Chapter 53: Everly

Chapter

Fifty-Three

EVERLY

Brennah bounces over, two steaming bowls of porridge in her hands. "Good morning." She hands me a bowl, then turns to Cenric, her smile widening. "Here you go, Cenric. I made sure to add extra honey, just how you like it."

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snorting.

Cenric stares blankly, while Brennah lingers, clearly hoping for a response. When none comes, she heads back to the cooking fires, throwing glances over her shoulder every few steps.

I glance down at my bowl. The steam rises, carrying the scent of cinnamon and apples. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven't eaten since yesterday.

I shovel a spoonful of porridge into my mouth, savoring the sweetness. It's good. I'll give Brennah that. Though, I'm tempted to tell Cenric it could use more cinnamon, just to see if she'd sprint over with the spice jar .

Across the fire, Brennah tosses her hair over her shoulder for what must be the hundredth time. She laughs at something Feyona says, the sound carrying across the camp like a bird call. Look at me, it seems to say. Notice how delightful I am.

I risk a glance at Cenric. His spoon moves mechanically from bowl to mouth. The crease in his brow is so deep I'm half-convinced he's trying to solve all of Karra's problems through the sheer power of his scowl.

"You know," I say, unable to help myself, "if you keep frowning, your face might stay like that."

Cenric blinks and turns to me with a confused frown. "What?"

I gesture to his forehead with my spoon. "You look like you're trying to out-glare the sun. I'd hate for your face to get stuck that way."

For a moment, he stares at me with that same blank look he gave Brennah. Then, his frown deepens, and he returns to his porridge.

Brennah's laugh rings out again, and I fight the urge to throw my spoon at her. Instead, I focus on my food, shoveling it down as quickly as possible. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can escape Brennah's not-so-subtle flirting attempts.

As I scrape the last bits from my bowl, I notice Cenric hasn't touched his food in a while. Instead, he focuses on the fire, that crease still etched between his brows. I wonder what's going through his mind. Probably not the same thoughts as Brennah, who's now managed to drop something and bend over to pick it up, giving Cenric a view of her backside.

I roll my eyes again. Subtle as a spear to the face, that one .

I finish my porridge and set the bowl aside. Cenric does the same.

He stands, gathering both our bowls, and makes his way to the fire, where Brennah is waiting like an eager puppy.

She beams up at him, her smile so bright I'm surprised it doesn't melt the surrounding snow. "Did you enjoy your breakfast, Cenric?"

Cenric grunts something that might be a yes as he hands her the bowls. He turns away before she can say another word, leaving her staring after him with a slightly deflated look.

I shake my head at him when he returns to where I sit. "It wouldn't kill you to actually speak to people."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "I speak when necessary."

"And the rest of the time, you communicate through a series of grunts and glares."

"Come on," he says, nodding toward his command tent. "We have work to do."