Looking down, Brin did as he was instructed, knowing the fall would kill him if he caused the vampire to lose his grip. “Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“I like Sam and she is sad that you went away.”
“Why would she be sad?” There was genuine confusion in his voice.
Hawk almost let go in surprise. “Are you kidding me? You must have seen the way her eyes light up whenever you are near.”
He had never noticed, but did not question the truth of the statement, opting instead to watch her closely next time they met.
“How do you fly?” he asked, wishing to change the subject. “You have no wings.”
“I have no idea. I just have to want to be in the air and my body leaves the ground. I have asked the same question of other vampires I have met, but none have ever been able to explain.”
They continued their conversation as the ground passed under them until a faint glow in the distance let them know they were approaching the camp. Hawk came to a stop in mid-air and pulled Brin up so that he could look directly into his face.
“A word of caution my friend,” Hawk said in a serious voice. “Hurt Sam and I will kill you.” No doubt was left in Brin’s mind that this was a statement of fact rather than a threat.
Dawn was rapidly approaching as they landed, so Hawk went straight to his coffin. Their arrival disturbed Samson, who immediately woke Sam by pressing his cold nose against her cheek. She sat up, looking around. As soon as her eyes fell on Brin she worked out what had happened. Jumping out of the coffin, she flung her arms around Hawk. Freeing himself from her grasp, he lay down in the coffin, but just as he was closing the lid, she grabbed his arm.
“Thank you,” she said then leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. No further words were needed. He smiled at her then closed the lid. Sam covered it with a blanket, both to hide it and to keep the sun off, then jumped down out of the wagon. Brin apprehensively watched her approach. A look of bewilderment filled his face as, without saying a word, she flung her arms around him and hugged him tight.
Chapter 26
Modo and Oak, who had been assigned the last shift for guard duty, came running, having heard movement in the camp. They slowed when they saw Sam hugging Brin.
“I suggest you put him down before you break him,” Modo said. “Welcome back Brin. I was not sure if you would be returning or not.”
“I was not given a choice,” he replied once Sam had released her hold on him and he was able to breathe again, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Sam sent her pet after me.”
Sam’s temper flared. “How dare you,” she shouted. “Hawk is a wonderful person and a good friend; which is more than I can say for you. At least he would have had the decency to say goodbye before going off. I was awake half the night worrying about you. What a waste of time that was.” She stormed off toward the horses before anyone could stop her.
Modo watched her departing back, grinning. “Feisty, is she not,” he said, giving Brin a meaningful wink. “You are certainly going to have your hands full with her.”
Ignoring him, Brin went after her. “How dare you speak to me like that,” he yelled in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. Refusing to speak to him, Sam jumped onto Thresnine’s back and galloped past him.
“Oh dear, are the children fighting?” Liselle asked Oak and Modo, having been woken by the commotion.
“So it appears,” Oak replied. “It seems that when Hawk left last night he went hunting for our elven friend and brought him back against his will.”
Tor, who had been walking up to them, overheard this and went directly to Brin. “What Hawk did was wrong,” he informed him. “But I am not going to be the one to tell him. That is down to you I am afraid. You are free to leave us if you wish, but there are some of us that hope you decide to stay.”
“Thank you, but I must track down my stepmother.”
“Why?” Tor asked. “Your position is no different now than it was before we went to Linket. The only difference is that you now have witnesses to Illen’s outrageous behaviour. We are all prepared to testify for you if we get the opportunity.”
“Once again, I thank you. I will think about what you have said.”
“Good. Now come and get some breakfast.”
Queen Helen’s soldier had remained with them for the night, being too exhausted to travel any sooner. He willingly accepted their offer of joining them for a meal before starting his return journey. His horse had suffered greatly, but Seth announced that it would fully recover after resting for a few more days. This was great news for the soldier, who felt guilty for having had to run it so hard. He agreed to let the animal remain with Tor, as the pace they were setting would be gentle enough if the horse remained riderless, and he accepted one of their spare mounts.
While Liselle and Ria prepared breakfast, Seth and Ellen took care of the deer. After cutting off the head and the legs, they removed the internal organs and threw them to Samson. The grateful wolf gulped them down, almost without chewing, then sat with his mouth open, eagerly awaiting the next tasty morsel. The legs and the carcass were heavily salted then wrapped in blankets and put back in the wagon. Everything would be roasted that night. If River could find enough plant matter to accompany it, the meat should last them a few days.
Sam did not return during breakfast so Samson was dispatched to find her. They soon returned, Sam full of apologies for causing the delay. Ellen had saved her some food, remains of last night’s boar wrapped in bread, which she gratefully accepted. She had hardly eaten the previous evening and was ravenous. Eating while riding was easy as all she had to do was make sure she didn’t fall off. Thresnine was an intelligent horse and knew where she was going.
Sam avoided Brin for the rest of the day, though this was not easy. For some reason Thresnine insisted on riding close to him, until Sam threatened to ride one of the other horses if she didn’t stop. “You are supposed to be on my side,” she whispered into the horse’s ear.
