Page 26 of Heart of the Cursed
“Good,” he nodded, and then set about preparing the rabbit.
Selene moved from her position on the fallen tree trunk to lean back against a tree closer to the fire. She watched in awe as him deftly skinned and gutted the rabbit. He threw the entrails away for the wildlife to feast on before stripping the meat from the bone and cutting it into pieces.
Arun used his magic to gather a cooking pot and utensils and then built a frame for the pot to hang from above the fire. Within minutes, the rabbit was chopped up into bite sized chunks and thrown into the cooking pot. The meat sizzled away as he added other ingredients to the pot.
Before long, the scent of cooked rabbit wafted through the air. Selene’s mouth watered at the delicious scent. She didn’t know if it was because he knew how to cook rabbit better than her, or if she was just starving, but the smell was a hell of a lot better than any rabbit she’d cooked in the past. She just hoped it tasted as good as it smells.
As soon as it was ready, Arun used his magic once again, this time to produce two bowls and two spoons. He filled up one of the bowl’s and passed it to her before filling up his own.
“It smells delicious,” she confessed.
Arun smiled. “I hope the taste lives up to your expectation, then.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard since I don’t have a very high expectation for your cooking skills,” she said jokingly.
“I’m a very good cook, thank you very much,” he said. “Just ask Taredd or Dain. I haven’t given either of them food poisoning for a while.”
Arun laughed when she gave the food a dubious look.
“The male has jokes,” she laughed mockingly before turning deadly serious. “Give me food poisoning and you’ll regret it.”
That seemed to make him laugh even more. Selene didn’t find the funny side. She’d had food poisoning a few times over the years, and it was never a laughing matter.
One time, she had it so bad, she thought she was going to die. It took her days to get over the worst of it, by the time she was able to get up and move around, she was half starved and weak from dehydration.
Selene was lucky nobody had decided to go after her while she’d been ill that time. She wouldn’t have been able to defend herself. Not even against a Human.
“I promise, you won’t get food poisoning,” he assured her. “Now please, eat and then rest. You’re going to need all your energy if we’re going to reach the abandoned cabin tomorrow.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t far.”
“Actually, I said it was a day’s walk at most,” he told her. “But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy walk.”
Selene had a feeling she knew exactly where he was taking her. And if she was right, it would take her more than a day to get there, and it would involve more than just walking.
“Don’t tell me, we’re heading to the Cabin on the Hill?”
For some bizarre reason, someone had named it Cabin on the Hill, but it was actually half way up a mountain. The last time she had ventured to the cabin, it had taken her two days, and that was at a brisk pace. How the hell he expected her to do it in one day was beyond her.
“If that is what the cabin on the mountain is called, then yes, that’s where we’re going,” he said. “I take it you’ve been there before?”
“Just a time or two,” she admitted. “But I’ve never reached it in one day before.”
Sometimes, it took her a day just to cross the river at the base of the mountain. Plus, Arun could probably walk all day without needing a break. Selene wasn’t so lucky. She needed to have a break often, especially when trekking up the mountain.
That bastard is steep!
No matter which route she took, it was one hell of a steep trek.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ll help you along the way, so we can get there faster.”
“What’s the rush?”
Selene knew why she was in a rush, but why was Arun?
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that others would be coming after you,” he said. “The sooner I find out what you’re trying to do, the sooner I can figure outwhois coming after you. So, eat up and then try to get some sleep. I’ll keep watch again tonight.”
“Don’t you need to sleep?” she asked.
“Not as much as you do,” he said. “Now, eat up.”
Selene didn’t like being told what to do, but she was too hungry to argue with him, and too tired to care. But if he tried to order her around again, he would find out just how stubborn she could be.
