by Juliet Lili
Where was, this urge coming from?
“I’m going to sleep” Nara muttered, taking a step back and dodging around him.
“Our ears are our weakness” his deep voice made her freeze on the stairs. Nara tried not look curious when she faced him. Her ear cocked in anticipation. “If you cut them, we are easy to kill. Sleep tight” Calemir finished.
Nara resumed her walk, feeling his gaze the whole time until she disappeared down the hall. Why reveal his kind’s weakness to her after he indirectly confirmed she didn’t trust his kind, feared them and was armed to protect herself if the worse situation arose?
Still, it wasn’t until much later she realized that he was enjoying her.
“Bastard” she hissed in the dark.
***
Nara was standing at dining hall window, looking over the wet field. It was a good thing the house was on a hill, or they would have had water inside. Fortunate, the rest of the houses below the hill were stilt houses, and the water wasn’t very high to flood.
“You should see the town once the water dries” he spoke.
Nara glanced over her shoulder.
Calemir stood a few feet away from her. In clean clothes, blonde hair dry, he was less intimidating in the late morning light. The warm beams created a sort of crown over his head.
“That was the plan before it rained.” She replied.
“The rain is the norm here, I’ll advice you to get used to it very quickly.”
Nara scowled, rising a chuckle from him. His chuckle was neither too deep nor too light but smooth and pleasant to hear. She turned her head back to the window, and her eyes narrowed at the mountains. “There is smoke rising from the mountains.” There was so much smoke, it was alarming.
He drew closer, standing close beside her. Nara tensed and eyed him. Why was he standing so close? He was practically invading her personal space, but he didn’t look like he noticed or cared as his peered at the mountains and calmly said. “It is nothing to worry about.”
“Are you certain? It could be fire outbreak” she said with concern, focusing on the object of their talk. Although how could there be a forest fire when it had just rain, and the warmth had started returning.
“Perhaps, the rain must have disturbed the dragons.”
She stared at him, mouth parted. “Dragons?”
Calemir smiled, liking her innocent reaction. “Uruloki means dragon. It was once a land inhabited by dragons, but now they live in the mountains.”
“Oh.” The amazed expression was still on her face. It must be the reason the air here had a tint scent of smoke. “Do you not fear them?”
“No, I don’t,” he replied most confidently. Nara wondered how having a giant winged creature that breathed fire, that could burn cities to ash and in soar the skies not be terrifying.
“The old ones were feral, but their descendants are gentle.” He folded his arms on his chest.
“Are you lying to me?” she asked, her eyebrows quirking suspiciously.
“Why would I?” he stared at her.
“Because you lied to me yesterday about your ears being your weakness” she retorted, her eyes going to his pointy ears for emphasis.
“You actually believed it” Calemir smirked. Nara’s face heated from embarrassment. He thought her a fool.
“I speak the truth, they are not gentle as lambs, but one could ride them before they kill you that is.” He said so casually as if it was a simple matter.
Huh, Nara had doubts but decided to reserve them.
Calemir shifted his gaze to the mountains and said, “I had gone patrolling the days I had been gone.”
Nara lifted her eyes to his face, looking at his strong jaw twitching.
“There had been problems at the border near the mountains that had to be dealt with.”
Seeing he decided to share with her she went on to ask. “What problems?”
“Attacks from nuisances” he spat.
“Was it the cursed spirits?” she asked, recalling the nasty creatures she had encountered.
Calemir shook his head. “they are dhaeraow…rebels who don’t see eye to eye with the throne” his voice was detached when he spoke this.
“And dhaeraow are they elves?” an intuitive warning settled in her bones.
He nodded. Her stomach knotted with apprehension. She would have to be extra careful whenever she goes out.
“The attacks are frequent, have been for long and they have never gotten out of hand. The rebels have never reached this part of town” He said as if he had heard her thoughts and was somehow reassuring her, possibly not in the best way.
****
Chapter Thirty-Two
Calemir was around the following day. Nara had eaten breakfast with him before he left to check on the horses in the stable. The fields were still wet, they barred her from going sightseeing once again. Nara decided to hang in the kitchen with Izza, but this time she watched the elf cook and not interfered.
“I want to learn your language,” she said, sitting on the stool as she watched Izza stir the stew on the fire. “Teach me please.”
Izza stopped stirring, turned and looked at her, a little confused and very intrigued. “Why know it?”
She shrugged. “I live here now, it’s best I try to understand what your kind say.” She was willing to try to learn something of their culture, and language was the best first step she thought. She bet not a lot of the elves spoke Nyr and they wouldn’t start to learn just to accommodate her. She was in their lands, and if she was to live here for a long time, she should at least know the language to start understanding the elves and make her stay less hard and more comfortable.
“As I am to live here, it’s best of me to learn your ways” she replied. Izza stared at her intently before saying gently, “My Nyr is not very good it will be hard to interpret and translate elvish words for you to understand better before learning the tongue your highness, perhaps the prince can teach you.”
Nara scraped her teeth on her bottom lip. “He is too busy, he won’t be able to do it, but you and I are always here.” Nara wasn’t going to tell on Calemir. Izza needed not to know she had approached him first and he hadn’t helped her. She wasn’t going to blame him, she understood better than most his duties were his top priority.
