5. Lirien
5
LIRIEN
I push myself up from the dirt, my robes collecting twigs and leaves. My muscles protest, but I refuse to show weakness. "Let's go again."
We continued sparring right after waking up, and despite fail after fail, I'm determined to keep this momentum going.
Darak lowers his blade, those crimson eyes studying me with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. His lips quirk into an infuriating half-smile. "You should take a break. When's the last time you ate something besides those bread crumbs?"
Am I feeling his... concern? No, that can't be right. I brush off my robes, ignoring the trembling in my hands. "Since when do you give a shit about my wellbeing?"
His jaw tightens. The muscles in his shoulders bunch beneath the leather armor as he raises his sword. The blade cuts through the air in a graceful arc, and I can't help but smirk. Got him.
I watch him move through the forms, each motion precise and deadly. The firelight plays across his ash-gray skin, highlighting the sharp planes of his face. The bond thrums with energy – or maybe that's just my pulse quickening. At least when he's moving like this, caught up in the dance of steel, he's not fixing me with that accusatory glare. This is where he belongs, all coiled power and lethal grace.
The way he handles that sword... it's like an extension of himself. My mouth goes dry as he executes a particularly complex maneuver, his hair coming loose from its tie. A few strands fall across his face, and I have to curl my fingers into my palms to resist the urge to brush them back.
Gods help me, but watching him like this – a warrior in his element – it's intoxicating.
I move to block his strike, but Darak's foot hooks behind my ankle. The world tilts, and I land hard on my ass, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. Pain shoots up my spine.
"Fuck!" I slam my palm against the dirt. Twigs and leaves tangle in my hair, and my robes twist around my legs.
"Your robes," Darak says, sheathing his practice sword. "They're restricting your movement. Hard to dodge when you're fighting fabric."
Fine. Let him see what he's dealing with. I rise, fingers working at the clasps of my outer robe. The heavy fabric falls away, pooling at my feet. The morning air kisses my bare midriff, and goosebumps ripple across my skin.
Darak's crimson eyes track the movement, lingering on the exposed strip of pale flesh between my leather pants and cropped top. Something hot and dark throbs between us that makes my breath catch.
"Happy?" I ask, my voice coming out huskier than intended.
He doesn't answer. Instead, he reaches for the buckles of his armor. The leather chest piece drops to the ground with a dull thud. Sunlight spills across the planes of his bare chest, highlighting old scars that map his ash-gray skin like silver threads.
Heat floods my body, and it has nothing to do with exertion. The bond between us thrums with shared awareness, and I have to tear my gaze away before I do something stupid – like trace those scars with my fingers and end up scaring him away.
I circle Darak, my muscles screaming in protest. Sweat trickles down my spine, and my vision blurs at the edges. But I match his movements, keeping my stance low like he showed me.
"Your form's improving." He feints left. "But your shoulders are dropping."
"Shut up and fight me." My voice comes out raspy, my throat raw from heavy breathing.
My legs feel like lead weights, and each step sends tremors through my exhausted muscles. The morning sun beats down mercilessly, making my head swim. But I won't stop. Can't stop. Not when he's finally seeing me as something more than just the silly girl who trapped him.
"Enough." Darak's voice cuts through my concentration. "The bond – something's wrong."
"I'm fine." I lunge forward, ignoring how the world tilts sideways. A pressure builds in my chest, like a storm gathering strength.
"Lirien." His tone carries a warning. "Slow down."
"I said I'm fine!" The pressure intensifies, spreading through my limbs. My skin buzzes with electricity.
Through the bond, I sense his growing alarm. "Stop. Now."
But I push harder, channeling everything into my next strike. The tension in my chest coils tighter and tighter, until –
The magic explodes outward. A wave of raw power tears through the clearing, sending us both flying in opposite directions. Trees groan and bend. The air itself seems to ripple.
I slam into the ground, all the breath knocked from my lungs. The world spins violently, and darkness creeps into the edges of my vision.
Through the ringing in my ears, I hear Darak curse. "Damn it, demon!"
The world rights itself with nauseating slowness. My head pounds as I push up onto my elbows. Through blurred vision, I see Darak – and my stomach drops. A jagged branch protrudes through his forearm, dark blood staining his ash-gray skin.
"No, no, no..." Magic crackles across my skin, sparking like lightning. The earth trembles beneath me, and leaves whirl in a frenzied dance. I can't breathe. Can't think. The power builds and builds, a pressure cooker ready to explode.
"Lirien, stop!" Darak's voice cuts through the chaos.
"I can't!" The words tear from my throat. My hands shake as another wave of magic pulses outward, splintering a nearby tree trunk. "It won't stop!"
Through the maelstrom, I watch in horror as Darak grips the branch. With a grunt of pain, he yanks his arm free. Blood streams down his skin, dripping onto the forest floor. The bond screams with his pain, but he keeps moving, stalking toward me with measured steps.
"Lirien." His voice is steady, even as he clutches his mangled arm. "Calm down. It's okay."
"Stay back!" Another surge of power ripples through the clearing. "I hurt you. I – I never meant to..." The words catch in my throat as tears blur my vision. The magic burns through my veins like liquid fire, desperate for release.
Branches snap and crack around us. The very air vibrates with uncontrolled energy. I curl in on myself, trying to contain it, but it's like trying to hold back an ocean with my bare hands.
"Please," I whisper, my voice breaking. "I don't want to hurt you again."
I press myself against a tree, trying to contain the magic that threatens to tear me apart. But Darak – stupid, stubborn elf– steps closer, blood still dripping from his wounded arm.
"Stay back!" Another pulse of power cracks the ground between us. Leaves swirl in a violent dance around my feet.
He takes another step. "Not happening."
"Why won't you listen?" My voice breaks as tears streak down my cheeks. The magic burns through my veins, desperate for release. "I could kill you!"
"You won't." His good arm reaches out, and I try to scramble away, but my legs won't cooperate.
"How can you know that?" The words come out as a sob. Tree branches snap overhead, and the earth trembles beneath us.
"Because." He closes the distance between us, his crimson eyes locked on mine. Blood seeps from his wound, but he doesn't even flinch. "I know you didn't mean to. I can feel it through the bond."
His hand finds my waist, warm and steady against my skin. The touch sends electricity racing through me, but this time it's different – not the wild, destructive force of before, but something deeper, more controlled.
"I trust you," he says softly. "Just calm down."
The words sink into my skin and I let go of the chaos, falling into his arms. Darak catches me against his chest, his good arm wrapping around me as I collapse. The scent of leather and pine fills my nose, and beneath it, the metallic tang of his blood.
"There we go," he sighs, taking both of us to the ground. "Is there something I can do to help you control your magic?"
I smile against his shoulder.
"Actually, there may be something… But I can't ask you to do that."
"Just tell me," he insists.
I pull back, looking at him. "I might be able to draw on some of your self-control, your strength, through the bond. But doing so could just solidify it more, and make it more difficult to remove."
He cocks his head to the side, regarding me studiously. "Well, it'll be more difficult to remove it if we can't even make it to this coven. Right?"
I shake my head. "I can't do that. I won't." He opens his mouth to argue with me, so I redirect. "But I can heal your arm. Let me see."
Showing me the bloody wound, he hisses in pain when I grab it. With practiced precision, I let the warm, healing light spread from my fingers to his skin. Soon enough, his pain is gone.
"Wow," he says, inspecting my work. "I've never seen a human do such a thing."
I shrug, finally feeling the tension leave my body. "I can show you a lot of things you've never seen."
His eyes meet mine, and my breath hitches for a moment. His eyes are… beautiful.