Feel the Burn

by MacDonald, Nicole

‘Yes,’ he replied without looking at me, slotting bolts into the weapon. ‘It’s a competition, the losers are on deck and kitchen duty for three days.’

  He glanced up when done and grinned at me.

  ‘So aim true and throw fast.’

  I nodded, feeling a rush of excitement and at the same time a bit of discomfort. Should I feel excited about killing things? They’d eat you in a heartbeat, observed my rational voice and I nodded in agreement. With an easy motion I swept the blades up in my right hand and flicked my wrist out, aiming at three mernoyds climbing the side.

  The Princess’ throw took two of the mernoyds down and those watching roared in approval then joined in. The original group of seven creatures Ignatius counted this morning had swelled in numbers to a couple of hundred and the ship swayed roughly on the smooth ocean when the creatures launched themselves up the sides. The mass of bodies churned the water and their furious screams increased when most aboard worked at reducing their numbers. The Nyjens kept up a loud and jovial tally, competing amongst themselves and against everyone else. Ignatius reloaded his crossbow, locking eight bolts into the revolving barrel and took aim, ducking just in time when the Princess’ blades whizzed past his ear, back to her sleeve.

  ‘Sorry!’

  He paused to tsk when she reddened then flashed him a grin. Gone so quick but that brief expression of humor lightened his heart and he smiled.

  ‘Hurry up, Ignatius! We’ll lose at this rate.’

  What a bizarrely fun day I thought later while we ate dinner on the deck. The gruesome results of the competition meant lots of work for the losers, us unfortunately, but the blood splattered sides of the ship attracted all manner of sea creatures that cleaned up the mess. Kassie and I bugged all those around us for the names of the different creatures we kept spotting. Freaky looking serpent dragons called menx’s and schools of shimmering green bronze fish with pointed noses.

  ‘Dagger fish,’ said Rashid through a mouthful of food. ‘The reason why we couldn’t travel south any later. It’s getting close to their spawning, which involves schools of them leaping out the water. Bloody dangerous things.’

  I stayed out late watching all those creatures. When it grew darker luminescent creatures ventured out and the ocean turned into the most incredible light show.

  ‘I had no idea it looked like this,’ I said in awe. Beside me, waiting patiently, Ignatius gestured at the shimmering lights.

  ‘It doesn’t always. They show off as spawning nears.’

  He didn’t mind waiting, pleased that she wasn’t weeping in her room like normal. After another hour or so she finally conceded a need to sleep and Ignatius smiled, offering an arm. She took it like she always did at night for as soon as she tired her sense of balance appeared to vanish. At the castle Ignatius often observed her bouncing off door jambs in the evenings, much to the hilarity of her friends and that wasn’t a safe practice here. Last thing he needed would be for her to tumble down the hatch. Seeing her to the room, Ignatius ducked to the kitchen. The cook met him at the door with the prepared nellor and Leseach waited at her door too, when he rounded the corner. By the time he reached the Princess’ room she waited in bed, studying her disk map which she put away when he entered, reaching for the offered cup. A short time later and he made to climb into his own bed, the Princess sleeping soundly in hers. A tap at the door made him pause.

  ‘Yes?’ he called quietly.

  ‘It’s Leseach. I’m taking first shift tonight.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Belsesus must be tired from working the crossbow, he thought and pulled the covers up. The centaur bows required at least ten times the tension of his bow.

  Ignatius slept like the dead, dreaming of earlier days in the Guard and midway through a dream he got confused when a voice kept calling ‘Alek.’ It took a concerted effort for his conscious mind to break through the dream and he woke groggily, muscles tensing.

  Crap, she hasn’t done this for a couple of nights.

  Scrambling to his feet, about to turn to the trunk Ignatius froze. Catherine sat on the edge of the bed staring at him, but not with the usual devastated expression.

  ‘Al,’ she purred the word, a coy smile on her pouting lips. ‘Come back to bed.’

  ‘Uu-uh-uhh,’ Ignatius stuttered while he gaped at the apparently aroused but definitely unconscious young woman.

  ‘C’mon sexy, don’t leave me this morning,’ she begged then ran her fingers from the base of her throat to a breast, cupping its fullness through the thin nightshirt and giggled naughtily. ‘I’ll make it worth your while.’