“I will do my best” Izza nodded after a moment of deliberation.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Chapter Thirty-three
“Where are you going?” she asked, eyeing him.
“To hunt,” Calemir said, strapping the quiver over his chest. He lifted his head, eyes fastening on her face. He studied the black strands which managed to escape the coffins of her plaited long braid and fell on her temples. He had not seen her let her hair loose since the evening in Vessener, she has had it braided or tied ever since that day. Her clothes were also the same, long tunic and trousers dyed in Forod vibrant colors. He mused if she hated any other form of clothes that wasn’t some tunic and pants. His eyes lingered on the hair again, marveling how black it was like raven wings then moved to her hazelnut eyes that stared him back with little fear and challenge. She braved up before him even when he felt his gaze was beginning to unsettle her. He was tempted to let her curious eyes see everything that lurked beneath his green ones, deep down into the core. He would pour everything into her… the good, the bad, she would feel it, be consumed by it, driven insane until she became terrified down to the depth of her soul to be near him. Then, she might learn to have a hard skin and not easily be susceptible to emotions and tempt him.
He hated her for making him a mess of contradictions.
Indistinct voices coming from the entrance hall had his thoughts halting.
“Hunt what?” Nara asked.
“Hunt game” he replied before twisting his body half way to see Finn.
“Are you ready?” Finn asked him in elvish as he halted a foot away from him and Nara.
“Yes, where is Leena?” asked
Calemir, rolling one wrist then the other before dropping his hands to his side.
“She will meet us at butterfly tree” Finn replied in elvish, his eyes going to Nara. His lips curled up and switched to Nyr. “I haven’t seen you in a while, hope you are well.”
Nara nodded and said in elvish, “I am great and what about you?”
Finn’s smirk spread into a full smile, eyes twinkling as he rested his hand on the butt of his sword hanging on hips. “Do you speak Elvish??”
“I’m learning” his wife answered back in Nyr.
Finn nodded slowly. Calemir had discovered Izza was teaching her elvish two days ago when he had heard and found both the women in the dining room speaking. He thought it was a right choice for the servant to teach her instead of him since he wasn’t around the house very much. She was learning alright. Still, much work was needed with her pronunciation.
“May I join you?” her eyes bored into his, holding her breath. She kept her expression neutral, but Calemir could see past it, her anticipation and fear of him rejecting. She begged with those brown eyes to let her go with him or another day inside the house was going to tear her.
“Have you ever hunted before?” he asked seriously, ignoring Finn’s gaze on him. Calemir was sure to find questions in his friend’s eyes if he turned to him. Was he seriously considering her to join them?
“I have” her reply was confident. Calemir searched her eyes for lies, and he got none. The girl must have hunted here and there, but they weren’t just going to hunt rabbits to skew later as they sat around a friendly fire. Besides, he wanted to see if she really had skills and the dagger she carried wasn’t only for show.
“Fine. Go choose your weapon. You have one minute” Calemir said finally. His reply was met with a wide smile. He couldn’t help feeling a little proud of himself for putting that beautiful smile on her face.
“Thank you,” Nara said before twisting on her heels and racing to the weaponry room.
“Don’t worry, I have my eyes on her” Calemir beat Finn to it before he voiced his concern. Finn walked beside him as he went to get his horse. Shortly after, Nara barged in the stables, breathing heavily.
That was quite fast, Calemir mused, his gaze drifting to the quiver in her hand and bow.
“I am ready” Nara panted.
“Saddle up” Calemir mounted his horse. Nara strapped the quiver unto her chest, holding the bow tightly she swung on the horse. Finn followed suit, and soon they were racing down the hill to the middle of the town.
Nara’s eyes wandered briefly over the stilted houses with flowers winding around their stairs windows and rooves. They carried a charm to them, looking cozy and warm just from the exterior.
Apparently, they weren’t the only ones going for a hunt, elves some on foot and others on horses carried spears, bows and swords and huddled into various teams. Their eyes raised to her entourage as she rode in the middle between her husband and Finn. Calemir titled his head toward them as they rode past them. They continued farther, leaving houses in their rear. Nara’s eyes twinkled when she noted the blue tree several feet in front of them. Beside it, lady Leena posed, seated on her ride. Nara stared with amazement when they drew near it. From the highest branch to its roots meeting the ground, it was covered by large blue moths, their wings fluttering and glowing.
“We ride north” Calemir’s instructed after greeting Leena. Leena glanced over at Nara, their eyes meeting briefly and then pulled the reins, maneuvering her horse.
Calemir broke from her side and rode ahead of them. They galloped away from the town, through the long green grass and into the woodlands. A cool breeze whispered over Nara’s face, causing her skin to break with goosebumps. They rode stealthily, ears and eyes sharp to their surroundings. Nara was going to ask what they are hunting when a thick bush not more than three paces away from her rustled. She turned her head toward it, her fingers gripping around the curve of her bow. She withdrew an arrow and strung it when the bush shook and rustled again. A very large white hare sprung forth from the bush. She shot, the arrow flew toward the furry creature and missed it by few inches. Terrified, the creature hopped away quickly and disappeared into the woods.
