“Regn—”
“Don’t bother,” he muttered.
Silence fell once more, now tense and awkward. Maeve took hold of her emotions but couldn’t think of a single word that could fix her awful mistake. She cared about Regn, but she now knew without a doubt the kind of love she harbored for him.
“Why do you love him?” He didn’t sound bitter, just... curious.
Maeve smiled. “I have no idea.” She straightened her back, resting her hands over her lap. “Or maybe I do, but I guess I should tell him first.”
Regn chuckled. “I guess.”
He looked like someone who had resigned to his fate, but his next words were pained. “Why wouldn’t you love me?”
His sadness was too much to bear. Maeve acknowledged the sting in her eyes and a lump in her throat as she slumped her shoulders. Part of that sadness came from her as well. But she loved him. Not the love she harbored for Hakken, nor the love she felt for her brother. It was deeper and more entangled than the love she could feel for a friend. But she could never explain that to him.
“Silly boy.” Her voice might have hinted at some of her emotions because Regn turned, worried. Maeve offered him a hand. “Do you want me to show you?” As soon as Regn touched her, she pulled and wrapped her arms around him, opening the door to her heart and showing him, without restraint, what he meant to her. She loved him, she loved everything about him. It may not be what he hoped for, but it became clear, as they held each other, it was what he needed.
He broke their embrace first, leaning to touch her forehead with his. His smile returned as he stared into her eyes with profound gratitude. “You are wonderful.” Happy and serene, Maeve snuggled against him. After another long day, she needed to rest.
Regn hugged her, staring into the stars and taking a deep, calming breath. “Do you think I’ll ever find someone who cares about me as you care about him?”
“I don’t see why not? But it will be hard if you keep running away from women.”
Regn laughed. “I will not risk my integrity by staying within reach from these brides.”
They talked and laughed almost the entire night. When the chilly breeze hit them, they wrapped themselves in wool blankets, not wanting to leave each other’s company. The fall had arrived, and the nights were getting colder.
CHAPTER XXXIX
RISE
Maeve
From the moment she punched Astika in the face, gaining the favor of Dinnah, Maeve swayed between measured optimism and absolute despair. The potion finally gave them a little advantage. Saving the mountain half-breeds and preventing their allies from being killed or harmed no longer sounded impossible.
The brides, Regn, and herself worked ceaselessly. Even so, the fear of arriving too late ate her.
Regn tried his best to calm her, but even he started to lose his patience. All he could do now was staring while Maeve went on one of her daily rants about how they should do more.
“It’s going to take ages to travel back to the village! We will carry all those potions, and we need every one of them!” They lounged in their room that evening, after spending hours filling tiny rain frog’s bladders with the potion.
One of Astika’s brides was a swamp witch, and she had reluctantly provided them with her lifetime supply of dissected frog parts. It took some time convincing her, but it was that or decimate the frog population of the ravine.
After overcoming every possible obstacle, they stood closer than ever. But doubts haunted Maeve. “Dinnah told me she would finish the last batch tonight, and that makes 1,620... no! 1,630 and—”
“All right, enough!” Regn stood and took her wriggling hands, talking to her slowly. “We are ready. We will set out tomorrow. We will travel as fast as we can and join everyone else in the village. There is no other way, and we’re doing our best.”
“But Regn—!”
Regn shook his head, covering Maeve’s entire face with the palm of his hand. “No! I don’t want to hear another word. You are going to eat, take a long, relaxing bath, go to sleep, and not think about tomorrow for the entire night.”
She groaned, stretching her arms and following Regn to the kitchen. He was right. Everyone worked hard, and there was nothing else to be done. The tiny bladders, or ‘sleeping froggy bombs’—as Regn called them—were almost ready and loaded in two bulky bags.
No bigger than a blueberry; firm enough to hold the potion. Easily burst when pinched. Once freed into the air, the brew would spread, affecting immediately every breathing creature within arm’s length. Too close to be perfectly safe, but since it was fast-acting, they were confident about its efficiency.
Regn had tried the effect a week ago, falling hard to the ground in a blink and sleeping like a log for an entire day. They also gave them the antidote to avoid turning the battlefield into a slumber party. It was essential to chew a few sunshine seeds right before engaging. They were called that because when chewed, they would give you such an energy boost, you’d feel you will never need to rest again in your life.
Regn also tried one of those and couldn’t sleep for two straight nights.
The next day, the sun had yet to rise when they gathered at the magnificent doors of the shell palace. Every single bride came out to see them go, with broad smiles and words of encouragement.
“Remember, Regn sweetie. There is nothing more attractive than a well-groomed lover.” A voluptuous lisovik pinched his cheeks, reddening the already blushed skin. “You are such a cute boy! If you try to wash more often, you will be irresistible.”
“I do wash often, thank you very much!” Regn scurried away, only to be cornered by two young fae twins.
“Will you
