by Nichelle Rae
No, it’s not that, either. I didn’t need a man! They’re nothing but trouble.
My mind battled over my different points of view until finally we arrived at Oaksher village and saw the sign for the inn. It was a weather worn wooden sign with faded black paint. The inn was small but not skuzzy and cramped. It looked almost homely.
We dismounted and walked our horses to the rear, where two stable boys were tending other horses. As soon as one boy spotted us, he ran up and took the reins from each of us. “Hello, my lords and lady.”
“Hello,” I said and handed the reins to him. “Now listen, son, I want you to take extra good care of these beasts.” Forfirith snorted, stomped his front hoof and nudged me with his nose, clearly not happy with, my choice of words. I smiled and pet his cheek. “They have to go very far on a very important journey.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out two coppers the Dirty 30 had dropped in their hasty escape. I placed them in the boy’s hand. His eyes lit up. “One for you and one for your friend. You must take good care of our horses, though.”
“Oh, I will! I promise!” he cried as he closed his fingers over the coins and took the horses to the stables, eagerly calling out to his friend to help him. I smiled as we turned to go into the building.
“Where did you find money?” Rabryn asked, leaning close to me.
I smirked at him. “While you two were having your ‘man talk,’” I said, making him smile, “I found them lying on the field.” I also had two more but I wanted to save those to give to the stable boys when we left.
We pushed open the door to the building and were immediately greeted by a cloud of smoke. I coughed and waved it away. It was a small, plain common. Wood tables were scattered about with maybe thirty people around who didn’t bother concealing their curiosity as they gazed at my brother, wondering what a Gold Flowered Salynn was doing in a place like this. The bar sat on the far wall to the right. Smoke stained the once white walls of the common. Nevertheless, it was a rather bright and friendly looking place.
A bulky man stood behind the counter. He had a thick mustache and the beginning of a beard growing on his round cheeks, and short black hair with a receding hairline. He was washing a mug with a rag when he saw us enter. His eyes brightened, but before he could offer us a greeting, a feminine voice squealed Ortheldo’s name. From the far right hand corner that must have led to the kitchen, a young girl ran up to greet us.
I wanted to slap her for being so beautiful.
Her fine red hair came pin straight down past her shoulders. A small patch of brown freckles on each cheek stood out against pale, light skin. Her brown eyes were huge, reminding me of a young doe’s.
“Ortheldo, how wonderful to see you again. It’s been so long, but you’re still just as dashingly sexy as I remember.”
I think I actually flinched. How could she be so bold? I wanted to slap her for that, too.
“Hello, Ibalissa. You look lovely.”
I wanted to slap him for acknowledging her beauty.
She licked her full, pink lips and gave him a seductive look from under her brows as she rested her hands on his chest. “You know,” she batted her thick eyelashes, “I was only a young girl when you saved me from that icky man.” She said, wrinkling her nose. “And, well,” she licked her lips again, letting her tongue rest in the corner of her mouth as her hands roamed his stomach and chest, “I never got to thank you properly for that. I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance tonight.”
He just stood there! He let the little whore press against him and offer herself! I didn’t know whose neck I wanted to ring more, his or hers! I felt my face heat up and deliberately pushed myself between them. She stumbled away, then looked at me as if just realizing I’d been standing there the whole time. She gave me a flat look of boredom and crossed her thin arms under her full bosom.
I gave her a tight, fake smile. “There will be plenty of time for you to ‘thank him’ later. Right now, I’m tired, and Ortheldo need to get us a room so I can sleep. So, if you’ll excuse us.” I grabbed Ortheldo’s collar in a tight fist and dragged him over to the bar. The man behind it beamed a smile as we approached.
The two of them clasped hands over the counter. “Ortheldo, my friend. Nice to see you, nice to see you. What can I do for you?”
“Well, Hoibur, I need that favor you owe me.” The man nodded. “We were robbed by the Dirty 30…” the entire room gasped. Ortheldo, Rabryn and I looked around the room in confusion as astonished whispers broke out. “And, uh…” Ortheldo looked back at the man behind the bar. “We need a room for the night.”
