Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1) ✔

Chapter 15: Scheming Eyes

It must have been near midnight when we finished our meal. I yawned and stared at the fire, exhaustion flooding me. But I wouldn't be able to sleep. The forest was too dark and the ground too uncomfortable.

Something else bothered me, causing a deep, unfamiliar ache in my chest. Not even the sound of running water nearby couldn't soothe my nerves.

"Your Grace, I must say, this is way better than Danilo's cooking." Nickeltinker's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I smiled. He chewed on the boar happily.

"Uh-huh." Torvald murmured with his mouth full.

Rixen kept quiet. He's been quiet ever since we talked about the mage.

"That's because Danilo doesn't know how to season meat." I murmured, not even in the mood to jab Danilo.

Danilo sighed, "Maybe you can teach me."

"It's no problem, really. I love to cook." I shrugged. "My mother taught me."

Silence ensued as men ate the food. I looked at my purple dress; it was already dirty around the hem. My dresses weren't made for the woods, or dirty roads. My silver shoes were muddy around the edges and my feet began to hurt. Apparently, they were not even made for walking.

"I am going to go wash up." I got up.

Danilo got up almost faster than me, "Do you need help, your Grace?"

I giggled and eyed him, "Sir Danilo, I do not think that's proper."

"I mean-" The knight stuttered. "If you need help, I'm here."

I shook my head, "That's alright. It's too cold to swim anyway."

Without saying good night, I left the clearing and followed the sound of the creek nearby. I could still see the light of the fire, which was comforting, but I also felt as alone as I wanted to be. Travelling across the world with four people proved to be quite crowded.

And there were no walls between us, ever.

The creek appeared in front of me. A fast, busy thing. Water ran across the rocks, sparkling in the moonlight. Burbling sound shushed my mind for a moment. I sat on the large, moss-covered stone and stared at the water.

Cooking reminded me of my mother. I only ever used to cook with her. After she passed away, maids never let me near the kitchen. The last time I cooked anything, it was with my mother by my side.

And now she was gone and I was in the middle of Bastian woods. Nostalgia hit hard. Homesickness, too. I wished I had thought twice about this endeavour.

"Aren't you afraid something might eat you out here?"

My head snapped behind and I grunted when I saw Rixen, "It would rid me of your company, so I'm not complaining."

The shadowman came closer and sat on the moss-covered rock next to me. His black tunic and hair blended in the darkness, but his eyes remained a potent, golden colour.

"You've been quiet over dinner." He said. "And you usually talk a lot."

"Why are your eyes yellow?" I asked, completely ignoring his observation.

"It's a shadowman thing." Rixen shrugged. "It confuses our enemies."

A question that's been bugging me finally rolled off my tongue, "Why do you know so much about me and I do not know anything about you?"

Rixen smiled, "Your mind isn't guarded, at all. Once you encounter real danger, you realise that simply protecting your body isn't enough. But you've never encountered danger, have you?"