Lily of the Desert (Silver and Orchids Book 4)

by Shari L. Tapscott

  No longer worried, I watch with affection as he laughs with the bishop after telling the man about one of our misadventures when we were younger.

  “And do you give your consent to this marriage?” the bishop finally asks.

  I hold my breath, waiting.

  For the first time today, Sebastian meets my eyes. “If this is what Lucia wants, then I give her my blessing.”

  “Thank you,” I silently mouth.

  Sebastian signs a document, and the bishop and his wife leave us.

  Once they’re gone, Sebastian digs into his inner jacket pocket. “I picked you up a ring for Avery.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I breathe, taking it from him gratefully. “I completely forgot.”

  He extends his hand. “Are you ready?”

  Tears prick my eyes, and I nod. “I cannot tell you how much this means to me, Sebastian.”

  “I know.”

  I accept his hand, but when I expect him to walk me out the door, he tugs me close and wraps me in a tight embrace. “Lucia,” he whispers.

  That’s all he says—just my name. But I know what he means. I squeeze him tightly, hoping to convey to him how much he means to me.

  He steps back and clears his throat, wiping any trace of emotion from his face. “All right. It’s time.”

  Without further ado, he tucks my hand through his arm and escorts me into the chapel.

  Adeline stands near the front. She sniffs once, and then she loses all composure. Tears stream down her cheeks. The bishop’s wife stands next to her and hands her a handkerchief.

  I smile at her, but when we reach the front, I only have eyes for Avery. He’s in his gray captain’s jacket and black breeches, looking as handsome as a man can be. He must have polished his boots this morning because the black leather gleams. As soon as he meets my eyes, he gives me the wicked smirk that I was lost to the moment I saw him.

  We reach the front, and Sebastian gives me one last long look before he transfers my hand to Avery’s, and then he steps down and joins Adeline.

  I have a terrible case of déjà vu through the entire ceremony, and flashes of our marriage on the island play in my mind. As if he’s feeling it too, Avery’s lips twitch.

  This time, however, we understand the vows. We know exactly what we’re agreeing to.

  It passes quickly. There’s no reason for show when there are only three people in attendance.

  We exchange vows and rings, promise our lives and love and eternal loyalty, and then there is only one thing left.

  “Captain Greybrow, you may kiss your bride,” the bishop says with a wide smile.

  I yank Avery toward me, laughing as he kisses me soundly in front of the small gathering.

  And just like that, I am married to Captain Avery Greybrow.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Does it Hurt?

  “So how much are we worth exactly?” I ask as I trail a finger over Avery’s bare chest.

  We lie wrapped in blankets, atop the gloriously soft bed in the caravanserai. The sun obnoxiously decided to rise this morning, announcing that our blissfully short honeymoon is over. I expect Sebastian to come pounding on the door any moment.

  We’ve almost been married seventy-two hours.

  Gorin graciously offered us his congratulations upon his return and said we could stay in Stali one more evening. Yancey on the other hand, wasn’t impressed the captain returned so early. Or at all. Frankly, I don’t expect a wedding present from him.

  Avery angles his head to look at me, a lazy smile on his face. “Let’s put it this way—if you were to decide you’d like an island of your very own, I could make that happen.”

  I laugh and snuggle closer. “I wouldn’t mind visiting an island, but I don’t need one of my own at the moment.”

  “That’s a relief,” he says lightly, chuckling to himself. “The paperwork required for that sort of thing is madness.”

  Rolling onto my stomach, I prop myself up on my elbows. “What happens when we return to Kalae?”

  He stretches, and the light filtering in from the balcony catches the gold highlights in his light-brown hair. Idly, he trails a finger over my back. “We will attend a very tense afternoon tea with my grandmother and sister, an even more intense meeting with your father and mother, and then I’ll take you to meet my father. After that, we can go anywhere you want, do anything you want.”

  “I want to travel for a while. Believe it or not, I rather miss the Serpent.” With a sigh, I flop down. “But we have to finish this expedition first.”

  And like clockwork, there’s a knock at the door.

