The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (13 page)

She smiled.
“
You
’
re so sweet. You flatter me.
”
She leaned in and kissed him longer this time. It was like swimming in a dream. A sweet, sweet dream.

She pulled away and sat on the bed next to him. The blanket pulled away from his lap, revealing his aroused state.

“
Oh my,
”
Meg said, clearly seeing what was happening.

“
Um. Sorry.
”
Brock stammered, not knowing how to handle the situation. He tried to pull the blanket back over his lap, but she was sitting on it.

“
Oh, don
’
t worry.
”
She cupped his cheek and kissed him again.
“
In a way, it
’
s more flattering than your sweet words anyway.
”

“
Um. Okay,
”
he replied.

She stood and walked to the door.
“
I wish it weren
’
t so, but I have to go. Feel free to wash up before you come down. I
’
ll see you downstairs for breakfast.
”

The door closed and he found himself already missing her.

CHAPTER 17

Brock descended the stairs, seeing Ren and Tipper at the same table as the night before.

“
G
’
morning, Brock.
”
Tipper
’
s hand rubbed his temple as he chewed.
“
I hope you
’
re feeling better than I am.
”

“
I don
’
t know, Tip. I don
’
t think I can eat right now,
”
Brock replied.
“
The food smells good, but my stomach is rolling and my head is pounding.
”

Ren nodded.
“
I know what you mean, Brock. I ain
’
t ever had that much ale before. Now I know why Hank always said that you gotta count your ales. You lose count, and it all goes sideways.
”
He laughed.

It was good to hear Ren laughing, though it hurt Brock
’
s head. He sat next to Ren and put his head in his hands, resting his eyes until a soft touch caused him to stir. He looked up to see Meg standing before him.

“
Try some hot tea. It
’
s supposed to work wonders. I even squeezed a lemon into it for you.
”
She stepped away to serve the couple seated nearby.

Brock stared at the steaming tea. Figuring that anything was worth a try, he lifted the cup and took a sip. It was hot, but not burning hot. The aroma loosened his sinuses, and the heat felt good on his throat.

As Ren continued to talk, Brock continued to sip the tea. By the time the tea was gone, Tipper and Ren had finished their breakfast, and Brock began to feel better.

Meg approached their table.
“
Brock, are you able to eat anything yet?
”
she asked.

“
Maybe a biscuit?
”
he replied.

Meg nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a warm biscuit.

Tipper sighed.
“
I feel a bit better after eating. I should be ready to go soon.
”

Brock swallowed and responded,
“
Yeah. We should leave soon, but we need to restock before we hit the road.
”

Ren turned toward Brock.
“
Thank you guys for toasting to Hank with me last night. I know you have your own path to follow, but if you
’
re ever back in these parts, will you look me up? Hank and I have a house
…
well, now I guess I have a house in Port Choya.
”

Tipper responded,
“
Ren, thanks for sharing your room with me last night. When we
’
re in Port Choya, we
’
ll be sure to look you up. We may even buy you some ale.
”
He smiled.

Brock groaned,
“
Please, no more ale.
”

Meg returned to the table.
“
Can I get anything else for you boys?
”
she asked as her eyes swept over them, landing on Brock.

His eyes locked onto hers and he responded,
“
Meg. Can we buy some trail rations from you before we go?
”

She nodded.
“
Sure, Brock. Come into the kitchen, and we can figure it out.
”

Brock stood and followed Meg. As soon as they stepped through the door, she pinned him against the wall and gave him a deep kiss. When she pulled away, he stared at her, drinking in the sight of this wonderful girl.

The sound of someone clearing her throat broke him from his trance. He turned to find an old woman shaking her head as she set a pan of biscuits on the counter.

“
Sorry, Ferdie. This is Brock,
”
Meg said.

“
Nice to meet you Ferdie,
”
Brock said, smoothing his shirt.
“
I must say that the food you serve here is delightful.
”

That earned him a snort from the cook, but he also spotted a small smile before she turned to flip some sizzling eggs.

Meg pulled him through the kitchen until they were both outside behind the inn.

“
I know you have to leave, Brock. I see the mark you have. I
’
m sure you
’
re off to Fallbrandt.
”

She was right. He didn
’
t know what to say. Apparently, his silence was enough.

“
Yes. That
’
s what I thought,
”
Meg said, glancing at her feet before looking into Brock
’
s eyes.
“
If you ever come this way again, stop by to say hello. Maybe we can pick up where we left off.
”

She smiled, reaching down to grab him. He jumped, not expecting it.