  Ignatius just stood there, pole-axed with shock and indecision while various parts of his brain and anatomy screamed wildly differing instructions. A sound of dismay squeaked out of his throat when she started to climb out the bed and the sane part of his mind kicked in.

  Swallowing he squeaked out, ‘Catherine,’ then cleared his throat, bringing his voice back to its normal timbre.

  ‘Catherine,’ he said while placing a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder and forced her back into bed. ‘Go to sleep.’

  Her lovely face creased and in a confused, scared voice she asked, ‘Al?’

  Oh shit, he thought, from one crazy dream to the next. What made her think I wasn’t Alek? He chewed on the inside of his cheek, considering. His sleep deprived brain knew the answer but wasn’t giving it up at the moment and in that scared voice she repeated.

  ‘Al?’

  A thought occurred and mentally crossing his fingers he bent to her ear, meeting her wide unfocused gaze.

  ‘Sleep, kitten,’ he soothed in as close an attempt at Alek’s voice as he could manage. ‘You’re safe, go to sleep.’

  He hovered over her, willing it to work. Relief made him instantly weary when the frown left her face and she smiled, reaching to touch his cheek.

  ‘Love you,’ she whispered then rolled over, returning to proper sleep.

  Ignatius watched her for a few minutes, listening to the steady, deep breaths and with a sigh of relief and gratitude, returned to his bedroll.

  *~*~*

  Chapter Seven

  Scrubbing the decks the next few mornings gave me a chance to properly meet some of the other allies. It also helped to work out some of the morning gloom that hit, especially now when each night in my dreams I tried to persuade him not to go on that fated morning run. His lips and touch, the feel of his body beneath my hands felt gloriously real in those dreams. Somehow it seemed that if I stopped him leaving for the run, then I’d wake and find him here.

  Sloshing the long handled brush back into the bucket of soapy water I yanked it out and slammed it to the wooden boards, focusing on the task while I tried to distract myself from the dreams.

  Those dreams scared me, he felt so absolutely real in them yet when I woke I could feel the sense of him drifting from my memory. Like wisps of spider web floating away in the breeze my mind appeared to be building a wall over the memories, pushing them further away and making them that bit more unreal. Yes the dreams scared me because I didn’t want to wake from them. I wanted to stay there cocooned in his embrace and never leave.

  ‘Highness?’

  I snapped to attention and found a forest goblin staring at me, humor in the warrior’s eyes. I blinked in surprise at not hearing him approach and he laughed in the strange raspy tone the forest goblins had; a sound akin to autumn leaves crunching underfoot.

  ‘You missed a few spots,’ he said, his square pupils widening while he resisted laughing at me again. Glancing down I saw that one board gleamed while the others remained covered with muck. Not good considering I’d scrubbed here for nearly ten minutes.

  Pursing my lips I shot him a haughty look.

  ‘No. That spot was just really dirty.’

  Those watching laughed and I winked at the goblin then set to work again, this time with a little more attention. Other allies took the opportunity to chat with me and several Halenine fae perched on the hand
rail close by, observing me the way they had the other two mornings. I gave them the appropriate nod of acknowledgment, which brought Yakov to mind and I paused a moment, wondering what he would have made of all this. It didn’t improve my melancholy and I shook it off, about to seize the brush and continue, then stopped when I spotted a bug on the end of the handle. Raising a hand to flick it off, I froze.

  ‘Hello, Princess.’

  The tiny childish voice sounded like it came from the black dot and I stared, nearly cross-eyed at the little bug.

  ‘Errrr…’

  The little bug talked to me?

  Holding the brush handle carefully I drew it closer, examining the little creature. About the length of my pinkie finger with a fuzzy black covering, and a glimpse of red showing through. The tiny hooked feet and ridiculously oversize ochre eyes made me glance quizzically at the Halenine fae watching from the rail. One fae spread its wings and joined the fuzzy bug, alighting next to it and wrapped a twig like arm around it.

  ‘Your Highness, may I introduce my daughter, Leynorah.’

  The fuzzy wee thing beamed, showcasing tiny fangs.

