By the time the others had tucked their breakfasts into their bellies and saddled their horses, Jemma had a fully-fledged plan. It was ambitious, and Archer, for one, hadn’t even known the curses Briar had proposed were possible. The plan could go wrong in a hundred different ways. That was just part of the fun.
Their journey to Bandon Forest took all morning and part of the afternoon. Archer couldn’t seem to catch Briar’s eye as they rode. Was she avoiding his gaze deliberately? They hadn’t discussed last night’s jaunt, and Archer began to question whether she even felt the pull between them. Maybe she wasn’t spending the entire day thinking about that swift, jubilant dance and the way they’d looked at each other in the breathless moments after.
Still, he couldn’t stop glancing over at her despite how studiously she ignored him. Maybe she was looking at him whenever he turned away, stealing glances as furtive as his.
They’d barely spoken a word to one another by the time they reached the forest, the final obstacle between them and Narrowmar. Bandon Forest was older than Mere Woods, treed with sparse, venerable pine. The light filtering through the branches had a misty quality, and it was quieter, too, as if fewer animals crept through the underbrush and fewer birds livened the canopy.
As they went deeper in the hushed, thoughtful forest, Archer and Briar gradually moved nearer to each other in the column of riders. Briar kept her face turned to the road, but she tugged on the reins when her horse tried to charge ahead of Archer’s, casually matching his pace. He eased closer until their knees were almost touching, drawn toward her like a fish on a lure. He hummed snatches of the song they’d danced to the night before, and a blush rose in her cheeks. He would get her to smile at him yet.
Lew tried to speak to Archer, but Archer was too busy admiring the way the wind stirred Briar’s wild hair and wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through it to track the conversation. Lew snorted and rode off before whatever he was saying could register. Nat kept frowning at Archer and Briar, worrying at the mismatched buttons on his shirt, and even Esteban eyed the pair with a glum sort of curiosity.
Once Jemma shouldered her mare between them, as if to remind Archer of her disapproval. Archer trusted Jemma with his life, and in a distant way, he knew he should heed her warnings, but Briar’s pull was too strong. He was tumbling toward her with a recklessness that didn’t even bother him, truth be told. He could only wonder if she was falling too.
Between Briar’s not-quite-glances and Jemma’s glowers, the atmosphere was rather fraught, and Archer felt himself winding as tight as a bowstring as the day wore on. If he could just have a few minutes alone with Briar—
He started in surprise when frantic hoofbeats announced Lew’s return from another scouting expedition. Archer had an arrow halfway out of his quiver before he realized he was reaching for it.
Lew came in fast and pulled his horse up sharply, red beard flying. His face was pale. “There’s a town ahead.”
“We should be coming up on New Chester,” Jemma said.
“Aye,” Lew said. “But something’s strange about it.”
“What kind of strange?” Archer asked.
“There’s no people there,” Lew said. “No wood smoke rising from the chimneys, no lights in the windows, but the houses aren’t burned or anything like that.”
Archer grimaced and caught Jemma’s eye. A mutual friend of theirs had moved to New Chester to open a country inn. Archer had hoped to visit for a discreet fact-finding conversation and a good night’s sleep in a real bed. New Chester was the last town before Narrowmar.
“Maybe we should go around,” Esteban said.
“We need to find out what’s been happening at the stronghold,” Jemma said.
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s there to tell us.” Lew rubbed the back of his neck. “It was spooky.”
Nat shifted in his saddle. “I don’t like this.”
Archer had to agree. Lew didn’t rile easily, but he kept glancing behind him at the shifting afternoon shadows. Archer tapped his fingers on his knee, weighing how much they needed to speak to their innkeeper friend before approaching Narrowmar. Tomorrow they would reach the shallow, wooded ravine that led to the entrance of the mountain stronghold. There would be no turning back then.
Briar spurred her horse forward to address Lew. “You said all the houses are intact but the people are gone?”
“That’s right,” Lew said.
“How about animals?”
“Didn’t see any of them either.”
“Or hear them?”
Lew shook his head, and Briar frowned, twisting her reins pensively.
“You think it’s some kind of curse?” Archer asked.
“Possibly. I’d need a closer look to know for sure.”
“You could drop dead as soon as you crossed the town boundary,” Jemma said. “We can’t risk it.”
Briar blinked, as if surprised Jemma cared whether she lived or died. Archer supposed things were rather frosty between them. He wondered if Jemma had ever threatened to beat Briar within an inch of her life. It was something she did frequently—and she usually meant it.
“Did you see any bodies?” Briar asked Lew.
“None.”
“I think I’ll be okay.” Briar turned to Archer, meeting his eyes fully for the first time all day. “It won’t take me long. I can meet you back here.”
“I’ll go with you.” Archer had been waiting for an excuse to be alone with her. He had half a mind to finish what they’d started last night.
“That’s not necessary,” she said, not sounding as if she meant it.
Archer shrugged as casually as he could manage. “You need someone to watch your back while you’re sleuthing.”
She smiled, and for an instant, they were dancing across a torchlit barnyard, a fiddler playing in the background. “I suppose company would be nice.”
Nat pushed to the front of the group. “I’ll go!”
“No,” Archer said.
“Maybe
