then he gave the faintest of smirks and looked forward again.
Could he see how worried the thought made me? Was he happy I didn’t like the idea? Or was he just amused by my never ending annoyance at the reference when it came to Orson?
“You might be surprised,” Joury said, looking over herself. “Especially after he saw you coming out of her room two mornings in a row. He hasn’t been around long enough not to get the wrong idea. He’ll probably assume you’re trying to move in.”
My chest tightened in that painful way again. Even more so when Rhydian shifted his gaze toward me. I only managed to hold it for a moment before I had to look away. He didn’t respond to Joury’s statement. I knew he wouldn’t. Just like I didn’t. Even if I knew where things stood between us, if things were actually good like they had been, it wouldn’t have been the right time. Not before both a dangerous trip to Denver and the raid on Eden.
“That’s what’s so great about not having a father around,” Joury carried on, completely o
blivious to the tension that now filled every inch of me. “No one has to ask permission before courting me.”
Surprisingly, Joury kept her attention on the path ahead. I looked back over at Rhydian, I couldn’t help it. I had so many questions about what was going on between the two of them. But there was no reaction. He just gave an almost bored looking nod. It was like he had no idea she was hinting at him. Could that even be possible?
“Then he’d probably have more luck going after you than Leeya,” he stated, no emotion at all in his voice.
Joury looked at him at that, but he still gave no reaction. Not even the slightest sign that he knew how the statement would sound to her. What it meant. That he had actually just hurt her with his words.
It was then that I realized he really didn’t know. Even when he was at his angriest with me, Rhydian had never done anything to purposely hurt me. Even though I had deserved it. That just wasn’t who he was. As far as I knew, Joury hadn’t done anything to him even close to what I had.
And now he had hurt her.
“What’s the typical age people have to be before moving into the dorm?” I asked quickly, hoping to stop this conversation before it could get any worse.
Rhydian peered over to meet my eye. Thinking about it, he always did when I asked him something. I wasn’t sure why I had been so convinced he was involved with Joury, because it wasn’t something he typically did with her.
“It depends on the situation,” he answered. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to puzzle out where I was going with this. “Why?”
“I was wondering if that might make things easier for Linley. At least she wouldn’t be sneaking across camp in the middle of the night anymore.”
It would also give him a reason to be around her without raising suspicion. As one of the leaders, it would be his responsibility to ensure the safety of someone so young living in the dorm.
The corners of Rhydian’s mouth twitched, his eyes alit with appreciation. Just like they always were when it came to me doing something for his little sister. Then he nodded.
“Yeah, why does she keep ending up in your room?” Joury asked as she looked back at me. I met her gaze, but there was no accusation there. Just curiosity. All I could do was shrug. I knew the answer, but it wasn’t one I could give her.
“She said she's always wanted a sister,” Rhydian answered for me. “Aside from the staff, she grew up in a family of men. I think she's adopted Leeya for that role. Besides, she likes her hair.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t deny his words, although it hadn’t been said directly to me by either of them. It made sense when looking back at Linley’s actions. Then there were all the things she had said. Her attempts at trying to get us back together. With all of that, I knew he was right. She really did want me to be her sister.
“Joury,” Zaydan called from where he walked at the front of the group. He glanced back and motioned for her to join him.
As she bounced away, I moved over to Rhydian's side. “You are so adorably clueless,” I said, careful to keep my voice low. He looked over, his eyes filled with confusion. It actually made me want to laugh. “I might be completely lost when it comes to the romance department, but even I can tell that she likes you.”
I knew it was a risk telling him. If things really were over with us, it could cause him to see her in a different way. On the other hand, I didn't actually like seeing her hurt because he had no idea what was going on. It was worth the heartache it could cause me.
The look he had on his face when he peered ahead to Joury before turning back to me just confirmed it.
“Like I said, clueless,” I muttered.
Rhydian appeared to be thinking about it for a moment before he gave a resigned sigh. It didn't look like he could find anything to argue about when it came to my statement. Then he smirked and met my eye. “For the record, you didn't seem completely lost from where I stood.”
I felt my cheeks start to burn. He was already shifting his gaze to them, which meant I had no time to turn away to hide it. So I swallowed hard and responded with, “That's just because you can't hear what goes on in my head.”
