With her jaw clenched, Esha followed Savita into her tent. She found her sister standing before the table she used to read the runes. On it were Savita’s white runes, their gold markings clear. There were twenty-eight of them, each marked with a specific symbol.
Esha crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you showing me these? You know I can’t read them.”
“I get the same response for every question I pose.”
“Which is?” Esha pushed when Savita fell silent.
Her sister’s copper gaze was unwavering. “Danger.”
“And you think that’s Kendrick, I suppose?”
“I don’t know who or what it is. I’ve asked about Kendrick. I get that response. I asked about working with him, I get that response. I asked about the thing you’re hunting, I get that response. I ask if anyone is going to attack us, I get that response. I ask if it’s going to rain, I get that response. I ask if we’ll catch lots of fish for dinner tonight...”
“You get that response. I get it,” Esha said as her arms fell to her sides. “Is that normal?”
Savita braced her hands on the table and looked at the runes. “Never. The answers might be similar, but never so exact.”
“Ask those questions again.”
“I did,” Savita replied as she looked up. “Dozens of times throughout the night.”
Esha gazed at the runes for a heartbeat. “The runes agreed with my assessment to hunt the foe.”
“They did.”
“They’ve not changed their mind, have they?”
Savita’s lips twisted. “It isn’t that simple.”
“It is. Of course, there’s danger each time I take my squad out of camp. Danger is what being a Ranger is about. If the runes aren’t telling you that we should stop hunting, then we don’t.”
“The danger it’s warning me about should be taken into consideration.”
Esha rolled her eyes. “It’s telling you that for everything.”
“I’m aware,” Savita said tightly.
Esha licked her lips and lowered her voice. “Are you sure you can still read them?”
Anger sparked in her sister’s eyes. Savita pointed to the table and spoke in a clipped tone. “Look at the runes. Look at each of them. Memorize their placements.”
Esha did as her sister asked.
Then Savita gathered the stones and put them into their bag. Savita shook the bag as she held Esha’s gaze. Her sister asked in a clear voice, “Should Esha continue hunting the entity that’s killing elves?” Then she opened the bag and dumped the runes.
Esha’s mouth dropped open as she watched each stone come to rest in exactly the same position as before.
“Now do you understand?” Savita demanded.
Esha nodded. “I do.”
“And you’re still going to Kendrick?”
“I am. The runes tell you of danger, but not what kind, where it’s coming from, or even when. I can’t sit here, doing nothing as I wait. No Ranger would.”
Savita’s expression fell. “I know.”
“If something changes, let me know.”
“Will you return tonight?”
Esha considered that before she shook her head. “You gave us three days. We need to cover a lot of ground. And, unfortunately, we don’t even know where to begin. There isn’t time for me to come back to camp.”
“I’m asking you not to go with Kendrick.”
Esha heard the carefully worded request. Savita was worried, and while she might agree with Savita, Esha wouldn’t remain. She couldn’t. “Elves are dying. I’m going to do something about that.”
“I know.” Savita sighed, her shoulders drooping. “Be safe.”
“I’ll see you in a few days.”
Esha walked out of the tent and the camp. Her sister’s distress over the runes was troubling, but it could mean literally anything. Esha lengthened her strides as she walked through the dense forest. She glanced at the positions of Rangers who stood on guard. The Wood Elves were high in the trees, while other elves had hidden themselves elsewhere. She felt their gazes on her as she picked her way to Kendrick. The closer she got, the more her mood lightened. From the moment she had opened her eyes that morning, she had been excited to see him and learn more about dragons—and him.
As she approached the lake, she saw his fire through the trees. She emerged from the jungle. Her gaze swept the area without seeing him. She then looked at the round structure and couldn’t help but wonder if he was sleeping. Was he on his back, his stomach, or his side? Would his hair be mussed? What would he look like after just opening his eyes?
Did he sleep naked?
The thought made her heart skip a beat. Esha took a step in the direction of the tent when she heard a sound from the lake. Her head swung toward the water as Kendrick’s head broke the surface. Water sluiced over his face. He shook his head, causing droplets to fly from the ends of his hair. A wide grin spread over his face when he noticed her.
“Good morning,” he called as he treaded water.
She walked to the shoreline, doing her best not to notice the way his muscular shoulders lifted from the lake. But it was impossible. “There could’ve been something dangerous in the water.”
“Could have,” he replied as he swam toward her. His arms were strong and sure as he moved effortlessly to the shore.
She swallowed hard. No one had ever made swimming look so sexy. Every little peek she got of him made her want to see all of him—every gorgeous inch. Esha was acutely aware of how fast her breathing had become. Even as she told herself to look away, she silently begged to see more.
Then he stopped swimming and wiped the water from his face with his hands. It took her a minute to realize that he was walking through the water.
“I’d like to think you would’ve told me. There are some creatures I’ve never seen before. The lavender animal with the long snout. What is that?”
Esha chuckled and forced her eyes to his face and not the corded muscles of his neck and shoulders. “A lundu. It’s a curious animal who often swims with others.”
“Aye. That would explain why it stayed beside me after I entered the loch.”
Unable to look away, her eyes dropped to the water as it met him. Blood began to rush loudly in her ears when more of his expansive chest appeared. It held her transfixed. She was utterly mesmerized by the sight of Kendrick. Her lips parted as she struggled to draw breath into her lungs, even as the water lowered to the rippling muscles of his stomach. She could count each one. Then even lower to his trim waist and hips to a line of dark hair that led to… She jerked her head to the side the instant she realized he was naked.
Esha sucked in mouthfuls of air, hating herself for looking away even as an image of him filled her mind. He was everything she had imagined he would be.
“Apologies,” Kendrick said. “I’m dressed now.”
Esha hated that she had missed a perfect opportunity to see his glorious body. She wasn’t sure why she had looked away to begin with. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen males naked before. She drew in a steadying breath and slowly looked at him. His clothes might cover that incredible body, but she couldn’t erase the image of his skin glistening with water in the morning sun. Or the way his green eyes had burned.