Hoibur gave a thin laugh. “One room for one night? That’s not the favor I owe you. My debt goes deeper than that.” He pulled out a key from behind the counter and handed it to Ortheldo. “You may have a room free of charge and still call upon me when you have a more dire need.” His smile melted and he shook his head. “Especially after an encounter with the Dirty 30. Ortheldo, it seems you haven’t changed a bit.”
Ortheldo smiled. “Thank you, Hoibur, very much.”
Hoibur nodded. “Third door on the right.” We all made our way to the stairs when Hoibur called Ortheldo’s name. “Did you ever find that girl you were looking for?”
I felt my face flush.
“Yes, I did.” he said softly and glanced at me with that special look in his eyes, making me smile. He placed his hand on my lower back and looked again at Hoibur. “This is Azrel.”
Hoibur nodded a greeting. “Pleasure, ma’am.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” I said and thanked him again for his kindness in letting us stay the night. As we headed up the stairs I barely felt the wood under my boots. The grin wouldn’t cease and I felt like I was walking on a cloud—even with Ibalissa in tow.
The room wasn’t bad. Simple, but not bad. There was a bed in the middle of the room large enough for two people, the head up against the wall and the foot oriented toward the door. A small round table was to the left with two chairs and a lit lantern. A couch on the far right wall would serve as a nice bed.
I sighed as I eyed the couch. “Rabryn, you and Ortheldo take the bed.”
Rabryn looked at me strangely. “I’ll take the couch, Azrel.” he said as Ortheldo stepped through the door with Ibalissa attached to his hip. Ibalissa was washing her eyes up and down the side of his body and licking her lips.
“Well, from the look of it, Ortheldo is going to be preoccupied with this little girl tonight,” I said. “And after he’s done thinking he has enjoyed himself, he won’t want to share a bed with a woman.”
Rabryn quickly turned away and headed toward the bed trying to hide his smile so Ortheldo wouldn’t see it. I smirked, waiting for Ortheldo’s anger, but he just stuck his tongue in his cheek as he tried not to laugh. Ibalissa’s face turned red and angry, but I hardly noticed because I was too busy fuming. Ortheldo hadn’t denied that he would take this girl up on her offer to “thank him.”
I tightened my jaw and looked at my brother. “Rabryn, I’m so tired the floor looks comfortable to me. The couch will be fine.”
He nodded. I sat myself down and only in that instant of complete comfort did I realize my feet were killing me. I was hesitant to take off my boots for fear that Ortheldo would see my feet, but he was too busy with Ibalissa to be able to notice. With an effort and grunt of pain, I removed each of my boots with a jerk and dropped them to the floor. I tried to massage the ache from my mangled toes as I watched Ortheldo from the corner of my eye to make sure he wasn’t watching. He wasn’t—he was looking at Ibalissa, who was pressing herself against him again.
“So, darling, are you going to let me thank you properly?” I watched her trace his jaw lightly with her fingertips. When Ortheldo glanced at me, I focused my sight on my throbbing feet, pretending I hadn’t noticed.
“Ibalissa, I’m really tired.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, love. Well, after coming across that band of icky criminals.” Her constant use of the word
‘icky’ was getting on my nerves. “But I promise that you’ll feel as good as new when I’m done with you. You’ll forget about all your problems while you’re with me.”
I didn’t dare glance up to see how close she stood to him now, or what her face looked like as she said the word “problems.” She had hardened her voice at the word, which told me she was probably looking at me, or at the very least indicating me.
“Ibalissa, I…”
She gently shushed him, no doubt with her long finger pressed against his lips. “Just come for a walk with me in the gardens and think about it,” she whispered.
I clenched my teeth and looked up. He was pressed against the door frame, his hands on her hips. Her full chest was pressed against his, and her knee was between his legs. After a moment of gazing into her face, he nodded his agreement to go for a walk.
I wanted to scream! Throw up! Cry! Do something, anything not to feel this aggravation that I didn’t understand! I watched him as he headed out the door. A scream that I couldn’t release burned my throat. I wanted to be going for a walk with him. I wanted to feel the comfort of his strong arms around me, to feel safe in his embrace. I should have run up and pulled him to me, then beat the stuffing out of her. Maybe pull her pretty red hair out of her head. She was a pipsqueak! I could take her!