  ‘I’m venomous!’ she declared with relish.

  I subtly slid my hands further down the handle.

  ‘Leynorah,’ scolded her mother. The motherly tone sounded at odds with the sinuous, lethal voice that all the Halenine fae had. The fuzzy fae hopped up and down on the wooden handle.

  ‘But I AM.’

  The two of them squabbled there on the brush handle while I watched in amusement, studying the infant fae. She didn’t look threatening, not like her vivid red and black striped mother, her fuzzy dark fur disguising what she would be.

  ‘You brought your daughter with you?’

  I tried to keep any judgment from my voice but couldn’t mask the surprise.

  ‘Yes, she’s too young to stay at home.’

  I took a hand off the handle and held it, palm up, at the baby fae’s level. Leynorah didn’t hesitate to hop on, literally, waving her stubby little wings to get a lift.

  ‘Weeee!’

  ‘Could your bite kill me?’ I asked the fae in a teasing voice.

  She hopped around my palm, ‘Yes! Yes, yes!’

  A gust of wind hit and I curled my hand against it, sheltering Leynorah. She didn’t appear to notice the danger of the wind, still hopping around my palm singing.

  ‘Yes, yes! Yes, yes, yes!’

  Her tiny hooked claws pricked against the rough skin of my palm; it felt like the cicadas that came out during hot summers in New Zealand, the claws so tiny they felt sticky.

  ‘Her bite wouldn’t affect you, Your Highness, but it could kill another,’ her mother interjected.

  ‘Even a dragon!’ shrieked Leynorah in evident delight.

  The enormous eyes of the fae had no eyelids and they didn’t convey emotions like another creature, but the cock of the head and the tilt of her shoulders conveyed the sense of bemusement Leynorah’s mother felt while she regarded her daughter.

  ‘Not a dragon, Leynorah, nor a griffon. Remember we only attack those in teams of twenty. Then we can bring them down.’

  ‘So I CAN kill a dragon!’

  Her mother sighed and I smothered the urge to giggle. She motioned to Leynorah to climb on her back, the baby fae easily disguised, tucked between the lacy black wings that moved so fast they blurred. I nodded to her bow and she flew back to join the other fae again.

  * * *

  The still air this morning meant sea fog misted the decks and I crowded close with Kassie, Kerak, and Loushka on the small deck at the front of the ship. Ahead we could just see Gredel’s ship.

  I hope they’re both okay.

  Thinking of little Rirae and Ageip (okay so the griffon wasn’t that little anymore), only made me more determined in the task ahead.

  I have to get to the castle and deal to that stark eyed lunatic before she gets to any of them. While potentially an improbable task, I had to try.

  ‘As soon as we get a clear stretch, Loushka, then we’ll go for it.’

  ‘That’s the idea, Cat. I can’t promise the others will be safe, but we have to try.’

  The sounds of metal clashing reached us and I twisted to watch the allies and soldiers practice. Even the Draoths joined in the melee, practicing for their task of guarding the ships when we arrived. Ignatius stood to the side of it all, chatting—surprisingly—with Leseach.

  ‘That has to be the weirdest thing I’ve seen yet,’ Kassie commented from beside me and I nodded in agreement.

  ‘I guess at times like this other things get set aside.’

  Loushka made a huff of derision.

  ‘Normally I’d agree, Cat, but Ignatius has always been a most opinionated creature. Watch yourself with him.’

  I shrugged.

  ‘He wants to be in high stead with me, I don’t think I need to worry.’

  The griffon huffed again.

  ‘I don’t trust him.’

  We watched while they fought, Kassie and Kerak chatting away throughout it, the slight hum of them communing sounding like a faint out-of-tune radio. I relaxed where I sat, mind like always, drifting to thoughts of Alek.

  Mid-conversation Kassie glanced at Cat and saw the half smile on her friend’s face.

  ‘It’s the only time you see her smiling now, when she’s remembering him,’ she thought to Kerak with a pang of sorrow.

