The Flame and the Arrow

by Emigh Cannaday

  Chapter 24

  the multiple definitions of what specifically constitutes lying

  When they got back to the camp, the only ones to greet them were the samodivi, the fairies, and Zaven.

  “Where is everyone else?” Nikola asked as he helped Annika down and set her on a blanket near the fire next to the sleeping wolves. She felt content to hide under his fur cloak and ram’s horns as long as she could; she was hoping that meant forever.

  “When we came back, Yuri and Konstantin and Vaj had already left to hunt,” Runa informed them, staring wide-eyed at his blood-soaked, one-sleeved shirt. “Then Talvi took Finn with him to go find you.”

  Nikola turned to Dardis and Chivanni.

  “Could you find them and let them know Annika is safe?”

  “But my omelet isn’t quite done. It just needs another minute or two for the cheese to melt properly,” Chivanni argued, holding a long-handled pan over the fire.

  “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry. I would go myself, but I’m sure you can travel faster than I can,” Nikola told him with a wink.

  “Well, yes, I probably can,” Chivanni agreed, and handed him the pan. “Nikola, why is there blood on your shirt?” he asked with concern, but Nikola pretended not to hear him.

  “Come on, slow poke,” Dardis chirped at her red-haired friend and flitted into the sky. Chivanni huffed at Nikola’s lack of response before disappearing into a tiny flash of orange in search of the elven brothers.

  “Why is there blood on your shirt?” Zaven asked after the fairies were long gone.

  “We ran into Vaj,” was all he said as he flipped the omelet onto a plate and set the pan aside. He cut it into small pieces and then handed it to Annika. “Here. Eat what you can and I’ll finish the rest. You need your strength.” He instructed, and then took a wool tunic out of his bag and changed in front of them, wiping the remaining droplets of blood from his chest with the saturated shirt. His deliberate avoidance of any details left the others confused and speechless.

  “Did you get hurt?” Hilda asked Annika, stepping over to her and kneeling beside her. Annika peeked from under the heavy hat and took it off slowly, setting it beside her. She felt ridiculous as she realized Nikola had been right about Hilda being more loyal to the art of healing than the art of casting a cold shoulder. She tilted her head to one side and revealed the crescent of four puncture wounds from the vampire’s fangs.

  “Oh good gods!” Hilda exclaimed in a voice that contained both fear and confusion. “But you’re walking and talking just fine. I thought you’d be in worse shape.” She examined the injury carefully, while Annika stuffed her mouth full of omelet to avoid having to say anything.

  “Where is Vaj?” Sariel asked.

  “He’s dead,” Nikola said as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. The girls gasped in shock, and Nikola turned to address the samodivi.

  “It’s not important, whatever was said out there,” he said in his perpetually calm voice. “You never should have left Annika alone, even at the very break of dawn. The vampires are weak right now. They are hungry and tired and that makes them even more dangerous. Keep in mind that the Dark Horse will probably be swarming with them, so it would do you good to reconcile. We won’t be defeating our enemy if we’re distracted by picking fights with one another over petty things.” He looked at every one of them until they all nodded, and they did indeed apologize to each other.

  Annika could tell by her steely stare that it drove Sariel mad, not knowing exactly what happened after she left or what was said, but she kept her mouth shut. Runa returned to her sweet self quickly enough, and after Annika passed her leftover omelet to Nikola, Hilda applied an ointment to her neck and back. Runa picked up Nikola’s helmet and tried it on.

  “Eww,” she whined, taking it off right away. “It’s all wet inside!”

  “Yes, well regardless, little samodiva, you do look very nice in it,” said Zaven, giving her a wink. After finishing the omelet in a few quick bites, Nikola yawned and curled up by the fire like an exhausted animal. Like a wolf. A few minutes went by and Sariel waved her hand in front of his face. He was out cold.

  “So what happened out there?” she asked Annika quietly. Zaven pretended to be busy preparing more to eat, but his curiosity was just as strong as Sariel’s.

  “Vaj tried to drown me in the hot spring,” Annika said, keeping it as simple as possible. “Then Nikola showed up and killed him.”

  “Yes, yes, but how did it happen? How did he kill a vampire by himself when he’s just a human?” Sariel asked. “I know he’s a druid, but still…how did he know where to find you?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it,” Annika muttered, thankful that she wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. The image of Vaj’s melting body was the stuff that nightmares were born of. She set the empty plate down and heard the hooves of two horses approaching. She squinted to see the centaur-like figures of Talvi and Finn bounding towards them in a blur of black and gold. They were followed overhead by two colorful orbs of light; one a fiery blaze and one a periwinkle star. Talvi jumped down from Ghassan and ran to Annika, examining her in his arms.

