Chapter 23
Unsurprisingly,I’m the first to arrive at the safe house. At least, I presume it’s the safe house. I haven’t seen any other structures for hours since we left Dreamsong.
The “house” is more of a hut that’s one large room. There’s a small firepit in the center, black coals resting on a bed of sand. A pot hangs from the ceiling over it, several other rudimentary cooking elements and supplies racked around. Bunk beds line the walls to the right and left.
There are no mattresses on the beds, just solid wooden boards. It’s odd to see anything less than supremely lavish for the fae. An investigation of the trunks at the foot of one of the bunks reveals a stash of blankets. Another trunk has an assortment of various supplies from preserved rations to what I can only presume are medical supplies and ritual resources.
I see no point in sitting around while I wait for everyone to arrive, so I head behind the house to a well I saw when I entered. With two buckets of water, I fill a large, tapped keg for drinking. A third bucket is split between the pot that hangs over the firepit and a small basin for washing up.
As suspected, there are fire-starting tools among the cookery supplies. It takes two tries, but I manage to get the coals to ignite. It’s not a very large fire, but it’s warm, and the coals don’t put off much smoke.
The door opens and reveals Giles, interrupting my peace.
“I thought I was supposed to be the one cooking? I lost the race after all.”
“Unless we’re eating boiled water for dinner, there’s still plenty of cooking for you to do.”
“Mmm, boiled water, my favorite.” He rubs his stomach. I laugh. “It’s good to hear you laugh. Earlier I—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“No, I do, I upset you—and I certainly didn’t intend to—so I want to apologize.”
“I said don’t worry about it.” I poke at the coals.
“But—”
I’m saved by the arrival of Davien and Shaye. The whinny of their horses distracts Giles from whatever was he was going to say next. I stand and return my poker to its peg.
“As far as I’m concerned, that conversation was left far behind us in the woods. Leave it there, Giles,” I say lightly enough, but with a note of caution. Giles and I are fine and I hope he allows us to remain that way by not insisting on lingering.
He regards me thoughtfully but doesn’t have a chance to respond before Davien and Shaye enter.
“Thank goodness you started a fire, the air was already getting a brutal chill to it,” Davien says.
“Which means we should go and figure out food,” Giles says to Shaye.
“We?” She lifts her eyebrows.
“Yes, we. I lost the race against Katria.”
“I fail to see how your poor gamble results in me also having to cook,” Shaye balks.
“Because you don’t want to eat anything I cook unsupervised.” Giles grabs her elbow and heads toward the door. Shaye’s feet move begrudgingly. “Come on, let’s do some scavenging and hunting before the sun is completely down.”
“Fine, fine,” Shaye agrees.
Davien chuckles as the door closes behind them. “Those two are such an unlikely match. Yet whenever I see them together, I can’t help but smile.”
“So they are together then?” I’d had a growing suspicion.
“They try and hide it.” Davien shrugs. “But yes, Giles has only had eyes for her since he first came to Dreamsong. At least that’s what Hol tells me…and what I saw whenever the two of them were together in the Natural World.”
“And Shaye? Does she return these feelings?” There must be some reason that they generally keep themselves at a distance in public, or are modest about their affections.
“She does, though she’s taking her own time with it all. Shaye…” Davien crosses over to the fire and sits next to it, clearly debating his words. I sit once more. I can’t bring myself to sit on the opposite side of the fire from him even though I know it would be for the best. I can feel his radiant warmth across the narrow gap between us. He finally finds his words. “Shaye has lived a difficult life.”
“She told me some… that she was born to be a Butcher.”