  Groaning, Avery crawls out of bed and only pulls on a pair of pants.

  “If it’s a maid, you’ll give the poor girl heart failure,” I say as I lounge in the covers, admiring Avery’s well-toned upper body. My husband is rather spectacular.

  The captain shoots me a smirk over his shoulder and closes the bedroom door, giving me privacy while he attends to our unwanted visitor. In a few minutes, he ambles back into the room and leans against the doorframe. “That was Sebastian.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “He informed me we have fifteen minutes to pack and get downstairs, or he’ll send Yancey in to help.”

  I laugh and toss the covers back. Avery’s eyes stray, and I go warm.

  “Later, Captain,” I whisper as I step past him to gather my things. He catches me and pulls me against him, delaying us considerably.

  An hour later, we meet the rest of our party. Sebastian won’t meet my eyes, and Adeline blushes every time she looks at me.

  Honestly.

  And then I realize they won’t look at each other, either. Which is odd—unless something happened between them last night. Maybe I’ll corner her later and ask about it.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” I ask Yancey, since he’s the only one not acting strangely.

  “Yes.” He frowns at Avery. “Did you?”

  I purse my lips, trying to hold back my glee, and then say, “I believe so.”

  He rolls his eyes.

  We’re saved from the conversation by the attendants bringing our trunks and luggage out on carts. An hour later, we’re riding out of Stali, into the desert, toward Struin Aria. It’s been two weeks since Gorin found us in Teirn, and we still have two and a half months of spring left. Even though it will take several days to reach the ruins which contain the map, we will have plenty of time to retrieve the lily. Simplest mission yet.

  I’m in high spirits, even atop my donkey. But that doesn’t stop me from glancing over at Avery. “Why do you get a horse?”

  He gives me a knowing look. “I brought him with me.”

  “Yet your bride rides a donkey.”

  “And she looks adorable.”

  I try to hide my smile. “How about a trade?”

  Laughing, Avery shakes his head. “Not a chance.”

  ***

  My donkey plods along at a sedate pace, trotting down hills and lumbering up the next. This is our third day of the expedition, and so far, I believe we are making decent time. This part of the desert is desolate, and the ground is cracked. The soil is so alkaline, there are places where the dirt is crusted with sheets of mineral. It looks like frost. Occasionally, there is a scraggly ballo bush, but we haven’t seen any animals since leaving the plains outside Stali.

  And it is hot. So very, very hot. Adeline rides behind Sebastian, covered from head to toe in skirts and scarves to protect her fair skin from the desert sun. I fear she must be roasting. Every so often, she fans herself, though it doesn’t do any good. There is no respite from the heat.

  “Are we going to stop for lunch soon?” Adeline calls to Gorin when the sun is high in the sky.

  Gorin appears hesitant to stop, so I add, “I’m hungry as well.”

  Our guide frowns and nods, and we find a spot that has a cluster of boulders large enough to sit on. I fall from my donkey, groaning as my feet hit the ground. Sebastian
leaps down and helps Adeline from their mule. Though she doesn’t announce how sore she is, I can tell she’s as glad to be off their beast as I am to be away from mine.

  Gorin passes out parchment packages of honeyed sweet rolls and spicy dried meat. I settle onto a rock next to Avery, guarding my parchment when my husband playfully eyes my roll. Starving, I eat quickly, and when I’m finished, I rest my hands behind me and turn my face toward the sun.

  Flink wanders from person to person, begging for scraps. I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I have a suspicion that Yancey tosses him treats when no one is looking. The dragon always seems to linger near him.

  Content with Avery by my side, I idly listen to my companions’ conversations.

  Adeline asks Gorin how much longer we will ride today, and Yancey complains to Sebastian that he’s been away from the guild for over two weeks now, and we haven’t needed his services once. Avery adds things here and there, but I am content to listen.

  Drowsy in the sun, I lie back on the rock, toss my hands over my head, and close my eyes. I’m just drifting when a sharp, stabbing pain wakes me. I yelp and leap up, clutching my wrist. The burning sensation is bright and hot, and it spreads all the way to the tips of my fingers and up my arm.

