by Dante Silva
He burst into the copse, chest heaving, and found her half-standing in front of the oak, concerned. “Julian?”
Rushing forward, he caught her hands and kneeled before her. “There’s something I need to show you.”
A tiny smile touched her lips as he broke away to ease his pack on the grass. She waited with slumped shoulders and a drooping chin. He opened his pack and pulled out the scroll case with trembling hands. Shifting onto one knee, he presented it to her on open palms. She tilted her head and picked up the case with both hands, slanting it this way and that.
Julian touched her hand and tapped the end of the case. “If you pull here, the top will slide off, then you can take out what’s inside.”
Curiosity sparking in her eyes, she opened the case and eased out the parchment. Julian moved to her side and placed his hands over hers so that they unrolled the map together. “This belongs to my mother. I thought you would like to see it, so you could know where you are.”
“Where are we?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Here.” Julian pointed just on the outskirts of the dot that was Cloma, and a warm breeze swirled about them as she rested her head on his shoulder. He fit his cheek against her hair and inhaled contentedly. “Do you like it?”
“I do.” She pressed closer against him. “It makes me happy to know more about my new home, but it makes me wish all the more I could travel with you.”
“But you can, Unharud.” Disbelief flashed across her face. Julian pulled the map closer and pointed. “We’re here, this is Cloma, and those circle-type marks are woods and forests. They’re all over the place and not far from some of these landmarks my mother visited.”
“Okay, but I’m not sure I understand how that would make traveling possible for me.”
“I was thinking, we don’t have to travel quickly. The places we want to see aren’t going anywhere, so there’s no need to rush. We could take our time, make sure you always have a companionship tree. We wouldn’t move on from a spot until we found a new one that worked. It would be slow going, but we’d still be traveling!” He brushed his lips over her temple. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know that I would be brave enough to leave Cloma, so I can’t leave you behind. I don’t want to.”
Unharud released the map, turned to Julian, and placed her hands on his chest, teardrops welling in her eyes. “You don’t understand. Finding the right tree can take days if luck is bad. Even if we set out together, our direction would be determined by where I could tether. We could end up wandering in circles.”
Julian wiped her fresh tears away with his thumbs. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t want to travel in straight lines.”
A weepy laugh escaped her. “Are you sure? This copse and others like it would be our sleeping place each night, very unlike your current home.”
“Better to sleep with you in the woods than without you in a bed.” He cut off her next thought. “You can keep coming up with more reasons for me not to travel with you, but I’ll find a way around all of them. Just say the word, tell me you want to leave together, and it will happen.”
Her dewy eyelashes glistened in the sun as she laughed. A dam broke, and an overwhelming wave of excitement, happiness, and ardor washed over him. Their feelings mixed and rose, threatening to bubble over, until Julian couldn’t tell where his heart started and hers began. Unharud traced her fingers over his face, pausing on his lips. “Julian.”
The image appeared in his mind, but he already knew what she wanted to tell him. Unharud leaned in, letting her nose brush against his. He breathed in the scent of her, the copse, the woods, everything that was this moment. Brushing her hair behind a pointed ear, he tilted her chin up and admired her mouth. The waves of emotion swirled ever upward, drawing a sigh from Unharud as she fit her full, lush lips to his.
The map dropped to the oak’s mossy roots, and his hands went to her temples, fingers slipping into her hair and running through the wavy length of it. She moaned and nibbled at his lower lip before pressing her mouth completely to his. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to him and reveled in the length of her body, the softness of her breasts against him. He shifted to sit on the grass and lost his breath when she straddled his lap.
Burning desire pulsed brighter with each sweep of Unharud’s mouth, each caress of her fingers. Julian wasn’t new to physical intimacy, but being dragged to the brothel hadn’t prepared him for this—the raw opening of one soul to another. Julian tilted his head and claimed her lips, drawing on them. He slipped his tongue against hers, and she let out a whimper as she met him eagerly.
