Moss Forest Orchid (Silver and Orchids Book 1)

by Shari L. Tapscott

  Adeline, overcome, lets out one last shriek and then faints dead away, right as Sebastian reaches her. He stabs the creature’s tongue and scoops the girl into his arms. The beast lets out a horrid, keening croak, and flexes his back legs, preparing to leap forward.

  The water ripples around us, and a flock of blackbirds flies from the nearby trees, into the sky, cawing as they go.

  “Get out of there!” Avery yells, as if that weren’t Sebastian’s plan already.

  The creature leaps forward, knocking Sebastian and Adeline backward, into the water. Avery grabs me by the arm, and we run back the way we came, toward the forest. The beast lands directly in front of us, cutting off our path.

  Pond sludge flies up, splashing over us like a great wave.

  “What is it?” I demand as we backtrack, nearly tripping over our own feet.

  The beast turns his eyes on us, blinking. His gaze is empty. He’s not a bright creature, not cunning or clever. He’s working on instinct alone.

  And right now, his instinct is telling him we’d be less troublesome in his belly. He flicks his tongue again and takes another leap forward, toward us.

  “I have no idea,” Avery pants.

  Sebastian yells my name. As we’re running, the creature snares me with his tongue. I let out a shrill yip and stab it with my dagger, just as I saw Sebastian do. It releases me, leaving a clear, mucous-like substance on my arm.

  “How do we kill it?” I yell over the creature’s angry wails.

  “Have a catapult handy?” Avery asks, having the audacity to grin at me.

  I look across the bog, hoping to find Sebastian.

  Adeline’s awake. She clings to Sebastian, babbling and horrified. He tries to pull away, but she’s like a meadow imp, clinging to his chest. He looks up, meeting my eyes, and then his face goes slack. “LUC—”

  Suddenly, I’m swept off the ground, wrapped in the creature’s tongue. In the confusion, my dagger slips from my fingers and falls into the water below me. Avery runs forward, ready to attack, but the beast leaps again, back to his original resting place. I’m suspended in the air, and I twist back frantically, searching for Avery. He’s too far away.

  “Your sword!” I scream.

  Just as I’m pulled into the beast’s great, gaping maw, Avery heaves his sword in my direction. Praying I’m capable of pulling this off, terrified I’m not, I lean as far down as I am able. I barely catch the weapon, almost fumbling it. At the last moment, my fingers tighten around the hilt. I gasp a deep breath, and my world goes black.

  Every one of my senses falters before they spring to life. It’s loud inside the creature, louder than I expect, and it’s as damp and cold as the bog water itself.

  I panic and flail, my terror taking over. And then I realize that I am not in the creature’s belly... I’m in its mouth. Light shines in through its thin lips, past its jagged teeth. I stab downward with the sword and hang on for dear life, hoping I can prevent the beast from swallowing me whole.

  I kick and flail—anything I can do to coax the beast to spit me out. My world shakes, but the jaws stay firmly shut. Overcome, limited on air, I feel my consciousness slipping away. I grip the sword in my grasp, knowing what I must do but doubting I will be able to accomplish it. In a final effort, I yank the blade free. Using both hands to hold the hilt, I stab the sword upward, into the upper jaw—into the creature’s brain. The enchanted blade cuts easily, as if it were slicing through butter.

  My wet, slimy jail shudders and the creature finally opens its mouth as it falls, face first, into the bog water, trapping me inside.

  It suddenly hits me, as I suck up a lungful of nasty liquid, that this is how I will die. In the putrid mouth of a giant frog, choking on mud. I’ll never repay Sebastian, and this was all for naught.

  And with that thought, I take one last gasping breath and let the darkness take me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  If I Can’t Tell You Here

  Just as I’m floating toward blissful, peaceful death, paralyzing pain rips through me. I gasp a breath and proceed to choke up mud, bog water, and who knows what else.

  Light sears my eyes, making my temples throb, and my lungs burn. I gulp in another breath and cough until my stomach muscles give out. There are voices—too many. Arms are around me, and I’m being crushed against a familiar chest.

