The Ruby Fortress by Carrie Whitethorne

Author:Carrie Whitethorne [Whitethorne, Carrie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C Whitethorne
Published: 2019-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

We woke late and spent far too long saying good morning, and then at some point Orla brought breakfast to us, leaving it on the table in the kitchen. I broke out in a fit of snorting laughter when we emerged from the bedroom and saw it lain out beautifully in the very spot he’d had dessert the night before.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you really laugh,” he said, taking a golden bread roll, and spreading it with preserved fruit.

I chose what looked like brioche and a piece of fruit that looked like an apple and perched on the table corner. “It happens sometimes. I’m not always moody and difficult. Only when pink pom-poms have me kidnapped by handsome men in formal suits.”

He moved around the table and teased, “Really? I’ll work on keeping handsome men in suits well away from you if that’s the case.”

I couldn’t say anything, I still had a mouthful of sweet bread, but he positioned himself between my legs and kissed me regardless. Then he rested his forehead on mine and sighed.

“In an ideal world we could just stay here.”

“In an ideal would I wouldn’t be expected to steal two castles and fight a war,” I countered.

I saw sadness in his eyes. “It won’t come to that.”

I didn’t like the concern in his tone. I didn’t want him to worry, so I smiled and kissed his cheek. “If it does, it’ll be for the right reasons. I can’t just leave Orla and her family to live like this. I have to get those chimps under some sort of control. If they came back here and hurt those kids…”

There was something in his expression I couldn’t quite identify. The look in his eyes was so… intense. I wondered if he was going to kiss me or yell at me. When he did neither and turned away, and reached for the bag that had been moved to the other side of the room, I wrapped my arms around myself and watched him.

He seemed oblivious to how his rejection had made me feel. “We should thank Orla and get moving. It’s approaching lunch time, and ideally we need to reach the fortress before dark.”

I hopped off the table and asked, “Why?”

He looked over his shoulder before lifting the pack he’d brought with us and swinging it onto his back. “Because Fallon isn’t guaranteed to open the doors after dark, and we could find ourselves locked out and attacked by the same legion that likes to smash Pumpkinheads.”

I bristled at the bitterness in his tone, but didn’t say anything. If he noticed my shoes changing from sneakers to mid-calf length Doc Martens, he didn’t say anything as he reached for his unfinished roll and walked toward the door.

I followed, wondering what had gotten into him.

We didn’t hang around, just stopping to say thank you and goodbye to Orla and her children, before heading north out of the town. Sayer walked slightly ahead, and I let him for

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