The Water Howlers - Book II ✔

Chapter 5 - Ori

Ori watched as Emmie ate her plate of spiced venison stew and potatoes. He followed her movements as she raised the fork ladened with food and let it disappear into her mouth, her lips closing around the metal. His eyes trailed upwards and were met with her own brown eyes looking straight at him. She raised an eyebrow and Ori felt his cheeks flush.

"What are you staring at?" Emmie asked, her mouth still half-full of her dinner.

"Nothing, I..." Ori started, but the look she gave him was enough for him to know he couldn't lie to her. "I just wanted to make sure your appetite had been fully restored."

Emmie set down her fork and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ori, I appreciate your concern, I truly do, you know that."

Ori sensed a but coming.

"But you watching me eat like that is beyond creepy."

"I'm sorry." Ori ducked his head and for the remainder of the meal his eyes stayed glued to his own plate.

He was almost done with his serving when Ki arrived.

"There's still food, right? Good." And she hurried down to the buffet table at the end of the tent.

"I don't think I've ever seen her late for a meal before," Ori mused and looked over at Emmie to share the joke, but Emmie had grown unusually quiet. She sat in her seat, one hand clutching her fork, her eyes unfocused as she gazed at nothing in particular.

"Em?" Ori's voice was hesitant, not wanting to startle her. His eyes lowered and saw the hand clenching the fork, her knuckles turning white with the force.

"Emmie," he repeated, a little louder and Emmie gave a little start in her seat. She let the fork clatter onto her plate and looked over at Ori.

"What?" she asked, as if nothing was wrong, but Ori noticed her hand reach up to rub the spot on her chest where the Shadow Walker had laid its hand to drain her of her life. Ori decided the food tent wasn't the ideal place for a conversation so he simply smiled at her.

"Ki was late to a meal," he said.

"That's a first," Emmie replied and they shared a smile, though Ori worried deeply about what had just happened.

"I am famished," Ki announced as she returned, her plate filled to the brim with stew. She sat herself down next to Ori just as Emmie rose from her seat. Ori, again, watched her closely.

"Well, I'm full." She grabbed her plate and cup and walked off.

"I'm done as well," Ori said, standing up as Ki frowned at him.

"Seriously? You're just going to leave me to eat by myself?"

"See you later, Ki," Ori simply said and took his stuff up to the large basins piled with dirty dishes.

He caught up with Emmie outside the tent. The summer evening was warm, as they usually were on this side of the country. At home, it would probably be raining or at least be cloudy, Ori thought to himself. He hadn't thought of home all that much in the recent months. The training most of all kept him busy, but also the girl walking up ahead had claimed much of his spare time.

"Em." She slowed down for him to get up beside her.

"Can we talk?" He asked gently. Her big eyes caught the light of a lantern hanging low close by as she looked at him. Her lips parted as if to speak, but a heartbeat later she closed them and just nodded.

Ori led them over to a wooden bench, nestled back from the path, partly concealed by the low-hanging branches of a willow tree yet still with a view of the lake in front of them.