He abruptly stood up and sheathed his sword.
I should leave. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll leave right now.
But he found himself walking down the shoreline towards her instead.
Turn around!
But he didn’t want to turn around. He wanted to kiss her, and the impulse was stronger than any impulse he’d ever had in his life before.
She’ll scream when she sees me and cover herself. That’ll put an end to this strange hold she has over me, he thought as he waded into the river.
She ducked down into the water as she prepared to swim. When she turned to face him, his pulse raced as his eyes caught hers.
He watched the lightly defined muscles in her arms tense as she swam towards him, and his heart pounded like the beat of a thousand drums as she came closer. ‘The water’s great. You’ll love it.’ She smiled as she swam past him, and then waded out towards the shore.
His mouth dropped open in surprise. Where was the shyness, the quickly covering herself from his violating stare? He spun around to watch her as she wrapped a blanket around herself and began to dry her hair on another, not even blushing.
‘What kind of crazy woman are you?’ The words escaped before he could call them back.
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Y-you’re naked!’ He gestured at her blanket, which kind of disproved his point.
She glanced down with a puzzled expression on her heart-shaped face. ‘You think a blanket makes me naked?’
‘No, but under it you are. You were naked in here!’ he cried, trying to make his point.
‘Yeah, that happens when I have a wash.’ She frowned at him.
‘But, but I’m staring at you! You can’t be naked when I’m watching you.’ He waded through the water, planning to put some clothes on her himself or do something drastic. Maybe pin her to something and kiss her until she understood the danger she was in by wandering around buck naked in front of him. Yes, kissing her and pressing against her, that would show her.
‘Well, don’t watch me then. You probably do it too much anyway…’ she trailed off as she turned to face him. There was a tremble in her voice as he neared her. At least she wasn’t completely immune to his presence.
He stepped closer to her, his chest heaving as he fought the urge to pin her up against the tree she was standing beside. ‘You stare at me too,’ he muttered, gazing at her pouty pink lips, wanting to cover them with his own in a scalding kiss.
‘I know. I think it’s some kind of crazy enchantment. Surely, it’ll wear off though. It can’t last forever, right?’ Her breath came out in short, sharp bursts, blasting against his bare chest and heating up his skin.
‘It shouldn’t be happening at all.’ He rested his hand against the tree behind her, unconsciously leaning over her to get closer to her.
What are you doing? She’s a human!
‘Why not?’ Her lips were so close. All he had to do was lean a little closer and haul her into his arms. She wanted him to. He was sure of it.
‘Because you’re human. You’re beneath me,’ he muttered it without thinking.
She pushed him back with a murderous look in her eyes. ‘What did you just say?’
‘Um, I mean. You know, humans aren’t er…’ He trailed off.
Narrowing her eyes, she tightened the blanket around her and picked up her shorts. ‘Humans aren’t what?’ There was growl in her voice.
‘They’re, well… lower beings.’ It sounded okay in his head. But when it came out of his mouth, it sounded awful.
She angrily pulled on her shorts beneath her blanket. Then she tugged her bustier over her head and let the blanket fall before tightening the laces on her bodice. Next, she pulled on her boots, quickly lacing them before plucking her belt up off the ground. ‘There you go.’ She turned to him. ‘The dirty human is dressed now to protect your virgin elven eyes.’
He scanned her body. The leather didn’t cover much, and all that getting dressed had done to cool his ardour was inspire the idea of ripping the clothes back off her. ‘That didn’t help, and I didn’t mean you were dirty. It’s just a saying, like do bears defecate in the woods.’
He winced as out of the corner of his eye, he saw Malian’s bear Tagra glaring at him from behind a nearby tree.
With both Malian and her bear now glaring at him, he felt outnumbered, so instead of apologising as his honour dictated he should, he got angry instead. ‘And I’m not a virgin.’
‘Oh really?’ She offered him a mocking smile. ‘Why is it that I can’t see your charms working on a snobby elf girl or a dirty human?’
Incensed by her mockery, which admittedly was true, he pushed her up against the tree trunk, pinning her to it with his body. He glared down at her, little sparks of desire heating up his skin, and fire churning in his belly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss her or kill her, but he wanted to do something to her that would make her take back those words. ‘I’ll show you how charming I can be.’ He lowered his head, covering her parted lips with his in a deep kiss.
Her body relaxed against him, and a small moan escaped from her when he darted his tongue into her mouth and cupped the back of her head, drawing her closer and hauling her into his arms.
Lost in the intoxication of finally touching her, frenzied emotions rolled through his body as he became lost in the enchantment of kissing Malian.
‘What the hell are you two doing?’ A voice rang out through the trees, and it sounded close by.
Caelan pulled back for a moment, frowning. Then he shook his head, leaning back over Malian, intending to continue kissing her. She was like a drug, and he was addicted. Nothing was going to stop him now.
She pushed him back. ‘Stop it. What are you doing? That was Binks.’
‘So what?’ he muttered before capturing her lips again.
She shoved him away again.
‘Why are we stopping?’
‘Because he’s my guardian, and because you don’t deserve kisses.’