“What is wrong with Thresnine?” Seth asked a while later as they stopped to water the horses at a stream before crossing it. “She seems to be hanging her head.”
“She’s sulking,” Sam informed him. “She kept riding close to Brin so I told her off.”
“You realise you are being unreasonable I hope. How can he apologise if you do not let him near you?”
She knew Seth was trying to help, but she was not in the mood for taking advice or being reasonable and told him so. Seth walked off, muttering something under his breath about women that she was glad that she could not quite hear.
That evening, Brin sat in the wagon by Hawk’s coffin, waiting for him to awaken. When the lid began to move, he stood up, but remained silent until the vampire had acknowledged his presence. “I am sorry for my behaviour. I was angry and said some unpleasant things about you. I now know that you were only trying to help. Please forgive me.”
Hawk smiled. “Apology accepted. So, how did you like flying?”
“I think I will stay out of the skies. I can run through the trees quicker than you can fly through them anyway.”
“Ah, a challenge. Feel up to a race?”
They approached the rest of the party and explained what they wanted to do, asking for advice on how to accomplish it.
“Set up a slalom course through the trees,” Sam suggested. For once they had not camped next to one of the forests that seem to cover most of the unoccupied land. The vast stretches of open grassland that she had been expecting to see seemed few and far between. Most of the roads they had travelled, if not near woodland, were lined with trees. This one was no exception. A single row of trees bordered the road to the left in an almost perfectly straight line. They had set up their camp behind them so they were partially hidden from other travellers, though this was for privacy rather than a need for secrecy.
“A what?” Brin asked. Sam did not respond. She was still acting like a child and had no intention of stopping in
the foreseeable future.
“What is a slalom course?” Ellen asked when it was evident Sam would not explain to Brin. Sam explained about slalom races for skiers and the competitors agreed to swerve between the trees, around a tree at a nominated point, then swerve back again. First back to the camp was the winner.
“Isn’t it a bit dangerous doing this in the dark,” Sam asked when she realised she could not even see the tree that marked the end of the course. Which one her concern was for was not clear, but both reassured her that their night vision was more than adequate. To make things easier, Bellak cast a spell to make the marker tree glow slightly. Without further ado, the race was underway.
“Jesus Christ,” Sam exclaimed. “He’s fast. How the hell can he run between the trees at that speed without hitting them?” She had been expecting Hawk to be able to fly around the trees easily, but the surefootedness of the elf took her completely by surprise. They rounded the glowing tree at exactly the same time. Brin managed to edge slightly ahead on the return leg and reached the finish line marginally in front of Hawk.
“I am impressed,” he said, landing next to the elf, who was not even breathing hard following his exertions.
“I had an advantage,” Brin admitted. “I do this sort of thing regularly. I am guessing that you usually fly over forests not through them.”
“Correct. I would beat you in a straight race.”
“Really. Wake me just before dawn and we can find out.” He could not explain why, but something about the vampire brought out his competitiveness.
“With pleasure,” Hawk said as he lifted into the air. “See you in a few hours,” he called before heading off into the night.
After congratulating Brin on his win, they all settled down to get some sleep. River and Grimmel volunteered to stand guard that night. Hawk would take over when he returned, with assistance from Samson. Liselle accompanied Sam to the wagon, retrieving a cloak to cover herself. Ellen cast a spell each evening to keep them from getting wet if it rained during the night, but the nights could become cool so a cloak may be needed. Retrieval of her garment, however, was just an excuse to speak to Sam before she settled down in the coffin.
“A word of advice,” she said quietly. “Be careful you do not drive him away.” She picked up her cloak and walked away, not waiting for a response. Sam stayed awake for a long while, staring up at the stars and thinking about Liselle’s advice. Logic said that she had not known Brin long enough to have anything more than an infatuation for him. He was, after all, very pleasant to look at and she found herself admiring his body whenever she looked in his direction, but her worry when he had disappeared and her childish behaviour since his return showed that her feelings ran a lot deeper than they should. She was still thinking about Brin when she eventually fell asleep and dreamed about making up with him in enjoyable ways.
Sam was not the only one having trouble sleeping that night. Brin also lay awake thinking. Sam infuriated him, but her avoidance of him affected him more deeply than he would admit. She was so different to anyone else he had ever met and that intrigued him. Being different races, he knew they could never be more than just friends. Inter-racial relationships rarely worked, mainly due to the fact that elves outlived most other races by several hundred years, but as he looked over toward where she was sleeping, he found himself wondering if a relationship with Sam would be worth the heartache that was sure to follow.
The next morning, Sam was no longer avoiding him. She would reply when asked a question, but did not converse with him to any greater extent. He decided not to push it and by the end of the day their disagreement had been put aside, though not forgotten.
Hawk had won the straight race, though nowhere near as easily as he had been expecting. The speed of the elf was astounding. In a race against the humans, Brin had covered the distance in half the time of the fastest competitor. “I had heard elves were quick,” Tor had commented, “but that was unbelievable.”