  Avery stands with me, his brow etched with concern. “Lucia, what is it?”

  He tries to look at my wrist, but I yank it back to my chest, woozy with pain. Concerned, his eyes move to the rock where we were just resting.

  “Gorin!” Avery yells. “What do you know of the native scorpions?”

  Going pale—an admirable feat for one as tan as Gorin—our guide rushes over and looks at the spot where Avery points. The culprit scurries across the boulder, as unrepentant as a creature can be. Gorin sags with relief when he spots the huge, shiny black scorpion. “It’s all right. It’s just a rock creeper.”

  “All right?” I demand as I hold my wrist, practically bent over in pain. Tears prick my eyes, but I don’t care. The world spins, and I can barely stand.

  Avery wraps his arm around my stomach, supporting me.

  Gorin nods, sympathetic. “It hurts like all oblivion, but their sting isn’t fatal like their cousins.”

  “And what do those look like?” Sebastian asks, frowning at the villainous arachnid.

  “They’re smaller, and the tip of their stinger has a brown line that runs up their abdomen.”

  Sebastian turns to me. “Does it hurt very much?”

  Does it hurt?

  From the look I give him, he figures out the answer on his own and wisely backs off. He turns to Yancey. “Do you have anything you can give her?”

  Yancey ambles over and yanks my arm without bothering to ask permission first. Heat—not the pleasant kind—races through my arm, and it takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to punch him in the face.

  “On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst, where would you rate the pain?” he asks, almost sounding bored.

  I rip my arm away and snarl a curse that shouldn’t be repeated in polite conversation.

  Our alchemist nods, his grim expression twisting into a morbid smile. “Rather high then.”

  “Can you do anything?” Avery asks.

  Yancey shrugs. “I believe so, but it’ll take me about an hour to whip something up.”

  “I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth. I will be soon anyway. “Let’s move on.”

  Avery seems hesitant, perhaps because my wrist is turning purple, and he turns to Gorin. “How long will it take to subside on its own?”

  Gorin rubs the back of his neck, thinking. “A day…maybe two?”

  I stumble forward, and Avery clasps my shoulders.

  “Better make her something,” Sebastian says.

  Yancey nods as if to say, “suit yourself” and pulls a long, wicked-looking dagger from the sheath on his hip. Then, without ado, he stabs the scorpion. Once it’s skewered on the blade, he carries it away.

  Adeline, who’s cowering atop her mule for fear of touching the ground, follows the creature with her eyes, looking pale and horrified.

  Unable to stand any longer, I fall against Avery. “You know—I don’t feel so well,” I mumble.

  Sebastian touches my shoulder, saying something, but my mind is too clouded with pain to pay attention. And just like that, I pull an Adeline and pass clean out.

  ***

  “How’s your wrist?” Avery asks as he nudges his horse next to my donkey.

  I glance at the lingering red mark on my skin. Yancey packed a poultice around it yesterday, which I remember nothing of. In fact, all I do remember is waking to the foul-smelling gunk on my arm and five pairs of anxious eyes, looking down on me. Well, Yancey didn’t actually look that worried. Put out—absolutely. Worried—not so much.

  “It feels fine,” I assure Avery quickly, cutting off the conversation before my business partner overhears and brings it up again. All day, Sebastian’s teased me mercilessly about passing out.

  Slowly, we make our way toward a towering mountain range that’s dry and rocky, but more visually appealing than the rolling hills.

  Gorin trots forward, looking at ease on his mule. “Ahead are the Tairan Mares.”

  “That mountain range there?” I ask.

  He nods. “It’s nasty territory—snakes, spiders, the occasional imp. Best be careful.”

  “You have imps in Elrija?” I ask. We have the flying nuisances in the mountains of Reginae, and I’m not keen to run into any here. “Do they carry an element?”

  The ones at home sneak up behind you, and if they are successful, they’ll grab you by the shoulders and send a jolting wave of magic coursing through your limbs. Once you’re down, the nasty thieves will steal anything of value. Their shock is rarely fatal, though I have heard that the young and elderly are more susceptible.

