Falsified (Tarnished Book 2)

3 A Bond Forged

We continued to search for His Highness, the Prince of Wolves after the Gamora Mandrake left our party. Walking through the grove with the Old Crow made me feel uncertain what I knew of him other than the obvious need he had for me. His worry and frustration did not seem terrible qualities, but he mentioned the imperativeness of this search.

Lost in thought though I was, I noticed the sun had begun to wane to the west. Venturing too much longer would increase our chances of running into beasts who may attempt to slaughter us.

I glanced over at His Majesty taking a breather after we wandered around for over a quarter of the day. He sat on the roots of an ash oak with his eyes shut.

An opportunity to kill was in my grasp, but without knowing the secret of how he was able to live after snapping his neck or using my power to destroy his form would be fruitless. I wandered over to him and sat beside him. His eyes opened slightly to catch a glimpse of me.

"Was there something you want to tell me?" he asked.

I remained silent with no response to give.

He sat up. "You can speak freely with me,"

I smiled lightly at the thought. He does not even realize I want to kill him for all he has done to me. "This isle has a different level of danger than I'm able to handle." I peered over at him and then at my lap. "It feels like beasts either have it out for me or they don't which for me is normal. It never made sense though,"

"I thought when I first saw you, Dane, that you were unique," he began and then he stood up. "Though you may not think I noticed you came out of the grove alive and well for all its dangers. You are knowledgeable of the beasts inhabiting the grove and have great instincts for detecting them."

I scoffed a bit and bit my lip. "You don't need to compliment me so much, I haven't done anything remarkable."

"Modest, that is interesting," he mused when I peered up at him. His eyes softened on me and he leaned on the trunk. "When you first appeared from the grove a thought crossed my mind,"

Oh god save me from his next words, I beg you.

"He would make a great confidant and knight,"

I laughed a bit nervously and felt my cheeks grow warm in response to that. "Glad you think highly of me, but I'm an herbalist."

He smirked with such sincerity it irked me that he was the one who ruined my life and attempting to give me a cozy place by his side. "I mean it, young Dane. You dealt with two beasts calm enough to make a course of action in moments before hope seems to slip away. Not many can do that and stand up to the God of the Grove without fearing for his life,"

I veered my eyes away from him and balled my hands into fists on my lap. Does he genuinely believe it was so easy to trust me? "I'm a stranger to this isle and have only been here for a month. It wasn't all that renowned or recognized. Your Majesty, it wouldn't be wise to place your faith in someone like me. I could be a terrible person,"

A moment of silence crept between us while I tried to remain calm so he would not suspect me of lying to him. Only glancing up at him did I realize he was not going to believe in those words of mine. His brow wrinkled in the center of his forehead and his eyes squinting back at me.

"Young Dane, do you think me foolish?" he asked his voice above the normal volume he spoke with. "You have not given me one reason not to trust you, so why do you believe it is all that naïve?"