The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (44 page)

The three boys listened intently, remaining quiet until Benny spoke.

“
Wait. You
’
re saying that being in love is like you
’
ve been through an amputation?
”
Benny shook his head.
“
No, thank you.
”

The others stared at Benny, who was still shaking his head seriously. A burst of laughter came from Lars, who gave Benny a friendly slap on the back. The smaller boy
’
s spectacles flew off, landing in his potatoes and gravy. Brock and Cameron joined Lars, all three laughing heartily. Benny looked up from his plate, his hair disheveled, and began to chuckle along with the others.

CHAPTER 70

As often happens in the low mountains, the snow melted after a few consecutive days of sun. The road to Fallbrandt was now a brown stripe running through the white fields before the Academy. Even the snow pack of the fields had dwindled; brown grass poking through everywhere you looked.

While Brock and Ashland traveled the gravel roadway, their path meandered in an effort to avoid puddles and muddy spots. Even then, their boots were filthy, and splatters of mud streaked the lower half of their trousers.

The ground was far less muddy where the road cut through the forest. The nearly constant shade of the thick evergreens kept the road mostly frozen. They were thankful for the cleaner road section until they reached the edge of the woods.

As they emerged from the thick trees outside of town, Brock
’
s boot slipped on an icy patch and he tumbled. To make matters worse, Ashland
’
s arm was looped in his, causing her to be pulled down with him. He landed on his back with her on top.

He hit the ground hard, the air blasting from his lungs. His back stung, but he focused on Ashland. She stared down at him in surprise and then began to giggle. He smiled, chuckling to himself. She snuck a quick kiss and rolled off him.

Brock sat upright, realizing they were both sitting in mud. Glancing over to see a horrified look on her face, he began laughing again.

“
Now, I
’
m a filthy mess!
”
she complained.
“
I don
’
t have anything else to wear!
”

She slapped him on the leg as he laughed harder.

Pushing off on a dry spot on the road, he stood. Once upright, he held his hand toward her. She eyed him warily.

“
Don
’
t worry. Dory will find something for you to wear. I promise,
”
he replied.

After a moment, she relented.
“
If you promise.
”

He pulled Ashland to her feet. Stepping around the mud, she continued into town. Seeing her backside gave him an idea of how muddy he was. He would need a change of clothes himself.

When he caught up to her, he offered his arm.

“
Oh, no. I
’
m not letting you pull me into the mud again,
”
she said.

He laughed.
“
You do know that wasn
’
t intentional, right?
”

She glanced toward him, a small smile on her face.
“
So you say.
”

“
Okay. Now you
’
re just teasing me,
”
he said, smiling back.

“
Perhaps. Or, maybe I
’
m just a mystery to you.
”
She smiled again.

“
I wouldn
’
t use the word
just
in any description about you,
”
Brock replied.
“
But there
’
s no doubt you
’
re a mystery to me. It
’
s a mystery how you make me love you so much.
”

His throat tightened. He hadn
’
t meant to say it. It wasn
’
t that he didn
’
t love her; he just didn
’
t think he should say it. Not yet. He was terrified she might not feel the same way.

Ashland stopped walking. Brock took two more steps then stopped, glancing back at her.

“
What is it?
”
he asked, trying to sound oblivious.

“
You love me?
”
she said.

“
What?
”

“
You said that you love me,
”
she persisted.

“
Well, I guess I did say that.
”

She took a step to close the distance. Quietly, she asked,
“
Did you mean it? Is that how you feel? Please don
’
t lie to me, Brock.
”

He swallowed hard as he stared into her eyes.
“
Yes,
”
he replied, exposing how he felt.
“
I love you. I love you more than anything. I wouldn
’
t say it if I didn
’
t mean it.
”

There it was, out in the open. No turning back. A quiet moment of incredible tension stretched out as he waited for her response.

A lone tear streaked down her cheek. She grabbed him, hugging him hard with her head buried in his shoulder. He held her, far more gently than she squeezed him. While he enjoyed the hug, he still wasn
’
t sure of what was happening.

She released her grip, lifting her head to gaze at him with moist eyes.

“
I love you too, Brock.
”
A smile blossomed on her face.
“
You make me so happy.
”

They kissed for a long moment, right in the middle of the road. It was even sweeter than normal as their emotion enhanced the moment. Lost in the kiss, they were oblivious to the world around them, to the roaring thunder of horses approaching.

“
Look out!
”

Brock turned in the direction of the shout to see a carriage speeding toward them, the driver waving his arms wildly. He grabbed Ashland and jumped to the side, pulling her with him. The carriage sped past, leaving them panting from adrenaline as they watched it speed through Fallbrandt.

