Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TYNAN
As much as I tried to concentrate on the task in front of me, I could not pull myself together.
I was still too drunk on Alina’s soft skin, her lush lips, the curves of her body.
I could barely peel myself away from her.
Even after having the whole night, I could not stop from taking her again in the morning, and later when it was time to get dressed, I watched her putting on her undershirt, thinking about the way I wanted to take it off.
It was madness, I was losing myself, completely blinded by this need to have her, to be on top of her, inside her.
“You better speed it up. It’s getting cold sleeping on the ground,” the familiar voice of Sage made me shake off my daydreaming.
“It would be faster if you help me sometimes.” I only looked at him.
“You need my sight, not me.” The old man chuckled.
I glanced at him one more time, noticing the long, unruly beard and the unsteady posture. I did not need to be closer to him to guess that the fumes of alcohol could suffocate all the life around him.
“Right,” I muttered.
“You know, I was the first seer in the country once. I knew all the secrets. I had servants and an unlimited allowance. No one else could see as far ahead as I could,” Sage repeated what he already told me on multiple occasions.
I switched the ax to my other hand and resumed shaving the branches off the log of a tree.
“And now I’m sleeping on the ground,” he finished.
I raised my eyebrows, moving the log with the tip of my boot.
“All this makes you wonder how life can turn everything upside down.” Sage sat on the rock and stretched his back. “A king can turn into a beggar and the other way around too. Don’t put the logs so close together, they need to dry out first,” he instructed.
“If you’re so knowledgeable, why don’t you do it yourself?” I snapped.
“Because you’re here, and you need my help.” He chuckled.
With an effort, I picked up a log and placed it on top of the wall I was building.
“That’s right, that’s looking better.”
“Don’t you have something better to do?” I asked.
“No,” he said and I could not help a sigh. “This country was always doomed to fail one way or another. Especially with the unlimited power some clans had. I often wonder what would have happened if the coup would have succeeded,” he said in a muffled voice.
“Does it matter? The disease would still change everything.”
“You don’t know that. Even the smallest ripple on the surface of the lake can create a huge wave somewhere else.” His eyes sparkled.
I gritted my teeth hating that he tricked me into a conversation one more time.
“What about your fiance? Are you back together?” He abruptly changed the subject.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” I returned to another tree trunk and picked up my ax.
“She made the right choice back then. You are trouble, always was.” Sage watched me with a smug look on his face.
“I hope you know something that’s useful, because I’m tempted to walk away.” I rotated my blade and slowly removed tiny branches, cleaning the log.
“I don’t think you can. After all these years, you need me.
” He laughed longer than it was necessary, and for a moment I imagined punching him in the throat.
“You know, it’s true, your father had women all over the country.
He brought you home one day, leaving your mother no choice but to claim you as her own, to avoid embarrassment.
You were the reminder of how little her husband respected her.
And she had to put up with you, feed and clothe you. Look at you,” Sage continued.
I glanced at him, before returning to my work.
“They say that children are blessings, but you were the creature sent straight from hell to destroy her.” The old man dug into his inner pocket producing a small flask, “And everyone knew who you were. They dared to look at her with pity when she was such a proud woman. I think that’s what killed her in the end. You did.”
I rolled the log closer to the structure and with an effort, picked it up, placing it on top of the wall.
“She had to watch you during those events where you showed how skilled you were with weapons. You outshined her own children at some point, and no matter how everyone tried to put you in your place, you took everything from them. From your family. The child of the unknown whore.”
His last words made the acid spill in my stomach. I dropped the log toward him, seeing nothing but red.
“You are forgetting who I am and what I can do to you!” I moved closer to the old man, looking straight into his unhinged eyes.
He sat still, trying hard not to look affected, but he was scared. I could detect the shifting of his eyes, the tense angle of his shoulders.
I dropped the ax to the ground and walked away before I did something I regretted.
“I may not be what I used to be, but I’ll tell you this; something is coming. Something big!” he shouted, but I did not look back.
The cottage was quiet when I opened the front door.
I was surprised to see no one in the kitchen.
The room was the most used in the house.
All surfaces were clean, indicating that either Frid and Victor were out or they still have not woken up.
My eyes fell on the portrait of Grace that had been wrapped in a towel in a way that made her look almost dressed.
I remembered Victor placing the material over the painting while Grace mocked him for being a prude.
Frid was laughing so hard, and even Alina hid her face behind her scarf.
I tried to slow my breathing, to pace myself, but the urge to see Alina was too pressing.
I needed to know where she was, I had to know that she was alright.
Carefully, I opened the door to the bedroom and frowned, noticing the bed that was already made, no signs of the girl in the room.
All the clothes that were scattered on the floor the night before were neatly folded and the bouquet of winter flowers had been moved to a further table.
I looked back toward the kitchen and the sitting area.
We had much more room since the dining table was out of commission.
My eyes darted to the fireplace and then I saw Alina.
