A Flash In The Densest Shadow: From Forest To Flames #2

by K. Lyn Hill

  “People are afraid of me.” Christopher offered in a hushed tone.

  “I’m not afraid. In fact, I’d prefer to see all of your handsome face.” The boy was only about eight, but her heart swelled when his face lit up at her comment. After a few shuffled moments, he came all the way into view. She smiled. Holding out her hand again, he moved towards her and paused. “People don’t like to touch me. they think my disease will spread to them.”

  “I’m not worried about it.” She said, encouraging him to take her hand. After a moment of debate, he reached out and gripped one of them with his small hand. His fingers squeezed tighter at the contact and noticed then that the shop owner and the ignorant woman were staring at her in silence. The woman let out a disgusted grunt and Aerity ignored her, looking at the father.

  “I want to buy every pastry that Christopher helped make.” She lifted her chin and swallowed when she saw tears well up in the father’s eyes. His lip quivered when he glanced down at her hand entwined with his sons and then they parted. She knew they should save their money, but she couldn’t let this go.

  Finally, the father found his voice. It was quiet and almost a whisper, but he spoke nonetheless. “He helped with all of them ma’am.”

  With a bright smile, she turned to Christopher and said brightly. “Then I’ll take all of them.”

  ∞∞∞

  Eli

  He had been standing on the sidelines watching everything unfold and found himself at a loss for words. Aerity was strong and kind beyond anything he could ever imagine. She spoke with authority, strength and compassion and he realized how good she would have been if she was a queen. Even if she had to marry Damien, she would have changed this world immensely for the better.

  The emotions swirling around him, threatened to choke him. He glanced back and forth, from the look of awe frozen on the father’s face to the look of pure pride on the young boys’.

  Aerity simply wore a mask of determination.

  “All of them ma’am?” The man asked again, clearly in shock.

  Without even blinking, she replied. “Yes.” With her hand still clasped in the boys smaller one, she rose and used her other hand to dig into her coin purse. “Is that enough?” She asked with confidence. She knew as well as Eli that it was enough money to have bought ten carts of pastries, but he kept his mouth shut. She knew what she was doing.

  When she laid the coin down on the table, the man gawked, blinked and then gawked some more. “That’s far too much ma’am. I don’t have any change.”

  “I don’t need change. Pastries made by Christopher are worth far more than this.” She glanced down and gave the boy a wink who preened by her side.

  “I…” The man started but was clearly at a loss for words. Aerity looked at the pastries pointedly and after a moment of staring at her, the man got to work in wrapping the pastries up in takeout baggies. “Thank you, my lady.”

  “No, thank you. I can’t wait to eat them all.” Aerity said with another big smile.

  Once they were all bagged up and they had enough pastries to last a lifetime, Eli realized that with the community day going on that there wouldn’t be many places to stay. As they turned to leave, he asked, “Do you know of any taverns around that might still have rooms available?”

  The man’s eyebrows scrunched up. “Not tonight. They will all be filled with travelers.”

  That wasn’t good news, but they would find something. “Okay, thank you for your help.”

  They turned to leave again when the man stopped them. “You can stay with us.”

  He began to speak when Aerity cut him off. “That is a very kind offer, but we don’t want to impose. Thank you though.”

  The man wasn’t giving up though. “Please, I insist. I feel guilty for taking so much extra money for the pastries and all you’ve done…” His voice trailed off when he looked down at the little boy who still had a big smile on his face. “Please. View it as your returned change. We don’t have much but it would be my pleasure to assist you.”

  “We didn’t do that in order to receive something in return.” Aerity said pointedly.

  The man replied, “And I, the same. I do not offer out of mere obligation. Please let me do this for you just as you have done for me.”

  After a moment Aerity nodded and reached her hand out for Christopher to grasp. She held on to it through the entire walk through town, despite all the dirty, disgusted looks. Across the square, she used one hand to eat the pastries he had made with a smile on her face as they made their way to the man’s home. It wasn’t until Christopher was in bed, his story read and the sound of his snoring echoing through the humble room, that she finally released his hand with a loving squeeze.

  Chapter Forty

  Damien

  Dread pulled at the pit of his stomach with those horrid words. “He’s been expecting you and he is none too happy about the wait.” Elias cringed and Damien could relate to the sentiment. Most people cringed when it came to the king.

  “Yes well, when is he ever happy?” Damien grumbled under his breath. Ever since his mom died, something died inside the king too. He would go into fits of rage as if unaware he was even in them. Now Damien wondered if it had anything to do with this woman Benjamin was talking about.

  He entered the throne room cautiously, hoping his father tired of waiting and had found his way to bed. He needed to get back to Benjamin for the last of his information.

  But that was being too optimistic.

  His gaze landed on the occupied throne as he braced himself for the future punishment. His father’s eyes raked over his body and it sent a shiver down his spine. “So you are alive, and walking around, I see.” His father’s tone was stiff and chilled.

  That could only mean one thing.

  He was furious.

  “You weren’t dying or lying in a ditch somewhere when I summoned for you. Want to tell me the reason you dare to keep your king waiting?” Not his father waiting. King.

