Thread of Ash and Fire

Ch. 29: You're Hiding Something

"They've found him," Ryne said. "Julian."

He was sitting in a chair, his feet propped up on the table. A half-eaten plate of steak and roasted potatoes lay in front of him, accompanied by a stack of books, several charts and maps, and — inexplicably — a jar of gummy bears. One of the gummy bears was melting, smearing red across the glass. The bear's half-dissolved mouth was open in a silent scream, and Isaac felt a bizarre pang of sympathy. Same, little fella.

"Is Jules alright?" Penny asked.

She was mending a hole in her shoe. Anna and Grayson stood behind her, tossing an orange back-and-forth while Camille studiously ignored them, sipping lemonade as she flicked through a book. Ryne shredded the letter.

"Minor leg injury," Ryne said. "But otherwise okay."

Penny frowned. "Where was he?"

"No idea," Ryne said, tossing the remnants of the letter into the fire. "Isolde was smart enough to leave out any details."

Anna — who'd almost taken out the windowpane to catch the orange — raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of letters, have you heard from Tristan?"

It was a fair question, Isaac thought. They were attacking Helos Castle in two days' time, and an extra set of hands — particularly dayweaver hands — would be invaluable. Ryne popped a roasted potato into his mouth.

"Yup," Ryne said.

"And?" Penny crossed her arms. "Are you going to share any more details?"

Ryne smirked, chewing. "Nope."

Penny snatched the orange from the air with a surprising amount of ease. "You suck." She lobbed the fruit at Ryne, who dodged. "Also, someone needs to feed the horses. They're getting hangry."

Anna looked impressed. "I didn't know you could sense animals' emotions."

"I can't," Penny said, turning back to her sewing. "But there's a terrified stable boy that Fang is eyeing up like a snack."

"I'll go," Camille said.

She shut her book. Isaac cleared his throat.

"I'll go, too," he said.

Camille raised an eyebrow. She was dressed in a white gown today, and he could see the outline of her legs through the material. There was nothing revealing about the outfit, but Isaac felt heat stir in his stomach. The other night in the kitchen assaulted him with blinding force. The way her hair smelled of cucumber. The warmth of her breath on his face. The shape of her mouth.

His heartbeat kicked up. Calm down, Isaac told his body.

Shut up, his body purred. We're having fun.

Ryne looked exasperated. "Well, you don't both need to go. Sit down, Cami." He speared another potato. "You can help identify the best places to use magic."

Camille sighed. "Alright."

She took the chair nearest Ryne, leaning over to study a map. Ryne lifted the jar of gummy bears and held it out to Isaac.

"These are for you," Ryne said.

Isaac stared at the sad melted gummy bear; it was oozing red liquid all over its brethren. "I'm good. But thanks."

"They're not for you," Ryne said patiently. "They're for Fang. Trust me." Isaac took the jar, and Ryne turned back to the map. "So I think it makes sense to conserve our energy here, since Dartmouth's troops can easily access that bridge..."