Unquiet Slumber

by Paulette Miller

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. Without a doubt, she knew he was telling her the truth. Somehow she knew he would forever race to her side if she was in need.

  After evening meal, Gabriel approached Nathaniel. “I’m proud of you for coming forward with your need for touch.”

  “I should’ve come forward sooner. It was irresponsible to keep something like this from my brothers. If I had been unable to get the energy I needed, I could have put our quest into potentially dangerous situations.”

  Gabriel actually understood why Nathaniel had kept his secret. “As a warrior, I know how difficult it is to admit what could be seen as a weakness, but it’s only a weakness if you allow it to be. By openly facing it, we’ll find a way to turn this into an advantage.”

  After a brief pause, Gabriel continued, “I would also like to congratulate you on confessing your feelings for Tianna. You finally caught that bug you’ve been chasing.” He gave Nathaniel a friendly smile.

  Knowing how Gabriel felt about her, Nathaniel replied, “I want you to know that I’m serious about Tianna. This isn’t just another one of my flings, and I want to pursue a real relationship with her. I know you also hold feelings for her and I’m sorry if our relationship causes you any pain.”

  Gabriel put his hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder and said, “I’m not young so this isn’t the first time that I have had to step aside for a brother. A potential mate isn’t someone you arm wrestle for. It must to be right for both players involved. I’ve seen how she looks at you, and we all felt the heat when you kissed in Willow. I know that she has genuine feelings for you and, I hate to admit it, but I can sense your feelings are also quite real. It’s right for both of you to explore your new emotions. After all she has been through in her life, she deserves some happiness.”

  Gabriel took in a deep breath and continued, “I know I don’t need to tell you what you already know, but remember, Tianna was raised human. Our culture uses intimacy as a way to find a mate. Humans use it to seal a life commitment. Taking her without that pledge, or taking another in addition to her, will be seen as a complete betrayal.”

  Nathaniel understood what Gabriel was trying to say to him and wanted him to know just how committed he was to the relationship. He replied, “I understand and agree. To make sure she knew I was serious, I gave her my Draak oath. I want this relationship to be different than any other I’ve had and I’ll not take her until it is right for both of us. I know, given my history, that it is difficult for others to see me with just one female, but getting to know Tianna has pushed out all desire for any other. I only want her and I’m willing to wait for as long as necessary for her to be ready. I’ll not betray her.”

  Gabriel was impressed by the maturity he was seeing in Nathaniel. Although he could feel Nathaniel was being genuine, he had one last topic to address with him.

  Gabriel moved forward so that he stood just inches from Nathaniel’s face. His eyes flashed and, with a stare that actually made Nathaniel’s whole body clench, he warned, “But, if you do anything to hurt her in any way, I’ll personally make sure you feel such intense pain that even your exceptional healing powers won’t be able to take it away.” He growled so low that Nathaniel felt it vibrate directly in his chest.

  Nathaniel felt the truth in his words and speechlessly nodded his understanding.

  Since Nathaniel seemed to comprehend his warning, Gabriel relaxed his stance. He put his arm around Nathaniel’s shoulder and laughed while dragging him back to join the others. Nathaniel half-heartedly laughed, knowing he would never want to feel Gabriel’s wrath.

  That evening, Nathaniel braided Tianna’s hair before she climbed into the same bed roll with him. As she snuggled in against him, he gently snaked his hand under her shirt so that his palm rested on her stomach. She placed her hand on top of his and willed her blue flame. Initially Nathaniel found it impossible to lie next to Tianna without becoming instantly aroused but, when she used her blue flame, his whole body relaxed—including his desires. It was replaced by a complete sense of contentment. He sighed and closed his eyes and they both fell asleep feeling a gentle tingling all over their bodies.

  In the morning, Tianna noticed Nathaniel had a little extra energy in his step. He was even singing songs when he packed up their saddle bags. Tianna couldn’t help but smile knowing that a small part of her helped make his good mood happen. She also knew that she seemed to be energized by his touch as well. She thought they were really good together. Their good moods were contagious and everyone hummed or whistled while they prepared to leave their camp.

  As with every day, Seth and Marcus huddled together to talk about the path they planned to take to the next village. It was going to take another week of riding to get there.

  Their days passed with no major events. Tianna and Seth used spells to hide their trail during the day and their camp sites at night. In the evenings, Gabriel continued to give Seth and Tianna fighting lessons as well as Draak history lessons. Tianna easily won the archery challenges Gabriel had set up between each member of the quest. Although Seth was getting better every day with his swordplay, Tianna was fair at best with a sword. She would just give up and whack her opponent with a nearby tree branch. Gabriel told them they both needed to work on battle strategy that took into account their unique skills and limitations, but he knew that would come only with time and experience.