“Ortheldo,” I said instead. He paused just before shutting the door and looked at me. I caught sight of Ibalissa’s glare and flaring nostrils behind him. I swallowed hard. “Try not to stay up all night. We have a long way to go tomorrow.”
He responded only by drawing his brows together and pulling the corners of his lips into his cheeks, then shutting the door. I jumped at the sound of the click when it closed. Though it shut softly, he might as well have slammed it.
He was back. I felt his presence and was immediately comforted. I couldn’t see anything behind my closed lids save for pale moonlight pouring into the room through the window, but I felt him. I mentally sighed at the feel of him with me again. The constant uneasy feeling that had plagued me the entire time he was gone quickly subsided with his return.
Having him here again made me appreciate him more—if that were even possible. No matter what he did with that girl, he was my friend. She could never appreciate him for the truly wonderful, amazing person he was. I could and I did. Ibalissa was a passing thrill. He and I were friends and would always be friends. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I had more then she’d ever have.
Thank Heavens for Rabryn. His talk had made me feel a lot better; he was the one who pointed all that out to me and made it make sense. He did it in an offhanded manner, as if he was trying not notice how much pain I really felt with Ibalissa around, but he made me feel better. It was nice not feeling as bad as I did when Ortheldo left a few hours ago, but the constant uneasy, unsafe feeling without him there kept me from falling solidly asleep, though I was dead tired. I kept waking up in worried sweats, but now he was back and I would be able to sleep. I was about to do just that when his soft boot falls started coming in my direction. My heartbeat quickened as he approached.
What was he doing?
I felt him standing right over me, watching me. I waited and found myself wishing it wasn’t such a warm night tonight so I might have kept some of my clothes on. Though I was covered with a sheet, I still felt like he was looking at me naked. The hot night and the heat from my waking up in sweats seemed icy compared to the heat I was feeling now with him standing over me—something I’d never felt before.
“Throw caution to the wind,” he suddenly whispered to himself. Slowly he drew closer to me. I had to remind myself how to breathe as his hand came up and touched my cheek, so gently. His face was directly in front of mine and the heat of his breath so near warmed my skin, yet at the same time I began tremble. I thought my heart might explode with how close his face was to mine. He couldn’t have been more than an inch away. It took all my effort not to jump at the feel of his fingertips move from my face and touch my bare shoulder that peeked out from the sheet. His breathing became more rapid as he ran his hand lightly down my arm, then moved it to my hair and the small part of my back that was exposed. His little finger dragged just on the inside of the sheet with made the pulsating heat intensify. I literally had to count to keep my breathing normal.
He returned his hand to my cheek, caressing my skin softly with his thumb, and I felt him lean in closer to me. I wanted to hold my breath, but didn’t dare because he’d know I was awake. The feeling of his soft lips pressed against the corner of my mouth sent fires licking down my spine, and I broke into sweat anew. His lips lingered there for a long moment and I still felt the heat of his body and his breath.
His lips barely lifted from my face and he let out a long, soft sigh, caressing my cheek with his thumb still as he pressed his forehead to mine. He was trembling and his breathing was shallow and rapid, yet soft. I wanted so badly to touch him, to run my fingers through is soft, raven black hair. I wanted his clean mouth to rest on mine and take away the dirty feeling of Jaravel that still lingered, but I didn’t move.
He began to slowly run his lips over my face, just grazing my skin. It took serious effort to keep my breathing steady and soft because my lungs were burning for air. He must have been able to hear my heart pounding because I could feel it in my ears. His lips dragged lightly over my cheekbone, then my temple and even across my own lips, but he didn’t kiss me…how I wished he would.
With his lips hovering less than a centimeter away, close enough for his nose to touch mine, his breathing began to slow with great effort. He seemed to be willing himself to calm down. The Gods know I had to do the same. His breathing slowed after much labor and he pulled away from me to rest his lips on my forehead and kiss it.
“Goodnight, Azrel,” he whispered.
