Broken Forest: Book One of the Daath Chronicles (19 page)

“I come here when I want to be alone. It’s serene, plus Bruno likes the water.” A duck squawked and Bruno swam after it.

I rubbed a knuckle against my chest, hoping the tight pain would go away. I sat with my back facing the lake. If I couldn’t see it, it wasn’t there. I played with the dipping leaves hanging off a nearby branch which did nothing to steady my erratic pulse.

Raven sighed. In feathered waves, long strands of her hair blew with the wind.

Focus on her, forget where you are.

A lone dandelion stood out of the grass. Raven plucked it from the ground and twirled it between her slender fingers. “I overheard the guards talking the other day.”

“What did you hear?”

She bit her bottom lip. “They said the supply caravan was attacked and they lost all the men, except the captain who narrowly escaped. Jericho was one of those proclaimed dead. The guards were waiting to tell the families until after a full investigation. It doesn’t make sense. Why would they lie?”

I ripped in two the leaf I pulled from the tree. “That’s pretty strange. Whatever they were talking about I wouldn’t dwell on it. He’s home now. That’s all that matters, right?”

“You’re right.” A small smile formed on her lips. “Tell me how you met Jericho. It’s rare we see anyone from the shores. You’re not what I expected.”

“What do you know about the shores?”

She shrugged. “Not much, just that you’re wild savages who live by the sea far up north. Anyone who has tried to venture that way, never returns.”

“We tend to stay to ourselves, but as you can see, I’m no savage.”

She grabbed her hair and twisted it in her hands. “The shores are nowhere near Jericho’s home. What was he doing that far North?”

Leaning over, I motioned her closer with my finger. She moved until there was only a small space between us. The wind blew her hair into my face. She quickly snatched it back, leaving behind a scent of honey and oatmeal in the air.

I stared into her doe eyes, my lip curling into a grin. “It’s a secret, and I can’t share that kind of information with just anyone. We should get to know each other better, first.”

She crossed her arms. “Playing hard to get?”

I gave her a big smile. “Always.”

She uncrossed her arms and laughed. “You’re good. I have to admit. Charming and cute are a deadly combination, fatal to almost any girl. Except me, of course.”

“Of course.”

Bruno finished swimming, ran over to us and shook off all the water on his coat. I covered my face, chuckling, while Raven yelped and scolded Bruno for being a dumb wet dog. Upset, his ears drooped. A butterfly flew past and he forgot all about Raven and chased after it.

“Nice dog.” I watched Bruno run around.

“He’s my best friend. We go everywhere together.” Her eyes met mine then she turned away. “It’s going to be dark soon. I’ll take you to Jericho’s.” She stood and whistled for Bruno.

I faked a smile. How did she know where Jericho lived?

“Raven!” Jericho swept her up in a big hug. “How’ve you been? I hope you’ve stayed out of trouble. You know I can’t bail you out of prison if I’m not here.” He put her down and playfully tussled her hair.

I cocked any eyebrow at her. “Prison?”

She winked and found an empty seat at the table.

Derrick sat at the table, eating. He stopped once he saw us, eyeing Raven.

I shrugged. I had no idea how she knew Jericho either.

“How do you guys know each other?” I asked.

“She’s my cousin.”

“Cousin?” I looked at her.

“You never asked.”

“Sit, sit, dinner’s ready,” Anna said.

I sat across from Raven watching her pile food on her plate. For a petite girl, she could eat. I grabbed a passing bowl of creamed kale and spooned the vegetable onto my plate. My stomach growled at the buttery-garlic smell.

“How did you and Raven meet?” Anna asked while handing me a chunk of fanna.

“We found her beating some guys in an alley,” Derrick said, before shoveling a piece of fanna into his mouth.

Jericho laughed. “That’s my Raven, always getting herself into trouble

“It seems I’m not the only one.” Raven frowned. “I overheard the guards in town talking about you.”

“Oh? What did they say?”

“They said you were dead.”

“What?” Anna gasped. “What do you mean? Why would they say that, Jericho?”

“Now, Anna, be calm,” Jericho said. “There’s no reason to be upset. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to worry, dear, but I suppose I owe you both an explanation. Our wagon broke an axel and we had to stop. We were attacked and I was left for dead.”

Anna’s eyes glistened and she cupped her hand to her face.

“I had to find another way into Daath,” Jericho continued, “and ran into Avikar and Derrick who were coming from up North. I was wounded and they offered to escort me home. In return, I offered them a place to stay.”

I fell back in my seat, exhaling a long-held breath.

“How about some of that date cake I smelled?” Jericho said.

Ana bustled into the kitchen.

After we finished eating, Raven asked if anyone wanted to join her on a walk. Derrick excused himself to bed; I think he ate too much date cake. Anna was giving her daughter a bath and Jericho was napping.

With nothing else to do, I followed Raven out into the cool night. We walked in silence. She twirled the ends of her hair between her fingers, and I played with the marbles in my pocket. Normally, I never ran out of things to talk about, but I went blank. I had too many thoughts running around in my head, and chit-chatting with a girl wasn’t one of them.