Her hands explored him, first over his clothing, then dipping beneath his tunic. As their mouths devoured one another, he mimicked her touch, pressing his fingers along her bare skin. First he moved over the expanse of her back, shoulders, and arms, then he began the tentative trail down her collarbones.
Before he reached her neckline, she broke their kiss and slid off his lap. She tore at the bark clothing that covered her. Julian fumbled to help, half kneeling and half attempting to regain his senses. When the bark fell away, he froze in admiration at the sight before him.
Unharud twisted and made a small pleading noise, pulling Julian from his brief reverie. He eased her onto the plush bed of grass and rested his weight on her. With one more full kiss to her mouth, he broke away and nuzzled into her neck. She arched to allow him better access as he planted his lips in a line down her skin. Needing to know how she tasted, he drew on the skin at the base of her neck and sucked.
A muffled groan emitted from her as she grasped his shoulders. Julian slid his tongue over her before releasing and drawing on a new spot, moving steadily lower. His hands slid over her thighs, her hips, her stomach to cup her breasts and run his thumbs over her nipples. He kissed over her collarbone, enjoying her excited shudders. Continuing down the swell of a breast, feeling her heartbeat against his lips and hand, he kissed around her tight nipple.
“Julian.” Her whispered plea went straight to his groin, but he wasn’t ready for that quite yet.
He rolled his tongue over her areola, earning another moan. She tasted sweet, like honey and lilies. Again and again, he lulled his tongue over the sensitive flesh. Her moans turned to soft cries as he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked. Releasing it, he kissed across her chest to her other breast and kissed that nipple gently before licking it in turn.
Julian groaned against her breast as her hand wrapped around his member through his trousers. Her gentle fingers stroked and explored his length as he took her nipple into his mouth and gently drew. The soft strokes turned into a firm grasp as she arched against him. Her pumping grip brought him closer to the edge, but he couldn’t tear himself away from the delicious flesh that kept her moaning.
A shove sent him sprawling onto his back in surprise. Unharud panted softly and tugged his tunic over his head. Getting the hint, Julian threw the cloth aside. Her fingers tripped over his belt, and she huffed. He removed it, and she tugged his trousers and drawers off so that nothing remained between them. She straddled him and granted Julian a wonderful view of her form, her hair falling about her and accentuating the curves of her neck and breasts, her nipples—which he could still taste—teasingly visible through her green locks. Her thighs wrapped around him, the look on her face the most desirous he’d ever seen. He indulged in the sight until she refocused his attention by grabbing his member once more.
The feeling of her parting herself on him overwhelmed Julian. He grasped her thighs and leaned up to kiss away her gasps as she pushed herself fully onto him. As she adjusted, Julian mustered every drop of willpower to stay still and focus on kissing her mouth. The experience of reaching her depths, of their stirring emotions crashing higher, nearly undid him. Then she began rocking.
JULIAN should have hidden his joy, and he did try, but he couldn’t. How could he conceal the most intimate moment of his life when it made him feel so good? Why would he want to? Everyone knew
something was going on. His brothers’ looks were confused, and his father’s was suspicious. Even if he had kept the giddiness out of everything he did, it wouldn’t have mattered. Unharud was marked on his very soul, and anyone who looked close enough would see her.
“You had a good day, Julian?” Mother was the only one smiling back at him.
“Sure looks like he did,” Elias whispered to a skeptical Zacharai.
“Yeah,” Julian said as nonchalantly as he could. “I guess I really enjoyed my day off.”
Too quickly to go unnoticed, he went to bed after dinner and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and could still feel Unharud against him, where she had touched him, how it had felt to be one person with her. Complete. Where daydreams turned into those brought by sleep he couldn’t say, but every dream was filled with her and her beautiful voice singing to his lyre.
A loud bang tore Julian from his sweet dreams. He floundered for a moment, noticed he wasn’t alone, and tried to hide his burning desire with blankets as he sat up. Father was in the room, a boot resting against the foot of the bed frame. The deep furrow of his brows took away any need to strategically rearrange the sheets.
