Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 26 ~ Part 1||

Thank you everyone for your continued support! I love reading all your thoughts and comments. Makes my day!!

Now, finally some sweet dl time for our OTP. 

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83 Days post the fall of Troy

"Uggggggggh!"

Momo jerked awake at the sound of a high-pitched wail. A flock of gold and black orioles perching in the branches overhead took flight. Their wings rustled the amber and flaxen colored leaves, scattering the mid-afternoon sunlight that cascaded down to highlight Ashido Mina laying spread eagle in the middle of the cart.

The wagon bumped as it continued over an uneven path. The nymph groaned again and kicked her feet against the wooden panels. "I hate this! We've been traveling without stopping for a whole day," she groaned, running her hands down her cheeks. "I'm uncomfortable and hungry, and I want a bath!"

"Oh gods," Hagakure said, her voice thick from sleep. She sat up. A crest was etched into her left cheek. "A bath sounds so good right now."

"Right?!" Ashido shot upright. "A bath would be so nice. We could get out of this damn cart and finally wash off some of this grime." Her nose scrunched, and she shook her hands as if trying to get rid of invisible dirt.

Momo yawned. Rubbing at her face, she adjusted against something hard — and warm. She blinked, then slowly angled her head up to find herself staring at Todoroki's profile. His arm was wrapped around her waist and a pleasant heat, tinged with the faint scent of magic, drifted off of him.

He turned his head, and his gaze met her eyes. His fingers tightened around her side. "Sleep well?" he asked in a soft voice.

His warm breath ghosted across her skin, and Momo realized how close they were. A hot flush ran across Momo's face. She quickly pulled away and sat up.

What was she doing falling asleep on Todoroki? How scandalous. She was a priestess of Apollo. No matter how tired she was, it was no excuse to act so shameless. What if she had drooled?

Wiping at her mouth and trying not to imagine how undignified she must have seemed, Momo looked around. The scenery had changed since she fell asleep. The steeped-like grasslands they had traveled through earlier in the day were gone, replaced by large oak and beech trees dipped in saffron and gold. Towering above the tree line were mountainous peaks, their tops dusted white, stretched up into the crisp blue sky like giant sentries.

They were at the foot of the Rhodpes Mountains.

"Really?" Kendo's incredulous voice huffed behind Momo.

She turned back around. Kendo was leveling Ashido and Hagakure with an unamused stare from her seat at the front of the cart. "Ashido, it hasn't even been half a day since we lost our last pursuers. It isn't safe to stop yet."

"That was ages ago!" Ashido whined. "And I'm tired of sitting in this cart. It's so boring and I want a bath."

Momo cleared her throat, pushing a few strands of loose hair behind her ear as she refocused on the conversation. "It's better not to let our guard down, especially now when we are at the edges of Dicaea's territory. After last night's chaos, it is doubtful that the city guard will let us be. The city will want reparations. It wouldn't be unlikely if they sent men to watch the main roads and patrols to search for us in the mountains." She gave Ashido a long look and continued in a steady voice. "It would be best to hang on a little longer before we rest."

Ashido sighed heavily and flopped back onto the floor of the cart. "But you and Todoroki still haven't even fully cleaned the blood off yourselves yet."