  “I didn’t expect you back so soon. Otherwise I would have made sure to have been available for your arrival. I was told you were still a day away.”

  The king grunted but thankfully accepted his answer. “We made good time.” Was all he said as his father stared him down.

  Damien clenched his hands that were entwined behind his back. His chin inched up as he met the king’s menacing gaze. He refused to be intimidated by his own father. No more.

  “I would say that I enjoyed my lovely trip to Aritrithria to secure the marriage alliance you failed to exact but that would be a sore lie. How one measly little brat could get away from you is beyond me. I also heard of the little tiff between you and Siel these past few weeks. I wonder what all the fuss is with her knickers. Maybe I should join in on the fight for her glory.”

  Damien knew the king was trying to rile him up. Although his hatred burned, he had to tread carefully. His father was already headed straight into his rage and Damien would be the recipient of his anger. Reacting would only give him what he wanted. For Damien to act the fool once again.

  He wouldn’t give in as much as the thought of his father touching Aerity made bile rush up his throat.

  “Yes, it was interesting that she ended up surprising everyone. When we retrieved her, it was as if she was an entirely different person.” He said casually, waiting for another response from his father. He didn’t want to give away too much, but he had to know what his father knew. Part of him was afraid for the truth. Benjamin’s warning stuck in his head.

  Sometimes you can’t unknow.

  The other part of him wanted to see his father squirm. He could blame him for all that had transpired but when it came down to it, Damien had a feeling that the king was more to blame than he was letting on.

  He waited for a reaction and he wasn’t disappointed.

  His father jerked his head up in surprise. “What did you say?”

  “Well, when we brought her back, it was as if her personality ha
d changed. Flipped. 360 turn. Some might even say she was otherworldly.” He emphasized the word, watching the emotions play out on his father’s face.

  Powerful hands gripped the sides of the dais as a full throttle glare beamed in his direction. A nervous glare perhaps?

  “But you probably don’t understand what I mean, do you father? I mean could you ever have experienced something like that?” It was comical how much his father’s grip relaxed as if he realized he was giving himself away. Damien would get to the bottom of his secret. He wondered if his father knew just how close he was to finding out the truth. Benjamin was the safer person to talk to. His answers would come.

  “Why would I? I’m not a fool like you. Had I not birthed a son who disappointed me at every turn, the kingdom would have been on its way to recovery, instead of being attacked and set on fire!”

  How easy it had been for his father to spin the blame back on him. He might have smiled if his jaw didn’t hurt from clenching so hard. The side of his cheek bled with fervor as he bit it to hold his tongue. The king was trying to cover over his mistake. Still after all these years the king couldn’t embrace that he was to blame, and Damien had a very strong feeling he was.

  The king looked at him with disappointment. Of course, that’s all he would ever see. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  Other than, “I know you have secrets and I will find them out?” No. Nothing else came to mind and he chose to keep his thoughts locked away.

  Nothing he said would matter. Instead, he couldn’t help the slip of his tongue. “Thankfully your back now and can fix all the problems that arose in your absence.” He regretted it as soon as it tumbled out. Talking back never got him very far. His level of sarcasm had become loose since spending so much time with Aerity.

  The king tapped his fingers on his chair unimpressed. “Hold your tongue boy.” He spat. He stood from his seat on the throne and stalked towards him with a chilling calm.

  Nearing him, Damien could smell the scent of wine tinging the air as he released a puff. Still, Damien held his ground.

  “You can’t possibly be any more of an embarrassment if you tried. You’re a failure and it is not my job to clean up your messes. You will fix this, do you understand?!” Damien knew what the king was doing. He had done it time and time again to get a rise out of him. A reaction. He wouldn’t bend.

  He remained silent.

  A hand shifted swiftly as a crack sounded across his face. The mark of the king’s ring stung as Damien ran his tongue over his now bleeding lip. “Answer me!” The king boomed. Spittle flying from his mouth.

  “I will do as my king commands.”

  His father’s chest heaved up and down from exertion. “Get out of my sight. I’m tired from my journey and from waiting up all night for you. Make no mistake Damien. We will continue this later.”

  Yay. He couldn’t wait.

  “Oh and Damien?”

  He fought against the ache in his cheek and his desire to punch something as he turned to face his father, waiting for what other wonders he had to say.

  “When you leave, send Siel in.”

  Damien clenched his jaw but nodded submissively.

  It was so good to have him back.

  Not.

  “Yes, your majesty.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Eli

  In the morning he was greeted by the smell of cinnamon and clove as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Aerity must have already made her way into the kitchen because the spot where she had laid the night before was empty and cold.

  Eli stumbled into the kitchen half asleep.

  The night had been filled with a racing mind and an uneasy heart. They had no idea what they were going to do once they left the comfort of the baker’s home, but he shoved it down. The house they were now in was warm and cozy, while being filled with love. And Aerity was there with him. There was no room for negativity or apprehension.

  With a lazy smile planted on his face, he sat down at an empty seat by their kitchen island and watched as Christopher hobbled around the room humming and chattering away with Aerity. She was watching him, entranced, as he measured out the spices simply by the weight in his hand, one eye tilting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth in concentration. His father stood off in the corner of the room just watching Aerity with awe.

