Huntress by L. J. Swallow & Angel Lawson

Author:L. J. Swallow & Angel Lawson [Swallow, L. J. & Lawson, Angel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-26T16:00:00+00:00

LOKI

Our ‘happy’ band continue on the way, and we slide on the grass as we head toward the river bank. I don’t understand why we’ve been forced to do this extracurricular crap, either. Dion’s parties are well-known, have been for years, why punish us now? Adding Artemis is twice as unfair since she’s only attended one. She hasn’t even started lessons yet.

I’m suspicious.

But nothing new there.

I hang back with Artemis, who, despite my thoughts, seems the happiest of our group. Her hair shines brighter in the sun, as do her eyes, and my stomach flips the way it always does when she smiles at me.

“You seem quiet again, Loki,” she says and shifts her pack. “Did the others upset you?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I don’t know. There’s a tension. I always thought it was just you and your brother, but today I feel it with them all.”

Sticks crunch under our feet as we continue our descent. “Oh, they probably think I’ve caused the situation.”

Her eyes widen. “Why? You were the best at solving the puzzles.”

“Exactly.” I purse my lips. “Nobody has spoken about this yet, but I suspect they think I lied to send us off course.”

Artemis pauses. “Why? That’s unfair.”

“I deserve their suspicion; it’s my reputation. I can’t resist a bit of trickery now and again. Although I don’t understand what they think I’ll gain from causing us to walk around in circles for two hours.”

I look down and watch my feet instead as I keep moving. I’m right, but sometimes their distrust hurts. I once played tricks on them weekly, but since we grew up, I stopped doing this as often. Nowadays, I tend to save them for my own gain. Crap behavior, I know, but when you’re on the edge, pushing to the center is hard.

Artemis reaches out and I look down in surprise when her small hand wraps around mine. “Well, I don’t believe you caused this situation.”

I barely hear her words, because her hands are softer than I imagined. There are calluses on her fingers from her weapon of choice, but she’s warm and her face reflects a genuine concern.

“I’m with you. People don’t trust me,” she says.

“Outsiders, huh?” I smile. “We need to stick together.”

Artemis doesn’t reply for a moment as we continue hand in hand. I shiver as the cool wind sweeps in, bringing more clouds across the valley.

“No, I think we should try harder not to be outsiders, Loki.”

“Easy for you to say, you’ve not put up with people treating you like this for years.”

“But now, and the future, is what matters.”

I rub my thumb across her hand. “I guess.”

She pauses and reaches out to cup my cheek, a confusing gesture. “We will probably always be the trickster and the madwoman, but they’ll see the usefulness of that.”

“You’re not a madwoman.”

“I’ve heard the name calling. But you know what? I don’t care, because at least this way I know who my friends are and who I can trust.” She drops her hand and nods.

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