Page 47 of Keeper

The terrain grows more treacherous as I climb. I welcome the challenge, focusing on each step, each handhold—anything to keep my mind from wandering back to her.

My legs tremble with exertion as I force myself onward, higher and higher. The camp grows small below me, the figures of my men little more than specks.

Still, I push on. The muscles in my thighs burn, but I welcome the pain. It’s something tangible to focus on.

The wind picks up, carrying with it the scent of wild herbs. For a moment, it reminds me of her, and I grit my teeth, forcing the thought away.

I pause, chest heaving, and look out over the camp below. From up here, it looks so insignificant. But I know it’s much more than that. Those warriors represent keeping a city from teetering on the edge of destruction.

Those men, my people—they are the reason I’m here. I don’t have time for a distraction.

And yet...

The desire to kiss Everly lingers.

I push on, climbing higher and higher. The slope grows steeper, more treacherous. One misstep could send me tumbling down the hillside.

Maybe that’s what I need. A real threat, a true challenge to focus my mind.

But even as I think it, I know it’s not true. Because nomatter how high I climb, no matter how much I exhaust myself, I can’t escape the truth.

I want to kiss her.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

EVERLY

I knowI should be cleaning pots. Morwen probably even expects it of me, but I cannot bring myself to leave the tent. Not after the way I humiliated myself in front of Cenric.

Did I actually thank him for not kissing me?

I groan and bury my face against my hands.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Why did I have to say that to him? As if he’d ever want to kiss me…

I roll onto my stomach, burying my face in my pillow. Maybe if I suffocate myself, I won’t have to see him again.

No, that’s dramatic. But still...

A whoosh of air rustles the tent flaps, and I bolt upright, my heart leaping into my throat. Hawke materializes out of thin air, his form solidifying from a swirling gust of wind.

I open and close my mouth, the words lostagainst my tongue.

One second, there is nothing but empty space. The next, there he stands, all golden-eyed and smirking.

“How did you—” I sputter, then clamp my mouth shut as realization hits me. Only someone from the Calcite tribe has air magic. “You’re not Bloodstone. You’re Calcite!”

His smirk widens. “Clever girl.”

I want to smack that smug look right off his face. Instead, I settle for narrowing my eyes. “What are you doing here? Are you trying to get us both killed?”

Hawke shrugs, dismissing my fear with a wave of his hand. “Calm down. No one saw me enter.”

“If you’re Calcite, why are you here in Bloodstone territory?”

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