  Kerak stayed silent but a sense of discomfort wafted through the link. Kassie reached out to stroke around his ear, making the griffon twist his head closer while the rumble of a purr shuddered out. His thoughts appeared focused on the beautiful griffon beside him and the sorrow she felt. Kassie watched various images flick through the link and quickly realized Kerak wasn’t aware of projecting them. All the images showed Loushka, and Kassie watched in fascination while feeling a hint of shame at spying. The very first image and apparent favorite—Kerak flicked back to it often—must have been when the Griffon Guard was first introduced to their newest member and she watched avidly when Rumal’s face appeared from above.

  Kassie often forgot how young Kerak was when he joined the Guard. In the griffon’s memory Rumal and the other griffons towered over the young pup, whose eyes quickly focused on a magnificent griffon with an enormous, luxurious dark red mane. Kassie saw Alek, years younger—before he’d filled out, standing there smiling down at Kerak before talking to Rumal. It wasn’t Alek’s voice Kassie heard in Kerak’s mind, however. She only heard Loushka.

  ‘Hello, little one. Welcome to the Guard.’

  Is Daron talking yet?

  Sian ducked Chaieth’s sword and swung her own, causing the centaur to leap aside then thought to Loi.

  More than he was. I’m not pushing it. How’s Sabyn?

  Chaieth attempted a charge and Sian flicked her energy up in a shield, not paying quite enough attention and triggered the lorus crystal’s piercing chime.

  OW! Jeez that was loud. Watch what you’re doing, Sianny, Loi thought.

  It was your fault! Sian countered while making a lunge to the side to avoid the battle axe Chaieth switched to. I didn’t start this conversation.

  I just wanted to check how you were doing.

  Sian ignored Loi, focusing on the task at hand while the two Nyjens moved in from either side. Daron stood back from the practice, watching her spar and Nesha sprawled on the deck beside him. The griffon ignored everyone, focusing on grooming a paw, large beak delicately working through the dense fur and he plucked at a talon. With so many things happening around her and Loi’s hum still in her mind, Sian unfocused her eyes, allowing the blurriness to help her focus on what immediately came her way when the Nyjens attacked.

  ‘Laura!’ Larvaste glowered at her. The centaur’s axe lay shattered around his feet.

  ‘I’m sorry! I got distracted.’

  ‘We’ve discussed this,’ the centaur grimly reminded her. ‘No conversations with Tomiar during practice.’

  The dark tan a
nd green griffon jerked her head up from where she lay on the main deck, her mane fluffing in irritation and she regarded Loi with a baleful look.

  ‘Loi, I don’t like being a scapegoat.’

  ‘Ahh, it wasn’t Tomiar. It was Sian. We need to keep the link fresh,’ Loi said it earnestly, lying her ass off. Larvaste’s saffron colored eyes narrowed.

  ‘Do that another time. We need to practice and you owe me an axe. You can go collect one from the armory.’

  Feeling rather put out at the order, Loi didn’t move then noticed Sabyn watching from across the way. Everyone stared, waiting for her to move and she ignored them. Sabyn’s subtle look of disapproval when he gazed at her, however, made Loi blush with shame and she turned, heading to the hatch to go collect the axe.

  The massive axe felt like it weighed a ton and Loi sweated while she worked her energy around the weapon and awkwardly pulled it along. There wasn’t an easy way to carry it but she managed to get it upstairs without injuring anyone or damaging the ship in the process. The feeling of eyes watching her only increased the sense of shame and she bit the inside of a cheek, focusing on ignoring everything except Larvaste.

  The centaur accepted the axe with a polite ‘thanks’ and they set back into practice. By evening the hard work of the day let most the shame vanish and no one mentioned it again. Still, when Sabyn entered their cabin as she washed up Loi faltered at his gaze and stared at the bucket of hot water. He didn’t say a word and the silence felt loud. Loi snuck a glance his way. With a dark blond eyebrow arched high those glacial blue eyes regarded her in amusement.

  ‘Smarts, huh.’

  It wasn’t a question and Loi blushed, turning away and finished washing, walking to the trunks to find something to wear. She heard footsteps while she stared at the clothes, a hot tear of embarrassment sliding down her cheek and she made an angry swipe at it. Two strong arms closed around her and she crossed her arms over her chest feeling ridiculously defensive. Sabyn chuckled; a gentle deep rumble. His hand swept her long hair to the side so he could place a kiss on the base of her neck.