MARK OF LOVE (Lovemark #3)

19. Indigo

Chapter 19

Indigo

“You know what I still don’t get?” I said from atop Holly. She was back in her zebra form, and I was growing used to the odd stares passing travelers sent us. Or maybe they were suspicious of the shackles on my wrists.

Though, honestly, I think it was mostly Holly they gaped at.

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. I was in too much of a good mood to care about either. I’d woken up this morning, facing my true love, asleep on her bedroll next to mine, and I’d gotten to watch her at rest, looking innocent and sweet as the sunlight rose over her. It’d been spectacular.

When neither Quilla nor Melaina answered me, I rode ahead until I’d drawn up alongside them and had wedged Holly between the two horses they were riding.

Each woman remained mute.

They’d been giving each other the silent treatment since we’d broken camp earlier and Melaina had let me finish their stew from the night before for my breakfast. Quilla had snapped at her for feeding me since I was supposed to be fending for myself. But Melaina had argued that she was just going to throw it out anyway, so what did it matter. Then Quilla had directed half her anger at me for eating the stew.

But it was stew.

The stale, tasteless rations I had in my pack could never compete with the rich bounty of flavors in stew. And Quilla had made a particularly damn fine stew. Besides, I’d gone to bed last night without any supper, so I was starving. There was no way I was passing up an offering of stew. Quilla could just be mad at me for a while.

Which she was. And Melaina was now mad at me too, because—

Well, I wasn’t sure why she also refused to talk to me. But Melaina didn’t seem to need a reason to be pissed off. Her moods shifted so frequently I figured she’d get over whatever was wrong with her within the next five minutes, anyway.

It might’ve had something to do with how quickly I’d cleaned the crock in the spring after finishing the stew, though. She had thrust a scrubbing wand and soap powder at me and instructed me to go wash the pot out in the brook. Which was exactly what I’d done. Thinking I needed to hurry, I’d accomplished my task with the utmost speed, not wanting to delay us from our departure.

But she’d snapped at me that no kitchenware could possibly be decently cleaned in the pathetic amount of time I’d taken on it. Muttering something about how I needed to learn proper hygiene and cleanliness if I truly intended to go to the old world with them, she jerked the cauldron from my hand, adding, “Let me see this.”

I assumed her intent was to criticize my shoddy washing abilities, but after squinting into the pot for a good two minutes, she looked up, scowling. Obviously finding nothing critique-worthy, she shoved it back into my stomach as hard as she could. “Well, put it away in the pantry pack, then.”

With a huff, she spun away and ignored me. And neither she nor Quilla had spoken to me—or each other—since.

I sighed heavily into the silence. Aside from their unstable temperaments, I had to admit the relaxed pace they set was nice.

No one traveled like these two, I swear. I was used to riding with parties who were under strict schedule constraints and didn’t spend unnecessary minutes lollygagging because it was always time to get back on the road. But Quilla and Melaina liked their luxuries and made comfort a priority over haste. Their we’ll-get-there-when-we-get-there mentality was refreshing and utterly stress-free.

Except for one point.

Safety.

My mate was never going to be safe out on the open road like this.

“So, anyway,” I started when no one responded to my first question. “How the hell did you make it through the canyon pass the first time through?”

Melaina gave an aggravated sigh of disgust. “It’s really quite simple, dearest. We used a glamour.”

I frowned. “But they do glamour tests at either entrance.”

Quilla’s aunt smirked at me. “Not after we openly showed them Quilla’s mark, they didn’t.”

Okay, what? “That makes no sense.” I turned my attention to Quilla, but she still wasn’t talking to me. With a sigh, I refaced Melaina. “I’m not following.”

That earned me a condescending smirk. “It’s obviously been a while since you’ve visited High Cliff, hasn’t it?”

I nodded. “Just over five years now. Why?”

“Well, there’s a posted notice going around the kingdom that’s requesting the capture of at least one live Graykey. Or a Graykey could always surrender themselves before the crown.”

Quilla snorted. “Surrender, my ass,” she muttered. “Death would be preferable.”

I turned to her, sensing anxiety and fear in her emotions just under the layer of spite in her tone. She honestly believed execution was preferable to being taken alive.

“Why do they want one of you alive?”

“For my blood,” she answered. “What other reason?”

Shaking my head in confusion, I glanced at Melaina for an explanation.

The mistress of disguise fluttered out an unconcerned hand. “They have apparently concocted a magical potion, or ritual, or something that will help them accurately track down and find the rest of the Graykey clan. All they need to complete the process is the blood from one live Graykey.”

“Wait. So we could find the rest of your family with a sample of your blood?” I asked Quilla with a certain amount of hope in my voice. “Like, say, Qualmer?”

She sent me a scowl.

Melaina answered, “Yes, but we’ve no interest in finding my evil son. Besides, from what we’ve heard, the extraction process is brutally intensive and painful, plus we believe the blood donor dies during the procedure.”

“Oh.” Well, that was a different story, then. I winced toward Quilla, silently apologizing for even considering the idea of putting her through that.