  “Are you alright, my little dove? Are you hurt? Oh gods, your neck!” He grimaced at the wound.

  “I’m okay, I’ll be fine. It’s a little sore, but other than that I’m okay,” she assured him, and he held her tight against his chest. She was so glad he was there, yet afraid of what he might see if he looked into her thoughts and saw her wanting Nikola to throw her down on the ground and take her like a beast.

  “I knew something was going to happen to you,” Talvi fretted, still hugging her close. “This is exactly why I told you not to leave my side. But I have you now, and that’s all that matters.”

  It wasn’t until the middle of the day that Konstantin and Yuri finally returned, just as Nikola was starting to wake up. As he gave the same bare-bones version of what happened out at the hot spring, the vampire didn’t seem too upset at the news that his companion was dead.

  “Thank you for saving me the trouble,” he nodded from underneath the hood of his cloak. “I was intending to kill him at some point.”

  “That’s what Madrook said,” Annika piped up. Konstantin was not the only one who gave her an odd look, as a few curious glances from around the fire all aimed in her direction.

  “Did he tell you this?” Konstantin asked with deep interest.

  “Who is Madrook?” asked Hilda. Annika looked at the red-eared wolf, and he lifted his head to look back at her, cocking his head to one side at hearing his name spoken aloud.

  “You’re speaking with animals now?” Talvi asked with interest. “What else have you neglected to tell me?” Annika looked away from him before he could delve deep into her mind, and he frowned slightly. He lifted her to her feet, and led her into the trees, out of earshot of the others.

  “Are you certain you aren’t in pain?” he asked as they walked away, looking at the blood-soaked cloth around her neck. “I can’t believe the samodivi left you alone when that fiend was out and about. And you never should have left me like that. You know I would have come with you; you only need ask.” He sounded very annoyed with her behavior. “Why did you sneak off in the first place?”

  “Honestly, we wanted to take a bath. We thought we’d be okay if there was a group of us,” Annika said with a guilty shrug. “But then we said some stupid things to each other and they got mad and left.”

  “What exactly did they say to you?” he asked. Annika pursed her lips, not knowing whether to tell him or not. She chose her words carefully.

  “Sariel said I made a fool of myself the night that Nikola was explaining this to me,” she said, touching the amulet gently. “And I basically told her she was full of shit.” Talvi snickered a little. He agreed with Sariel much more than he did with Annika.

  “If that’s what you said, it’s no wonder she left. This may come as a surprise to you my little dove, but Sa
riel is never wrong,” he said with a dry smile.

  “I noticed,” Annika said, grateful to see him smile. “I think she’s just jealous that Dragana gave it to me and not her. It’s really powerful.”

  “Perhaps. But Sariel doesn’t need it nearly as much as you. I think it’s quite a cold amulet to have.” It took Annika a moment to realize what Talvi was trying to say.

  “Do you mean cool?”

  “Right, that’s the word I meant.” He touched the tip of her nose affectionately with his finger, but a sadness lingered in his voice. “It’s a good thing that Nikola showed up when he did.” He sighed and looked down at his feet. He still seemed deeply troubled. She hadn’t looked him in the eye for longer than a few seconds; hopefully he didn’t know her secret. “I don’t know about him,” he went on. “I’ve never seen him until at the meeting, but he acts as though he knows me quite well. I can’t figure him out at all. His mind is impossible to read.”

  “What do you need to figure out? He’s obviously a good person. A little weird, maybe,” Annika said, and those icy blue eyes appeared again. Nikola’s breath on her bare skin. His hand sliding up her knees, prying her thighs apart. The animal urges were coming back, like an inevitable storm.

  “It makes me so angry that I wasn’t there; that I wasn’t the one to protect you. It’s my duty, not his,” Talvi said spitefully.

  “If you want to feel more manly, I’m sure there are other ways,” she said, reaching seductively towards his belt, but Talvi pulled her hands away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not in the mood,” he said in a sharp tone.

  “But you always are,” she insisted, feeling the burn that flickered at her insides.

  “Annika, you almost died tonight! In fact, your neck is still bleeding. Forgive me if I don’t feel romantic,” he snapped back at her. “I don’t know how you can even think about that right now!”

  Annika didn’t know what to say, and thus they sat in silence until the cold air drove them to return to the warmth of the fire. They rode back without saying a word to each other and lie down next to each other, not speaking. It was pointless to argue with such a stubborn creature as Talvi. Madrook slinked over to Annika and curled up beside her. She fell asleep petting his soft and thick winter coat, but Talvi lay awake, wondering…