The Last Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (13 page)

In the center of the handkerchief was a
humble display of bread and cheese, and beside it, a leather pouch he had filled from the brook. Emmeline nibbled on the cheese and watched the autumn leaves dance in the branches above. It wouldn’t be long before they swirled to the ground to rest for winter.

Erick finished
a slice of bread and leaned back on one elbow. “Tell me about your family.”

“What do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “Anything.”

“
Well…” What could she tell him? There was so much about her life that had to remain a secret. She glanced at Erick.

“Tell me about your father,” he said. “What kind of man is he?”

“He’s a good man. Quiet, soft hearted, very protective. He never let me come with him when he traveled for supplies. Although, I think it made him more uncomfortable to leave me behind than if he had just taken me.”

“He let you come here.” Erick offered.

Emmeline forced a smile. “Yeah.”

Erick’s brow creased. “What did you do while he was away?” he asked after awhile.

“He left me with a list of tasks to do, which I ignored until the day before his arrival.” Emmeline laughed. “I tend to put unpleasant things off?”

Erick chuckled. “What was so unpleasant about your tasks?”

“Nothing, really. But I somehow managed to end up covered in mud every time I tended to the animals.
That
was unpleasant.”

Erick
laughed out loud.

“Hey now, horse
boy. I had more than a few well mannered ponies to care for. My father’s animals knew I was coming and planned their attacks accordingly. Any good man would have wound up looking as I did by the end of the day.”

Erick put his fist to his mouth,
biting back the laughter. After he composed himself he cleared his throat. “I agree. Chickens and ducks can be quite malicious.” He rolled back and let a fresh wave of laughter fill the air.

Emmeline reached across
the rock to swat his arm and then thought better of it. Pulling her hand back she smiled and sat back on her knees.

“
Tell me about your mother,” he said, propping himself back up onto an elbow.

“I don’t know much
about her. I found a portrait of her in a book once and when my father worked the fields I used to sneak into his room to stare at it. She was so beautiful He always said I looked a lot like her, but I’m not so sure about that.”

“I
’ll bet he’s right,” Erick said.

Emmeline shrugged. “
Once, when I was playing my harp, I looked up to see my father weeping. I asked him what was wrong and he said my eyes were shining just like my mother’s and it brought him tremendous sadness. I didn’t dare ask why. That was the year I turned twelve, I think.”

That was also the
year her eyes began changing at night. She’d thought it was a natural part of her body changing into a woman. She didn’t realize it marked her for who she was, which was probably what had saddened her father. With her eyes turning from blue to silver, it was a nightly reminder of what she was and the dangers she would face for the rest of her life.

Erick looked
at her with a pensive expression, and Emmeline worried she’d said too much. She didn’t know why she had spoken of such things.

“Are you ready to continue our ride
?” Erick asked after some time. “There will be plenty of time to finish our gourmet meal later.”

Emmeline
nodded and pushed to her feet, wincing as the muscles in her midsection contracted. She gasped and pressed a palm to her stomach.

“Are you okay, Emmel
ine?”

Emmeline b
it her lip and nodded. “I’m okay,” she said. “I guess it’s been too long since I’ve ridden.”

“We can return, if you’d like.”

She didn’t want to return. There was nothing but nightmares to return to. With Erick she could almost forget that part of her life.

‘No.
If I’m not keeping you from anything, I’d like to keep riding.”

He shook his head. “Nothing
I can’t take care of later.”

They continued riding until
Erick directed her to a large shade tree on top of a hill. The sun had begun its downward circle, a golden hue settling over the valley and onto the leaves of the wide tree. Emmeline dismounted and sat next to the trunk, leaning against it for support. The rough bark pressed into her tender skin, but with a little maneuvering, she found a spot she could rest against without too much discomfort.

“There is a door in the palace that has a tree just like this one carved on
to it,” Emmeline said. “It’s breathtaking.”

Erick dismounted
and looked up at the tree. “This is one of my favorite places in Dolmerti. My father once told me that he was sitting under this very same tree with my mother when he realized he would love her for the rest of his life.”

“They must be very
happy together.”

Erick nodded
. “Very happy. I hope to have that same happiness someday.”

He ga
ve Emmeline a prolonged glance and she found herself unable to look away. Images of what a life with Erick might be like flitted through her mind as she gazed into his honey-colored eyes. Every afternoon would be spent riding together, every evening by a fire. He would gaze at her with his laughing eyes and she would tease him for his crooked grin, even though it pleased her to see it.

She broke his gaze and
looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt. Strange feelings rushed through her body, feelings she didn’t fully understand. She barely knew Erick and yet she wanted to be near him. Her whole body seemed to relax with him, her worries dissolving into distant shadows. Just thinking about returning to the palace made her crave more time with him. With Erick she could be carefree and happy, not worried for what lay ahead. A life with Erick would be so easy.

Emmeline bit
her lip and shook her head. It was of no use to let her thoughts run in such a direction. She had been promised to another. The Crown Prince, her future husband, would arrive any day, at which time they would marry. It was what her father wanted. But was it what
she
wanted? She shook her head again. It didn’t matter what she wanted. She had no choice. Not only would her marriage bring continued peace to the people of Pamizak, it would give her a greater chance to stay alive.

Brushing off her skirt, Emmeline stood.
“I should get back. Adelia will come looking for me soon.”

