Beloved by Poppy Woods

Author:Poppy Woods [Woods, Poppy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Wiping some sweat from my brow, I take a seat on a felled tree and let out a heavy sigh. What I thought was surely the boat, buried in this strange hollow I found at the base of a rather large tree, turned out to be nothing but a foxhole.

I pick some dirt from beneath my fingernail, audibly groaning as the scent of the filthy creatures coats the air around me. Foxes are beautiful, majestic things but their odor is foul. Never in my life have I smelled something so disgusting. Do they bathe in their own pee? They have to. The stench coats everything nearby. I roll my eyes and pull the tiny piece of paper from my shirt, fish the pencil from hair, and mark off yet another empty search area.

“Do you need some help?”

I jump as the calm voice reaches me. My eyes search the woods for a moment before finally landing on Esos. He leans against a tree, his hair falling in beautiful waves around his face. There’s something almost feminine about his features, but his personality is all male.

“I’ll be fine, I’m sure.” I tuck the map away again and rise to my feet. In no time at all, Esos is in front of me, wrapping his hand around mine.

“About earlier—”

“I really don’t want to talk about it. You won’t answer any questions I ask you anyway, so what’s the point in asking? Let me get back to work.” I pull my hand free and Esos stares at me, dejected.

“You’re still angry.”

With a shake of my head, I turn away from him, motivated to get back to my search for my escape. “I’m not angry, Esos. I’m just done.” Before I can take another step away, he blurs around in front of me, holding his hands up for me to wait.

“Please, talk to me. I know you’re angry with Toutates and I don’t blame you. Taranis and I both have had words with him about his poor behavior—”

“It doesn’t matter what words you and Taranis had with him, though I’m grateful. I simply don’t want to do this anymore. I was never meant to be here, despite whatever delusions you all suffer from, and I’m ready to go home.”

Esos’ lips turn down in a frustrated frown. “You’re really going to leave.”

“As soon as I find this Gods damned boat, yes.” I take a step back, waiting to see if he is going to move out of my way. I could go around him, but if he’s not done, he will just blur after me again. I wish I could move that fast.

“Lucky we’re good at hiding things, then.”

“Lucky,” I grumble, placing my hand on my hip. “Was there something else you needed?”

Esos snakes out a hand, brushing a wayward strand of hair from my face. “So many things,” he sighs. “I just wanted to make sure you were truly alright after the incident with Mother.”

“I thought the theatrics in my own family were dramatic,” I laugh, shying away from his touch.

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