Rather than let him know how awful she felt, she tossed aside the blankets. “Let me pack my stuff and eat, then we’ll have a round.”
“I’ve already caught breakfast for us. Fresh fish I found in a nearby river. We can spar there while the fish cooks over the fire.”
Part of her wanted to ask if this river had a waterfall, but she bit her tongue as she folded up her blankets. After she cinched down the rope tying her pack together, she followed him through a trail of thorn bushes and elm trees. Squirrels chased each other as Mirhana and Landon passed.
At the river, she sighed in partial relief and disappointment that the river held no waterfall and didn’t look as deep as her dream. Hmm … maybe she could bath here later after their duel.
He stoked the fire he’d made in the dirt and circled with stones. She helped him clean the fish and splint them on thin branches to cook.
After the fish were secure and both Mirhana and Landon had washed their hands, he tossed her one of the wooden swords. Before she caught it in the air, he was there with his. She twirled around to get away, missing her blade as he crashed into her. Her weapon was on the ground a foot away from her.
“Wh—”
“Maybe I should have let you sleep more.” He didn’t make a move to get off her. “But you must always be ready for anything.” He tossed her words back at her in jest. Only she would not surrender so easily to his grin, even if it did bring out a dimple in his cheek.
She pushed against him, but he didn’t budge. He just looked down at her, smiling like Melwyn did whenever he drank cream or was about to. She saw a blond strand had loosened from his tie at the back of his neck, and she resisted the urge to reach up and tuck it back amongst the brown and other blond streaks.
Instead of forcing him away, she leaned forward as if inviting him to kiss her again. The thought of his lips made her almost acquiesce and allow the kiss and wherever it took them. As he leaned down to meet her, she brought up her knee to his stomach and shoved with all her strength. Off balance, he tumbled backward and she was pleased that he dropped his sword.
“Now we are tied. And I think our fish is read—” the words stuck in her throat.
Rising out of the water was a Neried. They were related to the sirens of legend, but inhabited fresh water rather than the seas and oceans. She had blue hair that hung down her back and grey skin.
“Stay down,” Mirhana told him.
His back was to the water creature, so he did not see her. Mirhana cursed, for all they had were two wooden swords and fish cooking.
“Come to me, human.” It spread its arms wide, exposing its full breasts. The upper body was that of a woman, but her lower body was a poisonous watersnake. “Taste me and know ecstasy.”
The Neried wanted Landon. Men were their favorite dish.
Like one in a daze, he stood and turned to her.
“I know the desire you’ve for this thing.” Her arm, dripping with water, pointed at Mirhana. “Yet, she spurns you. I will make you forget her. I will make you forget everything.”
Landon took a step forward, then paused, shaking his head as though to rid himself of the enchantment.
“Come, you must pay tribute for taking two fish from my river.”
“We apologize.” Mirhana stepped forward. Even if Landon didn’t know the danger they were in, she did. This creature’s bite was deadlier than a thousand watersnakes.
He would be dead in an instant.
Mirhana’s legs quivered as she continued forward. Gods, please don’t make me go through this again. It’s my fault I didn’t bring a weapon. I don’t want another innocent on my conscience. Her wooden sword would not penetrate the Neried’s scaled skin.
The fire. Maybe she could use it to ward away the creature until she could get Landon to a safe enough distance.
When she reached the fire pit, the snake woman struck Landon. It was so swift. She only saw a blur and then Landon was gone.
“No!” she screamed.
Without thought, she leapt into the water and snatched up the Neried’s tail. Mirhana was whipped around, but she didn’t let go. The river rocks ripped open her skin. She wasn’t sure if Landon still lived or not.
She had to try.
With the end, she held the Neried as it thrashed her side to side; she gulped air before careening back through the water.
Miles later, the Neried swam to a lake, probably to her cave. Mirhana used all her strength to squeeze and climb the tail. For each movement closer to the head, the more likely she could be thrown off, and Landon lost. The chances of finding its cave were slim. Nerieds were excellent at camouflaging their nests. It knew its cave well, and Mirhana didn’t. Inside, it could rear up and strike her.
She pushed the thought aside.
When she was an arm’s length from its head, she grasped its hair and yanked hard. The creature dropped Landon and reared back, spinning it and her in a circle. Mirhana kept one hand in the creature’s hair and used her other to grab ahold of the throat, careful of its teeth.
The Neried dove under the water and Mirhana almost lost her grip, but quickly added the hand from the hair and maneuvered until she had an arm around its throat, choking off its air.
Mirhana needed to breathe too, but she knew if she let go, she and Landon were dead.
Spots and darkness danced before her eyes, but she locked her arms in place. If she was going to die, then so was this creature.
The creature stilled, but Mirhana did not have the strength to rise to the surface in time.
• • •
Landon awoke underwater. How he got there he couldn’t remember, but he needed air. He kicked his legs and saw the sky just above the surface of the water. When he broke free, he inhaled in gulps.
Mirhana.
Where was she? He glanced around and saw nothing but this lake and trees. Then he remembered the creature.
“Mirhana!” he shouted. A sick feeling of dread climbed from his stomach and into his throat. She must have tried to save him.