  “Just desert imps,” Gorin answers, not terribly concerned. “And I’ve never let one get close enough to find out if they’re elemental.”

  Our group laughs, but I honestly couldn’t care less about the imps. My mind is preoccupied with the other creatures he mentioned.

  “What about the snakes?” Avery asks knowingly, catching my eye from atop his horse.

  “I’ve seen both rock vipers and copper cobras along this trail.” He directs his next words at Avery. “The mules are less likely to spook than your horse, so you best be careful.”

  “And the donkey?” I ask.

  “She’s as solid as a rock,” Gorin assures me.

  I glance down at my “rock.” Her long ears twitch, and her head bobs with her uneven gait. She does seem rather unflappable.

  I roll my shoulders, already tense.

  “Nervous, Lady Adventuress?” Avery asks, his eyes bright and his tone lighter than usual.

  “No.”

  “So you’re not scared of snakes?” He raises his eyebrow.

  “No.”

  The captain urges his horse closer. I focus on the reins in my hand and not on how near he is. I had no idea what torture this expedition would be, but it’s excruciating. Avery and I are together, which is a blessing, but we must keep our distance for the sake of the group. Being this close makes my blood hum, and from the look in his eyes, I think he knows it.

  The captain leans down from his horse and taps my bow. “Think you can shoot one?”

  “Shoot what?” I ask, distracted.

  He laughs. “A snake.”

  I glance at him and raise a brow. “What do you think?”

  Along with his usual enchanted broadsword and several daggers, Avery’s strapped a bow of his own on his back, along with his sword and several knives. The portable arsenal certainly looks good on him. Reaching behind him, he pulls several arrows from his quiver. “Perhaps you should have these, just in case.”

  I gape at the lovely arrows—the lovely glowing arrows. “Avery…” I whisper.

  He flashes me a quick grin. “Thought you’d like them. I saw them in Stali and thought of you.”


  And without another word, he leans down, looking as if he’s going to tumble right from his horse just to reach me on my little jenny, and transfers the arrows to my quiver.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  He rights himself and nods, his eyes warm. “Think of them as a wedding gift.”

  The trail begins to climb, and we are forced to move forward in a single-file line. Flink ends up in front of me, trapped behind Adeline and Sebastian. He doesn’t seem to mind the position, and he trots along happily, often stretching his wings in the sunshine like a great, scaled butterfly.

  I keep my eyes on the terrain around us, peering into dark crevices and holes, wondering if the slithering menaces are lurking. As we climb the dry, rocky mountain, the path narrows. I stare at the ledge uncertainly, but my little donkey doesn’t mind—doesn’t seem to even notice—and she plods along at her usual, slow pace.

  Occasionally, she takes a wrong step and stumbles slightly. I hold on to the reins for dear life, praying nonstop that we’ll reach the summit soon.

  “Are you all right, Lucia?” Gorin calls from the lead.

  I gulp. “Fine, thank you.”

  “No passing out again,” Sebastian adds.

  I glare at the back of his head.

  When nothing horrific happens, I finally find the courage to look at the canyon to our left. It’s not all that deep, not compared to other places I’ve traveled, but it’s quite the sight with its towering sandstone formations jutting from the ground. Now that we’ve left the foothills, the earth has gone from mineral-devoid tan to rich red, and there are occasional veins of dark, oily shale.

  “Rock viper to your right,” Gorin calls to our group. “It’s sunning on a rock not far from the trail, but as long as you make no sudden movements, it should let us pass.”

  It’s just a snake. A small, element-less, measly little snake.

  And though I try not to look, I catch a glimpse of it as we grow near. Its scales are red and tan like the cliffs, and I’m not sure I would have seen it if Gorin hadn’t pointed it out. The wretched creature watches, alert. Its head slowly bobs from left to right, and its nasty little black tongue darts in and out of its nasty little snake mouth, and my heart nearly stops. Gorin passes unscathed, and then Sebastian and Adeline do as well.