  “Lucia, talk to me,” Sebastian begs.

  “I have the worst taste in my mouth,” I croak, not sounding terribly dissimilar from the creature I just came to know quite intimately.

  He jumps, relieved, but doesn’t let me go. “When I saw you…”

  “Don’t.” I jerk my head up, pushing his chin aside with my head so I may meet his eyes. Mimicking his words from the den of basiliskas, I say, “Let’s make a pact to never speak of it again.”

  “Agreed,” he whispers, and then, as if overcome, yanks me against him again.

  “Let the girl breathe,” Avery says from my other side.

  I turn in Sebastian’s arms to look at him. It takes a moment for my eyes to focus. “Your sword saved me.”

  Relief is written all over his face, but he shrugs, trying to look impartial. “And you got giant frog goo all over it.”

  My stomach rolls, and I think I might be ill.

  “Too soon?” he asks, almost grinning.

  I shudder and bury my head against Sebastian, trying to forget. Slowly, I take note of my surroundings. We’re near the clearing, almost to the safety of the trees. The ground is still damp, but we’re not in standing water. Flink’s practically attached himself to Avery’s leg, and the dragon hiccups steam. Adeline sits on a rock close to us with her knees drawn up to her chin, and silent tears roll down her cheeks. She stares straight ahead, trembling.

  Frowning, I look at Sebastian again. “What happened to you?”

  A gash runs from his forehead, almost to his eye. It oozes blood, but it doesn’t look very deep.

  “Nothing.”

  “He slipped while he was pulling you from the beast’s mouth,” Avery volunteers. “Hit his head on a rock.”

  Sebastian looks uncomfortable. “It was foolish.”

  I run my finger down his temple, just next to the wound. “At least you have a hard head.”

  My friend gives me a wry smile. “Are you all right?”

  Slowly, I take stock of my aches and pains. Then I nod. “I think so.”

  “Can you walk? I’m not sure we want to linger here.”

  Avery and Sebastian help me to my feet. Just as I’m assuring them I’m fine on my own, Adeline says in a tiny voice, “I want to go back. Please.”

  We turn to her. All it takes is one look to know she cannot go on. Sebastian’s shoulders sag. “This is a fool’s mission. What was I thinking?”

  “But we’re so close,” I say to him. “I don’t want to have almost died for nothing.”

  “She’s right,” Avery says. “I’m sure the worst is behind us.”

  Another whimper escapes Adeline, and Sebastian shakes his head. “She needs to go back to the ship.”

  “Then Lucia and I will go on,” Avery says. “And you can escort Adeline to the beach.”

  “Lucia needs medical attention,” Sebastian argues.

  “Lucia is fine,” I interrupt, irritated. “I have to finish this, even if it means I go on alone.”

  Sebastian takes me by the shoulders, making me look at him. “Why are you so determined to do this?”

  I shake my head, refusing to answer. He won’t understand, not until I set my share of the money into his hands.

  “Fine,” he says after several moments, letting out a world-weary sigh. “Captain Greybrow, please take Adeline back to the ship. Lucia and I will continue on, and then we’ll meet you when we have the orchids.”

  Avery studies Sebastian for a moment, and then he relents. Turning to me, he gently chucks me under the chin like I’m a child. “You can do this.”

  “I know.”

  �
��Bravest girl in the world.” With a half-smile, he offers me his sword. “I’ll feel better if you carry this for me.”

  I accept it, glad to have it but hating the history we already have together. “I’d trade you my dagger, but it’s resting in the bog. You’re welcome to wade around for it.”

  He holds my eyes, a ghost of a smirk on his face. Then, taking me by surprise, he pulls me toward him and whispers, “Take care of yourself, Lucia.”

  Then, in front of Sebastian, Adeline, and my oblivious baby dragon, the captain kisses me soundly.

  Before Sebastian can object, Avery steps away and offers Adeline his arm. “Back to the ship then?”

  She stares at him, almost as shocked as I am, and nods. Drying tear trails stain her flushed cheeks.

