Page 7

Chapter Seven

O nce the wagon is cleared of my wares, we repack it with what we are going to need while traveling: the pot, my bag of clothes, and spare blankets, along with Garrett’s large pack. I’ve also buffered the jars of fruit preserves and canned vegetables with packages of dry ingredients. I’m a witch, after all, and who knows what we might encounter where potions, salves, or poultices can assist?

Garrett drops the last of my firewood behind the bench of the wagon. I’ll need to start chopping more to get stored for the coming winter.

The sun beats down on my black hair, which I lift up off my neck in an attempt to cool down and fan my face with my hand.

Whiskers removes the container of caterpillars from his pocket and holds it inches from my face. “Is this enough?”

I lean back to accept it and get a better look. “Perfect! Thank you.” I offer him a genuine smile this time. I choose two of them and set the container in the last basket on the shelf. “Come in for some lunch.” I nudge my head toward the house.

His gaze drifts to the caterpillars in my hand. “Do I have to?”

“What, you aren’t a fan of garlic caterpillar orzo?” I sniff the caterpillars as if I’m choosing a rot-free vegetable.

Whiskers tilts his head. “I can never tell when you’re serious.”

Blinking in disbelief, I try leaning my head forward. “Do you honestly believe I eat caterpillars?”

“You are a witch.”

“Not a bog witch!” I roll my eyes and throw my hands up in the air. “Four winds. He believes I eat bugs!”

Behind me, I swear I hear him chuckle, but when I look back, his expression hasn’t changed.

Acorn chitters and squeaks with excitement when he notices the caterpillars I bring in. I set one of them in front of him and the other behind the pot of dill for Kai. Acorn scurries over, snatches the pudgy creature with his little claws, and bites in immediately.

“You’re going to let it sit right there on the counter and eat?” Whiskers asks as he walks in.

I raise my brow. “You don’t have to watch him. Besides, he was here first.”

“I can’t believe I’m arguing about a rodent,” he mutters.

Acorn squeaks. “Who is he calling a rodent?”

“You,” I reply.

“I what?” Whiskers asks.

I grin. “You called him a rodent. Now he’s going to hate you. We should eat lunch before we leave.”

“We can eat while we travel. We should get moving and cover some ground before night falls. And you should probably let me in on your plan on how we’re moving forward.”

I tap my chin. “We’re going to find a fairy ring. I would like to stop by Samuel’s house to ask him where to find one. They aren’t just anywhere, and nowhere near here. He used to tell me stories all the time about how he had discovered some.”

Whiskers lets out a breath that causes his cheeks to puff up with air. “And you don’t know how to find one? I thought there was a way to lure fairies.”

I shrug. “I’ve heard you can use enchanted milk or something, but why not go to someone who has actually seen one? That’s got to be quicker than wandering the woods. Don’t you think?”

He leans his arm on the counter, leaning toward me. “Look, I don’t want to be here either. I just want to find the prince and get back to doing what I should be.”

“Watching the king sleep?” I ask.

The soldier smirks and his mustache moves. “My job is more important than keeping the royal family safe while they’re sleeping.”

“Yes. So important they sent you to babysit me.”

“At least I will get to help save the prince.” He moves around my kitchen, swiping the last of my bread and a jar of marmalade. “Let’s go.”

Licking my lips, I carefully collect Acorn, deposit him in his typical spot in my pouch, and collect Kai with my free hand. He goes in my skirt pocket, which is a safer place for him.

Acorn pokes his head out. “Think we’ll be back fast?”

“You can still stay,” I reply.

“No! You two are the most entertaining people I’ve ever met! I want to see how this plays out!” His nose twitches in familiar excitement.

“I can’t believe you find this entertaining,” Kai says.

“Did you hear someone?” Whiskers asks, glancing around.

My brows furrow. “Hear what?”

“Hm. Nothing. Are you ready?”

Had he understood Kai? No. He must have heard him croak.

I turn, bite my bottom lip, and scan the room one more time. I feel like there are so many more things I should grab. Do I actually need more ingredients? Perhaps I should take the crystals? Who knows when I might need more plants?

He clears his throat.

“I’m ready. Sorry.” I walk out the door, closing it behind me.

Something about that sound feels more hollow than usual. Like I might not be coming back, or if I do, everything will be different. I was comfortable in my life with my mother. Losing her forced me to step out and fend for myself, but I have also pushed everyone else away so I don’t have to feel that pain ever again. I don’t know what to expect from here, where to go, or how to help Kai. All I know is if I don’t, both of us are going to end up miserable for the rest of our lives.

I won’t let that happen to him.

Garrett sits by my side as I unnecessarily hold the reins of Pancho’s bridle and giving him a little snap to go. “Go ahead,” I command.

The wagon lurches forward.

I have never noticed how small the bench of the wagon is until I had to wedge myself next to the massive soldier. Sitting down, my shoulders don’t even reach his, and when I look down at our legs, his thigh is nearly one and a half of mine. Okay, that’s pure speculation, but they’re enormous. His forearms are even muscled, and I find myself wondering what they look like when he grips a sword.

“What do you do all day?” I thought I said it in my mind, but Garrett looks down at me and I realize I’ve accidentally said it out loud.

