Page 37

As we walked, I found myself hyper-aware of Sky’s presence beside me. The way his muscles flexed as he moved, the soft swish of his tail, the occasional twitch of his ears as he listened for danger. It was maddening, being so close yet unable to act on the desire burning within me.

“So,” Sky’s gruff voice broke the silence, startling me from my thoughts. “You really never... explored yourself at all?”

I felt my face flush hot at his question. “N-no,” I stammered. “I mean, I’ve had... thoughts. Dreams. But I haven’t done… stuff since I got here.”

Sky’s ears twitched, a low rumble emanating from his chest. “Dreams, huh?” He glanced at me sidelong, a glint in his blue eyes. “About me?”

I felt my face grow even hotter, if that was possible. “I... maybe,” I admitted, unable to meet his gaze.

He chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. “No need to be embarrassed. I’ve had a few myself.”

My head snapped up at that, eyes wide. “You have?”

Sky nodded, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Hard not to. I don’t know if you know this, Oliver, but you are very cute.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Sky, the gruff, standoffish loner, had been dreaming about me? The thought made my heart race even faster. Of course, that was quickly washed away with a wave of embarrassment.

“I don’t know if I’m cute,” I muttered.

Sky’s hand tightened around mine as we continued walking. “Trust me, you are,” he said gruffly. “And once we’re out of this damn dungeon, I intend to show you just how cute I find you.”

My stomach did a flip at his words. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but my mind kept wandering to what might happen when we finally escaped.

Would Sky really follow through on his promise?

And if he did, what exactly would that entail?

My limited experience left me with only vague ideas, fueled by half-remembered dreams.

And most importantly, what would it mean?

Would we just be two people that had sex?

Lovers? Boyfriends? More? I had no idea what was customary in Cindersea.

There were a million questions running through my head, but I didn’t have the courage to ask them after our conversation. They could wait for now.

We walked in charged silence for what felt like hours, the only sounds were our footsteps and my staff tapping against the stone floor once more with each step. Sky’s ears would twitch occasionally, and he’d pause, listening intently before motioning us forward again.

Just as I was starting to wonder if we’d ever find our way out, I felt a ping in my brain, stopping me dead in my tracks at a small fork in the path. Sky stopped beside me, his fingers entwined with mine. He looked down at me seriously.

“What’s wrong? Did you hear something?”

“No…” I said, closing my eyes. “But I can feel something.”

I concentrated, trying to pinpoint the source of the strange sensation. It felt like a gentle tug, pulling me in a specific direction. Opening my eyes, I looked up at Sky.

“I think... I think I know which way to go,” I said, my voice tinged with surprise and excitement.

Sky’s eyebrows shot up, his ears perking forward. “You do? How?”

I shook my head, unsure how to explain. “I don’t know exactly. It’s like... a feeling. Like something’s calling to me.”

Sky’s eyes narrowed, a mix of curiosity and concern on his face. “Is this another one of your new powers?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, still trying to process the sensation myself. “It feels like my magic sense… but more powerful. And whatever I’m feeling, it isn’t alive.” I paused for a moment. “Whatever it is, it’s down. We’ll have to go deeper.”

Sky hesitated for a moment, his tail swishing behind him. “Lead the way,” he said at last. “I trust you.”

Those words sent a warmth spreading through my chest, momentarily distracting me from the strange pull I felt. I squeezed Sky’s hand gently, offering him a small smile before turning my attention back to the sensation guiding me.

“This way,” I said, pulling Sky along as I started down a narrow passage to our left .

The tunnel sloped downward, the air growing cooler and damper as we descended.

The strange feeling intensified with each step, like a beacon calling out to me in the darkness.

Sky remained silent beside me, but I could feel the tension in his grip, his senses no doubt on high alert for any sign of danger.

As we rounded a corner, the passage split once more, this time into four corridors.

I spent a moment walking between them, using my senses to figure out which to take.

At last, I decided to take the one on the far left, leading Sky through it silently.

The feeling grew and grew until we turned another corner and came face to face with an ancient wooden door banded with rusty iron.

Without hesitation, I reached out and grabbed the rusted ring and pulled. It snapped off in my hands.

“I got this,” Sky said, stepping in front of me. “When I first became a druid, I tried to teach myself to pick locks. But with wooden doors like this, it’s easier to just…”

He trailed off, muttering under his breath.

I felt the magic swirling around him as the tip of his spear glowed a strange orangish red.

Swinging it down, he pressed the tip against the wooden door gently.

The moment it made contact, mushrooms sprang out of the wood, radiating from the spear.

I watched in awe as dozens of generations of mushrooms grew, bloomed, and died, covering the entire door from top to bottom.

Within a matter of thirty seconds or so, the door simply crumbled into dust, nothing left behind but the iron and a pile of compost.

“Decomposition,” Sky smiled, tapping the butt of his spear on the stone floor. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

I stared in awe at the crumbled remains of the door, impressed by Sky’s display of druidic magic. “That was amazing,” I breathed. Somehow, I was even more attracted to him now.

Sky’s ears twitched, a hint of pride in his voice. “Thanks. It comes in handy sometimes.”

We stepped through the doorway, to find a set of spiraling stairs heading downward.

Sky took the lead, his fingers laced in mine once more as we headed downward.

He muttered another quick spell under his breath, causing the head of his spear to glow.

The stairs descended two, three, then four dozen steps before we finally stepped onto the landing at the bottom.

There was an open arch in front of us leading into a chamber.

With a deep breath and a nod, we stepped through.

The moment our feet struck the stone inside the chamber, all the sconces on the walls burst into flames, filling the room with a nearly blinding light after spending so long in the dim dungeon. However, as my eyes adjusted, my jaw slowly fell open.

The chamber wasn’t massive, but every wall was lined with shelves. Books, much like those I’d seen in the Cleric’s Guild, filled them from top to bottom. And my magic sense was nearly bowled over by the power emanating from them.

“Sky…” I muttered, my voice hardly a whisper. “I think we found the skill book hoard.”