Rune stood by the cave’s exit when I walked out into the chilled night’s air. “The guards told me you were out taking a midnight stroll.” His arms were crossed over his broad chest; his stance told me he was not fond of me being here and having to come fetch me.
I wondered how long he’d been out here waiting for me, and why he hadn’t come in and demanded I leave at once. “I needed some answers.” I kept walking and he fell in line beside me, his large body protecting me from the chilly wind.
“Did you get any of use?” His curious tone replaced his usual disgruntled voice. I shook my head no.
“However, I did learn something that I think will be helpful. We still have a few more weeks. I’ll figure it out in the end.”
Hope blossomed in my chest. I needed to believe in myself more than I ever had before. I needed to do as Celestine said and let Sapphira, the survivor of the apocalypse, lay with the rest of mankind and become someone else. The Sapphira I was meant to be.
Maybe I’d fail. I was scared of that failure, the shame of not living up to this great person in everyone’s heads. If I failed, people died, so I had to keep going, even with the fear grasping my heart.
Rune stayed quiet as we walked back through the palace’s arched doors, the sounds of the ball reverberating through the air with laughter and music. I wanted to dance and sway along with the notes as they traveled through the halls.
“Do you dance, Rune?” The words were out before I could stop them.
His eyebrows lifted, his face taking on a younger appearance. I’d surprised the great, cranky General Rune, an accomplishment fit for a medal.
“I can.” Maybe the princess was his only dancing partner, a position he wouldn’t give to anyone else.
“I bet you could sway like the best of them, shake those Fae hips and drive the ladies wild,” I teased, enjoying myself. I giggled, feeling lighter than I had when I had left the palace earlier.
Once we arrived at my door, I expressed my gratitude, and I wasn’t sure who was more surprised. “I know I’m probably a pain in the ass but thank you for being there, making sure I don’t get eaten by the creatures that go bump in the night.”
While he may have ulterior motives behind escorting me to places or making sure I didn’t die, I still appreciated it.
“You shouldn’t dress like that outside your room,” he said, noting my outfit and the bare brown skin on display.
“Nothing compared to the Fae ladies I see around here. Plus, I’m only human. No one is going to stoop low enough to gaze at my mortal body.”
I was absolutely OK with it. I had a boyfriend. Well . . . sort of.
His gaze hardened once more, and his relaxing posture stood tall and rigid. Conversation was over. He had filled his quota for the day and needed to recharge his social batteries for tomorrow where he might need to speak to someone. “Goodnight Rune.” I opened the door and gave him one last glance before heading inside. His eyes were on my legs like they were poisonous snakes. I couldn’t help it. I raised my leg at him like it was going to bite. The slit on the front of my thigh rose higher, exposing more skin, which seemed to cause him more displeasure. He walked away and I laughed to myself, closing the door behind me.
Still giggling, I snuggled into the bed, leaving my slippers strewn about on the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“An answer for a hit target?” I must not have heard him right as I stared into his not-so-angry face. Unease drifted over me at the hint of a smile growing on his pink lips.
“You hit the target, I’ll answer one of your questions.” He confirmed what I heard, but it still seemed suspicious. I crossed my arms over my chest, warry of what seemed to be happening here.
“What’s the trick?” Rune had escorted me to a training court I hadn’t seen beside the palace. Men and women warriors practiced their skills in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. It was the place where blood and sweat appeared to be required to stay. He’d walked to a small armory and grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows, then we strolled to the waterfall shore, his preferred training area.
It wasn’t a compound bow like I’d used before but a wood-carved traditional-type, lighter despite being made out of wood. Hopefully I wouldn’t have much difficulty operating this kind.
“No trick. I think I’m figuring you out.” He shrugged as if this wasn’t a big deal to him. I looked around one more time. No one else was here.
OK then.
I lifted the bow, testing the pull of the string briefly. The target was ten yards away, a round piece of wood, maybe a lid to a wine barrel with a sheet over it and a dot in the middle. I was a decent shooter, and I did have questions for Rune. With the motivation of Rune opening up to me, I grabbed an arrow and nocked it against the string and the riser of the bow. Pulling back the arrow, placing the feathers against the side of my lips, I took a deep breath in, filled my lungs, lined up my shot toward the little black dot, and released with my exhaled breath. It flew straight and then missed.
“Son of a—” I stopped myself from cursing too loudly so I wouldn’t frighten any slumbering creatures nearby. Rune looked at the target and then back at me, his face impassive.
“Again.”
Yeah again. I made better shots than that one back home. Mariam had taught me the basics and Tor had continued with the education. While I wasn’t the worst at the bow, I was much better with a sword. My weapons’ expertise was not high since only the small regiment at the community had them. Not much good it did them against the Dramens, though. This time I would hit the target. I nocked my arrow again and raised it with confidence. Holding in my belly, lifting my chest, and breathing in, believing the arrow would fly true. It didn’t.
Without Rune even telling me to try again, I grabbed more arrows and shot them in rapid fire. If taking my time wasn’t working, then the power of probability was bound to kick in. One was statistically going to hit the target eventually and save me from the embarrassment of being a poor shot.
“Finally!” I shouted, lifting the bow and my hands in the air in victory, my ninth arrow barely touching the black dot.
“It still counts!” I looked at Rune while he examined it.
“You’re a poor shot, but I’ll let you have this one.” He waited expectantly, his hands on his hips.
I’d been so focused on shooting, I hadn’t decided which of my many questions would be first.
“How old are you?”
His black scarred eyebrow raised. “You had the chance to ask me anything and that’s the first question you go with?”
I nodded. Even though I knew the answer, he didn’t know I did. “I’m testing the waters to see if you will tell me the truth or not.”
“I never lie.”
I believed he spoke the truth. Despite knowing the answer before he muttered the words, I wanted to have that faith in his honesty validated. I grabbed another arrow and tapped it against my good leg expectantly. He rolled his eyes, then answered my question.
“Two hundred and two.”
My next arrow hit the black dot right in the middle. Maybe all I needed was to warm up my aim.
“How did you meet the princess?” I was curious about their story. I wondered if she had returned his feelings, and what their life was like before everything fell. How did it all tie together with Tor?