“Where have you been?” Father growled, looming forward.
“W-what do you mean?”
“I spoke to Syrus. He says you haven’t been to work for him in days, even though he’s waited for you to return and do more. So where have you been?”
Julian’s mouth hung open as he processed Father’s words. The truth was out—at least part of it—but Julian would never tell Father about Unharud. Ever. If Father knew there was a dryad in the woods, he might try to hurt her or use her. He might try to sell her out for a profit—the thing most important to him.
“Well?” Father kicked the bed again. “Out with it.”
Julian closed his mouth and stared up with fiery resolution. “What’s wrong? I’ve been taking on different jobs than normal, but I still contribute part of what I earn. Isn’t that enough?”
“So you’re a thief now as well as a liar.” Father straightened, his expression grim. “I spoke to people in town today and none of them can remember the last time they saw you in Cloma past noon. If you won’t come clean and tell me what you’ve been doing, then we have nothing more to talk about.” He ripped the sheets from Julian’s grasp and tossed them to the floor. “Be dressed and outside in five minutes. You’ll be working here today.”
ANGRY, tired, and frustrated, Julian’s stomach twisted into anxious knots. Despite Mother’s protests, Father worked him from dawn to twilight. Julian was used to hard work over long periods, but Father pushed the limits of Julian’s strength and endurance to the point of breaking. At dinner that night, Zacharai and Elias were quiet, not wanting Father’s fury—or Mother’s for that matter—to turn on them for any reason. It wasn’t often his parents fought, but Julian could see in the way they avoided each other’s gazes they had.
He kept his head down through dinner and chewed his carrots, eager to leave the table. Even though he should have been famished, every bite he took tasted dry and bland. Out in the woods, Unharud had been expecting him, waiting for him. Alone. After joining with her yesterday, what would she think when he didn’t return? Would she think he had abandoned her? That he didn’t want to travel with her after all? Would she stay and wait for him? Julian’s stuttering heart left him nearly breathless. He wouldn’t lose her because of Father’s cruelty. He couldn’t.
After cleaning up and going to his room, he lay on the bed and waited as the sounds of the house softened to nothingness. Once everyone was asleep, he would sneak out. It didn’t matter the danger. He had to let Unharud know that everything was all right, that he hadn’t forgotten her...
A loud bang sent him flying out of bed. Dim light filtered into his room, enough to illuminate Father’s hard face. “Ten minutes, Julian.”
Nameless gods! It felt like his eyes had been closed for only a minute. Julian considered jumping out the window when Father left, but as if he knew what his son was thinking, the older man didn’t leave or give Julian the privacy to dress himself.
This day passed much the same as the last, except even his brothers began to look at him with worry reflected in their gazes. A tightness pressed behind Julian’s eyes at his frustration. If Unharud hadn’t thought he’d abandoned her before, she would surely think so now. Still, he was never alone, never given an opportunity to slip away from his tasks. Elias and Zacharai were sent in early, but not Julian. No, he had to stay out with Father and keep working himself into the ground.
Dusk painted the sky purple before he was finally released for dinner. He stomped into the house and straight to the washroom, splashing cold water over his face. Exhausted or not, he would not let himself fall asleep tonight. A quick scrub later and he donned fresh clothes, making no attempt to hide his foul mood during dinner. He bolted from the table at the first available opportunity but only made it halfway down the hall when Mother tugged on the back of his tunic and pulled him into a hug.
“What’s wrong, Julian?” she asked softly.
The tears were too close. He ground his teeth and shook his head so he didn’t have to speak. He wanted to tell her about Unharud, about how happy he was with her, but if Mother knew, she would tell Father. No matter how much she tried to make him understand, he never would. Mother had left her home, her family, music, everything to be with Father, and what had Father given up? Nothing.