Erick smirked. “
Yes, I wouldn’t want you to endure the wrath of Adelia.”

Emmeline laughed bitterly.
“You’re right, she is a kitten compared to Mah—.” She caught herself and glanced at Erick, afraid she had already said too much.

Erick’s laughing smile turned serious. “
Mahlon? The King’s advisor?”

Emmeline
groaned inside. She didn’t want Erick involved with Mahlon in any way. “Never mind,” she said. “Forget I mentioned him.”

Erick stared at her
. His jaw tightened. “What did you mean? Has he done something to hurt you?” His sudden intensity surprised her. A wild rage flamed in his eyes.

A
fraid of what he might do if she told him the truth, she looked at the ground and prepared to lie. “No. He’s a perfect gentleman. I meant only that he seems like someone you wouldn’t want to cross, you know?”

It hurt her to deceive him
, but until she learned to use her powers, it was all she could do to protect him. Mahlon would show no mercy toward a gamekeeper who knew too much. Forcing a mask of composure, she smiled up at him.

Erick relaxed
and gestured to the horses. “Shall we, then?”

Emmeline
nodded and looked away. Erick had gained her trust, but she had proven how little she deserved his. What kind of friendship could they share if she lied to him?

They reached the stables and
Erick took to the task of settling the horses while Emmeline watched, a sadness settling over her. She wished the day didn’t have to come to a close. After removing the saddles and blankets, Erick brushed the horses down, cleaned their hooves, and gave them fresh feed. Despite an almost full day of riding, his movements didn’t show the slightest fatigue. He glanced at her from time to time, her heart sputtering with each crooked grin he flashed her way.

E
mmeline turned to face the pasture, confused by her body’s reaction to him.

“Would you like to go for a
nother ride tomorrow?” he asked as he stood next to her. He rested his forearms on the fence and leaned forward, his face lit by the dying sun.

“
That would be wonderful,” she said, convincing herself that the excitement bubbling inside was for riding alone. But a growing part of her, a part she tried to ignore, knew it was no longer the only reason.

“Great, I’ll
wait here until you can manage another escape.”

Emmeline beamed up at him. “I’m
a master at it now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She
made her way to the edge of the trees and waved goodbye. Still leaning against the fence, he watched her go, his gaze tickling her back as she slipped into the trees. But she refused to turn around one last time. Something about the way he looked at her always set her heart fluttering.

With
a couple hours of twilight left before night descended, Emmeline rushed to her room and let Adelia know she would be in the library for another hour or so.

“It is nearly dark,” Adelia said with her hands on her hip. “Just bring whatever you want to read to your room. Mahlon will have my head if he sees you out.”

Emmeline pointed to the window. “It isn’t completely dark yet. I have some time before my eyes will change.”

Adelia pursed her lips.

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

“Well, at least take something to eat. You missed dinner.”

Emmeline grabbed a roll and left before Adelia could make her sit down. She rushed to the library, through the hidden corridor and in the direction she thought Mahlon’s fire site was most likely to be. She remembered the side of the palace she had seen that night and that it hadn’t been too far from the road. After a half hour of searching, she found the site and her body reacted to the memories. Gasping for breath, Emmeline steadied herself against a stack of dry wood, her vision darkening. It would be different this time, she tried to convince herself. Mahlon wasn’t there to hurt her.

Once she was
able to get a handle on her fears, she grabbed a few pieces of dry wood, stacked them over a handful of kindling, and grabbed the fire starter. She hesitated. Her hands were moist, her stomach fluttering. Last night the fires had almost overtaken her better judgment. Would it happen again? She couldn’t afford to lose control of herself, but she also couldn’t afford to not take the risk? All around her people seemed to know more about her power than she did. No more. She had promised herself to take control of her life. That meant taking risks.

Within minutes Emmeline had a small fire going. She stretched her fingers over the flames and the heat rejuvenate
d her from fingertips to toes. The pain lessoned and her mind cleared.

She didn’t feel any urges to get closer
to the fire or any strong pulls she couldn’t control. Breathing a sigh of relief, Emmeline knew she still had a good handle on herself. She wondered what was different about her fire than the one from the night before. Was it just the size? Or was there something else?

Closing her eyes
, Emmeline imagined the heat gathering into her chest, soaking it into her skin. The moment the heat turned from comfort to pressure she opened her eyes and thrust her hands out in front of her. A rush of heat left her chest, traveled down her arms, and pushed out from her palms. A stack of firewood shot through the air and smashed into a distant tree, splintering in every direction. She thrust her hands toward another stack of wood and watched it crumble into nothing more than dust.

Emmeline
stood with her mouth hung open. She couldn’t believe how easily it had been. One little motion and she had destroyed two stacks of firewood without even touching them. She thought it would take her days or weeks of practicing before she could do anything at all. A world of opportunities opened in front of her, but first, she knew she would need to learn how to manage her power without destroying everything in sight.

Emmeline turned toward the flame
s again and rather than waiting for pressure to build in her chest, she thrust her hands out at the slightest hint of warmth. Again, she directed her aim toward a stack of wood. Heat left her chest and coursed through her veins to her hands. The heavy lengths of firewood shot through the air and slammed into a distant tree before sliding to the ground without disintegrating. Emmeline giggled with glee. Her shoulders lifted, the weight of unanswered questions and endless confusion tumbling off of her. She had never felt so free and uninhibited than she did at that moment, as if her life was finally beginning.