Page 42 of Blood Weaver
Ronan took the rabbit outside and came to sit across the table from me, his gaze steady. “When Silas returns, do you want me to check on her?”
I shook my head. “When Silas returns, I assume you’ll be attacking the Valorian army if they’re still in the Central Plains, correct?”
He nodded.
“Then I’ll head back to Lomewood.”
He leaned forward. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I need to check on Selene myself.” Rapping my knuckles on the table, I stood and grabbed a basket I’d filled with clean clothes and other toiletries.
“Where are you going?” Ronan stood and followed me to the door.
“I was just waiting on you to return so I could take a bath in the river,” I answered. “I didn’t want to leave without letting you know.”
Ronan looked surprised. “You can’t go out there alone, Leila. The Valorian army could be scouring the riverbanks as we speak!” He grabbed my arm to stop me.
“I have to bathe, Ronan. I haven’t in days.” I sniffed under my arm and scrunched up my nose. “I’m starting to smell … and so are you.”
He sighed. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.” Grabbing the sword Silas left for him, he strapped it onto his waist and followed me out of the cabin.
Ronan’s insistence on accompanying me was both a comfort and a reminder of the lingering danger. The woods, once a familiar sanctuary, now held shadows of uncertainty as we left the safety of my cabin.
Our steps crunched against the foliage underfoot, an anthem of sounds that pierced the heavy silence. The atmosphere was dense with unsaid words that echoed the worries and fears we carried. Every rustling leaf and distant animal sound accentuated the rawness of our solitude in these vast woods.
The forest was rich with the lush greenery of early spring, and each tree and shrub seemed to bask in the renewed fullness of life. But there was an eerie quietude that prevailed, a stillness that suggested the woods too, were holding their breath, waiting for events not yet known to unfold.
We journeyed to the river in tacit agreement marked by the silent companionship that had become a comfort in recent days. Ronan walked with a vigilant eye, his senses attuned to the environment, while I was lost in the tumultuous sea of my thoughts. Selene’s silence echoed louder than the sounds of the forest.
The path to the river was a familiar one, yet each step felt heavy with the weight of the unknown. The towering trees, usually a source of solace, now cast long, ominous shadows that seemed to stretch out with grasping fingers.
The river’s murmur grew pronounced as we ventured deeper into the woods. The rhythmic flow was a soothing balm to the clamorous thoughts that consumed my mind. When the woods finally opened to reveal the river, its water glistened under the tender touch of the sun, an oasis of calm amidst the unfolding chaos. The trees stood sentinel along the banks, their branches swaying gently in the breeze and casting dappled shadows that danced in harmony with the gentle lapping of the waters.
I placed the basket at the river’s edge as Ronan stood nearby, his gaze lingering a beat too long before I motioned for him to turn around.
“What?” he asked, confused.
I scowled. “I need to undress. Turn around. You can’t just stand there gawking at me.”
He snorted but turned around, nonetheless. “Nothing I’ve never seen before,” he grumbled as he turned his back to me.
I rolled my eyes and undressed. Once I was fully naked, I gingerly walked into the chilly water, watching for unsteady rocks that could send me careening onto my behind with one wrong move. Gritting my teeth against the frigid water, I plunged beneath the surface before I could change my mind. The river enveloped me in an intimate embrace. The sun’s tender rays danced on the water’s surface, casting reflections thatshimmered like fleeting moments of reprieve. I stood back up and pushed my hair out of my face.
“So …” I started, feeling odd with the silence stretching between us. “What do you plan to do when Silas gets back?”
Ronan shrugged, his back still turned to me. “Since it’s okay for Caelan to attack on neutral territory, I don’t see why we can’t as well.”
“Can you … Will you do me a favor?” I asked hesitantly, then turned my attention to washing my body with the bar of soap so he didn’t see how much I invested in his answer.
“What is it?”
“Can you … not hurt Caelan?” I asked softly.
For a brief moment, the world paused. Silence, then a storm. Ronan whirled around with an enraged countenance, a startling contrast to the peaceful flow of the river. His crimson eyes grew darker as his jaw ticked with annoyance.
“Turn around!” I shouted as I covered my breasts, even though they were fully submerged.
“How can you …Whydo you still want to protect him after everything he did to you?” he exclaimed, barely able to control his mounting anger.