She rolled her eyes with a glare—telling me I was not forgiven—and trotted ahead of us.

“So you pretended to be a High Cliff knight who’d just captured a Graykey and was taking her in to turn her over to the king, to get through the canyon pass, didn’t you?” I asked her aunt.

Melaina nodded and sent me an admiring glance. “Well now, I guess you can be smart after all.”

I shook my head, hissing out a curse. “That was dangerous, Melaina. They could’ve checked you for a glamour anyway and caught on to your ruse when they realized you weren’t a High Cliff knight after all.”

“But they didn’t.”

“What if the same guards are at the entrances this time too? Or smarter guards are on duty, because seriously, why didn’t they question the fact that you were going north through the pass, out of High Cliff? Not toward the capitol where the king is?”

“Oh, they did ask,” Melaina assured me. “But I just told them the procedure was taking place in Far Shore.” When I merely gaped at her, she shrugged. “What? For all we know, maybe the procedure does take place in Far Shore.”

“Well, it’s way too risky of a plan to put Quilla through a second time.”

“As if you have a say in the matter.” She sniffed and faced forward, prepared to ignore me again.

My eyebrows lifted. “She’s my mate,” I said, “so I’m putting in my say, anyway. And I say she’s not doing it. It’s too dangerous.”

Stopping her horse’s canter, she whirled in the saddle, eyes flickering with rage. “Then what do you suggest we do, oh wise and mighty one? Because we are going to the village of Tyler, whether you like it or not.”

I glanced forward to where Quilla was riding on ahead without us. Beyond her, I could make out the ferry station in the distance. Turning back to Melaina, I said, “There are two ferries at this station, aren’t there? One that merely crosses the river to get to the pass and another that goes downstream to Moore?”

Melaina nodded. “Yes. So?”

“So I say we take the ferry going to Moore. Then we can double back up toward Tyler, avoiding the armed checking station at the canyon. Besides, they charge an inordinate amount of coin at the toll to get through the pass. It’d be cheaper this way, and we could probably afford to stay in an inn or two along the way if we went through Moore.”

I knew the idea of room and board would appeal to her.

And what do you know, one of her eyebrows perked up with interest. But then she sighed and shook her head. “No, that would be going too far out of the way and take us twice as long to get there.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I sneered with a roll of my eyes. “I didn’t realize we were in such a hurry after it took us nearly until midday before we even broke camp this morning. Who the hell cares if it takes longer? Quilla will be safer this way.”

“Quilla can take care of herself.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve seen her do so. But why needlessly put her at risk? Quilla should be protected.”

“Quilla can talk for herself, you know,” Quilla spoke up, suddenly before us.

I jumped, not realizing she’d come back to check on us.

“The prisoner disguise thing at the canyon pass is a bad idea,” I blurted to her. “I don’t want you to do it.”

“Too bad you don’t have a choice in the matter, then,” she told me smarmily before sending her aunt an icy glance. “The ferry station approaches. We all need disguises before getting on the boat.”

Melaina huffed out her impatient annoyance. “Oh, alright,” she said before twirling her finger in Quilla’s direction, then mine.

A crawling sensation, like a million ants had just made their residence on my flesh, covered my skin. I instantly began to scratch at my arms. “What the—”

“Don’t rub it,” Melaina ordered. “You’ll ruin the glamour. Just stand still and take it like a man.”

Falling reluctantly quiet, I glanced toward Quilla, only to discover she had turned into the old man I’d first seen her being.

“Him again,” I said, nodding. “Smart thinking.”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, darling,” Melaina answered haughtily. “I know people always pay less attention to the elderly.”

Thinking she’d do the same for me, I looked down at my hands to see they no longer appeared to be shackled and that I was becoming the girl she’d changed Quilla into the second time I’d met her.

“A child? But everyone pays attention to small children.”

“The more eyes on you, the less on Quilla,” Melaina explained before giving Holly a condescending glower. “And you. Stop pretending to be a damn zebra. You stick out like a sore thumb. Either turn into a respectable-looking horse or that alley cat mongrel you like being so much, or I’m revealing your true form to the world.”

Holly growled at her, the tenor resembling a cougar’s snarl.

Wincing, I leaned toward the unicorn’s ear. “I hate to agree with her, but the zebra is kind of, er, noticeable.”

Snuffling in aggravation, Holly sent me an annoyed glance over her shoulder. But then she huffed out a breath, faced forward again, and immediately changed into a plain brown horse like the two Quilla and Melaina were riding.

“Great. May we proceed now?” Melaina wondered, already riding ahead.

“Aren’t you going to disguise yourself?” I called after her.

“I only hide all my amazingness under the direst of circumstances,” she tossed over her shoulder.

“Well, that’s safe,” I grumbled sarcastically. “It’s a miracle you two haven’t been caught and killed already,” I told the old-man glamour.

Quilla glanced my way, and I realized Melaina had left her eye color the same. She hadn’t given the man as irritable a disposition as she had the first time either. Today, he looked sad, worn down, and tired of this life. A pocket of pity filled my chest, as I wondered how these two continued to do this day after day, always operating under such precarious measures. It had been selfish of me for being so upset over learning they planned to leave the Outer Realms.

