bit as clear as his conscience. “One day at a time.”
Chapter 18
MADDOX
They walked northeast from the goddess’s palace for hours until they reached a thick forest. Their path through the forest narrowed, and the canopy of leaves and branches became as thick above their heads as it had been in Valoria’s throne room. The air smelled fresh here, scented by evergreens and flowering trees. As they silently walked, focusing on their footsteps, the forest came alive with the songs of birds and the buzz of insects.
“I’ll admit it,” Becca said. “It’s beautiful here.”
“It certainly can be,” Maddox replied.
“Do you have seasons here?” she asked. “At home, we just got through winter. It was an extra cold one with tons of snow.”
“I’ve heard of kingdoms that experience changing climates. Mytica isn’t like that. This is how it is all the time. We have rain and thunderstorms, of course, and it can get cooler at night. But it’s always warm during the day.” He gazed around at the trees. “I can’t imagine this kingdom covered in snow and ice.”
“Lucky you,” she mused.
“I don’t know. I think it would be nice to experience something different. So maybe you’re the lucky one.”
“Maybe,” she allowed.
“We’re going to stop for a rest here,” Barnabas announced as the forest thinned out to reveal the edge of a small lake about fifty paces away, its surface like glass reflecting the blue sky. He put his weapons down on the grassy ground. “Our destination is still a day’s journey from here, so I do want to keep going while there’s still light. We’ll stop again at dusk and make camp.”
Becca still looked fresh and lovely despite having kept pace with them all day. Perhaps as a spirit she didn’t experience fatigue like Maddox did. He knew he must be a sight—a sweaty, disgusting mess.
Barnabas began to remove his filthy trousers.
“Um, why is he taking his clothes off?” Becca asked.
“Barnabas, what are you doing?” Maddox asked as the man’s pants hit the ground. Becca turned her back to the scene, her expression turning squeamish.
Barnabas glanced at Maddox. “I’m going to take a bath. The first one I’ve had in, well, by the smell of me, far too long.”
Off came the shirt.
“A bath,” Maddox repeated.
“Yes. A long one.” He nodded. “And I’ll wash my clothes as best I can, too. I suggest you do the same. A couple of days in the dungeon doesn’t do anyone any good.”
Without another word, he wadded up his clothing into a ball and walked toward the lake, completely nude.
“Be careful of lake monsters!” Maddox called after him. Barnabas replied with a laugh.
Becca cringed. “There are lake monsters?”
He wondered if there were lake monsters in her world. He shot her a grin. “They’re just a legend.”
“Lots of legends around here, aren’t there?” She swept her gaze over him and bit her bottom lip. “Are you going to have a bath now, too?”
“I can’t argue that it’s not an excellent idea.”
Still, he didn’t make a single move to start taking off his clothes.
“Why don’t I wait over there?” She gestured to a grassy clearing and raised an eyebrow. “I promise I won’t watch.”
“Can I trust you to keep that promise?”
Her smile was mischievous at the edges. “Cross my heart.”
He frowned. “Does that mean yes?”
“Yes, I promise. I won’t peek at the two handsome skinny-dippers. Have fun.”
He watched her walk away, certain he’d heard her wrong. Handsome?
His grin returned, and he quickly stripped and tucked his clothes beneath his arm. The water felt cold but invigorating as he waded into the lake. When he was submerged to his waist, he started to wash the dirt from his skin. It felt wonderful.
Barnabas floated by on his back, spitting out lake water as if he were a fountain. “I’ll go hunting when we make camp later and bring us back some dinner. Unless you’d like the honor.”
Maddox had never had a father to teach him how to hunt. He’d helped his mother with her snares and her vegetable garden, gotten their bread from the local market, but that hardly counted as practice. “I’m not much of a hunter.”
“That makes one of us. When I was your age, I was the best hunter in the entire kingdom.”
And the most modest about it, too, Maddox thought. “I’m sure you were.”
“We’ll also take some time this evening to test your magic.”
“Test it how, exactly?” Maddox scrubbed his shirt, attempting to remove the more stubborn stains.
“Don’t worry too much about your clothes, my young