Page 8 of Heart of the Raven
Chapter Eight
When I returned to consciousness,it felt as though I slept on a bed of fur, and for a moment I assumed I was back at Lord Cedric’s castle. A cool wind kissed my face, and I opened my eyes to starlight. I sat up with a jerk, and warm water sloshed around my body. I’d fallen asleep! In the hot spring! I whirled in the water, panic setting in when I saw a fire, orange flames licking the chilly night air and a shape sat hunched over it. The aroma of cooked meat hung in the air and my mouth watered.
“You must be awake,” called Raven.
A relief I could not make sense of seeped through me at the sound of his voice. Still, I made a frantic reach for my dress, wondering if he were a true gentleman or if he’d spied on me while I slept. The thought made me go both cold and hot all at the same time.
I didn’t bother replying to his statement. Sometimes it was best to stay quiet, instead of filling the silence with awkward words.
“I left clothes for you by the rock, don’t worry, I won’t look,” he assured me with his silver tongue.
The light from the fire showed me a small bundle just near the pool. Slowly I emerged from the water, like a lady of the lake. There was a rough shirt, a tunic, and pants. No dress. Men’s clothing. How could I wear such a thing? Were these. . . his? I shuddered, but when my eyes fell on my filthy dress, I gave in and dressed quickly. Soon this adventure would be over, and I’d wear dresses, wash daily, and likely never travel again.
With a sigh, I pulled my hair up on top of my head, the one style I’d learned to do myself before I fled. “Where did you find these?” I asked as I joined him in front of the fire. I had to admit, the clothes were much warmer than my dress, and I was thankful for them as the chill of night stole over the stones.
His mouth tilted up as he examined me. “The pants are on backward.” He grinned.
I scowled at him. “It’s dark, and these are clothes for a man. . .”
“You are welcome to your dress.” He pointed.
I lifted my chin and perched on a rock near the fire, determined not to lose my temper. “No, I’d rather be clean and warm.”
“Would you like to catch your own food too? Or shall I share?”
Unsure how to respond, I opened my mouth and closed it again.
“I’m only jesting, I would not let you go hungry.” He handed me a stick with a leg of meat skewed on the edge of it.
I stared, unsure how to eat it.
“Just bite into it,” he said, ripping into his with his teeth.
Still, I paused, for it was unladylike, and while traveling I’d never had the opportunity to eat meat from the bone.
“There are storehouses throughout the forest for knights of the queen,” Raven told me as I puzzled over my meal. “With food, clothing, and herbs. I know these woods for they are my home. If you’d rather not sleep outside, we will journey from safe house to safe house. I assume you are in a hurry to reach Capern, but first, we will meet with the Queen of the Wildwood.”
I stared at him as I took a bite; the meat was tender, juicy, and almost melted in my mouth. I resisted the urge to rip off another bite, although I didn’t know who I was trying to impress.
“How do I know you will keep your word?” I demanded. “After we meet with the Queen of the Wildwood?”
Leaning back, he tucked his hands behind his head. “I suppose you’ll just have to trust me.”
I frowned and took another bite, trying not to let him see how much he frustrated me.
The weight of his gaze penetrated my concentration. “I wonder, though, why are you in such a hurry to get to Capern? And why do you dream about me?”
I ate faster, unwilling to answer his questions. It had been a long day, and despite my earlier nap, a weariness hung over me again. We finished in silence and the stars twinkled above, casting a path across the deep blue night sky, like a finger pointing the way. I studied it for a moment, wondering if it were a sign, but there was nothing, just the warmth of the fire on my cheeks, the cool wind at my back, and Raven, unrolling two bedrolls and handing me one.
Wordlessly, I followed Raven’s lead and lay down to spend my first night in the wildwood. No sooner had I propped my head up against a boulder, wondering how I could possibly sleep in such an uncomfortable environment, I heard a howl.
I bolted upright, my chest rising and falling as I heard it again, a long, drawn-out moan. A wolf? Something else?
“Sleep, Lady Sasha,” Raven said, although there was nothing reassuring about his voice. “As I stated earlier, nothing will bother you here. I am the Raven, and the teeth of the forest always have to contend with me.”
If his words were meant to comfort me, they did not. Instead, a shiver went through me. I lay still on my back, watching the stars twinkle while the wild animals hunted and fought deep in the wildwood. Sleep did not come easily for me that night.
Chapter Nine
