I start to pull away, but he tugs me back.
“Just stay for a few minutes.” He locks his arms around me again. “Don’t hate me for saying it, but you’re warm.”
If he didn’t look so pathetic, I’d think he was trying something. But it doesn’t take a healer to see he’s in no shape for that.
I settle against him and run my hands up and down his bare back, trying to warm him. It’s probably in vain because I’ve started shivering too.
“I’m sorry,” I finally murmur.
He settles his chin on my shoulder, pulling me closer. “For what?”
“I held you back in the water. The eel wouldn’t have attacked if I’d been quicker.” I close my eyes, taking a moment to simply breathe. “Thank you, by the way.”
Softly, he loops a small circle on my back with his finger. “Either way, one of us would have left the pool unconscious.” He nudges his head to the side so he can look me in the eye. “I’ve already seen you near death once. It’s not something I care to repeat.”
That pesky emotion I’ve tried so hard to lock away stirs in me, begging me to let it free.
“We’re going to freeze tonight.” I clench my eyes shut. “I need to start a fire.”
Slowly, as if he’s testing himself, he lowers his lips to my shoulder. “You already have.”
His voice is so raw, his mannerisms real for possibly the first time. It’s as if the experience stripped him of all the bluster and left nothing but the man under the show.
“Avery,” I whisper, torn. This isn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to begin to feel things for him. “I… I’m glad you’re not dead.”
He chuckles against my skin and pulls his arms tighter at my waist. “I know your opinion of me is low at best, but how much damage would I do if I told you that this is quickly escalating into one of the top five days of my life?”
My heart stutters and stumbles.
“Not a lot,” I fight for a light tone, but I just sound quiet. “I’d just assume your mind is still addled from the shock.”
Before this goes any further, before high emotions from the situation make me say things I’m not sure I mean, I pull away to find kindling for the fire.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It’s an Island…in a Whirlpool
Night has settled outside the cave, making it impossible to take in our surroundings. There’s a nearby roar of moving water that sounds very much like a massive waterfall. I’m assuming it’s the whirlpool, though I am still doubtful that we’re actually in it. It makes no sense, but I suppose we’ll see in the morning.
My clothing has begun to dry, and I quickly realize the air is quite warm. As I gather tinder near the mouth of the cave, I try to identify plants and trees. I don’t recognize anything, but it’s difficult in the dark.
Avery stands near the rocky entrance, leaning on the cliff face. Though he won’t mention it, he looks exhausted—almost dying has a way of taking it out of you. Since there’s no purpose in putting on a wet shirt, he’s still dressed in only trousers. I’ve grown so used to the crew’s casual attire on the ship, it doesn’t embarrass me anymore. And though my corset and pants would be considered shameful in the cities of Kalae, I don’t feel particularly scandalous either.
At some point, I’ve become comfortable around Avery, perhaps even as comfortable as I am around Sebastian. The thought brings back that familiar guilt, like I’ve done something wrong—like I’m betraying Sebastian, though I know that’s absurd. Surely I am allowed to have more than one friend.
I glance at Avery, worried I’m not feeling particularly “friendly” feelings.
“What’s that look for?” Avery asks as I pass him to go back in the cave that will be our shelter for the night.
“It’s been a long day.” I drop the armload of twigs on the ground. “I’m tired.”
With a flint and my dagger, I light the bits of kindling. The flame grows, and I add larger pieces until we have a fine fire.
“I can’t start a fire.”
Startled, I look at Avery. He’s standing near the edge of the pool, staring into the water’s depths, possibly plotting his revenge on the glowing eels.
“You cannot be serious.”
He shrugs. “It’s not a skill I’ve needed.”
“I suppose you always keep someone common about to do those sorts of chores for you.”
The captain meets my eyes, almost smiling. “Something like that.”
I should take the clothes from my pack and lay them out to dry. Instead, I stare at the fire. Avery sits across from me, and we slip into a comfortable silence.
Exhausted, I stretch out by the fire. Avery does the same, both of us ready to attempt sleep. I shift and turn, unable to find a comfortable position. Avery doesn’t seem to fare any better than I am.
After a while, I ask, “Who’s Elizabetta?”
Avery turns to look at me across the flames, startled. “Why do you ask?”
My stomach squirms, and I shrug. “Your groom mentioned her before we left Duke Thane’s castle.”
“What are you asking me, Lucia?” He pins me with his eyes. “And why are you asking it?”
“I’m making small talk, Captain. It seems appropriate since neither of us can sleep, and we’ll be spending so much time together in the next few days.”
He watches me for what seems like an eternity. Finally, he sits up, leans forward, and rests his arms on his knees, looking entirely too enticing.
“She’s my sister.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
I shoot him an irritated look. “What do you want me to say? That’s nice? Congratulations for having relatives?”
“Who did you think she was?”
Irritated with the conversation, I roll over. “No one. I’m going to sleep.”
***
One of the first things I learned when Sebastian and I set out to be professional scouts is to never go to sleep in an area you haven’t checked out first. Back home anything from basiliskas to goblins could attack you while you’re peacefully dreaming.
