Page 151 of The Wishing Game

"What happened?" he barks out, scooping me up in his arms.

"I'm fine." I muster a smile. "My legs hurt a little. I'm not accustomed to walking this much," I admit, although I don't say the entire truth—the fact that I've been pushing myself far above my limits. That I've made it this far is a wonder, butbecauseof that I'm not going to give up when we're so close to our goal.

"Your legs hurt?" He frowns, a panicked expression appearing on his face. "Do you need me to heal you?"

"No, no," I hurry to say. "I'm only tired from walking. Iamhuman after all," I try to joke lightly.

He doesn't seem to see the humor in my statement. Placing me on the tree trunk, he gets to his knees in front of me, extending my legs to have a look at them. He examines them on one side, then the other, not finding anything wrong with them. Still, he isn't satisfied.

"We are not far from the location. It should take us a few more hours to get there. I shall carry you so we can reach it before nightfall," he simply states.

Turning with his back to me, he motions for me to climb on him.

I may be a little reluctant to keep taking advantage of him and his kindness, but heisright. We do need to get the plant as fast as we can.

"Thank you," I murmur, wrapping my arms around his neck and hopping on his back. "You'reverynice to me today," I praise him gently, knowing he loves being called that.

He tightens his hold under my knees as he starts walking. I'll never fail to be amazed at the easiness with which he's able to carry me. Somehow, I have no doubt he'd carry a cow just as easily. My lips crack in a smile as I get the mental picture of Ze giving a cow a piggyback. That would certainly be something to behold.

"Remember to add another extra point," he suddenly mentions.

"What?"

"You said you would give me extra points. Remember to add this, too." His voice is brighter than usual; his countenance, too.

I frown.

Oh, God! Of course he wouldn't realize I was speaking metaphorically. I open my mouth to explain what I meant but end up closing it and swallowing my words. He seems so excited about the potential of earning more extra points that I can't ruin it for him.

"Yes, it's added," I end up saying.

"Will you give me a boon if I accrue a certain number of points?" he asks sheepishly after a moment's thought.

"How many points are we talking about?"

"What about... one hundred? Will I get a boon if I get one hundred points?" he inquires in a rather hopeful and innocent tone—almost like a kid asking for something off his wishlist.

"I don't see why not," I agree, leaning in and placing my chin on his shoulder.

If the points matter so much to him, then I'm sure he'll put in the effort and be nicer, not just to me but to everyone else too. A smile plays at my lips. Ze is competitive—and proud. By turning this into a competition, I can give him the incentive to stop being rude to people.

"Good," he purrs, satisfied. "Make sure you do not forget to add up my points."

"I won't, I won't." I chuckle.

"I shall hold you to that." He smiles.

Pleased about our deal, he hums lightly to himself as he continues walking. I can feel the deep vibrations reverberate from his warm body, melting into my own and lulling me into a sense of peace and comfort. I nuzzle my cheek against the material of his shirt, releasing a soft yawn as I feel my eyes slowly closing, my body demanding some rest.

"Sleep, little human," I think I hear Ze whisper.

THIRTY-FOUR

Idon't know how long I sleep for, but as I open my eyes, I'm happy to see that it's not dark out yet. I'm still on Ze's back as he walks through the dense forest.

The sound of birds chirping from the branches of the trees startles me back to reality, and I blink the sleep away as I take in our surroundings.

Though there is still rich foliage all around, the environment is slightly different.

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