The Path of Giants by B.T. Narro (year 7 reading list .TXT) 📗

trying to get on my good side, perhaps expecting me to open up a bit more like she had, but I wasn’t in the mood.

“What happened when Eden almost killed Remi?” Hadley asked.

“It was actually because she snuck out of the castle to see you.”

“See me?” Hadley sounded confused. “I haven’t seen her in some time.”

“To drop off the hair of her attacker,” I corrected myself.

“Oh, that night. That makes sense. I noticed the guards watching me soon after. What happened after she dropped off the hair?”

I figured this was a good chance to find out what people in Rohaer thought of Valinox. “She snuck back into the castle and accidentally surprised Valinox dropping off a callring for Eden. That’s how she nearly died, and how we found out Eden was the traitor.”

“The traitor, not a traitor?”

“Yes, we knew someone was providing information to Cason. We couldn’t figure out who it was.”

“But Eden escaped?”

“Yes, with Valinox’s help.”

I waited, but she didn’t say anything.

“You’re not surprised to hear about him doing these things?”

“I am a little,” Hadley said. “But many people in Rohaer already knew of his existence. I knew he had been trying to spread dteria. What surprises me is his aggression.”

“It was because of him that Endell killed Whitley Yorn. Valinox wanted me dead first, but that didn’t work out. They escaped after they got Whitley, mostly thanks to Kataleya arriving.”

“What happened exactly?”

I figured there was no reason to keep the truth hidden any longer. It wasn’t going to do me any good. So I shared the story with her.

She was gaping at me by the time I was done.

“You are the healer after all?”

“I am.”

“Why did you lie to me?”

“I’m still trying to figure out if I can trust you.” I knew it wasn’t the best excuse, but it was the truth.

“So you could’ve healed my face this whole time!” She stopped her horse.

I stopped mine as well. “I could’ve,” I admitted.

“Then why didn’t you? You must know I’m in pain after what that…what Kataleya did to me.”

“She only did that because of what you did to her father. I thought you deserved a little pain for your deceit.”

“It’s more than a little. It hurts every time I breathe.” She hopped down from her horse holding her nose. “Are you going to heal me now?”

I stayed on my horse as I contemplated. I supposed there was no point in letting this go on any longer. If she was going to learn a lesson at all, it had already happened.

I climbed down from my horse.

“It’s not just my nose. My cheeks as well,” she said.

“All right, hold still.” I put my hands on her cheeks.

She looked into my eyes as we fell quiet.

The oddest thing about it was that it didn’t feel uncomfortable. There came the urge to protect her again. Was this just because the cute features of her face seemed to do a number on me? Or did it have something to do with how our mana had interacted with each other?

I noticed again her dark eyes, her full lips, the soft feeling of her bruised and swollen cheeks. I focused away from all that and got to work.

She really must’ve been in pain. Kataleya had done a considerable amount of damage to Hadley’s face, but I repaired it quickly as she shut her eyes and grabbed my wrists with a hiss.

I took my hands off her face as hers slid down from my wrists. She felt around her cheeks and nose, her eyes wide.

“That is quite a talent you have.”

“It’s the reason I was going all around Lycast. There are many people who needed healing.”

“That’s generous of you.”

I shrugged. “Wish I could keep doing it. There are many towns I couldn’t get to because I didn’t have more time.”

“You know…your hair…” Her tone was overly friendly as she peered at the top of my head. “I think you could use a trim. It seems a bit long to me.” She moved her hand through my hair.

I was shocked at first until I understood what she was doing. I grabbed her wrist.

She had made a fist. “What?” she asked.

I opened her hand with my free fingers, finding one of my hairs tucked in the palm of her hand. I slowly turned her hand over so that my hair fell out and blew away in the wind.

“That usually works,” she said nervously.

“Were you even a barber at all?” I asked as I got back on my horse.

“I was.” She climbed up on hers.

We started riding again.

“What would you do with one of my hairs, anyway?” I asked.

“Nothing if you continue to behave.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t know you very well, and we are basically alone. I would like some means of protecting myself if it turns out I was wrong to trust you.”

“I’m a sorcerer of the king,” I reminded her. “I’m not a danger to you. Quite the contrary. I’m all the protection you need.”

It was silent for a long while.

We passed by two others going the opposite way. I recognized them when we were close, smiling and giving a nod.

“Good to see you, healer,” said one woman who’d had a broken toe. She was traveling with her husband, who I had also met.

“How’s the toe?” I asked her, already knowing the answer but happy to hear it again.

“Better than ever.”

“Safe travels,” I said.

“You as well!” called the man as our horses took us far from each other.

Hadley didn’t comment on the exchange. Instead, she said, “If you’d met King Frederick’s sorcerers and had heard them claim the same thing before witnessing what they’d done to girls, you also would have trouble trusting a sorcerer like yourself.”

“I’m not like them. I don’t use dteria.”

“Not all of them do. There are wicked men of all kinds. Sometimes their morals are not corrupted because of the sorcery they choose.” She was silent as she looked at me, and I could tell she wanted to say more.

“What