He dove into the water looking for her. Soon his lungs screamed for air. He rose, breathed, and dove again.
He couldn’t lose her. Not yet. It was just a little while that he had spent with her and was getting to know her.
Finally, the fourth time, he saw her. She was wrapped around the creature.
He couldn’t reach her without breathing again, but he pushed the burning of his lungs to get to her anyway. After he broke her hold on the creature’s throat, he swam to the surface with her in his arms.
A few more kicks and we’ll reach the surface. Don’t die.
Breaking through the water, he choked. He carried Mirhana to the shore, then listened for a heartbeat.
It was there, but faint. He kissed her lips, letting out a sigh of relief. A whirlwind must have formed at the same instant, for her hair and the grass beneath her whipped around at his exhale.
She sputtered and he turned her on her side while water gushed out of her.
When she recovered and wiped her mouth, he said, “don’t think that saving me makes you the winner today. I had to save you, too.”
She nodded. “It’s my fault. I’ve grown too complacent.” After she sat up, she looked around. “The others will look for us; we need to follow the trail of the river back.”
They were both dripping wet and shivering. It would take days to reach their campsite.
“Let’s find shelter and let our clothes dry. We won’t be any good, if we sicken with fever.”
A few yards down river, they found an Allosyncarpia with a hollowed out trunk. After stripping out of his trousers and tunic, he hung them on the branches to dry.
Mirhana followed, but left her undershirt on.
Inside the tree, her teeth chatted.
“We need to keep each other warm. Then we’ll grab a bite of food while we wait for our clothes to dry. And I’ll start a small fire.”
After the fire sputtered to life, as though exhausted she lay down on t
he ground inside the tree trunk and he scooped her up in his arms. Inhaling her scent of rose, musk, and the lake water, he yearned to kiss her. That would heat them both.
Yet, she didn’t give him any indication before that she liked or wanted his kiss. Did she? He would not force her. It grated on his chivalry to be naked, holding her without much between them but a thin soggy undershirt.
After a few moments of debating nuzzling her neck or not, he heard her breathing evenly. She must have fallen asleep.
Now if only he could do the same.
• • •
Hours later, Mirhana awoke to Landon softly snoring. His arm was around her waist and she eased out of his embrace. The sun was shining low on the horizon as she shuffled out of the tree. It would be evening in a few hours.
At least their clothes were dry. She dressed, then gathered some berries from a mulberry tree. There wasn’t much.
She heard Landon stir, but gave him privacy while he dressed. A blush heated her cheeks at the memory of him naked. His skin was smooth until the junction of his thighs. She didn’t stare at him, but she had felt his erection while he held her.
Part of her wanted him. The other knew that it would end up in heartbreak. He would die. Eventually, if not tomorrow then the next day, and she would be left alone again.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” She handed him a handful of the berries. Then she dusted her hands off as they walked. From the corner of her eye, she saw him smiling. “What?”
“I was just thinking how wonderful it is out here. No walls, no rules. Just freedom.”
“We nearly died.”
“For the first time in my life I feel truly alive and free from responsibilities and expectations.” His hand brushed hers and she fought the tingle that ran up her arm. “With you, I feel like I have found myself, and what I want.”
“And I nearly got you killed.” She kicked aside a twig. “I left my weapons behind. It won’t happen again.”
Rather than keep pace with him, she marched ahead. Emotions and longing stirred inside her and she didn’t like it.
They walked until nightfall. There was no Allosyncarpia here, so they gathered pine needles and slept under the stars. It was cool at night and the breeze made them seek each other for warmth. She pushed her back against his chest and fought the urge to scoot her hips against his groin.
“Tell me what it is like to live like this every day.”
Despite herself, she laughed. “It is what you see. Days of travel, nights of sleeping outside. The rain and sleet are the worst. Even after it stops, you can’t sleep for you still feel the prickling on your skin. In winter the cold seeps into your marrow and even the warmest fire doesn’t remove it. Don’t even get me started on the nightflies.”
“My mother was a warrior like you and fought beside my father,” Landon said.
“I would like to meet her sometime." Mirhana smiled. "Is she better at dueling than you?”
An owl hooted in the distance, answered by the howl of a wolf.
He tightened his hold on her. “How do you know I’m not letting you win?”
“You wish.”
“I’m sure I can think of some things that I could win at and make you breathless and begging for more.”
“And I think you must have hit your head on a rock when the Neried dragged you away.”
He chuckled and it rumbled in his chest, the sound sending shivers down her spine. For a while, he was quiet and she wondered what he was thinking.
“My mother died last year. I've often wondered if the Warloc had anything to do with her death. Surely, only someone with magic could have gotten that close to her and deliver a fatal blow that the court physicians said killed her within moments. When I found her, she was dead and my father unconscious.
“I’m sorry. I never knew my mother.” She contemplated what it would be like to have a mother like herself. One whose life didn’t end after a blink. “What about Jeslyn? She’s a warrior as well.” I must turn his attention away from me. My heart cannot take another breaking.
“Jeslyn makes me uncomfortable. I can never tell if she is genuine or hiding something. She is like a blade inside a silk cover. She looks soft on the outside, but inside she is steel and sharp. And cuts those who are unsuspecting.”