Here, in our thoroughly unscouted cavern, I have no idea what might be lurking, but waking to shuffling sounds—like dozens of talons clicking against rock—is never good.
I stay still, wondering if I actually heard something or if my dreams infiltrated my consciousness. The cavern is quiet except for the soft sounds of water lapping against the nearby rocks. Our fire burned out hours ago, and the light of early dawn is just lighting the cave. It’s an eerie hour—a time between night and day.
Figuring I was only dreaming, I roll my shoulders. I barely twitch a muscle when something large, black, and hairy appears directly above me. Like a little girl—like Adeline—I scream on instinct, toss my hands over my face, and curl up in a ball.
Before the beast can attack, it lets out a shrill, inhuman cry—something I will never be able to forget, and falls next to me…sliced cleanly in two.
I leap up, yipping my horror when I realize I’ve been splattered with goo, and rush from the giant tarantula’s still-twitching legs. Avery stands over it, wearing a disgusted look on his face that rivals my own.
Once I have control of my gag reflex, I turn to Avery and demand, “Does your diary say anything about spiders the size of goats?”
“No. He forgot to mention them.” The captain swishes the borrowed blade in the water and then offers it back to me. I shake my head, happy to let him keep it.
One hairy leg twitches for the last time, and then the creature goes still.
“Well,” I say false-brightly, “I don’t know about you, but I’m awake and ready to get on with the day.”
Avery chuckles under his breath and turns toward his pack. I do the same, irritated when I remember that I never took my things out to dry last night. To my surprise, nothing is wet—not even damp. I look up at Avery in question.
“I had Gregory charm them with a water sealant spell.”
&n
bsp; “Why didn’t you change last night? You had to have been frigid after I pulled you from the water.”
With a wicked smile that he doesn’t bother to hide, he turns his back on me. “I fared well enough.”
Foolish me for thinking that half-dead Captain Greybrow would be less crafty than normal Captain Greybrow. I roll my eyes, but my traitorous lips smile without my permission.
“Don’t turn,” I warn him as I pull new clothing from my pack.
With his back toward me, Avery rolls his shoulders… His very nice shoulders… His very nice, muscular, tanned-from-shirtless-hours-on-the-deck shoulders.
My mouth goes dry.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he assures me, but I’ve already forgotten what I just said.
I take a moment—barely even that—to appreciate the exquisiteness that is the captain. Just a heartbeat of a second and nothing more.
Then I peek again.
Patient, the captain waits for me to change. He stretches, flexing the muscles in his back and shoulders. I bite my lip, shamefully allowing my eyes to linger on him.
“If you’re done ogling me, you might hurry up and change. I doubt our tarantula friend lives alone.”
I snap my gaze back to my clothes, horrified. “I was not ogling you.”
“Well, you weren’t changing.”
“And how do you know that?” I demand.
“Because I can see your reflection in the water.”
Shocked, I turn my attention downward. Our gazes meet in the reflection, and Avery grins. Growling, trying not to laugh out of embarrassment, I heave my pack at him as hard as I can. He whirls around, catching it before it crashes into the pool.
“You’re a scoundrel!”
He gives me the most innocent look. “I was going to close my eyes. I swear.”
“You swear,” I mock. “Go look at a rock!”
“If you insist.” He laughs under his breath as he turns to face the cavern wall like a guilty child—the kind who doesn’t regret his actions one tiny bit.
I frown at him, waiting a moment to make sure he’ll behave, and then I toss on my clothes as fast as humanly possible—no reason to test his resolve.
“All right,” I mutter as I shove my old things back in my pack.
“Seeing as how you’re the one with wandering eyes, should I make you stand by the wall as well?” he teases.
So help me, I’m going to push him in the water and let the eels have him.
I jerk my pack onto my shoulders and stride to the entrance of the cave. After a few minutes, Avery joins me. I can tell he’s about to say something clever, but he lets out a low whistle instead.
Warm morning sunlight kisses the landscape in front of us, taking my breath away. I wander out, marveling at where we’ve found ourselves. Once clear of the cave, I turn a full circle. Our location is elevated, giving us a bird’s eye view of our surroundings.
“It’s an island…in a whirlpool.”
It’s the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s not exactly a whirlpool—more like a giant sinkhole. A perfect, uniform shelf of cliff surrounds the entire island, and water spills over in a glorious cascade of mist and turquoise water. The island is lush with tropical growth, colorful flowers, and massive trees—they’re possibly larger than the humongous pine giants in the Grenaldian wildlands.
A lake sparkles far below us. In the distance, it too falls into the surrounding, moat-like abyss. The shores are white and sandy. Jewel-colored wyverns sun themselves on a peninsula in the middle of the water.
I glance at Avery. Even he’s too stunned to speak.
“What is this place?” I take another step forward.
Avery shakes his head. “I don’t know, but we’ll have to watch our step.”
“Why do you say that?”
He turns to me and smirks. “Because you can’t trust anything this untamed.”
Riding on a high from the paradise we’ve just discovered, I adjust my pack and step forward, ready to explore. “Which, Captain, is exactly why I can’t trust you.”
