earlier, and although the nos weed appears to be working—thank the Mother—he’s still weak, so I come up with something to distract him. “Do you know how to cook fish?”
Pausing whatever rant he was about to bestow upon me, he looks between me and the fish then nods.
He sits up and gestures for me to bring the fish to him, which he then begins to fillet. I look away and pack everything back in the bag in case we have to leave the cave quickly for any reason, it’s always best to be prepared. Glancing over my shoulder, I see he’s almost finished preparing it, using the large leaves we used to store our food in as a surface.
“I’ll go and get us some wood to start a fire,” I tell him, and make my way towards the waterfall before glancing through a gap in the cascading water. The sun has almost completely set now, and I don’t relish the thought of leaving the cave in the dark, but I like the idea of eating raw fish even less.
“No need.”
Frowning, I turn from the water to look at him. “What do you mean—” I stop when I see the fish hovering between his hands in a greenish globe. He’s using magic, I sense it. His type of magic feels strange, so different than the magic the magicians use. It’s not bad, just different. I wait silently as he concentrates, his eyes closed, but I can see the toll it’s taking on him, his breathing coming in rapid pants.
The cave fills with the smell of cooked fish and my mouth waters. He drops his hands, the now steaming fish lowering with the movement.
“I thought you couldn’t access your magic,” I comment, as I watch him portion it out onto the large leaves.
“The nos weed is helping, the poison must have been blocking it,” he replies, handing me one of the leaves, and I notice he’s given me the larger portion. Accepting it, I sit down with my back against the rock wall, picking my way through the hot food. It’s delicious and I can’t wait until it’s cooled, licking my fingertips to make sure I get every last piece.
I feel his eyes land on me, and as I raise my gaze, I see he’s watching me with an amused expression. “Thank you,” I blurt, embarrassment tinging my cheeks. I tell myself I’m embarrassed because I didn’t thank him for the food rather than the fact that he saw me gulp down my meal like I was still a starving slave. He just nods and leans back against the wall.
We sit in companionable silence for a while, but once our food has settled, we start making up our sleeping spaces. It’s almost completely dark in here, since no moonlight streams into the cave like I am used to from sleeping in the trees. I’m pleased to be sleeping on solid ground again and not having to tie myself to a branch, and this also means one of us doesn’t have to stay awake to ensure we don’t fall. Besides, I don’t think anyone would dare disturb us with kelpies guarding the lake. I’m not, however, relishing the thought of sleeping on hard rock. Sure, I managed for the last twelve years, but even though I spent a short time with Grayson, my body has become used to the soft pillows and mattresses. My heart pangs at the thought of Grayson and the guilt I feel because I didn’t get to say goodbye or explain why I left.
Rolling up one of the spare pieces of clothing as a pillow, I settle myself on the hard ground, using my cloak as a blanket while Vaeril does the same on the other side of the cave. Closing my eyes, I try to sleep, but I soon discover a problem. It’s freezing in here.
Vaeril was right when he told me it was warmer in the forest. Up in the trees, once we were wrapped in our cloaks, it was quite cosy, but here, near the large body of water, it’s much colder and the chill from the stone is seeping into my bones, making my body ache.
“Either come over here or stop moving around so much,” Vaeril barks, as I roll over onto my side again for what seems like the hundredth time.
“It-it’s s-so cold,” I say between chattering teeth, my arms wrapped tightly around my body in a desperate bid to keep myself warm.