  Eli didn’t blame him.

  Christopher was apparently telling her a story about his first baking fiasco. “And then the batter went everywhere! I even found some in my underwear a week later!”

  “Christopher!” His father scolded his dirty mouth but Aerity just giggled at his stricken expression.

  “That sounds quite uncomfortable.

  The little boy grinned. “Oh, you have no idea.”

  She must have felt his presence at her back because she spun around on her chair and shot him a smile. His heart skipped.

  “Something smells good.” He interrupted, ignoring his beating heart and grabbed the seat beside her, slumping down on it.

  Aerity took a sip of almost finished coffee and he wondered how long she had been awake.

  “It will be finished in one minute.” Christopher got to work, stirring the final ingredients into the pot and plopping it into two portions, handing them each a steaming bowl of oatmeal.

  She happily took it. “Thank you so much.”

  Eli also nodded his thanks, digging in without letting it cool down first. He regretted it when he sputtered and tried to suck cold air into his mouth.

  Christopher cringed, which made his distorted face wrinkle up even more. “Careful. It’s really hot.”

  “Yeah I figured that out.” He mumbled; his tongue now burnt.

  Aerity cocked her left eyebrow and slowly blew on her food pointedly. He stuck out his tongue at her as he shook his head with a smirk. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up. Christopher’s dad was watching them. “You two are a very cute couple.”

  “We aren’t together.” Aerity rushed to say. He didn’t want to admit how much that burned to hear come out of her mouth.

  “Oh, you just look like you get along very well. I just thought…”

  “We grew up together, that’s all.” She answered quickly, taking another slow bite of her oatmeal after first cooling it down.

  “So what are you doing in Ferali?” Christopher asked, leaning against the island, blowing on his own food.

  “Just a bit of sightseeing.” Aerity answered vaguely. “Anything you recommend us seeing while we are here?” She filled her mouth with oatmeal and then pulled the spoon away slowly. How did she even make that look sexy?

  Philippe, Christopher’s father, tapped his chin in thought.

  “Father! What about the bitter lake?!” Christopher exclaimed excitedly, his eyes bright and wide.

  “What’s the bitter lake?” Aerity asked at the same time Phillipe’s lips turned to thin slits.

  “No, that’s too dangerous.”

  Christopher’s gaze shot between his father’s and Aerity’s before he cracked. “It’s an ancient body of water that is said to have healing properties. The Nanafala tribe use it to cure injuries. It’s said to glow when you touch it!”

  “Nanafala?” Aerity breathed and turned to look at Eli. That was the tribe Natalia said she was from and she had healed Aerity in a few short hours.

  “Uhuh! Each island is said to have one, even Ceranthium!”

  “It is a legend. No one has actually seen it and the journey that some have taken has been perilous. Don’t chase fairy tales!” Phillipe argued before dropping his bowl in the sink and storming out of the room.

  Christopher’s lip began to quiver. Eli watched Aerity leaned down to the boy’s height. “Want to know a secret?” She whispered and he shakily nodded his head. She leaned a little closer. “I love fairy tales.”

  The boy’s lips stopped trembling as a bright smile formed on his face. “So do I.” He whispered back.

  After the father retu
rned, they were gathering up their stuff and saying their goodbyes. Christopher had dashed upstairs to get something from his room and Eli watched him give Aerity a big hug and hand her something discreetly.

  As they got closer to town, he nudged her. “What did Christopher give you before we left?”

  Aerity smiled and her hand instinctively went for her pocket, pulling out a necklace that was in the shape of a bottle. “He said it was for if we made it to the bitter lake so that we had something to store the water in.”

  He smiled before motioning to the chain. “Turn around. I’ll put it on you.” She happily obliged, giving him her back and pulling the hair out of the way.

  He clasped it. “He’s a cute kid.”

  “Yeah.” Aerity said lightly and he could tell she was distracted. Following her gaze, he found that she was watching a few dirty little kids standing in the street. He could tell they were poor from the rags on their bodies and how they stared longingly at the food carts. One guy even chased one away with a broom, yelling that they were too dirty to stand near his cart and to leave.

  Eli knew what Aerity was going to do before her feet even started moving. Her arms slowly pulled her backpack with the pastries off her back.

  He watched as she knelt down to the children and handed them each multiple desserts. They eyed them greedily before shoving them in their faces. She scolded them to eat them slowly so they wouldn’t get sick, but they just ignored her, taking advantage of the food they were given.

  A woman standing nearby eyed them with curiosity and a little hesitation. She dressed more like the villagers in Ceranthium then they had seen so far in Ferali and she had a bag packed at her side. Eli could tell she was probably visiting for the festival. Aerity caught her looking and handed her a pastry. The woman eyed it skeptically. She stared at the children and when they seemed to have no dire straits, she tentatively took a bite of the dessert. As soon as she did, her eyes lit up. “Who made these? They are fantastic!” Eli heard her ask.

  “Philippe and Christopher. Best bakers I know.” And then Aerity pointed to the house they had just come from. When she came back to his side, he just shook his head. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”