Lineage of Zeal, Book One: Rosemary

Chapter Sixteen: Loveless

Courtney pushed up from the ground, shivering. The fire had died as he slept, and without his cloak, the night was difficult. But better it was for him to suffer the chill air and a bed of frost than let a young woman and girl fall prey to the elements. Such was his pride as a man.

Limb by limb, the prince shook, shivered, and jumped warmth back into his body, looking more like a fool than he would ever allow himself to, if anyone present were aware enough to see this unbeautiful display. But his appearance mattered not in this moment, because as Gerard had said to him during one of their more grueling expeditions, "You can't be beautiful if you're dead."

As sufficiently warmed as he would get from his exercises in this brisk morning, Courtney stepped around the fire pit, crunching the frost-dusted grass as he approached the sleeping pair. Bending down, Courtney removed his cloak from the entwined girl and young woman with the same gentleness as the morning sun caressing the landscape. They were undisturbed by this task, as he had hoped they would be. The prince would let the cold wake them; he assumed he would not enjoy Alphine's reaction if she were to wake to his touch.

Under the prince's watchful eye, they began to shift, curling tighter into one another to keep warm. Dota shivered in Alphine's arms, and Alphine hugged the child closer. But she too began to shiver, and the blinking, stretching, and waking yawns followed soon after.

"Curse this cold," muttered Alphine as she sat up, keeping the child close to her as she did so. "I didn't think I'd get any sleep last night, but I feel better rested than I thought I would."

Courtney shifted, causing the frosted earth to crunch and Alphine to take notice of him.

"What are you hovering over us for?" Alphine asked in a tone more drowsy than angry. "I hope you weren't plotting anything I'd have to hurt you for."

Courtney waved his hand to brush her worries away. "Of course not. I was charged with watching after you and the child during the demon's absence, was I not? I am merely performing as is expected of me. Now if you would rise, you must keep active until the air warms enough to permit idleness without the threat of catching cold."

"As if I don't know that," Alphine said as she stood, nearly toppling over with drowsy imbalance, but she was ever careful with helping Dota to her feet. "I've been through enough winters without shelter to know how to take care of myself, thank you. Now come on, my little angel. We're going to stretch our legs and go for a walk."

"Where are we going?" asked the little girl, a hint of yawn thickening her words.

"We're going to look for Leviticus," said Alphine, smiling. She took the little girl by the hand and started uphill from their campsite, but the prince stepped into their path, impeding their progress.

"There is no need to look," said two voices simultaneously. A look of surprise drifted across Courtney's face, but he quickly concealed it with a hand.

"There is no need to look," the prince said, his voice as frigid as the morning air, "because the demon is right here with us."

Alphine looked behind Courtney to see Leviticus standing just outside the area they had used to camp for the night. He was smiling, as usual, but there was something different about him, and it wasn't the beige cloak he wore that concealed his entire person save for his head.

"Levi, are you alright?" asked Alphine as she approached the incubus, Dota in tow.

"Of course I'm alright," Leviticus said, taking a step back and laughing. "Never been better! I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right. Of course you don't," said Alphine, now standing chest to chest with Leviticus, staring up into his amber eyes. "That's why you don't know what I'm talking about even though all I did was ask a very simple question. You're hiding something."