Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 40 ❆ New Plans

Clarifying my sched: It's still one chapter every other week (twice a month). I'm just changing to Mondays, sorry for the confusion.

I really cannot afford to update for free once a week due to lack of content, and I'm also writing other books (CASeries). If you want to read ahead, up to Chapter 63, you can pledge to mylovelywriter.com or my Patreon page (patreon.com/mylovelywriter).

I had to change out of my costume in order to not be seen by others. I haphazardly threw on my rough clothes and hastened out of the changing room. Maun waited for me outside and anxiously tailed after me as I sought Mistress Kora's aide.

He was waiting in the camps mingling merrily with the others. When he saw our panicked faces, he clambered to rise to his feet and went over in worry.

"What's wrong?"

I let out a heavy breath, which fogged. Frost lightly materialized over my lips and my skin became flushed blue. Mistress Kora's face turned grave and he pulled us back into his and Maun's tent, pulling over a wooden box filled with his medical tools.

"Come this way, quickly."

I sank on the floor as I waited for the treatment.

Mistress Kora, meanwhile, retrieved a bottle of a familiar concoction and lightly anointed me with it, rubbing small dots over my forehead, my chest, as well as over my wrists. The warmth forced the frost to recede and for the coldness to depart from my body.

I sighed in relief as the torrential waters that I could feel was on the verge of breaking finally calmed down and retreated.

As I rested, I looked back on my actions. Though I tried not to raise suspicions, there will surely be many. After all, in the heat of the moment, I could not guarantee that my act was flawless. Black Flame should not be stupid to take my words at face-value...but here I was hoping I was only overthinking things.

"Rest for now," Mistress Kora said. "Things should be alright."

That night, the atmosphere around the bonfire outside our tents was solemn. Erenol had finally woken up and was depressed, pushing the food around her plate as she swam in her aura of gloom. I knew my means of comfort would not mean much right now, so I along with everyone else decided that the best way to appease the girl would be to give her the thing she loved the most.

"Eren," I began. "I asked Mistress Veronika a while ago. She bought some candied strawberries for you and a basket of fresh strawberries too."

"I also made the milkshake Evy made last time," Mistress Kora said, handing her a cup filled with the beverage.

Maun was...roasting...strawberries?

Speechless, I watched as the fruit began melting over the fire. "What are you..."

"I'm cooking them to see if they'll taste good," Maun signed to me.

Erenol did not reply but accepted everything with a pout, eyes leaking tears. She pushed aside the plate of half-eaten dinner and delved straight into her desserts. The candied strawberries disappeared into her mouth. The resounding crush and snap of the crumbling caramel coating rang fiercely in the quiet night.

She sobbed through her full mouth, pushing down her mouthful of dessert with the milkshake before shoving in some more.

At some point, she started choking. We all sighed helplessly. I could only pat her back to help her.

"God, you're such an idiot," I blurted. I wanted to be patient with this fool, but seeing her nearly choking herself to death made me want to smack her up the head. "You clearly have only a limited space in your mouth! Don't stuff it like a turkey on Thanks—" I stopped. Right. Thanksgiving didn't exist here. That was an Earth tradition. If I let my tongue slip, while they might not ask anything, they would certainly be marked with some doubt.