***
“You’ll never be able to swim out of here if you keep collecting things,” Avery says when I pluck another mushroom from the side of a tree.
“Do you know what these are?” I demand, shaking the fungus at him.
Smiling, humoring me, he shakes his head. “I do not.”
“Neither do I.” I plop the mushroom in a small pouch with the other things I’ve been squirreling away. “And so, I’ve concluded it’s very rare, and some fortunate alchemist will pay me dearly for it.”
“Or it might be worthless.”
I shrug and continue along our path, keeping an eye out for more treasures. “In that case, I just have to find an alchemist who doesn’t know that.”
“And you say I sound like a pirate, Lucia.”
Narrowing my eyes, I turn back. Avery’s quick grin disarms any retort I might have had. Something is happening to me, something extremely inconvenient. I like him. I don’t just mean I’m a bit infatuated, which would be easier to dismiss. I like being around him, having him for company. Having him for a friend.
My anger is all but gone, which leaves nothing but that gnawing guilt in its absence. Every smile we share, every laugh, feels like I’m choosing him over Sebastian. And it makes me wonder if I’m a fool. Trusting Avery again…it wasn’t wise. Becoming close to Avery…that’s asking for trouble.
As I mull these things over, I stop to look at the island through a break in the foliage. Around us, the fragrance of exotic flowers is thick. The air is hot and humid, and brightly-colored birds call to each other from the trees. If this isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is.
I want to stretch out on the distant beach, let the sun beat down on me, and swim in the lake. I close my eyes, imagining what could be if we had more time.
Avery steps up behind me, and he presses something behind my ear. I open my eyes, half surprised to find him so close when I turn, and let my fingers graze over my hair. It’s a flower, just like the carefree courtiers wear on the beaches of Teirn.
“Since we’re collecting things.” He gives me a little shrug, but he seems hesitant, almost as if he’s worried I’m going to say he’s foolish and toss the flower to the ground.
A little lone butterfly flutters in my stomach. Avery’s eyes are warm in the bright island sunshine, such a rich light brown. I remember how intense they were after our kiss, how he attempted to hide how flustered he was.
He’s close. If I wanted, which of course I don’t, I could rise on my toes and kiss him now.
Avery raises a questioning eyebrow, and I realize I’ve watched him too long. Gulping, I continue down our makeshift path, leaving the flower in my hair.
Our trail is narrow, only wide enough to walk single file, and in several places, we must cut through the thick brush. Avery’s rapier is too weak. My dagger does a fair job, but it would be a lot faster with a little of Gregory’s fire magic. I could burn right through the vines and stems.
Every so often, Avery consults the diary.
“What is that?” I ask when we stop again, pointing to a piece of wood with a marking on it. It’s like a tiny signpost, but it only reaches my thigh.
Avery wipes his brow and hands me the waterskin. The day has grown hot and humid. The lake calls me, but we’ve walked for hours, and it’s still far off. The island is larger than it looks. We probably won’t reach it for several days at the rate we’re traveling. Neither of us seems to be in much of a hurry.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” He kneels to examine the markings closer. “Is that some form of writing?”
I lean in for a closer look. There are symbols painted on the board, perhaps some form of words. “Are there native people living on the island?”
The thought makes me uneasy.
Avery stands. “It’s possible, I suppose. But I almost think it was left by some other adventurer who traveled here before u
s.”
“An adventurer no bigger than a toddler?”
He laughs, and I hand him back the water. “Let’s just hope they’ve left a ruby for us.”
We walk some more, meandering our way through the jungle. I startle a red frog, and it darts into a puddle. There are odd creatures here, strange lizards and tiny rodents I have no names for. It’s like the underwater cave led us to a new world. Who knows—maybe it did. It’s peaceful here, and the constant hum of falling water is soothing.
When the sun hangs low, we begin to look for a sheltered place to sleep for the night.
“What all have you gathered?” Avery asks once we have our fire going.
We’re camped in the safety of a cluster of moss-covered boulders. It’s a nice, cozy spot, and I feel far better about it than our camp in the cavern last night.
I lay my treasures out in front of me, taking stock. I have several flowers, four different types of fungus, a glossy red feather, lots of seed pods, and a few orchid cuttings I’m going to give my mother if we ever make it back. Unlike the orchids of the Moss Forest, these cuttings came from flowers that were beautiful and small, with bright yellow blooms. I think she’ll like them.
I shouldn’t have left things the way I did. Life’s too fragile. What if something happens out here? What if she never knows that I love her, and I’m sorry—not for my choices, but for my impatience with the life she chose for herself.
“You look pensive,” Avery says, a little too observant.
“Do you get along with your parents?” I ask as I wrap the cuttings in wet moss so they’ll stay moist. I know full well he won’t answer. I’ve never met someone as private about his personal life as the captain.
“My father and I had a falling out about three years ago. We’ve only spoken a few times in the last few years.”
I look up, shocked. Pressing my luck, I ask, “What about your mother?”
He gives me a grim smile. “She passed away…about three years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am as well.” He smiles. “She was something.”
“What happened with your father?”
Greybrow Serpent (Silver and Orchids Book 2) Page 14