Page 83 of A Spark So Bright
"Why are we traveling like this?" she asked, shooting the words over her shoulder as she wove around a massive fallen tree for the second time.
"I suspect your Bone Keeper is going to follow us very soon after the king lets him go. And I want him to have a very difficult path to track before he actually finds us." Magnus hopped on top of the trunk and held out his hand for her to take. "Need help?"
Yes, because she was exhausted, and this was stupid.
Grumbling something to that effect under her breath, she took his hand and let him pull her up the log. They walked on top of the trunk for a while before they came to a stop in front of what was quite possibly the prettiest waterfall she'd ever seen. And there were a lot of waterfalls in Trollveggen.
This one was beautiful, though. With glowing lavender water, it didn't crash against the land in a roar that made her ears ache. Instead, it was graceful. Nearly silent as the water dropped into the glowing purple pool that was surrounded by pretty waterlilies, each of them with gold glowing filaments along the edges of the petals.
Magnus sat down on a rock at the edge of the water and started rolling up the legs of his pants. She hadn't realized he was barefoot this entire time.
"And now we wait," he said, still grinning at her.
"For what?"
"For the show that Gunnar will put on the moment he inevitably finds us." Magnus dipped his feet into the water, letting out a long sigh that grated on her nerves. "He's mad about you, you know. He just won't admit it."
"Why do you push him so much?" She settled down on a rock that was far away from him. Not so distant that she'd have toshout, but far enough away that he wouldn't be able to touch her even if he leaned very far to the side.
"Because I find it funny."
She watched him lean back on his hands, his face tilted toward the glowing blue lights above them. And then, strangely enough, she saw a woman standing behind him.
She was pretty. Full of curves and wearing a gown that was made of the finest silk, dotted with tiny diamonds that made her catch the light as she moved. There were creases on her face where smile lines had been worn into her skin, and her eyes looked down at him with such sadness.
But Rose could also see the resemblance on her features. She had Magnus's thin nose, and his eyes that were a little too large. Her skin wasn't a vibrant color like many of the trolls, but a darker tone that usually resonated with the elves. Where Rhydian was starlight, this woman was the mysterious darkness between the stars.
Rose's gaze locked on the small tiara on the woman's head, sparkling with more diamonds even as she spoke.
"My son is sad," the spirit said. "He longs for a life he can no longer have."
Oh. Of course.
"Your mother worries you are sad and that you have lost your place," Rose murmured, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Are you sad?"
He frowned at her. "My mother is buried in the hall of heroes."
"I know."
Magnus really looked at her then, staring until something seemed to dawn on him. He sucked his teeth and replied, "Ah. You see the dead."
"I do."
"I have only met one other person with your talents. They were equally odd, so I suppose it makes sense." He tilted his head back once more, clearly seeking moonlight that did not exist down here. "My mother can worry about me all she wants from the grave. Her worry doesn't change what must happen."
"But are you?"
He peeled one eye open to look at her.
Rose pressed a little more firmly. "Are you sad, Magnus?"
He seemed to think about the question. Mulling it over in his head, or maybe he just didn't want to answer her. But eventually, he did.
He nodded. "Yes, I suppose I am. I wasn't supposed to come back here, and if I didn't, then I could have continued looking for the one person who gave my life meaning. But now I am here. And she is... Well, I have no idea where she is."
His mother was nodding along with him, her face creased in sadness as though she'd been following her son's path for a long time. But of course she had. Rose had forgotten that Magnus's mother had died in childbirth. The queen had given the king everything he had ever wanted in a child and then died. What mother wouldn't want to follow her son as he grew, even beyond the realm of the living?
Rose cleared her throat. "I know you want to use this time to make Gunnar angry at you, but I don't relish the idea of sitting here in silence. Would you perhaps tell me about her?"
