Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (hardest books to read txt) 📕

to her feet, then wrapped her in a tight hug. “Everything is going to be alright.”

The light of day was completely faded when we started our walk back to camp, but the lack of light was a non-issue: Lia could see well enough in the dark, and my Detection clearly highlighted the path before us. I felt completely at ease as we walked, hand in hand, through the darkness. I should have told her how I felt weeks ago.

“Lia,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence between us, “how are you feeling? After what happened last night, I mean.”

There was a long pause before her answer came. “I’m okay.”

I twirled my thumb gently around hers. “You don’t have to be okay. I know you said you wanted to be strong, but it’s obviously understandable if you’re still feeling...off.”

“I know. I kept seeing his face in my sleep last night, or when my mind would wander during our ride today. All I want to do is tell him to run away, or to throw away his weapon. At first it made me feel angry that he made me kill him, and sick because of what I did.” She spoke with a slow, somber voice as she recalled the incident again. “Now I just feel sad. I know that he wanted to hurt me, and that he wanted to hurt you. If I hadn’t fought back, he probably would have killed me. I understand all that, and I know that I’m okay, but it still makes me sad.”

I shifted my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as we continued on through the field. “That’s a good thing, you know. It means that you’re a kind, compassionate person. The more times you find yourself in that situation, the less it will bother you, but it should never feel...good.” I gave her a squeeze. “If that does end up happening, I want you to tell me, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed as she leaned her head against my shoulder. We were only a few minutes from camp, though I still couldn’t see it without Detection magic; our plan of laying low and not drawing attention meant that we would be eating a dark, cold supper without a fire. I sighed at the thought and scratched my stomach absentmindedly as thoughts of hot soup and roasted game taunted me. Just before we reached earshot of camp, Lia stopped. “I love you, Lux.” Her voice was timid and small, as if she were telling me a secret.

I realized then that it was the first time she had spoken the words to me, despite our mutual understanding of the feeling. With a warm smile, I turned to face her. “I love you too, Lia.”

A large grin spread across her face as she giggled to herself. She pulled down on my arm and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good!” she laughed with her usual upbeat energy. With that, she turned and ran into camp without looking back. I quietly reflected on how lucky I was to have met her as I entered the campsite a few moments later.

“I trust you were cautious in your training?” Val questioned me as soon as I came into view. “Or, at the very least, you went far enough away that you would not draw attention to our actual location?”

“Of course,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “I told you we’d be quiet, and we were quiet.”

“Mmhmm,” she replied as she tore into a strip of jerky.

I sat heavily on the ground across from her. “I know you may not be happy with me, Val, but this is not the appropriate way to handle it,” I mocked, throwing her words back at her. “I may not agree with you, but I’m not stupid. If the camp is discovered tonight, it won’t be because of us.” Digging through the pouch at my hip, I retrieved a similar strip of dried meat and took a bite.

Lia returned with a small loaf of bread and a scowl on her face. She sat down beside me and ripped off a tiny piece of bread, glaring at me while she handed it over. I let out a loud sigh as I rolled my neck in a slow circle. “I’m...sorry, for being difficult with you, Val. I’m worried about what we’ll find at the wall tomorrow, is all.” I stretched my arms over my head and tried to produce a convincing yawn. “I guess I’m pretty tired, too. I’ll have to turn in soon to have any chance of waking up for watch duty.”

Seemingly pleased with my apology, Lia tore the loaf in half and handed me the rest of my half. “Sorry if we worried you, Val,” she said apologetically. I shared a bit of my jerky with Lia, and we all ate quietly around the dark campsite.

Val’s face was as inscrutable as ever while she finished her small meal. “I understand. I must admit, I also have my concerns about the situation in Attetsia. If my demeanor has been off putting, or contributed to your anxiety during our journey today, I would like to apologize.”

Lia and I turned to each other with matching looks of bewilderment. “Uhm, no, that wasn’t…” I trailed off. “I didn’t notice, honestly.”

“Oh.” Val flicked her eyebrows up in surprise. “That is good, then.”

We sat in what felt like everlasting silence until Lia let out a miraculous yawn. “I think it’s about time I went to bed,” she said with a stretch.

“I’ll join you,” I replied quickly. Hopping to my feet, I gave Val an awkward half bow. “Wake me when your watch is done.” She gave me a curt nod in response.

“Goodnight Val!” Lia called out over her shoulder as we made our way to the back of the wagon. I climbed in and started the process of setting out our sleeping mats while Lia removed her gear. When our tasks were complete, I sat down to take