Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
He grabbed the sacks of Ice and hoisted them over his shoulders. “I’ll drop these off at your forge.”
“You don’t have a key.”
He’d already walked away. “I don’t need one.”
I went to the caves on my own, the same caves where Pyre and Storm had stayed during their visit. I went far underground, taking the tunnel that was reserved for an emergency evacuation. With a torch for light, I made my way deep down, far away from the afternoon light, and found a flat spot that seemed as good as any. I took out the ivy plants from the sack, which were already shriveled from the airless compartment in the sack. I did my best to plant them in the soil, to get their roots in the shallow dirt, and then poured some water on top in the hope it would make them look less wilted.
I stared at them for a while, wishing there was more I could do to ensure their survival. I didn’t know anything about plants. Just how to forge steel and turn it into a weapon. How to make plates of strength and turn it into armor. Inanimate objects were all I knew, not fragile living things.
I returned to the entrance of the cave and came face-to-face with Ian. “Whoa, what are you doing here?”
“What are you doing not at the castle?” His eyebrows furrowed in that same angry way Huntley’s did. “I told you I wanted to see you the second you returned to HeartHolme. And where is Bastian?”
“It’s a long story, but I needed to plant some Ice in the cave.”
“Ice?” he asked. “It’s a plant?”
“Ivy.”
His eyes glanced past me to the cave entrance.
“Bastian said if we can make it grow, it’ll spread, and then we’ll have a lot to harvest ourselves. It’s a lot smarter than making several trips back and forth. We almost got caught when we were there.”
“Thank the gods you didn’t.” His hand reached for my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “I was worried.”
“I told you not to waste your time being worried.”
“You never answered my question. Where is he?”
I shrugged. “Went to drop off the Ice at my forge. It was heavy. I could carry it…but he moves a lot quicker than I do.”
“Did he hurt you?”
I gave him a cold look that told him how tempted I was to roll my eyes. “Of course not.”
“So, nothing happened?”
Well…not technically. “He’s a good guy, Ian. He’s everything he says he is. If he wanted to harm us, that would have been the perfect opportunity. He’s earned our trust. He’s earned mine, at least.”
Ian stared for a while before he gave a subtle nod.
“I’m exhausted and really want to take a shower, so I’ll see you later.”
“I want to speak with Bastian.”
“We’ve been traveling for two weeks straight.” I rolled my eyes before I walked away. “You can wait until tomorrow, Your Highness.”
I fell asleep sometime in the afternoon, but I slept through the rest of the day and all of the night. I woke up bright and early the next morning, my body truly relaxed for the first time since I’d left. The bed was so soft and comfortable that I never wanted to get up again. “Girl, I’ll never take you for granted again.”
I got a sticky bun from the bakery down the road and made my way to the forge a couple streets over. I was tempted to take the day off and spend it in my bed, but I was too excited about the Ice we’d harvested. There was too much shit to do, and I was the only one skilled enough to create what we needed.
I walked through the door with my cup of coffee and gave a subtle jerk when I realized I wasn’t alone.
Bastian was there, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, his short hair slicked back slightly. The beard that had thickened over our travels was gone after a shave, and now all the bones in his jaw were visible. His eyes were brighter than they had been before, like a shower and a long night of sleep had erased the dullness.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
“You know where I live.” I walked to the table where he sat and set down the mug of coffee on the surface.
“Didn’t want to bother you.”
I saw right through that lie. The forge was a public place, not a private residence with a four-poster bed. “You’re bothering me when you sneak up on me in my forge.”
“Didn’t sneak up on you. You just weren’t paying attention.” His knees were spaced apart as he sat in the chair, one of his muscular arms on the surface of the table. He’d already helped himself to some coffee because his mug was empty with a dark rim at the bottom.