Page 33 of Sword & Shadow
Evylin raised her brow. “I wasn’t using magic.”
“Youaremagic,” he said, and he meant it. “Everyone else is a mere mortal compared to you.”
She breathed out an incredulous laugh. “And you say that Jonn’s dramatic.”
Thom held his tongue, backing away to give Ethenn his blade. Rafferty took Evylin’s spot, and she called the start for them. Then she stepped over to Thom’s side, where he was wiping the mud from his hand with the back of his cloak, draped over the branches of a rowan.
“What do you think it’s like?” she asked. He raised his brow, and she clarified, “The town.”
“Ah. Probably just as wet and muddy as the rest of this Allore-forsaken country.”
“You’re in a fine mood.”
He gave her one of his more cynical smirks. “When am I not?”
“That’s an excellent point. Is anything in particular the cause of this radiant countenance, or are you just feeling adequately hydrated?”
He snorted but didn’t feel the humor it held. What caused his sour mood today? Yes, it could be the damp and the cold. It could be the urge to get out of these perpetual forests. A good night’s rest would likely offer improvement. But then, his ill-tempered demeanor might be tied to the fact that his brother still had everything, while Thom had nothing.
Wiping the last remnant of dirt from between his fingers, Thom offered a half-felt grin. “Turns out I have a taste for waterlogged fowl.”
“Mm, yes.” Evylin leaned back against the tree, watching Ethenn lazily defend Rafferty’s wild attacks. “Waulden geese are quite the delicacy, aren’t they? I believe I caught a hint of loam in its flavor profile.”
Thom shook his head as she chuckled. He rested against the tree at her side, bumping her shoulder. “What’s gotten into you?”
“What do you mean?”
He stared down at her, the dim forest turning her dark eyes a silty brown. He hesitated, seeing the joy they held. “Evie, I don’t want to upset you,” he murmured.
Evylin’s brow wrinkled, but her smile remained. “Are you going to tell me that you let me win?”
“Thisis what I’m talking about.” He gestured to her smile, then the rest of her relaxed demeanor. “You’re actinghappy.”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
He stared at her, incredulous.
A beat passed before Evylin sucked in an understanding breath. “Because of Hewitt.”
Her words weren’t as heartbroken as Thom thought they should be.
Suddenly, Rafferty cried out in exasperation. “Stop playing with me, Loxley!”
Twirling the practice blade in his hand, Ethenn gave the weasel an innocent expression. “I just wanted to make you feel good about yourself.”
“I don’t want to feel good about myself. I want to win!”
Evylin sniggered at their banter before turning back to Thom. Her voice was soft with peace. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, Thom,” she said. “I miss him. Desperately. But I can’t live in the past.”
Thom tried to hear the lie in her words. He stared deeply into her eyes and studied the rounds and angles of her face. But he couldn’t find deception anywhere. Not in the weight of her brow or the curve of her lips.
He drew in a long breath. “You’re sure?”
“Quite.”
Thom’s brow furrowed so tightly that it began to ache. He didn’t believe her. He couldn’t. Not when he knew how much her uncle meant to her. Not when he’d seen sorrow leach all the life from her soul over the past few weeks.
A loudcrackand Rafferty’s howl of pain startled Thom out of his thoughts. He looked over to find Ethenn holding up his hands and backing away, even as he laughed. Rafferty hopped on one leg as he gripped his shin. Evylin pressed her hands to her mouth to quell her amusement.
