CHAPTER SIX

"Are you all right? Did you breathe in the orange gas?" I ask.

My moon bound bride lies still upon me, her back to my chest. She stood closest to the place the deathsleep herb hit. Did she get too large of a dose? Would she be trapped in a coma for a hundred years? My quest for the king instantly took on a whole new meaning. I would find the violet trifolia and save her!

I caught only a faint whiff of the dreaded herb, a cowardly weapon designed by the sluagh, the only fae who could handle it without passing out. But the soul stealers have formed an alliance with ogres, so I imagine it was my defeated foe who threw the poison-laced gourd.

"I'm fine, I think. I breathed some of it in, though." She rolls over, her sharp little elbows digging into my chest in the sweetest of pains. Her beautiful brown eyes meet mine. "Am I gonna be okay?"

"Yes. It would have affected you by now if it were going to."

"And Storm?" She twists to look at him.

Worry pinches my chest. I haven't known him long, and he's the extra-grumpy sort, but he's also been a faithful companion this last week, running fast and true to bring me to my bride.

"Let me check." I lift her from me, her small body fitting into my hands as if she's made for me.

As soon as we're on our feet, we hurry over. Storm lies on his side, his great chest raising and lowering with deep breaths.

I crouch and place my fingers underneath the back of his jawbone to find his pulse steady and strong.

"What's wrong?" Taylor squats beside me, looking at Storm with worried eyes. "What's it done to him? Is it poison?"

"Not the kind that kills," I say. "Deathsleep is an herb that puts fae to sleep for a hundred years."

"But… but… how do they survive that long? No food, no water…"

"Magic." I give a small shrug. "I've never really thought about it. It's simply always been true."

"One of the rules of this world." She gives a little nod. "Got it."

I check his pulse again. "His heart rate's almost as fast as its normal pace. I don't think he got a full dose, and unicorns have innate healing magic. We'll set up camp here for the night and see if he comes out of it soon."

My bride runs a gentle hand down Storm's neck. "Is there anything we can do?"

I move around him to unbuckle the saddle. It takes all my strength to pull the trapped saddle bag free of his great weight. "There would be if I'd finished my quest."

"Quest?" She perks up. "I love quests! What one are you on?"

I tell her all about how the king gave me special orders to find the violet trifolia, the only known antidote to deathsleep.

Pride swells my chest as her eyes brighten and Taylor says, "That's amazing! What an important quest!"

She looks at me as if I'm someone important.

She looks at me like no one ever has in my life. It's heady, this feeling of having her good regard. Addictive.

I will be this new man, this hero—for her.

And I will never give her a reason to look at me in any other way. Success is no longer limited to serving my king and finding a place by his side. It also means she will be proud to call me husband.

But as fondly as she looks at me now, what do I have to offer her in this moment? The dream of a quest I can't complete without Storm. The dream of a position in the king's guard won only if I succeed. Right now, they feel like wisps of fog dissipating in the bright sunlight of reality—pretty but ephemeral. The old familiar feeling of not being enough grips me in its wicked claws, and my father chuckles derisively in my mind.

I finally understand why Dravarr hesitated to tell Ashley she was his bride.

Why didn't I pay more attention to all Rovann's talk of how humans do things differently? How do you woo a human?

A hot certainty fills me with determination. I will become the best wooer to ever woo!

Taylor watches me erect the tent beside Storm, asking a string of questions, culminating in one about how I'm able to put it up so easily.

"The frame poles were enspelled by one of the woodworkers of my village."

"You have magic too?" Those big eyes look on me admiringly again. By the goddess, I'm already addicted to that look!

"Yes. My magic is the ability to move quietly when I want."

"Show me!"

Once I set the last pole, I straighten, reaching with the magic within me to connect to the ground until an awareness of it fills me. Padding forward on silent feet, I let it guide my steps. My body dips and sways as I slide between the branches of the surrounding pines, disturbing not a single needle.

I circle the clearing, just out of sight, and reenter halfway around.

Taylor watches the place where I disappeared, so she jumps when she catches sight of me in her peripheral vision. "Oh. My. God!" She claps and lets out a little laugh. "That's the best! You totally have ‘stealth' power!"

And there it is again, that jolt of attention and admiration I already need from her as much as I need air.

"It's nothing." I shrug.

"It's not nothing!" She bounces to her feet. "It's awesome! Why would you think it's nothing?"

"My sister, Gerna, is a great herbalist, which is greatly prized by my people. My father…" I swallow, hating to tarnish Taylor's view of me so early. But I will not lie to my moon bound. I meet her eyes, ready to see the familiar disappointment dim their bright regard. "My father always makes it clear that ‘stealth' isn't a highly valued magic."

Instead of the reaction I expect, she snorts. "Well, he's wrong. There are lots of things stealth is great for! I bet you're a fantastic hunter, for one."

"I am." But my village has several good hunters, like my friend Branikk, so I don't stand out as the best. And being a hunter isn't warlord, and therefore not good enough for Father.

"Show me again?" My bride turns her luminous brown eyes upon me, filled with admiration.

I feel like the parched land of the desert offered its first sight of rain. I can do nothing but as she asks.

That look from her is worth any price.