The Spell Realm (The Sorcery Code #2)(23)

“Can I help?” Gala asked, approaching the woman. From her time at the inn, she knew how to cook, and she wanted to lend a hand if Liva allowed it.

Liva shot her a wary look. “If you want, child. Are you a sorceress, like this one here?” She jerked her chin toward Blaise.

“Something like that,” Gala murmured, starting to chop up mushrooms. “I’m not very good, though—”

“Not very good?” Esther snorted. “Right, sure.”

“I’m still learning,” Gala insisted, and Blaise frowned at Esther in warning, causing the old woman to fall silent. Blaise didn’t want these people to know about Gala’s unpredictable powers, Gala realized, and she was in agreement with that decision. Given what had happened before, she understood the importance of discretion now, and she was determined to do her best to fit in at this new place.

“So you gathered all these plants in the woods?” Maya asked, changing the subject, and the older women began discussing the best ways to find edible mushrooms. Listening to them, Gala worked quietly, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself.

Before long, the meal was ready.

They sat down to eat at a large wooden table. “Your house is quite large for the two of you,” Blaise remarked, noticing that the table had room for six people.

“It seems large now—” Liva smiled, “—but when our three sons lived with us, it was quite crowded. The boys have now grown up and married, living in houses of their own, so we have some extra room.”

“The food is wonderful,” Gala said as they began to eat. “I’ve never had anything so delicious before.” And it was true—even Esther’s stew paled in comparison to the rich, hearty mix of flavors she was tasting now.

“The food is fresher than what you would get back in the territories,” Liva explained. “The soil here has not been abused as much.”

“Plus she’s probably famished,” Esther muttered, shooting Gala a frosty look. Gala blinked, startled, and then she realized that she had inadvertently offended the woman who had fed her several times.

“Your stew was delightful too,” she reassured Esther, trying to make up for her blunder. “And you’re right—I’m very, very hungry.”

Esther’s expression thawed out. “I know, child. And the food here is pretty good, I must admit. Look, even Blaise is eating.”

Turning to look at her creator, Gala noticed that he was wolfing down the dishes with signs of obvious enjoyment.

When they were done, Gala felt comfortably full and relaxed. Before long, she began to get sleepy and was overcome by a yawn.

“You must all be tired from your journey,” Liva said. “I have two extra rooms.” She paused, looking at Blaise and Gala. “Perhaps the two of you can share one, and Maya and Esther can take the other?”

Blaise looked taken aback, but Gala liked that idea quite a bit. “Sure,” she said brightly. “I’d love to sleep with Blaise.” The idea of sleeping near her creator was very appealing to her.

Maya and Esther burst out laughing, and Blaise looked uncomfortable for some reason. Liva grinned. Gala frowned at them, unsure what she’d done wrong this time.

“Sure you would, child,” Maya said after a bit, wiping away tears of laughter. “If I were young like you, I would too.”

“Of course you would, you strumpet . . .” Esther looked like she would die from laughter.

“Strumpet?” Gala asked, her frown deepening—and then it hit her. In the books she’d read, sometimes ‘sleeping’ was used as a euphemism for sexual relations. They must’ve thought she wanted that with Blaise.

They weren’t necessarily wrong, but that wasn’t what she meant. She had a feeling, though, that if she tried to explain herself, she would just make things worse. One didn’t admit to wanting sex so bluntly, she knew that much, and she felt slightly embarrassed that she had inadvertently broken that societal taboo.

At that moment, Blaise stepped into the conversation. “That’s enough,” he said quietly, his serious tone cutting through the hilarity that reigned in the room. “Gala is tired, and we need to rest. Liva, thank you for your hospitality, and we’d love to take you up on your offer of the room.”

And with that, he followed Liva toward the back of the house, with Gala gratefully trailing in their wake, even as Maya and Esther resumed laughing at the kitchen table.

When they reached the room, Liva pointed out the bed—a straw-filled mattress on the floor—and quickly departed, stifling a smile.

Gala yawned again, feeling tired, and Blaise turned toward her. “Gala,” he said softly, reaching out to touch her cheek lightly with his fingers, “let’s go to sleep, all right?”

She nodded, her lids growing heavy. As intrigued as she was by the possibility of sex with Blaise, at the moment sleep was quite appealing too.

Blaise stepped away, taking off his shoes and outer tunic, then sat down on the bed. Gala followed his example, joining him there. Yawning, she lay down and saw Blaise stretch out beside her. In the last few moments before she was overcome by sleep, she felt him put his arm around her, drawing her closer . . . and then she slept, warm and content in his embrace.



*



When she woke up, Blaise was already gone. Entering the kitchen, Gala saw him sitting at the table, talking to Liva.