Adrian Silvercrest's Arc

Chapter 3 of 23

Two weeks after Aldric found him in the lane, Adrian still had his secret. The wizard had not spoken. He worked beside Adrian at the forge some afternoons, hauled water with him at Dan's fence, and ate at Elara's table in the evenings. He was pleasant. He was patient. That was the problem. Every laugh Aldric shared with Elara felt like a fuse burning shorter. Adrian came up the path from the farm with dirt on his sleeves. He saw them by the low stone wall near Elara's cottage. Aldric leaned close, one hand raised, speaking low. Elara tilted her head to listen. Her brown hair fell over her shoulder. Adrian's stomach dropped. He was telling her. Right now. The prince, the crown, the betrothal one month out. Everything Adrian had buried under two weeks of blisters. Adrian ran. "Aldric," he said, too loud. Both of them turned. Elara's green eyes went wide at his face. Aldric opened his mouth. "I was only saying—" Adrian did not think. He caught Aldric by the front of his star-stitched robe, pulled him in, and kissed him. It was clumsy and hard. It stopped the sentence. That was all he wanted. He held it one beat longer than he meant to, then shoved back a step. Aldric stared. His pale face went red from the jaw up. His blue eyes did not blink. Adrian felt his own face burn to the roots of his white hair. Elara made a small sound. She looked at Adrian. She looked at Aldric. She stepped backward off the path. "I—I've bread in the oven," she said. "I need to check it. The bread." She turned and walked fast toward the cottage door, then past it, toward the garden. She did not look back. Adrian watched her go. "Elara—" The door of the cottage did not open. She kept walking. He turned back to Aldric to explain, to apologize, to threaten, he did not know which. Aldric took one step forward, put a hand on Adrian's jaw, and kissed him again. Softer. Careful. Like he had been thinking about it for years and had finally been given permission. Adrian froze. Then he pulled back. "I thought you were telling her," he said. "I was telling her the goat got into her cabbages." Aldric's voice was quiet. His hand was still up between them, half-open. "Adrian." "Don't." "You kissed me." "To stop you talking." "I know." Aldric lowered his hand. He was still flushed. He was smiling, small and hurt. "I know what it was. I answered anyway." Adrian looked past him at the garden gate. Elara was gone. A gray shape moved along the treeline beyond the fence, a wolf with a red band at its throat, watching the path. It slipped into the pines. Adrian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His secret was still safe. Everything else was on fire.