Leaving was the only chance they had at attaining a real life where they didn’t have to look over their shoulder and hide all the time. Of course, they couldn’t stay here. The helpless, panicking rage I’d felt when I’d learned she wanted to permanently vacate the world I lived in was stupid. Because she had to go. I knew that.

But she couldn’t leave me behind either. I would make sure of it.

“Just how sure are we that there’s another amulet in Tyler?” I asked, following when she started her horse into a canter.

“Not at all,” was her blasé answer.

I whipped an incredulous glance her way. “Are you serious?”

The old man gave a rather young-looking shrug. “The jeweler we went to Pinsky to question said we should talk to another jeweler in Tyler.”

“Jewelers?” My nose wrinkled in disgust. “You’ve been interrogating jewelers about this?”

“Since it’s jewelry we’ve been seeking, yes. Who did you think we’d been talking to? Stable masters?”

“Jewelers are the shiftiest lot of deceitful liars in the Outer Realms. You can’t trust a thing they say. They’re only after their own self-interests and the fastest way to make a coin.”

“I’m aware,” Quilla told me dryly.

“Then why are you letting them send you on a wild goose chase? They’re testing you, you know? Volleying you back and forth between their network of crooks, seeing how valuable this treasure is by how willing you are to go wherever they lead you. If they think you’re onto something big, they’ll put a tracker on you so they can steal whatever you’re seeking as soon as you find it.”

The old man sent me an irritated glance. “Then what do you suggest we do?”

“Stop and research,” I immediately answered.

She blurted out a harsh, disbelieving snort before asking, “How?”

“By asking reliable sources, to begin with.”

“Oh, so we’re just supposed to abandon everything we’ve done for the past eight years and follow your lead now, huh?”

I shrugged. “Why not? You haven’t had much success so far. And what could it hurt? I guarantee it wouldn’t take me years to find the second amulet,” I countered, chuckling when the old man sent me a sharp, scowling glance.

“You mean, the first amulet?” Quilla corrected. “We’re still looking for two.”

“Three,” I contended, winking at her. “Now that I’m tagging along, we’ll need three.” I glanced ahead to make sure her aunt was out of hearing distance before I leaned closer and added, “But if you want to pretend you haven’t already found the first one, that’s fine. I’ll play along.”

The old man arched an eyebrow slowly, looking convincingly confused, but I felt Quilla’s panic and surprise clearly under the glamour.

“Hey, I get it,” I told her. “Your traveling companion is perhaps the most unpredictable person I’ve ever met. How can you trust her not to take the amulet for herself and go through the portal without you? It’s smart of you not to let on that you already have an amulet. God knows if I had one, I’d do the same thing to ensure you didn’t leave me behind.”

“Do you have one?” she asked cattily. I felt her amusement pass through the mark as she spoke. She liked talking to me, I realized. Bouncing ideas off each other. Bantering.

I grinned, enjoying her interest. “Feel free to search me. Anytime.”

She groaned. “You never give up, do you?”

“I blindly followed Nicolette into enemy territory by myself, where a group of locals caught me, immediately pegged me as High Cliff scum, and tied me to a pyre of wood, planning to burn me at the stake. And I was only fond of her.” Shaking my head, I sighed. “If you think I’ll give up that easily on you, you’re sadly mistaken.”

The old man blinked slowly. “They tied you to a pyre of wood? How in the world did you escape?”

I batted my little-girl lashes at her playfully. “Would you believe I’m just that talented?”

When she snorted, I laughed. “Or perhaps Nicolette happened along and rescued me?”

“Now that I would believe!”

“Why?” I countered irritably. “Because it puts me in a helpless light, making me look incapable of taking care of myself, and ruins all my vain hopes of impressing you?”

She laughed aloud, and the sound broke over me like a freezing tonic, paralyzing me of all rational thought. This was honestly the first time I’d ever heard her laughter. True, joyous laughter.

It was intoxicating.

“I guess that settles it, then,” I said, gazing at the old man, unable to stop staring at him as Quilla’s amusement rattled from his wrinkles. “Since it’s your favorite, we’re going with that story.”

Her mouth dropped. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you escaped from a torch-bearing mob while being tied to the top of a pyre all by yourself?”

“Nope,” I announced happily. “Because I was rescued by who is now the Queen of Far Shore. Of course.” Except it totally sounded like I’d saved myself.

Quilla frowned suspiciously. I could tell she didn’t know which version to believe, and that amused me to no end.

“What’s taking you two so long?” Melaina hollered from in front of us.

Jumping in surprise, Quilla tore her attention from me and trotted forward, leaving me behind. Even decked out as the old man, she was absolutely adorable with the way she straightened her back, lifted her chin, and tried to hide the fact that she’d been so absorbed in talking to me.

Grinning, I followed behind at a slower pace, thrilled to know I was definitely growing on her. This, I could work with.