“Father is what’s wrong.” Julian pulled away, turning from her hurt expression to hide himself in his bedroom. The darkness welcomed him, enveloping him as he collapsed on the bed. He stifled his shouts, and eventually his sobs, with his pillow. His anger burned hot but left an emptiness in its wake, and before he had the opportunity to fight them off, the darkness and his exhaustion overtook him.
Julian awoke with a panicked start. It was still dim out, but dawn wasn’t far off. Rustling came from one of the rooms down the hall. Father would be here soon. With quick and quiet efficiency, Julian pulled his clothes and shoes on and opened the window. The morning air speared his lungs as he took off at a run toward the woods, but he didn’t care. He was free.
Never had Julian felt such desperation or aching hope as when he reached the woods and crashed through the flora. He broke into the copse, breathing raggedly. Let her be here. Please.
Unharud lay with her body curled around the oak, crying softly. Brown leaves sat crumpled on the ground, half obscuring the wilted wildflowers. Not a breeze touched the copse, leaving the air thick and muggy.
“Oh no,” Julian said, stumbling forward. “Unharud, I’m here.”
Staining his trousers on the wet grass, he fell to his knees and held her. She turned to him with watery, puffy eyes. “Julian?” Her jaw hardened. “I thought you left without me, or maybe you did but felt guilty and returned.”
“I didn’t leave!” He thought of how Father had held him back, of how Julian had longed to return to her but needed to keep her safe above all else. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
She pushed onto her knees and grasped his face, filling him with images of the empty copse, drowning first with uncertainty, then betrayal. “All your talk of travels and promises made me feel like I could do anything, yet when you didn’t come back, I couldn’t even leave the woods to find you. Even worse than realizing I wouldn’t see you again was admitting I’d never be able to see the world, much less the ocean.”
Julian crushed her to his chest, pouring every ounce of his being into her. “I’ll always come back to you. Don’t doubt that.”
“Always?” Her fingers clawed at the dry earth. “Even if I believe you, trust you, how does that change anything?”
“Because you know me, and you can feel how I’ll try everything if it means we can explore together. I promise you, I will never leave without speaking to you. If you don’t want to travel with me anymore, I understand, but my feelings haven’t changed since we last talked. We can still go ev
erywhere.”
A glow flashed to life in the oak, and Julian found himself rolled to his back with Unharud pressed against his chest and showering him with desperate kisses. He ran his hands down her back, trying to assure her of his presence. It was many moments before she calmed a little and broke her attention from his mouth to nuzzle his neck. “Promise me we’ll see the ocean.”
Julian smiled. “I promise.”
Unharud buried her head in his shoulder. “If we’re going to spend the foreseeable days together, then you need to learn my language.”
He laughed. “I want to teach you my language too.”
They made love so slowly and so many times Julian was sure he’d spent every bit of himself in her. Care and devotion replaced anxiety and pain as morning warmed to afternoon and that slid to evening.
Unharud propped herself on an elbow and looked down at him with a smile, tracing the edges of his chest with a finger. “Play me a song, Julian. I want to dance for you, and the way you play the lyre is so beautiful.”
“The lyre!”
Julian shot upright, startling Unharud off him. He’d been so busy sneaking out that he’d forgotten all about his pack. He scooped Unharud into his arms as she picked herself up, and he let his memories of Mother giving him her old lyre and teaching him to play the songs from her homeland surface and flow between them. The heirloom connected him to the part of his family he loved but never knew. “How could I forget it!? It’s not just any instrument, and I can’t just get another lyre! Unharud, I...I need it. I need to go back for it.”
“I understand.” She kissed him. “Don’t make me worry.”
“It might take time.” He showed her the farm and how he’d have to sneak. How he’d have to avoid everyone, especially Father.
She blanched at the image but nodded. “Go.”
EVERY step toward the farm filled him with dread. He hadn’t meant to return. He could’ve done without everything else, but the lyre was the one thing he couldn’t replace. Swallowing his anxiety, he kept low to the ground and crossed the dark farmland. No lights glowed from inside the house.
