The woman shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, they might as well be mine since none of the locals dare to come near here, or at least no further out than it takes to get to the cottage unless they’re traveling in a hunting party. They are afraid of it for some reason.” She smirked. “Probably due to the troll who lives deeper in the forest there.”
Robyn paled, her stomach dropping as her head whipped toward the deeper part of the forest that they were skirting. “A troll?”
“Nothing for you to be concerned with. A pussycat,” the woman murmured with a soft laugh.
Robyn shook her head in amazement. Just how was she acting so cavalier about living in a forest inhabited by a troll? “Just who are you?”
“Ah, apologies for not introducing myself. Rhea is the name. I’m the sorceress around these parts that everyone would rather live without—until they need me, that is.” Her smile spread wide across her face. “They do need the reminder from time to time just how miserable their lives were so far from the larger towns and cities before I came upon them as a young novice just having completed my apprenticeship at the conservatory. Still, this is my home, so if you are planning anything harmful…”
She trailed off meaningfully, her eyes glinted as she spoke with the depths of her power as her smile stretched across her face. However long ago it was that the sorceress finished her apprenticeship, it was clear that she was well into her powers now and was protective of her territory and the people within it.
Ashul’s eyes narrowed with intrigue. Not the sort that accompanied desire—much to Robyn’s relief—but a more concerning look of curiosity like a cat trying to decide if an invading insect was safe to eat. Like he was weighing whether or not the sorceress was worth the effort of killing.
Grabbing his arm, she hugged it against her side, drawing his attention back to her. A soft purr vibrated from him, sending a tingle into her belly, but she forced herself to return Rhea’s smile.
“We have no intention of it. We’re just passing through.”
The sorceress peered at them, her assessing gaze flicking back and forth between them with interest. Her lips pinched thoughtfully, and then… she relaxed. Bending over, she scooped up her bundle of branches and hefted it back over her shoulder with a grin.
“Wonderful to hear. I would have hated to have to flambé you right here.” She adjusted the weight of her load. She cocked her head curiously as she glanced back up at them. “Are you hungry? I don’t get much company out here unless it’s the troll sniffing around the borders of my territory. That always gets a bit interesting. Anyway, it’s right over this way. I have stew over the fire. I just came out to grab more wood.”
“Food would be most welcome,” Ashul replied, dropping the subject without hesitation as he drew Robyn closer to his body. She stared up at him in shock. He actually wanted to go with the sorceress? His eyes met hers, and his expression softened before glancing back over at Rhea. “She requires sustenance and a comfortable place to sleep before we continue on with our journey.”
The sorceress’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Does she now? Very well. I’m afraid I don’t have any extra rooms, but you’ll get a full belly and a barn with clean hay if that’s well enough for you?”
Ashul frowned and looked as if he might protest, but Robyn tightened her grip on his arm and smiled over at Rhea. “That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it, Ashul?” She raised her eyebrows at the male at her side, silently willing him to go along with it.
“Perfect,” he commented dryly.
Robyn rubbed his arm in sympathy. While hay made a softer bed than sleeping on the hard ground, it also tended to abrade and stab exposed skin. They would both be sleeping swaddled in their cloaks if they wanted to rest comfortably. Anything more than that would require a bit of… finagling. Or simply dealing with being poked repeatedly by the coarse straw.
They fell in behind the sorceress, making their way further into the bordering woods and away from the farmland. The farther they walked, the more muted the sunlight became until long shadows stretched over the dense forest’s floor. Ashul didn’t relax even a little, his ears twitching and eyes roaming restlessly over their surroundings. More often than not, however, they came to rest on the sorceress with suspicion.
“Relax,” she murmured to him. “You look like you’re toeing the line of homicide. If not worse.” She sighed wearily.
“Then she should not walk ahead of us so suspiciously,” he muttered darkly. “Killing her would solve so many problems, not the least of which is the potential risk to your safety. We do not even know if she means to kill you.” His gaze shifted down to her. “If that is her aim, she will not have a chance. I will rend her until not one part of her is recognizable.”
“Hmm, now that just sends warm feelings straight through me,” Rhea observed, suddenly standing much closer to them, her eyes possessing a faint, eerie cast that might have been unsettling if Robyn were unfamiliar with the magical arts. “The threat of murder is so flattering for a humble sorceress out in this part of the kingdom.” The sorceress chuckled darkly. “I would almost be curious to see you try.”
An intrigued look crossed Ashul’s face, but Robyn smacked his chest hard enough to catch his attention and shook her head.
“We don’t need to draw attention to ourselves,” she reminded him. “Doing so now would defeat the entire purpose of circling around the settlement. It would be an unnecessary delay and one with a possibly deadly outcome for the people under the sorceress’s protection.”
Besides which, she could feel the itch of the summoning spell calling her back to the monastery. It had gradually increased as the days passed and now it was a constant torment, one she attempted to ignore as much as she could as of late. She didn’t want to take him back. The realization had snuck up on her. Laying with him when already feeling heavy of heart over the matter had been a mistake, but one that it was far too late to take back. She would have to weather whatever heartache was to come.
His mouth twisted, but he inclined his head in understanding. “Very well.”
Robyn only hoped that his agreement was not a short-lived one. The drow’s thoughts of others were dangerous, and his anger absolute when roused. Whatever peace he had found in the elven woods was clearly gone. He was agreeable for now, but how long would that last?
ChapterSeventeen
The path from the edge of the field and further into the woods to the sorceress’s cottage was a short one, and soon enough Robyn found herself seated at the table in a candlelit kitchen while Ashul checked out the barn. She did not know what she had expected, but the cottage had a cozy feel despite the severed animal parts drying and the numerous jars with various ingredients for her spells. Given her own line of work, it didn’t bother her, but she couldn’t help but be curious about the sorceress’s own magic. Rhea caught her staring at one particular jar full of preserved eyes of some small creature and smiled.
“What do you think?” she asked pleasantly as she rummaged into a cupboard and pulled out a couple of chipped teacups that she set on another narrower table positioned beside the cupboard.
“It is nice. Very comfortable,” Robyn replied, propping her elbows on the table as she watched the sorceress fill a kettle with water. She cocked her head. “There is something I am wondering, however. With how nice all this is, why would you set up your home so near a troll? Isn’t it dangerous? Or at the very least a hazard to all of this?”
She waved her hand expressly at the lovingly cared for cottage, but Rhea simply smiled at her over the kettle and shrugged as she placed the it over the fire that had sprung to life in the hearth at their entry.