“
I wonder what the hurry is. That guy almost killed us,
”
he said.

“
Who knows?
”
she replied.
“
I noticed that it was a Ministry carriage though.
”

Brock took her hand.
“
Come on. Let
’
s go get cleaned up. I can
’
t wait for you to meet Tipper.
”

.   .   .

Still covered in mud, Brock stopped just inside the door. James looked up from the bar upon hearing them enter.

“
Brock!
”
James smiled.
“
It
’
s good to see you. It
’
s been what? Two months?
”

Brock smiled.
“
Hiya, James. It
’
s been over three months now.
”

James walked to the end of the bar.
“
More than three months, huh? I guess time goes fast when life is good.
”
He poked his head into the kitchen.
“
Dory! Your favorite boy is back!
”

Dory strolled through the door a moment later, looking as elegant as ever.

“
Brock!
”
She smiled as she crossed the room.
“
My, how we
’
ve missed you. I
’
m so glad you decided to visit. Now come here and give me a hug.
”

“
Um
…
.Well.
”
He pointed at his filthy boots and spun so to show the extent of the mud on his backside.
“
We had a little incident.
”

“
Oh my. You sure did. In that case, stay there for now.
”
Her eyes shifted to Ashland, scanning her from head to toe.
“
And who
’
s this pretty thing?
”

“
Oh, I
’
m sorry.
”
He put his arm around Ashland.
“
This is Ashland. She
’
s my girlfriend.
”

Ashland smiled at him before addressing Dory.
“
Dory, it
’
s so wonderful to meet you. Brock clearly thinks the world of you, and I happen to believe he
’
s an excellent judge of character.
”

Dory stepped forward, grabbing Ashland
’
s hands in hers.
“
My, aren
’
t you precious?
”
She looked Ashland up and down again.
“
This won
’
t do. Tsk, tsk. This won
’
t do at all. We need to get you cleaned up.
”
Dory turned her head and shouted.
“
Libby, get the bath ready!
”

Brock pointed at his backside.
“
What about me? I need to get cleaned up too.
”

Dory glanced at him before refocusing on Ashland.
“
Oh, please. You can bathe later. For now, go around back and tell Tipper that you need his robe. Give him those dirty boots to clean and your clothes for Libby to launder. You can wear the robe until it
’
s your turn for the baths.
”

Dory dropped one of Ashland
’
s hands, holding tight to the other as she led her toward the baths. Ashland glanced back, her eyes locking with Brock
’
s before she disappeared through the doorway.

Brock sighed and stepped outside to find Tipper. The sun was now obscured behind a layer of gray winter clouds, leaving a chill in the air. He tracked through the ankle-high snow around the side of the inn. When he reached the stable yard, he circled the building and knocked. The door opened a crack, a familiar set of eyes peeking out.

“
Brock!
”
Tipper exclaimed, opening the door wide to give him a hug.

“
I
’
m glad to see you, Tip,
”
he said.
“
Sorry it
’
s been so long.
”

CHAPTER 71

Brock sat at Dory
’
s table, accompanying the women he had eaten with numerous times before. Though it was now snowing heavily, the dining room was full. Dory told him that word had spread that he was back in town, bringing the women out to see him. When asked how they had heard so quickly, she confessed that she was the one who initiated the message.

After bathing, he borrowed one of Garrett
’
s outfits to wear for the evening. Once clean and dressed, he asked about Ashland. Dory told him that Ashland was preparing for dinner and he would have to wait until she was ready.

As if they had been going withdrawal, the ladies around the table begged Brock to tell a story. After some feminine coaxing, he agreed. Dory called for the room to quiet and made him stand so everyone could hear.

While he was aware that the Academy kept many things secret, he expected that everyone had heard of the yearly Catapult Challenge. When he began his story, nods about the room confirmed his assumption.

Brock relayed his tale, building up to the moment of the big launch. He paused for a breath but the words he had prepared never left his lips. Instead, his jaw dropped as he stared toward the stairwell. Heads in the room turned to see what had captured his attention.

Ashland smiled from the stairs, halfway descended. Her brown curls tumbled to her shoulders, perfectly framing her beautiful face. The black dress she wore had sleeves that wrapped around her upper arm and exposed her shoulders. The dress fit tight in the waist and accentuated her curves in a way that Brock greatly appreciated. Her well-toned legs were exposed to just above the knee, mesmerizing him as she descended the stairs.