  I gape at the captain, my fingers pressed against my lips, as he directs Adeline back the way we came, staying clear of patches of soggy grass. When I turn to Sebastian, I find him watching me closely. My stomach flips, not from guilt exactly—I had no part in that kiss. But there’s a look in his eyes. It’s a bit possessive and a lot jealous. I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me tingle.

  “For the record,” I say as I head toward the forest, “we should have avoided the bog.”

  Sebastian matches my pace, falling into step beside me. “Yes, you were right.”

  “Mind saying it one more time?” I grin.

  He shakes his head, not quite ready to put the whole ordeal behind us as I am. “You were right. This time. For once.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  The gnats grow worse as the day goes on, but they begin to thin out once the sun sinks behind the trees. We see a few deer, several foxes, and get one brief glimpse of a skittish wildcat, but we do not run into any more frog-beasts—or any other beast for that matter. We are, however, careful to watch the map for indications of where such creatures might live.

  I find a stream of clear water to clean up in, and I have Sebastian stand guard as I bathe. The water is cold, and I must change into one of Sebastian’s shirts because I no longer have a change of clothes. His trousers are far too large and too long, so I belt the shirt and call it a dress. My mother would faint dead away, but there are worse things than bare calves…a frog’s digestive fluids being one of them.

  Sebastian raises an eyebrow when I emerge from the stream, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut.

  For hours we walk, and I begin to worry we’ve wandered off course.

  “We need to find a place to stop for the night.” Sebastian adjusts his pack and looks around. We’ve reached a rocky pass in our makeshift trail, and in the graying light, I can see across the vastness that is the wilds. The landscape is beautiful, pristine. Harsh, perhaps, but not more so than any other province was before it was tamed. Still, I’m not terribly keen on the idea of camping here for the night.

  Sebastian finds a sheltered spot in the rock, and he starts a fire. I watch the landscape, uneasy as the day fades and the stars begin to appear.

  “What has you worried?” Sebastian asks.

  “We’re close to a dragon’s nest,” I lie. That’s not what I’m anxious about.

  “Since when are you afraid of dragons?” He ambles over to me, stopping when we’re shoulder to shoulder. “They won’t bother us if we don’t bother them. Besides, they’re lazy this time of day.”

  To prove his point, Sebastian nods to my pet. Flink has already settled by the campfire, and he’s making whistling noises as he snores. With each breath, a puff of gold sparkles leaves his nostrils.

  In truth, dragons are the last thing on my mind. I’m thinking about the last night Sebastian and I spent together on the tiny boat after we were kicked off The Sea Star.

  I’m thinking of the early morning outside the tavern where he kissed me.

  I’m thinking that this place, so secluded and alone, is very dangerous for my resolve.

  “Are you taken with him?” Sebastian asks, surprising me from my thoughts.

  “What?” I look at him, but he studies the landscape. His profile is washed in shadows and firelight, making him look different from the friend I’ve known all these years, stronger somehow, maybe a little older. I think of the way he charged the beast when it attacked Adeline—sword raised, disregarding all consequences. He’s changed over the years, has become someone I not only care for but admire.

  “Captain Greybrow,” he clarifies as he turns to meet my eyes. “Avery.”

  Truthfully, I don’t know what I feel for Avery. I am partial to him—that’s impossible to deny. But do my feelings for him run anywhere as deep as they do for Sebastian? It’s no contest. As I told the captain, there’s no game. I’m already spoken for.

  “I am,” I answer honestly.

  Sebastian doesn’t answer. I turn to him, wait for him to meet my eyes. When he finally looks over, I say so softly I’m not sure he’ll hear me, “But I told you; I’ll always choose you.”

  For the first time in a long while, he looks unsure of himself. The playful quality his eyes held the night outside the tavern is gone. He looks serious, almost vulnerable.

  Terrified, I add lightly, “Even if you’re a bit of a snob.”

  Still side-by-side, Sebastian shifts closer, near enough I can feel him standing there but not actually touching me. My arm hangs at my side, relaxed until a moment ago. His thumb brushes mine, the touch so light it almost tickles.