The rest of the journey to Vada passed uneventfully. There were the usual petty squabbles that happen when people spend too much time together, but nothing more. It was a tired, but reasonably happy group that arrived at the outskirts of the city. This time they were permitted to pass through the gates without an armed escort and they headed directly to the palace.
The whole city was in turmoil. Brightly decorated banners were being hung from every balcony and stalls were being set up on each street.
“What is going on here?” Tor asked a child as she ran passed.
The urchin looked Tor up and down as if wondering if he was worth talking to.
“It will cost you mister,” she informed him, breaking into a smile as he tossed her a coin. “The wedding is tomorrow,” she said solemnly.
“Selene and Tallon!” he exclaimed. “Already?”
The little girl nodded. “This is the second wedding. They were married in his country last week.”
“Thanks,” Tor said, and tossed her another coin. She caught it in mid-air and ran off, laughing.
“Oh god,” Bellak groaned when Tor informed everyone of the reason for the upcoming festivities. “Can we camp outside the city for a few days and sneak into the library while everyone is busy?”
“No,” chorused all of the females together. Their pace quickened and they soon arrived at the palace, dragging the reluctant males with them. The guard on duty recognised them so they were waved inside and informed that Allias was in his den. The den, to which they were given directions, turned out to be a small, simply furnished room, with a few soft chairs and a table, which Allias always retired to when he wanted to get away from everyone. Today, however, he was not alone; King Yeland was with him. They were sharing a jug of wine while hiding away from the wedding preparations. They invited their visitors to join them, though the room was not big enough to fit them all. The ladies respectfully declined, preferring to go in search of the bride.
Sam went to find Mrs Hubert. She had promised Hurst that she would give her his message and she was not looking forward to doing so. Ellen volunteered to accompany her, but this was something she needed to do on her own. Torrick and Oak headed off to the barracks to find Sabastian, Samson’s nose led him toward the kitchen, Seth took Dal to check on their horses and the rest went in search of a bath, leaving Tor alone to converse with the two monarchs.
“Selene is fine, though as obstinate as ever,” Allias replied when Tor asked after the Princess. “When she tried to move Tallon into her room I made it perfectly clear that I would not have them living together under my roof before they were legally wed.”
“And?” Tor pushed, walking over to the table and filling an empty glass with wine.
“They promptly moved into her cottage. Although it is in the palace grounds, it was left to her so there is nothing I can do about it.”
“Smart girl. She must take after her mother. How did the first wedding go by the way?”
The first wedding, just under two weeks previous, had been held in Bedden. The entire nation celebrated, not only because it signified the end of hostilities with Emvale, but because Tallon was a popular Prince, well loved by his subjects. The only downside had been Tallon’s younger brother. Livid at the turn of events, he refused to participate. Secretly most of those attending the wedding thought this was a good thing, but never mentioned this in front of his father. Preparations for the second wedding were going almost as well. The cook seemed to have everything under control and Mrs Hubert was somehow managing to find accommodation for all of the guests. Everet had even managed to convince Mia to attend, though she had not ventured out of their room since they had arrived.
There was a knock at the door and Tallon walked in. “Good to see you again Tor,” he said, accepting the glass of wine that was proffered.
“How is Selene?” Allias asked his son-in-law.
“I have no idea. I have not been allowed to see her all day. She seems to be taking this one as seriously as the first. Now more lad
ies have arrived and I have been banned from that entire side of the palace.”
“Welcome to married life son,” Yeland said, giving him a friendly slap on the back.
While the men were happily talking about women and weddings, Sam was comforting a crying housekeeper. Mrs Hubert had listened in silence while Sam explained that Hurst would not be returning, at least not for a while, and the reasons behind his decision. Mrs Hubert understood, but understanding did not lessen the sadness or reduce the flow of tears. Once she managed to pull herself together, she realised that Sam had not arrived at the palace alone.
“Where ever am I going to put you all?” she exclaimed, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. The sudden crisis would occupy the older woman for a while, taking her mind off her heartache. “The two largest guest rooms are still empty. I will fill them with sleeping pallets and you will all have to bunk down together. It is the best I can do at such short notice.”
“I’m sure that will be fine,” Sam assured her.
“Men in one room, women in the other,” she instructed. “I will not have co-habitation under my roof. The married couple will have to put up with it I am afraid.”
“I’ll make sure I inform everyone,” Sam affirmed then went in search of Selene and the rest of the ladies.
She found them all in Selene’s rooms, where the bride was having her dress altered to accommodate her ever increasing size.
“Sam,” she cried out as soon as she saw who had walked through the door. Running forward amidst protests from the dressmaker, she hugged her tight, then led her to an empty chair and forced her to sit. “So tell me all about Brin.”
Sam groaned. “I don’t believe this,” she said, looking around the room. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you have already told her about the one subject you knew I didn’t want discussed. We are just friends.” The last sentence was said in a very serious tone.
The Guide Page 33