That would have made a good stew, Nara thought ruefully. She dismounted and picked up the arrow the ground. She didn’t know the three elves were watching her until she saddled back up.
“What, you don’t hunt rabbits?” she asked when they stared at her.
“No, we don’t eat such vermin” Leena replied and made a face. “They taste terrible.”
Nara huffed with surprise. “Impossible” How could a rabbit taste awful.
“Humans eat the weirdest things” Finn added, his shoulders shuddering.
Nara lifted her chin, affronted a little with his comment. “Actually, it tastes fantastic when cooked well with spices.”
Finn shuddered again, imagining what she just said. Nara turned to the prince, finding the same look of unpleasantness on his face.
Nara shook her head with disbelief.
The party resumed the search. The air grew quieter, as they delved deeper into the woods. They continued with the same stealthy pace. Other rabbits, squirrels popped up at a point, but she restrained herself from shooting them in consideration of their eating choices. At another point, weird little creatures with scaly red skin, big eyes and pointy horns scurried past them. Even a hog barreled behind a fallen tree and Leena just chased it away.
Nara was beginning to wonder in frustration what exactly they were hunting when Calemir spoke low. “Halt.”
Including himself, Nara, Leena and Finn stopped. There, not more than twenty paces in the clearing, two large mammals grazed. The two wild creatures were big and large as a stag if not more, yet had no fur but their tight gray skin against thick muscles had violet stripes that run across their faces to their backs, shoulders and ribs. The structure of their faces broad and angular, boring long majestic antlers shaped like uneven spades.
“What are they?” Nara whispered.
“Ireklus” Calemir replied.
“Are those our target?” she asked again, feeling her heart picking up and nerves twisting her gut.
“Yes,” Calemir took an arrow from his quiver and cocked it on his bow. “We do this fast. Be careful.” He said the last two words in elvish and sent her a warning look over his shoulder then looked back forward.
“Now!” Calemir shouted, digging his heels and galloping toward the two beasts while firing on one arrow after another in their direction. The two ireklus reared back when some of the arrows sank into their skin. Lifting their heads, the two creatures gnarled loudly and charged. Drawing her bow, Nara shot fiercely toward them. Her fingers never slowing, reached for one arrow after another from the quiver on her hip, cocking it on the string then releasing to find its target. Nara found herself with Calemir shooting at one of the beasts as the other one kept Leena and Finn busy. The animals cleverly divided them to the opposite sides of the woods.
“Why isn’t it dying?” Nara yelled over the fierce grunts of the beast. They had shot it multiple times, arrows protruding forth from various places of its body, its blood pouring from wounds her arrows and Calemir’s had inflicted yet the beast was still standing, looking much alive and very angry.
“It has two hearts,” Calemir shouted as he dodged the beast’s attack. “Aim for its neck middle of his chest, it is where the hearts lie.”
What?? Nara licked her drying lips. She reigned her horse to a sharp halt. As the beast focused on Calemir, Nara aimed steadily at the soft spot between its chest. She waited for the creature to turn then shot two arrows together. The creature grunted and whined as the sharp points sank into its flesh and pierced its hearts. The ireklus collapsed to the ground.
Her eyes locked unto his for a short, intense moment. Everything else faded as they shared a look. Calemir’s lips curved into a proud smile, “Good aim.” Nara smiled back.
One beast dead, it was easy for
the team to bring down the other one. It was Leena who snuffed the life out of the last beast.
“Lucky bastards aren’t we” Finn grinned as he stared at the two creatures they had dragged back to the clearing, “How are we going to eat all this meat?” Finn helped Leena wrap a rope around their kill and onto one of the coarse pallets they just assembled from using the thick branches.
Nara looked at the dead ireklus. One kill was more than enough for the four them, it could feed them for several weeks.
“We will share one with some people in the town” Calemir suggested.
Whilst they discussed, Nara worked quietly in securing the rope from the pallet to her horse.
“Now this is the most delicious meat” Calemir muttered quietly beside her as he knotted the end of his rope to the horse harness.
“My mouth will be the judge of that once I eat it” Nara replied in a little sassy kind of way.
“I guarantee it,” Calemir said confidently.
“Yeah, and what if I distaste it?” she asked, turning to him.
“You won’t” his look was smug. “, and you won’t lie that you hate when you love it later.”
“We’ll see” Nara quipped and mounted her horse.
Chapter Thirty-four
“So?” Calemir watched her intently across over the other side of the table. Nara lifted her head from the tender roasted meat on the plate placed in front of her to his face.
“I didn’t know you were that eager for me to eat this” she teased lightly. It had been two days since they had hunted the ireklus and it was her first time eating it. Izza had taken almost all day to cook it. Nara silently mused if he had instructed her to cook it to perfection. He wouldn’t go out of his way for just her impression, would he? Her husband didn’t appear to be the kind of guy to seek approval. The way he carried himself was a strong fortress of his own…impenetrable nothing could slip in that he didn’t want to.