“I have a strict schedule. Wake up before dawn, bathe, stretch...”

I regret having asked him.

“...walk the grounds for potential breaches, check in with the night guards and captains, plan rotations with the day captains, and check in with the king’s schedule. If there isn’t anything that requires me to be in the castle at the king’s side, I switch off with the other king’s guards so I can train new soldiers.”

I look across him to the sword dangling off the side of the wagon. “You train them in sword fighting?”

Whiskers nods. “And hand-to-hand combat.”

“Braggart,” Kai mutters.

“Hm?” Whiskers asks.

Luckily, the word sounds close to Ribbit , but I feel obligated to speak before Kai can add any other snide remarks. “Are you any good?” I say, raising an eyebrow, knowing that to be alongside the king he must be.

He smirks. “The best. Why do you think he sent me with you?”

“As punishment?”

Garrett’s lips actually pull into a smile and he snorts a laugh, then shakes his head. “It feels like that.”

“At least we’re on the same page. I feel the same way about you.” I straighten my spine and refocus my attention forward. “Why would the king send you and not one of Kai’s bodyguards?”

Garrett chuckles. “Prince Kaison doesn’t have one. One of us keeps an eye on him at all times, but he can hold his own. What about you? What do you do?”

I didn’t expect him to reciprocate the interaction and can’t help but look at him from the corner of my eye. “Do you actually want to know? Or are you just making small talk to feel better about yourself?”

He shrugs. “If we’re going to be together for at least a week, by the looks of things, I should probably know something about you. Shouldn’t I? I shared my daily life with you.”

“Your schedule,” I correct. “I still only know you’re a guard.”

Whiskers tilts his head and shifts on the seat so he’s facing me the best he can. It only makes his knee lean into mine. “My name is Garrett Bath. Yes, like water and soap. I am twenty-five years of age and I’m excellent in long and short sword combat. I grew up in the streets, boxing to make money and earn a reputation so I could apply to be a soldier of the king. I found a captain and basically followed him for a month until he finally admitted my worth and took me on as a squire. When I saved his life during an assassination attempt on the king, he started training me.”

I force myself into the most unamused expression I can muster. “That is the quickest summary of someone’s life I’ve ever heard.” He grew up in the streets? “So you don’t have a family?” Ugh, why am I asking for more information about him?

Because what else are we going to do on this long ride?

Garrett runs his fingers through his brown hair and the waves spring back into place. I silently wonder if he puts in fancy product. I sometimes make beauty products to help with hair care, lotion, paste to clean teeth, and so forth, but it’s not a passion of mine. I wonder if there’s a market for soldiers.

“I, uh, don’t know,” Garrett admits. “I have vague memories of them, but I don’t know what happened.” He shrugs. “You have a mother. What about your father?”

My teeth clench as anger burns through me. It’s instantaneous and bitter. It’s not the same anger I feel toward Kai. Kai’s feeling is betrayal while the anger toward my father is seething. “He walked out when I was young. I think five or six? He said he could make a better life without the burden of a peculiar child like me.”

“I don’t get that.”

I look at Garrett, but his gaze is on the road. “What do you mean?”

“Well, your mother is a magic user. He clearly chose to marry her, or at least have a child with her. Why choose a magical person and get upset about having a magical child? Seems like he was blaming you for choices he made. A child is an easy thing to blame.”

I’d never looked back on the incident through the eyes of an adult. If my father was doing something wrong, of course his narcissistic self would blame a child. Children can’t fight. That thought made my chest ache.

Maybe it really wasn’t my fault my father left.

He must have made poor choices and turned on me because it was easier to do than admit his own faults.

I reach my hand up and rub my chest. “It’s interesting how we’re actually pretty similar,” I say.

“Oh? Because we had rough childhoods?”

I rub my arm. “That and we’ve fought for everything we have learned. We want better lives and we’re willing to do what we need in order to do so.”

He snorts and leans back, spreading his legs a bit to intentionally push my knees to the side. “You’re fighting against the throne. I want to help it. We are not similar.”

“I’m fighting to practice magic without the control of a law.” It’s my turn to face him, and I have no issues pushing against his thigh with my knees. “Not even that. I don’t even mind having to get a license, but to be required to attend a university and then take an expensive exam on top of that seems preposterous when every other job doesn’t require a piece of paper validating their experience. What harm has my magic ever caused? I help farmers kill pests to preserve their crops. I make medicines.”

Whiskers’ eyebrow lifts. “Your enchantment turned the prince into a frog,” he counters.

“Four winds! The orb is a fairy relic!” I nearly shout.

“So you claim.”

The prickle of anger flares up the back of my neck and I ball my hands into fists. “You can walk the entire way if you wish.”

Garrett straightens and slowly lets a breath out through his nose. “I have seen what sorcerers and witches can do during war. I have seen what battle magic can do.”

“There is good in magic too,” I insist. “I can show you while you’re with me and you can take whatever information you want to the king. You’ll see.”

“I doubt it,” he mutters.

“You’re more of a pessimist than Acorn.” I roll my eyes. “Pancho, stop. We’re here.”