He swallowed his disappointment as he stepped back, trying to ignore the yearning feeling in his chest. He knew it was his human side that made him impulsive, made him forget his honour. After taking a deep breath, he turned away from her. ‘Fine, it was a bad idea anyway. You’re not right for me.’ He clenched his hands into fists.
‘Yes, god forbid you get some dirty human in your mouth.’ He heard her say.
He turned to watch her walk away from him, winding through the trees towards the voice that had interrupted them.
He sighed. He’d never called her a dirty human. He wasn’t sure what she was, but there was something special about her.
It’s better for both of us if she thinks I hate her.
Determined not to give into his wanton desires again, he decided to let her keep thinking that he didn’t approve of her. If she hated him, she wouldn’t be interested in kissing him again.
After a few seconds of calming his racing pulse, he hurried after her to find out what the gnome was screaming about this time.
They were talking near the campfire by the time he caught up to them.
‘What’s going on?’ he asked.
The gnome turned to look at him. ‘We need to get going. We need to get to Ilsador before nightfall unless you want to be sabre-toothed boar bait.’
8
HUNTED
As Tagra bounded through Dorlendell Forest with the group riding on her back, Malian’s pulse raced. They were heading for the outskirts of the forest amidst the howls of creatures awaking around them as the sun began to set and the skies began to darken.
Squashed between Caelan and Binks on the giant bear, Malian couldn’t help being aware of Caelan’s chest pressing against her bare back as he held onto her while Tagra jolted beneath them.
Facing ahead, she tried to ignore the uncomfortable feelings that were raging inside her. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Caelan, but she couldn’t forgive his prejudice.
She exhaled a sigh. This quest was going to be a nightmare. It was insane that they were even out here. Everything was based on a lie. Caelan thought they were on a quest to save a damsel. Binks thought they were on the run, protecting his adopted daughter from an army of angry elves. But Malian knew that she was just a normal human in a magical world. In her heart, she knew that there was nowhere to run to. There wasn’t a safe place for the homeless. There wasn’t a magical cure to just being human.
She clenched her jaw and straightened her spine.
I’ve survived so far. Maybe that’s the secret power of being human. We endure. We survive.
Her determination faltered when a deep growl echoed through the forest, the hollow sound reverberating through her bones. She hitched her breath and glanced over her shoulder. It sounded so close.
Coming face-to-face with Caelan, she froze. If her pulse hadn’t been racing at the creatures in the forest, it was now when she encountered his determined stare.
Trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence, and the overwhelming urge to stare at him, she averted her eyes to look behind him, scanning the woodland for creatures and the beast who was emitting such a frightful growl.
Everyone knew that Dorlendell Forest wasn’t safe at night. When the sun went down, the monsters came out. She gripped the hilt of the dagger at her hip when she saw green eyes glowing through the dark trees behind them.
She could feel Tagra panting beneath her, the fast run over such a large distance was clearly taking its toll on her. Reaching down, she patted the bear on the side. ‘It’s just a bit further, girl. Keep going.’
Tagra snorted in response, and Malian felt the giant beast tense up beneath her.
Glancing back again, this time her eyes only focusing on the dark shadows flitting through the trees around them, Malian reached into her saddlebag. She plucked her bow and an arrow out of the quiver in preparation for an attack.
She stared at the dark patch of forest where the green eyes had once glowed and tightened her grip on the arrow. They were gone.
‘What is it?’ Caelan peered over his shoulder frowning as he peered into the darkness.
‘I think it’s a pack of devil hounds.’ She nodded at the trees. ‘I saw their eyes.’
‘Oh hell no,’ Binks cried. ‘Those things are venomous!’ He gripped Tagra’s mane. ‘Move faster!’
The bear grunted in a manner that sounded like swearing to Malian before the majestic creature sped up and raced through the trees.
Malian scanned behind her, seeing Caelan draw his sword from his hip before he also turned on the back of the bear, preparing to fight whatever came at them.
Trying to ignore the sight of the bunched-up muscles in his bare back, she found her eyes drawn to the elven tattoo across the back of his left shoulder. It was the symbol of the warrior, four spirals joined together at the centre by the mark of Amoria.
She widened her eyes when the old dwarven sword glowed ice blue and the tattoo on the back of Caelan’s shoulder illuminated in the same colour on his skin at the same time.
What the hell?
Caelan glanced back over his shoulder with a glint of awe in his eyes. ‘This sword is awesome!’
Malian nodded numbly and offered him a weak smile as she watched his veins light up with an icy blue glow around his tattoo. ‘Er, yeah.’
She had no idea what the sword was or what it was doing to Caelan, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d lied to him, and she didn’t know exactly what kind of magical weapon he was holding in his hand. One thing was certain, it had something to do with Amoria if his glowing blue tattoo was anything to go by.
She’d read about Amoria a long time ago, but she still remembered some of the stories about him. He had been an ancient knight of the mages, one of those elven legends that everyone liked to tell stories about, so the actual history was overwhelmed by fiction.
Does that mean Caelan is connected to Amoria? Does it mean he likes mages…?
