Page 23
Story: A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly (Compelling Fates Saga #1)
Chapter
Twenty-Two
S he’d never been so grateful for the moon as she was now, walking through the dark forest.
Even if the light was dim, the moon reflected onto the bright snow, and Lessia could clearly make out the trees, although she stayed away from the areas where consuming darkness loomed due to the dense copses.
Thickness clogged her throat when she realized Loche was right. Not a single dry branch, not even a small twig, lay on top of the white drifts, and the branches on the trees, even the lower ones, were weighed down by heavy snow.
Drawing deep breaths, Lessia unclasped her cloak and laid it out on the powdered ground. Her fingers were already stiff as she slipped the dagger Merrick had given her from her waistband, but she gripped it tight and began sawing at a branch from one of the pine trees.
Snow from the tree fell as she worked, seeping into her clothing and causing her entire body to shiver, but she ignored it and continued until her cloak couldn’t fit any more wood .
Sinking into a crouch, she carefully wrapped the cloak around the wet branches, her movements jerky, as she could no longer feel her limbs from the cold.
Lessia exhaled warm air into her uncooperative hands before trying to lift the bundle, the snow covering the branches already drenching the cloak.
All the while, she begged the moonlight to remain as dark clouds yet again rolled in over the starry sky.
When Lessia finally got the firewood into her arms, she began rising but stilled when snow crunched between the trees. Tilting her head, she listened to the woods around her, but the only sound was the trees softly rustling in the evening breeze.
Cautiously straightening her stiff legs, she turned her head in all directions, the sense of being watched running down her spine. Lessia sniffed the chill wind brushing her cheeks, her pulse pounding in her ears when the crisp scent of pine and snow was laced with something wild.
There were wolves and bears in this forest, amongst other vicious creatures that kept the people of Ellow out of these woods.
Especially this far in.
And especially in winter, when those creatures would be starved and desperate for food. The bears should be sleeping, she told herself, but when that untamed scent filled her nostrils again, closer now, her legs began moving on their own accord.
Head whipping from side to side, she sprinted back the way she’d come, the hair on her arms rising when the feeling of a presence remained. Snow crunched again, and she spun around, smacking right into a hard chest, the force of it making her drop the bundle in her arms.
“Venko!” Lessia pushed him back, trying to manage her erratic breathing and hammering heart. “Were you following me just now?”
Venko’s blue eyes flickered with amusement as he watched her bend down to gather the firewood that had spilled onto the snow. “And why would I do that, dear Lessia?”
Slicing her gaze to his, she narrowed her eyes.
They were the only ones out here, and after the conversation they’d had during the ride, she was certain he was up to something.
Making up her mind, she threw a glance over her shoulder, noting the silence and the dark house.
It was worth the risk.
Leaving the firewood on the ground, she rose, drawing on her magic until the light of her golden eyes reflected in the icicles hanging from the tree before her.
Venko didn’t back down when she took a step to close the distance between them.
He only watched her with mild curiosity, and her brows knitted when he whispered, “I’ve wondered what that looks like.”
Staring deep into his crystal-blue eyes, she asked, “Why would you have wondered that?”
Venko’s face softened as her magic filled his mind, his voice turning monotone as he responded. “Because I’ve been told of your magic.”
A chill, and not from the cold wind, brushed her skin. “Who told you of my magic?”
“I don’t know.”
She searched his eyes, but he was clearly still under her spell, face vacant and eyes locked on hers. “How do you not know? ”
“I was told in a letter. I don’t know who wrote it.”
Lessia’s eyes widened. “What did it say?”
“That you’d use your gift on me, and that’s all I needed to know for now.”
She shook her head, her brows furrowing further. “Why are you here, Venko?”
“To participate in the election, try to win if I can.”
She bore her eyes into his, making sure her magic still flowed steadily between them. “And why do you want to be part of it?”
“Because I have a mission.”
“And what’s that mission?”
“I don’t know.”
Lessia shifted a few strands of hair out of her face and clenched her jaw.
This was worse than she thought.
He’d been strange when they talked on the way here, but she’d attributed it to him trying to use his knowledge of her against her in the election.
But if he knew of her gift…
There were only three people in Ellow who knew—Ardow, Amalise, and Merrick—and she very much doubted any of them would have shared her secret.
Even if Merrick wasn’t exactly her favorite person, he’d been ordered to accompany her by his king, and he wouldn’t spill Fae secrets to a human.
Someone else must have.
And she had no idea who it could be.
Lessia glared at him. “Who are you working with?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know who is behind the strange things happening in Havlands?”
“No. ”
She felt like stomping her foot like a child.
He was working with not just anyone, but someone with intimate knowledge of how her magic worked, someone who’d taken great precautions to ensure she wouldn’t get any information from him.
Swearing to herself, she burned her eyes into his once more. “You will forget about my gift, and you’ll forget about the children you’ve brought to Ellow. And you’ll always speak the truth to me from now on. You cannot lie to me. Understood?”
Venko nodded. “Understood.”
“Forget we had this conversation. You found me in the woods, and you decided you wanted to help me carry this wood into the cottage.”
After blowing out a breath, she released the grip on her magic, the reflection behind Venko dimming until it finally vanished completely.
As she blinked a few times, Venko bent down to pick up the wood, and she quietly followed him back into the softly lit house.
When Venko opened the door, she stiffened.
Light poured out of the door.
As they stepped over the threshold, warmth rushed over them from a fire already crackling in the fireplace, illuminating the empty sitting room.
With limbs tingling from the sudden change in temperature, she turned to Venko. “Did you light this fire?”
When he shook his head, confusion creased her forehead. “Do you know who did it?”
“I don’t, but I’m not complaining. I’m off to bed.” Venko grinned at her, his eyes no longer glassy. “See you tomorrow, Lessia.”
She took the bundle of wood from his hands and laid it before the fireplace to dry it out. Sitting down on the floor, with her back against the couch, she savored each lick of heat, even as her skin stung as it finally warmed.
She wasn’t complaining either.
Table of Contents
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