Map of Ember and Moonlight

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lyv gave herself three hours to sleep before she got up, quickly changed back into her own clothes, and made sure she had everything before she started creeping toward the kitchen. Jett was still sound asleep in his bed on the bookshelf and she tried her best not to make the floors creak with every step she took.

Grabbing an apple and filling up her water flask from the faucet, she headed toward the door with one more look at the sleeping pixie and down the hallway toward Gideon and Amory's doors.

It was still dark outside when she made her way to where her horse was resting. With the sound of her advance, he lifted his head and his ears swiveled in her direction before he stood, shaking out his mane as if to wake himself up more.

"Hurry and eat a little something," she told him quietly. "We need to go before they wake up."

"And here I thought Gideon had promised you an escort back to the city. Leaving without saying goodbye, are you?"

Lyv twirled in the direction the voice had come and found Amory leaning against the shelter post. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were asleep."

"I don't sleep much these days. Too much going on in here," Amory said, tapping his temple with a finger. "Now, why are you off so soon?"

"I just..." She had to think of something...so why not a partial truth? "I promised my mother I wouldn't be out late and here I am, getting back the next morning. Hopefully she doesn't find out I stayed in a house with two men overnight. She'd kill me."

"Neither of us did anything to you, though."

"And you think she'd believe that? It's best I just head home by myself and face the consequences. I'll tell her I stayed in that little village for the night because I didn't realize how late it'd gotten."

"You can't just..."

"I can and I will," she growled, taking the horse's reins to walk him out from under the shelter. "Just let me go and you'll never have to see me again, which is what both of us seem to want after the way you acted last night."

She saw something flash in his eyes, his jaw tightly set. "And yet Gideon thinks I'd be of benefit to you."

Lyv scoffed, pulling herself up into the saddle.

"What are you hiding?"

She didn't meet his eyes. "I don't have to explain myself to you. You don't know me."

"Exactly...so what are you hiding?"

"Did you not just hear what I said? I don't have to explain myself to you. So, let me be on my way, tell Gideon thank you for me, and I'm gone."

"He's not going to like that very much."

"No, I won't," Gideon called from the door of the cottage, a sleepy-eyed Jett perched on his shoulder. "Well, if you wanted to leave this early, Audry, you could have just said so."

"I did. You told me I couldn't."

Gideon strode toward them. Her horse paused to look back at him and all she wanted to do was leave. "I never said you couldn't. I told you I'd escort you back to the city. Safety in numbers and all that. Give us a few minutes and we'll come along."

"Us?" both Lyv and Amory repeated at the same time. They shared a look and a scowl.

"Yes, us," he nodded, and turned back into the cottage to grab two rucksacks. He tossed one to Amory, who caught it effortlessly. "We were heading into the city anyway. We need more supplies and you've got to get there early before everything's gone."