“
Ah. You could come with me maybe?
”
Brock asked, hopeful.

She became serious again.
“
No. My place is here. My path was set when I was born.
”
Her eyes searched his.
“
You
’
re special, Brock. I can feel it. You
’
re going to do great things. I cannot leave Fenrick
’
s Crossing. My fate is tied to this inn and this village. You can
’
t stay. Your fate awaits you in Fallbrandt. We just have to live with what might have been.
”
She kissed him again.
“
But, if you do return, and I
’
m still single, we
’
ll have some fun.
”

She stepped away.
“
Now, you must be heading east across the Maloram Desert. You two need some food and lots of water. Let
’
s get you set.
”

She opened the door and stepped into the inn. Brock hesitated for a moment, wishing things could be different. He took a deep breath, letting out a sigh as he followed her inside.

CHAPTER 18

It was mid-afternoon when they cleared the pass to get their first view of the land east of the Brimstone Mountains.

The barren sands of the Maloram Desert stretched for miles to the east and to the north. In the distance, far across the desert, was another mountain range. That
’
s where they were headed.

The most impressive landmark in view was to the south. A deep canyon, miles across, ran from the Brimstone Mountains to the distant Skyspike Mountains to the east. Various shades of tan and red rock lined the steep canyon walls. The Alitus River snaked its way through the canyon floor, far below the desert.

“
That must be Barrier Canyon,
”
Brock said, looking at the map in his hands.

“
That
’
s a lot of desert to cross. Those mountains look far away,
”
Tipper replied as he capped his water skin.
“
I just wish it wasn
’
t so blasted hot.
”

Brock rolled the map and slid it into his pack.
“
Let
’
s keep moving. We have to find a shady place to rest near the desert floor until nightfall.
”

They trudged on down the east side of the mountain, seeing scattered weeds and cacti as the only signs of life. There were no other travelers in sight. In fact, they hadn
’
t seen anyone since the ferry landing on the river at Fenrick
’
s Crossing.

After two hours of steady descent, the land began to level. They found shade on the east side of an outcropping of rocks, just north of the road.

Brock pulled out the food they had gotten from Meg. It made him think of her again. He wished he were back in her bed with Meg lying beside him.
Is this what it
’
s like to be in love?
Filled with excitement and passion when together, heartache and longing when apart?
He didn
’
t know what it was, but he knew it hurt.

They ate in quiet, their bodies sore and tired from the hot trek over the mountain pass. After eating, they both relaxed in the shade and stared up at the scattered clouds slowly floating by. It was a peaceful scene, not even the wind making noise. Finally, Tipper broke the silence.

“
Brock, how do you feel?
”
he asked.

Brock shrugged.
“
Hot and tired, I guess.
”

Tipper shook his head.
“
No. I mean
…
I
’
ve never seen you with a girl before.
”

“
Oh, that.
”
He thought about Meg. He had tried to focus on other things during the day, but she kept popping back into his head.
“
I don
’
t know. I keep thinking about her. I know I just met her last night, but I miss her anyway.
”
He thought about it, reflecting on how he felt.
“
Or maybe
…
I miss the idea of her. Regardless, now I know how it feels to connect with a girl. To be close. To feel her warmth. To share something.
”
He was quiet for a moment.
“
What I
can
tell you is that I really liked it. I could go for more of that.
”

Tipper laughed and nudged him in the ribs.
“
Now you know what I
’
ve been telling you about. You
’
ve just gotta be confident and go for it. If the girl isn
’
t interested, she
’
ll let you know and you can move on.
”

“
Yeah. I guess you
’
re right, Tip,
”
Brock replied.
“
Maybe there
’
ll be some pretty girls in Fallbrandt, just waiting for two jokers like us.
”

They laughed.

After mentioning Fallbrandt, Brock decided to check on their progress. He sat up and spread the map on the dry ground before him. Tipper leaned close for a look.

Brock put his finger where the Brimstone Mountains met the Maloram Desert, just north of Barrier Canyon.
“
We
’
re here. It took three days to get this far, but riding in the wagon likely saved another day.
”

His finger then ran along the map, tracing the route they were to follow.

“
I guess it
’
ll take two or three days to get to Sarville.
”
Brock pointed at a city in the heart of the Skyspike Mountains.
“
From Sarville, we continue north through the mountains until we get to Fallbrandt. That looks like another two or three days.
”