She had fallen asleep in the side chair, an opened book on her lap, her hand still holding the page.
Her skin was nearly glowing in the bright morning light, and a couple of loose curls had escaped her messy bun, framing her face.
My heart immediately took a giant leap in my chest and the feeling of overwhelming belonging took root somewhere deep in my soul.
The anger and frustration I felt had evaporated, like they were never there.
I took two quiet steps and crouched in front of Alina, watching the half moons of her beautiful eyes and the dusting of golden freckles on her nose and cheeks.
Unable to stop myself I touched her hand and watched a frown form between her eyebrows. She sighed, and her lips moved as if she was saying something. I smiled, tracing the smooth skin of her jaw.
Alina’s eyes flew open and she sat up, disoriented. Almost immediately her eyes focused on me, and a weak smile played on her lips.
“What are you . . .? I was not sleeping. What happened?” She sat up, looking around.
“Rough night?” I asked.
“Um . . . I . . .”
Once more, I got to see the reddish glow bloom on her cheeks. It was too much. The next moment, I leaned closer and placed a light kiss on her forehead.
“I woke up . . . and . . . you were gone,” Alina said.
“I intended to do some work in the morning.” I breathed in, enjoying her light feminine scent.
“How’s the building going?” she asked.
“Not well.” I chuckled.
“Frid and Victor are still asleep.”
Instead of answering, I played with the lock of her hair.
“I missed you this morning,” Alina said.
“Put on your flying suit. I want to show you something.”
The early fog coated the mountains below us.
I stood on the edge, surveying the valley ahead.
The dull morning sun was never warm enough to brighten the peaks, but today the monumental stillness spoke directly to my soul.
I looked back, watching Alina in her black suit, she was irresistible wearing my family colors, as if she belonged to the clan, to me.
I shook my head, amused by the direction of my thoughts.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“I want you to try shifting.”
“But, last time . . .”
“I wasn’t ready. Now I know, you are . . . unpredictable,” I continued.
“I am not. I am very predictable, and easy to work with.”
“Is that so?” I placed myself directly behind her.
My hands held on to her waist, I inhaled her flowery scent and one loose curl from her messy bun brushed against my cheek.
“Yes,” she said in a breathy voice.
“Concentrate on your dragon,” I whispered, before lifting her up and launching both of us off the cliff.
Alina screamed and her hands flew up.
“Turn!” I shouted, but she was still panicking. “Turn!” I held on to her lean frame as we descended fast.
At last, I shapeshifted, still holding on to her. Softly, I landed on the rocks below.
“What are you? How could you do this to me?” she cried, her voice shaky, her eyes watery, wild.
“This is how you learn,” I said.
“I can’t, this is too hard. I can’t concentrate on anything.” She panted.
“It’s just a skill. Some people are better at it, that’s all. You have to keep pushing.”
“How long did it take you to turn?”
I stayed silent.
“Gods! I can’t believe it. Did you just turn right away?” Alina gaped at me.
“It is something I have been doing since I was a child,” I said slowly.
“Jumping off a cliff?”
“Yes, we used to play here when we were kids.”
“I see.” She looked like she was storing this information for the future.
“What was your childhood like?” I asked when we walked back to the path together.
“Very different. It was just me and my brother most of the time. Our father disappeared and our stepmother lost herself to grief. We were always together. He taught me horseback riding and showed me how to use a sword. We exchanged books and played with farm animals. I think we were neglected in a way.” She stopped to look at me, then changed the subject.
“Do you think it is possible to cross the border?”
“I’m hoping that’s something Sage can help us with.” I looked at the mountains, remembering the exchange we had this morning.
“Why him? How would he know?” she asked.
“He used to be a royal seer, the one on the very top. I think he knows more than anyone else here.”
“If he knows things, why isn’t he telling anyone?” Alina asked.
“He likes to have power over me. He wants to make me suffer for it.”
“I don’t think he’s a good man,” Alina said in a firm voice.
“No,” I responded. “Are you ready to try again?” I asked and Alina’s face turned pale.
“I . . . I’d rather not,” she said weakly.
A half a dozen jumps later, I was ready to call off the session when a new idea came to my mind. I positioned Alina with her back to the edge of the cliff, facing me. My hands landed on the sides of her waist.
“Now. Try to concentrate on me,” I said and her eyes darted toward the drop.
“Alright,” she whispered when her eyes met mine.
“Don’t look away,” I said and stepped off the cliff.
I held on to her tightly as I started to turn. Alina’s eyes looked almost black, but she kept her gaze on me. Slowly, I could detect a light dusting of copper on her skin. She was changing. A moment later, the two of us soared up into the sky.
“I told you,” I said directly in her mind.
“This is amazing.” She laughed.
The adrenaline from the fall, the cold, crisp morning air and Alina’s laugh made everything about this day instantly better. I turned my head, watching her catch up to me. Her copper scales played in the dim light of the sun. She was so unbelievably beautiful. And she was mine.