Shaking her head at where her thoughts were heading, she turned away and scanned the woodland as they raced through it. She couldn’t help but wonder how a half-human elf was sporting the ancient mark of Amoria. It was a cast of guardians, who hadn’t existed for millennia. They were warriors of myth and legend now, the protectors of the elemental mages.
He probably got the tattoo when he was drunk one night, and then I set off some kind of chain reaction by giving him the worst sword ever.
She stared intently out into the darkness trying to ignore this new situation amidst the immediate one in the forest. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, which was coming from the trees. Her ears caught the sounds of low growls surrounding them, which confirmed her suspicion that the devil hounds were out there surrounding them, waiting for the right time to attack.
A hiss echoed behind her, and she spun around to see a scaly green devil hound burst out from the trees. The creature had the face of a snarling wolf, but the body of a reptile. Its poisoned stinger swished in the air behind it like a tail, lashing around as it bounded towards them gnashing its green-tipped fangs.
Tagra yelped, and the sound of her paws pounding the ground drummed harder as she raced to avoid the creature.
Malian nocked the arrow onto her bowstring while it was pointing towards the ground. Then in one fluid movement, she raised her bow and drew back on the bowstring. While looking down the arrow, she focused on her target as she bounced up and down on Tagra’s back, her eyes never leaving the reptilian beast.
She exhaled as she released the arrow. It soared through the air before hitting the mark and plunging into the creature’s eye, stopping the beast in its tracks.
More devil hounds hurried from the cover of the trees, chasing the bear. Malian shot multiple arrows, felling many of them, but there were just too many.
A stinger neared her from the right, and she recoiled while trying to nock another arrow into her bow.
A glowing blue sword sliced through the tail, cutting off the stinger before it reached her, and she looked up to see Caelan smiling down at her.
She heard a gasp and glanced forward to see Binks staring past her at Caelan.
‘What thievery is this?’ the small wizard cried as he blatantly stared at Caelan’s sword.
‘What’s happening now?’ she heard Caelan ask behind her.
‘It’s nothing!’ Malian shot a warning glance at Binks.
‘It’s at least a bag of gold and your first born.’ Binks grumbled while pointing at the sword.
‘What is?’ Caelan asked.
Malian sighed. ‘Is this really the time for this?’ She glanced back and widened her eyes when she noticed the hoard of devil hounds getting closer to them. ‘We need to get out of here now!’ she cried, shooting off arrows in all directions as the large pack of venomous beasts threatened to overpower them.
Binks stood up on the bear before turning to face the pack of devil hounds. His eyes glowed electric blue as he narrowed them at the creatures. Electricity crackled through his fingers as he clenched his fists. ‘Stay down,’ he muttered.
Realising Binks’ intention, Malian turned and grabbed Caelan’s shoulders, using them to launch herself off Tagra’s back and swing around Caelan, so that she landed on his lap, straddling him, and pushed him down before laying on top of him.
She peered up to see Binks raise his arms, extending his fingers before he shot bolts of lightning out of them towards the creatures.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she watched the forest light up with streaks of blue lightning that crackled through the air, joining new strands as it linked from one to the other, creating a network of lightning that cooked the creatures from the inside.
Malian closed her eyes when she heard the sound of the squeals. Though deadly – and certainly better dead than killing her – she hated the sound of the hound’s death cries as they echoed through the night.
She felt Caelan’s arms tighten around her as he
pulled her against him, and she peered down in surprise, unable to contain a blush when she realised where she was situated. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the warmth of his large body pressed against her.
Upon hearing Tagra breathe a sigh of exhaustion beneath them, she pushed herself off Caelan and sat back on the bear, trying to ignore Caelan’s rather obvious pout. Then she looked up to find that Binks had resumed his position of facing forward, mounted on the bear. She glanced back at the smoking remains of the devil hounds before quickly averting her eyes and looking ahead instead, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Up ahead, the trees thinned out as they drew closer to the edge of the forest. She could see an open field beyond the borders of the forest, and down the side of it was a muddy path that led straight into Ilsador.
Her eyes widened as she stared at Ilsador in the distance. The ivory towers of the beautiful elven city peaked out above the rooftops. Even the walls of Ilsador looked as if they were made of pearl, the colours of them shifting in the moonlight.
We made it.
She breathed a sigh and stared at the beautiful capital city as Tagra padded across the field towards the cobbled road.
Malian had never been to the capital before, so the size of it—even at a distance—put her in awe. The twisting turrets of the pearly towers poked up above the high, pearlescent walls surrounding the city. The gates ahead towered ten feet above the ground, decorated with intricate designs engraved onto the shiny, metal surface.
Glancing back at the dark forest, she felt a shiver.
What if they don’t let us in? We won’t survive out here.
Her eyes met Caelan’s for a moment. Having the elf with them might be a blessing. Although, he didn’t look much like an elf.
His face was impassive as they arrived at the doors. He didn’t seem concerned. She wondered if he’d been here before.
‘Who goes there?’ a voice called out from behind the door.
‘Three weary travellers, looking for an inn to rest in for the night,’ Binks said.
A grate slid open in the left door of the gates, and a pair of sharp blue eyes peered out at them. The eyes widened. ‘Is that a bear?’
Lost Sorcery- Mage of Myths Page 5