As he walked away, all the heat seeped away with him. The air around me suddenly felt cold and soon I began to shiver. I listened to him undress. He pulled his boots off, then the rumpling of cloth as he pulled his shirt off, and the clicking and rubbing of leather as he removed his belt. I listened to the sinking of the mattress, then the ruffling of the sheets as he pulled them over himself. I waited until his breathing turned steady before I moved.
My teeth were chattering by the time I sat up and threw off the sheet. I stuffed my legs into my pants and threw my shirt on before I lay back down. With a frustrated sigh, I curled up, clutching the sheet tightly around me and tried to warm myself in vain. The cold was like a pin pricking my skin. At last I was about to fall asleep. The night warmed up again, but the suddenly loneliness made me feel bitter cold. I drew the sheet tighter around me.
“Tell me what happened,” Rabryn whispered.
Ortheldo sighed. “I swear nothing. I went for a walk with her, then we ate dinner and that was that. She was hardly around while I mingled with Hoibur and some old friends.”
“She just left?”
“Yes, well…”
I held my breath as the two went on talking.
“Well what?”
“She was outside the door in a very, very sheer nightgown and made the offer again, just a little more boldly.”
However in the world that girl could have possibly been any bolder than before I didn’t even want to know.
“You turned her down, right?” my brother asked in a tone of soft warning. He was arguing in my defense. Somehow, he could sense that I was upset, though I had no right to be. I didn’t tell him I was bothered by Ibalissa’s presence. He just knew.
Ortheldo sighed again. “Of course I did.”
“Good.” Rabryn clapped him on the back. “I’m glad.”
My brother made his way toward me and gently laid a hand on my shoulder. “Azrel, wake up. It’s time to go.”
I breathed in deeply through my nose and stretched as I opened my eyes with fake effort, making it look like I was just waking. I sighed and placed a hand over my eyes as if trying to block the brightness of the sun. “What time is it?”
I asked in a groggy voice.
“It’s a little past eight.”
I sat up slowly and looked around the room with squinted eyes. When they rested on Ortheldo, the memory of his hands on me last night nearly took my breath away. I forced myself to remember what had happened before he left with Ibalissa and planted myself in that same sarcastic, flippant mood so he wouldn’t know I’d been awake when he had returned.
He sat on the bed, putting on his boots. I smirked at him. “And how did your night go?”
“Fine,” he said plainly without looking up at me.
My brows dropped. “Fine? That’s it? You’re not going to relish in every sexual detail?” I looked at him smugly. “Or will Rabryn hear all about it when I’m out of earshot?”
He sighed in frustration and sat up looking at me irritated. “He’s not going to hear anything, and neither are you because there’s nothing to tell. Nothing happened.”
I grunted and looked away, “Whatever you say, pal.” I kept the sheet over my lap as I put my boots on underneath it so Ortheldo wouldn’t see my feet.
“Azrel,” he said suddenly.
“What?” I asked without looking up.
When he didn’t answer, I waited until I was done lacing up my boots before I looked at him. Surprisingly, he had a sly grin on his face and a picnic basket dangling from the tips of his fingers. “Care for a picnic?”
The stable boys did as they promised and took very good care of the horses. Forfirith’s coat never gleamed so bright. I gave each boy one of my last two coppers, and we were off. Ortheldo had already said goodbye to his old friends and had even managed to get some charitable donations so we weren’t penniless. As we rode away from the inn, I realized I hadn’t seen Ibalissa since last night. Can’t say that I was disappointed.
The sun was shining bright, but out in the distance a dark gloom to the east foretold a nasty storm coming. I think I actually cringed.
After about an hour on the road, Ortheldo suddenly turned off into a thicket of trees. After maybe five minutes, a beautiful, flat, grass covered area opened to us. The sun kissed my face tenderly and warmed my skin. Trees encircled the entire clearing, and the grass was well tended; it looked like somebody’s lawn rather than an opening to a forest. We crossed the grass to a small, calm creek that was so flooded with plant life you could barely see the water underneath the tall blossoms and ferns. To our right the thicket of trees parted to reveal a lake, the source of the trickling creek. The water was calm and the sunlight danced off the surface of the water, and I got a serene pleasure from the sight of the mountains set in the background before the trees in the bend blocked my view again.
