Page 148 of Where Darkness Falls

I hold onto her with one arm, while the other grips the slippery saddle. “Rosey, slow down!” I shout.

“I’m drenched to the bone, my stomach is rumbling, and my energy is depleted,” she growls. “No offense to Danté, but I’m chafing from his saddle. I want to be dry, fed, and asleep in the next half hour—or, so help this realm, there’ll be a price to pay.”

“Understood,” I reply, refusing to utter another word lest I endure her wrath.

Upon entering the space, Maeva dismounts Danté with such surprising speed that she face plants into the floor. However, this doesn’t phase her as she moves toward a small fire in the center of the cavernous space. The limestone fortress towers above us with a small, blue pond of water on the backend. It’s dry and mostly quiet, except for the sound of the crackling fire, rain, and Maeva’s sigh of relief.

Reaching into the saddlebag, I retrieve a small treat for Danté. “You’ve done well,” I say. He accepts it delightedly, nuzzling my hand. I pull out the blankets and lantern from the weatherproof portion of the saddlebags. “Time for you to rest, my friend,” I say.

Danté whinnies in response.

Opening my palm, his shadow-form curls up my arm before becoming one with my signet once more.

“How were you able to start a fire with such a storm drenching everything?” Maeva asks Riordan enthusiastically.

“Oh, Mae-Mae,” he chuckles. “Your naivety is so endearing.”

Maeva punches his shoulder, making him laugh harder. I smirk, taking a seat opposite of them. The tension in my body releases for the first time in several days, forcing an audible sigh to emerge from my lips. The weather has presented so many challenges to this journey, but it’s at least allowed me to have more time with Maeva before her assignment is fulfilled.

Maeva rubs her hands together in front of the burning flames. “I apologize for inquiring about such knowledge,” Maeva grumbles.

After letting her stew for a moment, Riordan leans in. “The brush and cut up wood were already here in the cave, Mae-Mae,” he replies.

She observes him as he pulls a small grayish-black rock from his pocket. Her eyes dazzle in amusement.

“What is that?” she asks.

He offers her the piece of flint rock. “This is how I started the fire,” he says. “You strike it a few times for a spark to ignite—well, at least, if you’re really good at it.” His fingers linger over hers for a moment too long. As if dazed, he shakes his head, removing his hand from hers.

She marvels at the rock as if it possesses some hidden truth. “That’s amazing,” she murmurs.

Riordan smiles, leaning over her shoulder. A growl rumbles in the back of my throat, which forces him to scoot away—giving Maeva her space once more.

Good.

Laisren claps me on the back as he joins us, reclining back on one of his elbows. “Settle down, mate,” he whispers. “He’s being friendly.”

“A little too friendly, Laisy,” I say through gritted teeth.

Riordan is quite the ladies’ man, and he’s especially popular amongst them. Although Riordan has teased Maeva from the beginning, this feels different. Almost like a taunt to see how far he can tempt me before I rip out his jugular. However, even I have to admit this behavior is out of character, even for him.

“You know he’s harmless,” he sighs. “He’s still not over Geneva’s rejection, so he covers it up with his playful banter.”

I don’t answer as I watch Maeva speaking quietly and laughing with Riordan. It’s true that I see the small glimpses of his broken heart in his mannerisms, but why try to snuggle up to Maeva? As close as I am with my cadre, it makes me wonder what other secrets they conceal from me. Do they also have private affairs that they wish to keep hidden?

“Emyreus, come here,” the girl’s voice rings out.“I have something to show you.”

“NO,” I cry out.

I rub my throbbing temple. The memories are trying so hard to come back, but I just can’t bring myself to face them—especially not here.

“Are you alright, High General?” Virgil asks. I turn my head, unaware that he walked up. He’s drenched as water drips down his scarred face. I’d been so focused on getting Maeva settled that I hadn’t noticed he hadn’t followed us back in immediately…. Until now.

I square my shoulders. “I’m fine, Fourth Commander,” I reply. “What were you still doing out in the storm?”

“Scouting the perimeter,” he says, not missing a beat. The Galrosan doesn’t flinch or show any sign of deception. Granted, we were trained together as teenagers, but Virgil has always been an enigma—never allowing anyone too close. The bits and pieces of his family’s story finally became known when we were nearly twenty.

Which is why I find his activity as of late to be quite unnerving. What is he hiding? I push him a little further. “I didn’t give you that order,” I say.

---