  Tianna slept each night with Nathaniel alone. A couple times, he woke her out of a deep sleep when he sensed her tension. She still had dreams of the dark stranger but Nathaniel always seemed to be able to stop the dream before anything frightened her. On those nights, she woke up with her body sprawled on top of his. Within her dreams, he again had become the branch that carried her to safety.

  Chapter 16 - Castle Knightstorm

  After long days of riding, they found themselves traveling across a large, flat, green meadow. As they moved further across this open area, they began to feel the urge to ride the other way and Tianna knew they had arrived at the next village.

  When she had approached Willow, she had a sense of excitement. This time, the magic gave her a sense of power. She expressed this feeling to Marcus and he said they would need to approach carefully. He asked Tianna to read what was written in the book.

  She opened her wizard book to the page on Knightstorm and said, “According to Zarin, the next village is the home of knights. He says that they are a race of large and gifted fighters that are exceptionally strong. He thinks they would be strong candidates to join the battle against evil.”

  The Draaks all sat higher in their saddles. This time Tianna’s protectors were excited about entering a village.

  Tianna moved so that she was facing the feeling and recited the entrance spell. As it did before, the wind whipped around her and surges of power pulsated off of her body. Her powers were growing stronger every day. Just as she started to repeat the words of the spell again, a section of grass ahead of her shimmered. Instead of the village she expected, a castle began to appear. Tianna glanced over at Marcus who was staring at the structure with a grin from ear to ear.

  Knightstorm was monstrous. It looked as if the entire population and its farm lands could be housed within its walls. Everything they could see was made entirely out of a mix of black, gray, and white stone. There were two large turrets that stood on either side of the main gate. They were as tall as some of the more mature trees in Willow. Other smaller turrets were located equally spaced from the gate and continued down the long wall surrounding the castle. A small bridge appeared that they would need to cross to reach a huge door. Tianna thought it was impressive, although a bit intimidating.

  They didn’t have to wait long before a greeting party walked over the bridge and approached them. The greeting party consisted of three exceptionally large males, each of a height that allowed them to look down at Tianna while she was still on her horse.

  Tianna nervously moved forward and greeted the
m since she was the one that had requested entrance and she was the only one they were staring at. She said in a shaky voice, “I’m Tianna of Trille. I’m the apprentice to the wizard Zarin. We humbly request entrance to your castle.” Her voice didn’t sound as sure as it did in Willow.

  Marcus whispered so all of his brothers could hear but not the welcoming group. “If our greeting party is a sample of the people housed within, they could be strong allies. We need to gain their support.”

  He shifted his attention to Gabriel. “If they’re a warrior race, I’ll need to rely on your expertise.”

  Gabriel nodded.

  The three men examined Tianna for a long while. The one in front closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He quickly leaned over and whispered to his companions. They all perked up and then they also took in deep breaths. When their lungs were filled with whatever they were after, they all gave Tianna very large smiles. When they stared at her now, they looked more like puppy dogs than ferocious wolves.

  Without even glancing at those arriving with Tianna, they said, “Tianna of Trille, you and those you are traveling with…” He lazily motioned toward Marcus and his Draaks like he was swatting at a fly. “…are more than welcome to enter our walls.”

  Nathaniel didn’t like the way these men were examining Tianna; they peered at her like she was on the meal menu. He vowed to stay close by her side.

  Tianna and her Draaks followed the greeting party over the bridge and through the gate. The castle was even larger from within its walls. Zarin was right—it was obviously a warrior race. They observed many small groups practicing swordplay, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. All of the knights were as large as or larger than those in the greeting party.

  When their guides stopped and turned around, Marcus moved forward as leader and asked if they could be taken to see the village elders.

  They nodded, and one of them said, “Leave your horses here.” He motioned with his hand and several smiling young males came forward.

  Everyone dismounted, and as Tianna swung her leg over her saddle, a huge knight appeared next to her, grabbed her waist, and gently placed her on the ground. He gave her a dazzling crooked smile, swaying slightly.

  “Thank you,” she said as she straightened her clothes.

  The same greeter motioned to the group. “Follow me.” The younger males grabbed the horses’ reins and pulled them toward a corral.

  As they walked, Tianna noticed that everything was oversized. She thought to herself that this must be what it would be like to be a small child walking around in an adult world. She also noticed that she was being watched. Normally this didn’t bother her, since she had lived with people staring at her all of her life, but this was different. These knights stared at her like a thirsty man staring at a goblet of ale. Nathaniel must have noticed as well because he was quickly by her side.

  They were taken to a meeting room where a group of knights assembled, both males and females. The people of Knightstorm apparently embraced female warriors and Tianna smiled her approval.

  Once assembled in the room, Tianna stared at her chair. It was much too tall for her and she contemplated the most lady-like way to get up into it. Nathaniel was close behind her and chuckled. “May I be of some assistance, my lady?”