Frogs croaked and hundreds of crickets rubbed their violin legs. It was cool for this time of year. I wondered if the climate in Daath matched the rest of Tarrtainya. I glanced to my left and saw Raven rub her bare arms. I slipped off my cloak and placed it around her shoulders.

She smiled, moonlight touching her cheeks. “Thank you.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “You’re welcome.” We went back to the boring silence, and I wondered why I had even followed her outside.

“Look, a firefly!” Raven knelt and pointed at the lonesome bug sitting on the edge of a wild fern.

I stopped beside her. “Do you know why they glow?”

She shook her head.

I shifted my body, closing the gap between us. “For each firefly there is only one perfect mate. The males spend their nights creating a unique glow pattern in search of a female. When one comes along and repeats the pattern, they know they’ve found their soul mate. The two are mated for life.”

Raven’s eyes gleamed. “Is that really true?”

“My mother told me that when I was little. She had a gift for turning everything into a fairytale.” I rubbed my head and chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder how much of what my mother says is made up.”

Raven frowned at the firefly.

“Does your mother tell stories like that?”

Her lip quivered.

“Did I say something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s all right. My parents died in a fire last year. That’s why I live with Jericho.”

Losing Jimri was hard, but losing both my parents? I don’t think I could live through that.

“I’m sorry,” I said. I wanted to know more, but noticed the way she bit her bottom lip, her eyes swelling with water.

“What are the shores like? I’ve always wanted to go, but they’re forbidden.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “No one knows, Lucino’s orders.”

She watched me, waiting to hear some grand details, but I didn’t know two licks about the shores, except … .

“The sea is different from the woods,” I said. “I bet you’d like it. Most of our food comes from the water, and the beasts are monstrous.” I silently thanked my mother for all those bedtime stories about her home village on the southern coast. “The tide can be dangerous, and if you’re not careful, it’ll sweep you away.”

“Have you finished your schooling? Do they even teach out there?”

“Last summer. Now, I take care of the horses on our farm. We’re one of the few families that breeds them.”

“I love horses!” Her face brightened with her smile. “What kind?” She sat cross legged, staring at me.

“Mostly thoroughbreds, and a few mustangs.”

Raven’s smile grew wider and she jumped.

“What is it?”

“I want to show you something.”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me up. A shock ran through me, as soon as her fingers touched my arm. Raven’s eyes popped and she quickly let go.

“Sorry,” she said.

“No apology needed.”

Raven led me to Jericho’s barn. Inside, she skipped to the last two stalls. The first stall she stopped at held a big black mustang. The horse neighed and nuzzled her face as she patted his muzzle.

“This is Onyx,” she said.

I slowly approached the horse, letting him get a good sniff, and then reached to his side and scratched. “Hello boy.”

Onyx snorted.

“He’s beautiful. Is he yours?”

“I’ve had him a long time. We’ve been through a lot.” She kissed the side of Onyx’s face before moving to the last stall. “And this is Ghost. We found her recently; must’ve been separated from the herd.”

Another mustang, black and white but Ghost had a wild spirit in her eyes.

“Want to go for a run? You can ride Ghost.”

I looked at the stall across from us. “I wouldn’t want my girl to get jealous.” I walked over and rubbed Brushfire’s mane. “Want to get out of here, girl?” She brushed her foot against the ground. I smiled and unhooked the latch, opening the stall for her.

We saddled the horses and galloped out of the barn and into the surrounding fields, running side by side. The silver moon lit the night, and the hooves of the horses created a comforting tempo. Occasionally, Raven would glimpse my way, her expression pure bliss, black hair flew around her in whipping waves. At times, she and Onyx blended into one dark shadow zipping across the grass.

Raven stopped on top of a large hill, overlooking the town which shone from all the flickers of candlelight.

I whistled. “Now
that
is a view.”

Raven smiled. “This would be my second favorite place.”

I leaned back in the saddle, enjoying the sight and the crisp air. Onyx and Brushfire moved closer to one another and nuzzled. Causally, I glanced Raven’s way and found her already looking at me.

Embarrassed, she stammered, “I … I was just noticing your eyes. The color is very unique.”

“I am one of a kind.” I leaned in her direction, giving her that smoldering gaze I do so well. “Want a closer look?”

She nodded and moved forward, mouth slightly parted, eyes wide. I don’t think she realized how hard she stared or the fact she’d been doing it now for a few minutes.

“Boo,” I whispered and playfully blew into her face.

She gasped, snapping out of her daze.

“Done staring at me?”

She pointed a finger at me.

“You’re the one with the staring problem,” she huffed.

“Hmm.” I eyed her, grinning. “I’ll try my best not to stare at you anymore.”

“Thank you,” she said, turning her head from me.

I don’t know how long we stayed on that hill, but it had to have been for a while. She rambled on about Daath and all the wonderful things I couldn’t care less about; not even one fact about Lucino and his shapeshifter form.

I watched her expressions change when she spoke. Those full pink lips became my favorite trait of hers, and when in deep thought she would bite her bottom lip, it drove me crazy. I wondered if she was emotional like Jeslyn, or carefree like Calli. I wondered what kind of friends she had or if she was a loner.

But I shouldn’t have been thinking these things, no matter how cute she was.