I looked back ahead, but from the corner of my eye, I could see him open his mouth to say something. He didn't, though. He just closed it again and looked ahead himself.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RHYDIAN
What Leeya said about Joury bothered me. Thinking about it, I guess I could see why she would think that. Now that she had mentioned it, I could recognize the signs. She did touch me more than anyone else did. I had just thought it was part of her personality. Even if it wasn't true, it also explained Leeya's reaction when Orson said Joury would be making the trip with me. I hadn't been able to place it at the time. Jealousy. She didn't like the idea of me going on a trip with Joury.
Despite the fact that I would be lying if I said I didn't take a little pleasure in Leeya's reaction, the situation actually concerned me. It was never good to have issues between people in camp. When emotions ran high, people got killed. Not in Alkwin, of course. It just caused people to be reckless, clumsy. Leeya’s actions at the archway with those Sentry had been proof enough of that. And those were two things we couldn't have when we faced a threat like Eden.
It wasn't like I had any interest in Joury romantically, but the entire situation did give me another reason not to try to start things up with Leeya again. Not before we moved to rescue the Tainted in the city. Maybe not even after it was done.
It also made me even more certain that I wouldn’t take that risk unless I was certain it wouldn’t fall apart again.
“Shit,” Zaydan said, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked ahead to see that they had stopped just a few feet into the canyon we had to pass through. It didn't take me long to realize why. Sometime after the last trip we had taken, a rockslide had filled it from side to side, leaving boulders stacked up nearly seven feet high. By the looks of them, it wouldn't be safe to simply climb over. One wrong move and someone could be crushed by a shifting boulder. It wasn't a risk I was willing to take.
“We're going to have to move them,” Verity said, although the idea wasn't one she was happy with. I watched as Stassa’s trusted second looked up at the stone walls lining the path. At some point in history, people had cut this path straight out of the small mountain that now stood moving up around us. While it wouldn't be impossible to climb it, there would be no way we could make it to Denver before dark. Even this option left us a little short on time.
The only other choice would be to backtrack to where the road split and follow the path further east along the base of the mountain until we reached the other pass. That way would add an additional day to our trip. Two taking into account the trip home.
“Step aside,” Joury said, cutting through my internal debate.
She flashed a playful smirk and moved forward, rubbing her hands together. Only a few moments passed before roots from the trees near the opening pushed up out of the ground and started stretching toward the stones. Leeya pulled in a breath from where she had stopped beside me as we watched the roots wrap around the boulders and start moving them out of the way.
“She has nymph based abilities,” I said, glancing over and taking in the look of wonder in Leeya's eyes. “She can control plants and trees.”
“Wow,” she breathed out. “That's pretty awesome.”
I actually loved that about her. She didn't shy away from searching out the beauty in the new things she was encountering now that she was outside of Eden. Most people did. Sure, they would be curious, but with Leeya it was like she couldn't get enough of it. That was why I had been so impressed when she asked about the road. I could count on one hand the number of people who had picked up on that in all the time I’d been in Eden.
No one needed direction before knowing that it was time for a break while we waited for our path to open up. Zaydan disappeared into the woods, muttering something about taking a leak. Ja
ythan plopped down against a tree and closed his eyes, while Verity started fishing through her bag. Joury couldn't really take a break. Not that it was strenuous, but she had to maintain constant control over the trees. It wasn't like she could just give them orders and walk away.
I grabbed my water bottle from the side of my bag and leaned against a large boulder sitting in the tree line. I took a drink, then held it out to Leeya. I knew she had her own, but she had just been standing there as if she were unsure what she was supposed to do. She still wasn't sure how she should be acting around me. Because of that, I knew she wouldn't have come over to stand with me had I not extended the invitation.
She hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking the bottle, likely battling with the decision about whether or not she'd tell me she had her own. But she drank from it, then gave it back.
“You really think we should move Linley into the dorm?” I asked, shifting over a little so she could rest against the rock beside me.
She pulled the strap of her bag off and let it fall to the ground before joining me. There was a slight hesitation when she leaned back and felt the bastons hit the rock, but she quickly adjusted. “I think she would be happier,” she answered. “I don't see her stopping her midnight treks, no matter what she's told to do.”
I agreed with that. I knew I should have been more upset than I was about her walking to the dorm again last night. I actually found myself smiling when I heard her tiny fist hitting the door. I wasn't even sure how, but I knew it was her. That was only confirmed when I heard Leeya's door open. I knew exactly what she was doing. And I didn't hesitate. I had been unable to fall asleep, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what exactly I should do about Leeya. When the opportunity arose, though, I knew I wanted to sleep with them again.
So I did.
“So,” Leeya said, almost in a hesitant way. “Guys still have to ask a father's permission to court in Alkwin? I thought all of the Eden rules were left in Eden.”