Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 116: Gus's Gift

Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: Gus's Gift

True to Ella's word, the rest of the day was spent lazily.

Ella and Amelia remained busy poring over the map, Gus was teaching Vrael how to fletch arrows and explaining where to find clean feathers, and Sinmir was relaxing against the wall with his arms behind his head. Xaphile tried to fall back asleep and drifted in and out. 

His body, however, had other plans.

His hot flashes grew worse near lunch time, and eating did nothing to help. When he lay back down, he was so sensitive that he could barely stand lying on the furs. It was driving him completely nuts. Shivering and flushed-faced, he remained sprawled out on his stomach.

Breathing slowly to keep himself as still as he possibly could, he tried to wait out whatever had come over him. 

The sky was turning red by the time Ella and Amelia finished making their travel plans and put the map away. A few minutes before that, Vrael had gone to take a final dip in the hot springs, so Gus was busying himself with a bundle of odd leather over in the corner, and since Sinmir was snoring against the wall, there was a strange amount of silence.

"I guess I'll get supper ready," Amelia sighed, fiddling with one of her pigtails before she looked around the domed room. "I find it hard to fathom that we'll really be leaving here tomorrow."

"Agreed," Ella murmured, tiredly settling back onto her cushion. "We've been here for quite a long time, but I can't say that it was time wasted. In fact, I think it was very well spent."

"How do you figure?" Gus grunted, not looking up from what he was doing. "All we've done is sit here and twiddle our thumbs while one catastrophe after another befell us."

Ella shook her head and said, "no, our stay here drew us all much closer together, Gus. And I think such a thing was a benefit that all of us truly needed." 

He scowled, but said nothing to protest her claim. Right around that moment, the door opened and Vordt stomped into the room with a big basket of food in his hands. Everyone but Xaphile turned to stare at him in surprise when he looked around, catlike eyes narrowing.

"You're not cooking. Good," he muttered, then hefted the extra supplies he was carrying. "I'll be blunt: I'm not as good of a cook as some of the others among my clan, but I wish to try my hand at making a meal for all of us tonight."

Ella gawked at him in disbelief and scoffed, "and why do you want to cook for us?!"

His lips pursed as if he'd just swallowed something sour. 

"The queen suggested that making a meal and eating it together," he grunted, glancing at Xaphile out of the corner of his eyes, "would break down barriers and make things slightly less tense between all of us. Which doesn't seem like a bad thing."

"I don't mind," Amelia instantly chirped, raising her hands. "As you all know, I hate cooking."

"Good," Vordt grumbled, slinking over to the fireplace and sitting down on one of the cushions. "I'll begin now."

Silence filled the air when he threw some of his ingredients into the cooking pot.

"Phil," Gus muttered, finally getting to his feet. "Could you stand up for a moment?"

Xaphile said nothing: he could plainly hear Gus, but he really didn't want to move. The mere concept of doing so sent shivers running through him since he couldn't stand the thought of being touched by anything or anyone, even the damn floor he was lying on.