  “Hush,” she scolded him and crawled up into the chair. Once she was seated, she realized that she still had issues. The table in front of her was too high. The table height came to the top of her chest, which would make eating awkward at best.

  Nathaniel noticed her frustration and leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You’re more than welcome to sit on my lap, My Sweet. I’d be happy to find a way to raise you up a little.” He gave her a smirk and a wink.

  Tianna whispered back with a growl, “Nathaniel,” and whacked him in the arm to shut him up.

  He replied, “Sorry, My Sweet. Old habits are hard to break. But I so enjoy watching your reactions.” He gave her his smile that made her heart melt.

  Over the next few hours, they sat and discussed their quest with those assembled. The knights were elated that they were being approached to help the cause. As they had experienced the evil growing and had lost good knights in battle, they were training hard to protect their people and their home.

  While the group discussed Marcus’s proposal for a possible alliance, the male knights were constantly glancing toward Tianna and she was becoming paranoid.

  When it was time to eat, the group was joined by other villagers, both male and female. They were followed by a much younger group that carried in food and drink. Tianna’s heart dropped. How was she supposed to eat? Even as she had the thought, huge hands picked her up and placed a stone block underneath her and set her back down. He was able to pick her up with just a few fingers on one hand.

  She wasn’t sure how to respond so she just smiled and said “Thank you.” The knight beamed at her like she had given him a great prize.

  The servers came and went with food and drink. It seemed that part of growing up in the castle was to serve their elders. Tianna liked how kindly the knights treated those that served them and they thanked them graciously for whatever they brought to the table.

  The Draaks grinned from ear to ear as plates heaping tall with a wide variety of meat and breads were placed on the table in front of them. Gabriel couldn’t help but exclaim, “Now that’s more like it!”

  Tianna moaned quietly to herself. Eating meals this heavy would make her tired and listless. She was grateful when a few plates arrived that held some fruits and vegetables.

  Shifting her attention from the food, she took a moment to survey the adult females of the castle. They varied from the height of Gabriel and taller, making Tianna feel even more like a child. Although strong, their bodies were well proportioned and very feminine. She was pleased to see that they each wore clothing of their choice, from frilly dresses to warrior attire. Along with the wide variety of clothing, the color and hairstyles of both males and females also varied with each individual, from very long hair pulled back into ponytails to very short styles, and in colors from jet back to bright red. Tianna loved that this castle embraced the individual. Being different from each other seemed a normal part of their culture.

  Everyone began to eat and drink using oversized plates. They all drank some kind of ale but when it was passed to Tianna, she shook her head. She quickly explained that she reacted badly to liquor so she wouldn’t indulge. Within minutes, a kind old female brought Tianna a pitcher of another kind of drink. Nathaniel tasted it first to make sure it was liquor free, and then handed a goblet full to Tianna.

  Tianna tried to drink from her goblet, except it was very large for her, and therefore awkward to drink from. A young male server quickly came running with a smaller cup, most likely one they used for their children. Tianna accepted the cup graciously.

  She thought the drink was wonderful. It was some kind of fruit based drink that bubbled when she swallowed. She couldn’t help but giggle. She assumed it was a drink designed for their children, but she liked it.

  Although all of her Draaks were having lively conversations, Tianna remained quiet. With all of the eyes on her, she was getting uncomfortable and kept thinking that something about her appearance was distracting them. She leaned over to Nathaniel. “I think I had better find some other clothes to wear while I’m here.”

  Nathaniel scanned the room. “I don‘t think your clothes is what has them in a spell.”

  Before she could ask him what he meant, the knight that was sitting to her other side motioned her over. She leaned toward him so she could hear over all of the other conversations going on.

  He asked her what her status was. Tianna was confused. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “Do you have a mate?” he asked with hope in his eyes.

  Nathaniel overheard the question and tried to jump in quickly to answer for Tianna, but she innocently blurted out the truth. “No, I’m not mated.�
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  Nathaniel knew this was the wrong answer to give these infatuated knights.

  The knight got a huge grin on his face, sat back up, and slammed his fists onto the table knocking several goblets of wine over. He let out a roar and said, “Excellent!”

  Nathaniel shook his head and knew Tianna was now an open target. He started to rub his temples as if his head was hurting.

  Within seconds, the news of Tianna’s status had spread around the room, no doubt throughout the entire castle. Tianna crouched down further in her seat knowing that she should have given a different answer. She glanced up at Nathaniel with an ‘I‘m sorry’ look and he rolled his eyes. He knew he had to do something quick to turn this situation around, so he put his arm around her and pulled her in tight, announcing, “She may not be mated yet, but we are together.”

  It had no effect on the knights present. They saw their target and wouldn’t be deflected. Nathaniel didn’t let go of Tianna for a second for the remainder of the gathering.