  He catches me looking at him, and he turns to face me. Our hands still flirt, our fingers barely brushing. My breath hitches in my chest. Sebastian studies me too intently, and I gulp, wondering if I’m ready for whatever it is he’s going to say next.

  “Well, if we’re being honest,” he murmurs, his voice deeper than usual. “I still think you’re obnoxious.”

  Our fingers twine together.

  “You’re self-righteous.”

  He smiles, moving in closer. “Reckless.”

  “Prissy.”

  “Headstrong.”

  I’m running out of insults. “And you…smell good.”

  Sebastian laughs, startled, and his breath tickles my lips. “I like your hair.”

  “You said it wasn’t glossy.”

  “No, I accused you of envying the girls with glossy hair. That’s different.”

  “What are we doing?” I whisper. My heart’s beating too quickly, and my muscles are wound tight.

  His sets his free hand on my arm. For the first time, Sebastian touches me as if I’m fragile. Indecision shadows his face, but he moves closer. “I don’t know.”

  I close my eyes when his bottom lip grazes mine. Sebastian feels good; he feels right. But I think we both know there can never be more than friendship between us.

  “Is this a good idea?” I breathe.

  “Not likely.” As he says the words, his lips brush against mine, though the touch is as light as a feather. Not even yet a kiss.

  Anticipation grows, and my eyes flutter shut.

  He angles away and waits for me to meet his gaze. Disappointed, I open my eyes. His expression is intense in the firelight, and my mouth goes dry.

  “But I never get to tell you how beautiful you are, how your smile rivals the sun. If I can’t tell you here, in the most uninhabited place known to man, where can I?”

  My chest grows warm. I recognize that this is my Sebastian, not the charmed man outside the tavern. I can trust what he says tonight, don’t have to wonder if the words are real.

  “I almost lost you today,” he breathes. Instead of meeting my lips, he rests his forehead against mine. His eyes shut as he fights memories.

  What would it have been like for me if it had been Sebastian taken by the beast? If I’d had to pull his unconscious form from the beast’s mouth before he drowned in the bog? I shiver and push the thoughts away.

  He tugs me against him, holds me almost too tightly. I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him closer. The chaste embrace is far more intimate than a kiss. We stand here for the longest time, neither
of us ready to let go.

  I don’t realize I have tears running down my cheeks, dampening Sebastian’s doublet, until he finally loosens his grip on me. I rub them away with the heel of my hand.

  The romantic moment has faded, turned into something more. I need him, always have. But now I know he needs me as well.

  “Are you hungry?” he asks somewhat brusquely.

  Nodding, I follow him back to the fire to see what we can find in our packs.

  ***

  I wake early, before the sun rises. The fire went out during the night, and the morning is cold. Dew clings to the grass and bushes, and even my hair feels damp.

  Sebastian traded me his cloak for my blanket last night, said he wasn’t cold even though the rock is frigid. I wrap it around my body as I sit near the ledge, careful not to get too close, and stare out at the cloud-covered valley in the not-too-far distance. The Moss Forest.

  We’re so close.

  The height of my perch makes me nervous, but the view is beautiful.

  Sebastian stirs behind me. He yawns, standing near as he watches the sun rise over the mountains. Unsure where we stand after last night, I open the cloak, offering to let him join me. He hesitates, as conflicted as I am, but he shivers and gives in. “You’re up early.”

  “It’s hard to sleep when you’re not sure what’s lurking nearby, hoping to eat you.”

  He snorts out a laugh and fights another yawn. “How did you sleep?”

  “Fine. You?”

  “The rock was hard,” he grumbles, smiling.

  Sebastian’s not nearly as close as he could be, but his leg presses against mine. I wait for him to bring up last night, to tell me he got carried away. He doesn’t mention it.

  Neither do I.

  “I have a confession to make,” he finally says.

  My stomach knots. I’m not sure I want to hear this confession.

  “I followed you the last few months, after we had our falling out, making sure you were safe, making sure you didn’t get yourself into a scrape so large even you couldn’t get out of it.”