“Then what does that make me?” Mirhana asked.
“You are like a dagger in a sheath: hard and protective on the outside, and deadly on the inside. You do not have secrets, unless they are buried within your heart and hidden from even you.”
“Well,” she said, “Jeslyn would have had her weapons with her when the Neried attacked.” Why do his words affect me so? I seek his praise, then his comments make me uncomfortable as though I haven’t deserved them.
“Maybe. But I doubt she’d have jumped in after me. Then again, I wouldn’t have tried to impress her by cooking her fish to break her fast.”
She squirmed against him. More compliments. She needed to change the subject. “Do you think the others are looking for us?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t count on it. Brock and Celeste know we don’t have time to spare, so when they didn’t find us yesterday, they would have continued on. But they probably left us a trail.”
“Even if they didn’t, I could find it.” She nodded and then whispered sorry when her head banged into his chin.
If they didn’t reach the others, they’d have to steal horses somehow. They had no weapons, money, or even their cloaks.
Still, why did she feel so at ease with Landon? She doubted she’d be comfortable sharing body warmth with Gillespie. Pondering why, she knew it wasn’t just physical. Landon had a thirst for adventure. Even when she tried not to, he had made her laugh. It was rare that she could be herself without fear of being judged or misunderstood.
He was like a friend she never had. And yet, she struggled even now not to spin around and kiss him until they both wanted more.
It was going to be many long nights of her fighting temptation.
Chapter Fifteen
Kavith screamed in rage. The Neried failed. She was to snatch Landon and bring him to her.
Yet, that stupid Elvin girl ruined it.
She would have a word with the assassin. It was time to show results.
When Kavith ruled, anyone not obeying her command immediately would be killed. Even the land of assassins who feared no one would tremble at her name. As the Warloc’s heir, she deserved to rule all the kingdoms.
And Kavith would send a message to the Drow. The group of the four with their human travelers was headed their way; she would make the Drow lay a trap for her enemies.
The Drow wanted magic and peace. Kavith would give them the dark magic they craved to reignite that dormant power within them, and raise the queen’s husband from the dead … just leave her Landon and kill the others when they finished gathering blood and teeth.
• • •
The morning came too early and Landon yearned to lie there holding Mirhana in his arms. She still slept and he wished they could stay here forever.
He told her she reminded him of a dagger. Truth, though, she reminded him of a winter rose. Surprising that such a rare and beautiful flower grew and prospered in the harshest winter. Its sweet smell and velvet petals were coveted by all. Yet, if one didn’t know how to handle her, he would find barbed thorns in his flesh.
Out here, there were no responsibilities or rules, just him and her enjoying nature and vast open spaces.
She moaned in her sleep and pressed her hips against his groin. Instead of moving, he gritted his teeth against wanting to take advantage of her sleeping.
Think of something, anything but that she’s naked underneath her clothes. If she knew his thoughts, she’d probably laugh or rebuke him.
Before he succumbed to lust, he eased away from her and stood. When she mumbled something, he smiled. Part of him hoped they never caught up with the others. The other knew Mirhana would never forgive him
if something happened to her brother and the rest of the group.
And he still needed to defeat this Warloc and protégé to save his kingdom and revoke the marriage treaty with Kavith.
He grimaced. How would he explain that he never felt a handful worth of regard from the words in her letters than he did now for Mirhana.
Closing his eyes, he wondered if he’d believe differently if it had been Mirhana with whom he exchanged letters and never saw, and Kavith was the one who slept in his arms.
No. From Kavith’s letters he could not imagine her sleeping on the ground under the stars. And Mirhana would have written him about her adventures, making him crave to meet and travel with her.
No doubt, Kavith and her father would demand recompense for breaking the marriage treaty. It would be costly, but much more so if he paid with his heart and kajh. If it was just Kavith, she would be satisfied with land and jewels. But she had a devotion to her father that bordered on obsession. And her father, from what he knew, was ruthless in getting what he wanted.
Mirhana stirred and he stopped himself from rushing to her side and kissing her as her black hair stood out in a fuzzy halo around her head. “Is it morning already?”
“It has been for a time. Are you hungry? I haven’t searched for something to eat yet.”
She waved him off, then ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s just look while we walk.”
After she braided her hair, they hiked up a hill. Her steps were confident and strong. He could not see her as a sniveling maid like the many he had grown up with. It was like the open air around him, so different from anything he’d know, yet he hungered for more. He wanted to know everything about her. What she liked. What made her laugh, what excited her.
He pointed out a turquoise flower he couldn’t remember the name of, but thought he read somewhere that it was edible.
“Sure,” she laughed, “if you want to have blue teeth, dizziness and stomach ulcers.”
He wanted to make her happy so he could hear the sound of her laughter again. “What’s it called?”
“A blue wheel, because you feel like a wheel on a wagon going around and round.”
She had everything he wanted for himself. But, he saw the longing when she watched her brother and Celeste. Bravery and strength she held as a shield protecting herself. But he had glimpses of the woman, full of desire to be loved.
Son of Dragons Page 9
