at the base of Rainmaker’s Peak, sitting under a tree, sewing.
I jumped to my feet when I saw him. His cloak was torn, and there was a gash on his cheek. I gasped with relief. “You’re alive!”
He flashed me a disarming grin. “I hope it hasn’t been too boring without me.”
“Where have you been?” I bit my tongue before I blurted that I’d tried searching for him, only the horses wouldn’t take me back to the site of the battle, no matter how much I coaxed them—they’d been hell-bent on reaching the peak and staying there.
“Is that concern in your voice?” Edan teased.
“You’ve been gone a whole day,” I said, more tartly. “I thought you’d died.”
“That was inconsiderate of me,” he allowed, “especially since I’m the one with the map to get us home. But I’m here now.” He picked up the shoes I’d left by my campfire. “Ah, excellent. You’ve finished.”
I threw him a sidewise glare. “All you can do is comment on my shoes? Did using all that magic addle your wits?”
He sat against the tree, his long legs stretched out. Rook trotted up to nuzzle his neck. “At least someone is glad to see me.”
Edan looked thinner. His cheeks were more sunken, and that gash looked like a knife wound.
“I was so worried,” I said, softening.
“I was sleeping,” he confessed. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Tension gathered in my shoulders. “I thought you didn’t have any magic left in you.”
“I’ve stored a little,” he said, plucking a leaf from above. He chewed, then spat it out. “Enough to enchant your shoes and get us to Lake Paduan. And some left over for emergencies. My body paid a price for it, though.” He rubbed his back, then plucked and chewed another leaf. “Aches and pains everywhere. But some willow leaves will help. Good on you for building camp near this tree.”
I hadn’t even noticed the tree. “You could have been killed.”
Edan must have been tired, because he didn’t argue. That, or it was true. “What’s done is done.”
Sitting down beside him, I stabbed my needle into Lady Sarnai’s golden skirt, vexed by his calm. He had saved us. Yet my fear had been so raw. It had punched me in the gut, leaving me with a sinking nausea I could still taste. Not because I needed his silly map or his magic, but because I needed him.
“The moon will be full tonight,” Edan said, unaware of my thoughts. “If you leave soon, you can reach the peak before dusk. The days are shorter here in the mountains, so once night falls, I’ll fly up to meet you on the peak. Will you put down that damned skirt!”
I carefully made another knot in the back of the skirt. Finally, I looked up.
“Put on the shoes,” he said, clearly exasperated.
“If you can fly,” I muttered, “I don’t see why I have to climb this mountain. You could get the moonlight for me and we’d be two dresses down.”
“You know I can’t,” Edan said gently.
I tried to calm myself. “What are you going to be doing all day?”
“I’ll ride to the other side of the mountain and find a safe place to store your trunks.” He winked. “Then I’ll try to finish hemming that skirt for you. If you’ll let me.”
“Absolutely not!”
Edan laughed, and I glowered at him while I reached for the leather shoes and put them on. They were simple but sturdy and fit snugly over my feet. I’d waxed the outer leather to make it as watertight as possible, but the sun’s heat hadn’t been strong enough to properly set the wax, so I’d have to be careful not to get them too wet. At least I’d double-lined the insides—the weather in the mountains would be brisk. Already I felt the chill.
Edan took off his scarf and wrapped it around the one already on my neck. When I tried to protest, he said, “It’ll get colder the higher you go.” He tied it so it wouldn’t fall off. “The full moon will rise over the mountains, illuminating a pool somewhere on the peak. When you find it, dive in and capture the light in a walnut. You can swim, yes?”
“Of course I can swim. Can you?”
There was a long pause.
“That sounds like a no.”
“I grew up near a desert,” said Edan defensively. “Never had time to learn.” He puffed out his chest. “Besides, I can walk on water. And fly.”
I rolled my eyes. “You should learn.