21. Galene
Chapter twenty-one
Galene
“ A re you sure you don’t want to talk?” Leila asks me.
I give her a tired look. “I’m fine. Really. Why is it so odd that I wanted to come and spend time with my sister and nephews?”
She narrows her eyes. “Alright. You keep your secrets. We won’t talk about how you probably didn’t want to say goodbye to Tarin. He likely would be gone by now, so you can head back if you like.”
“I couldn’t care less about Tarin,” I say, a little too heatedly.
I can see from her knowing look that she knows this is about Tarin. About Rourk.
I had just wanted to go for a long walk to clear my head, and spend some time beyond the village. Rourk will have left by now so I can begin putting him behind me. A familiar warmth washes over me when I think of our close moment in the mountains. How passionate we had been. It had felt more like a dream than anything real, so I have decided to keep it that way. It was just a strange moment that had happened, exactly like a dream.
I will not have an Oathlander complicating my life. No matter how good his heart is, and how strong and selfless he is. How heroic. How physically appealing.
I don’t want any of it.
The boys, Jonah and Milo, are picking berries from the field, placing them in baskets. They have made a game out of it to see who can pick the most berries. The wind has picked up and a cool breeze is struggling to fight against the warmth of the sun. The dark clouds on the horizon make me frown, reminding me of the storm over the mountain.
The world seems to be changing a lot these days. I’m not sure what to think about it.
“Have you thought of what you will do now that your big Task is done?” Leila asks as she digs the soil with a pick.
“I’m not even sure if this is my big Task,” I say. “I wouldn’t be surprised if father finds another way to test me. To push me. At least your big Task was straightforward.” I sigh and shake my head. “My fault for being such a disgrace to the family.”
“Hey, I’m also unwed,” Leila tells me. “People think oddly of me as well. And my Task was not straightforward.”
“You’re widowed. You have two children. That’s different. You’re a sister wife. That holds respect.”
“We put too much emphasis on doing what’s best for the village,” Leila says. “And not enough on what’s best for ourselves. ”
“Careful. You’ll have the elders burning you on a pyre.”
Leila scoffs. “Let them try.”
I smile at her, feeling a little better about myself. The more time I spend away from Rourk, knowing he is getting farther and farther away from us, the more I’m able to relax.
So why am I looking around, as if I’m expecting to see him at any moment? What would I do if I turned around and saw him here? I shudder at the thought.
“Hey, boys,” Leila calls out. “No pushing. Come on.”
That settles them somewhat, but I can see that competitive look in their eyes and their smirks.
Leila looks up at me. “Well, if you’re going to be here, you might as well be helpful.”
Something shifts in the air. I look around to find the source of what suddenly started bothering me, but there’s nothing I can see. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me.
The ground trembles.
Leila and I share a fearful look. My first thought is that another earthquake is imminent. The boys have stopped squabbling and are looking around them, more curious than concerned.
The ground rumbles and shakes again, sending a shiver through me. I hear muffled, heavy breathing a second before something enormous breaks through the trees in the distance.
A giant animal raises its head and roars into the sky. The deafening, reverberating roar shakes my bones and the force of it ripples my clothes. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It has the size of an oversized elephant and the brown fur and paws of a great bear, with huge curled horns on its head and a snarling bull-like snout.
Leila screams for the boys and rushes to them. My bones rattle with jarring fear as the giant beast growls at us and breaks into a run on all-fours. The ground shakes enough for me to struggle to keep standing. Leila reaches the boys and drags them back as I run to them, but there’s no avoiding the beast. It bounds at us and rises for an attack, raising a massive furred paw.
The beast jolts and pauses as a knife plunges into its side. I turn to see a figure sprinting across the fields to us. My heart swells at the sight of Rourk running with a pickaxe in hand, muscles tense, his long hair flared in his wake.
“Find cover,” Rourk yells without looking at us.
The behemoth rears back and faces Rourk, its snarling face full of fiery rage. That gives us enough time to take the boys to a low rock wall surrounded by tall shrubs and a tree stump.
Rourk rolls away from a swiping reach from the beast and he comes up, swinging the pickaxe and slicing its arm. The beast roars back and prepares for another attack.
I cannot believe Rourk is really here. It feels like a vivid dream. How had he found us? Had he known of this behemoth? I reach for the knife on my belt and realize I have not brought it. I’ve left it back home. There was no thought of possible danger when I’d left earlier. I’d just wanted to get away from the village. Leila’s pick is over by the crops. Maybe I could run out and grab it before the beast notices me.
“How did he find us?” Leila asks me, echoing my thoughts.
“What is that thing?” little Milo asks, his voice quivering with fear as he hugs his mother’s dress.
Rourk leaps away from a paw swipe and sticks the pickaxe into the side of the hulking beast. As he lands and maneuvers away, a swinging arm slams into him and sends him flying several feet through the air. My chest tightens instantly with fear. Rourk rolls through the field and crashes into a tree.
The behemoth charges at him. I flinch, half considering running out to help Rourk, but what can I do? I don’t think I can summon my magic with my heart beating so fast. Rourk gets to his feet and dives to the side in time for the beast to miss and get its horn stuck in the tree. It shakes its head and wrestles to free its horn, and ends up ripping the bark into several pieces as it releases itself.
Rourk is now without a weapon. I take my chance and rush over to the pick in the ground. Leila calls me back, but I ignore her. My heart threatens to burst from my chest as I throw myself to the ground and grab the pick.
“Rourk!” I yell, and throw the pick as hard as I can to reach him.
Rourk has to sprint toward it while it spins in the air, and the beast turns and chases after him with surprising speed. It rises onto its back legs, raising both paws to slam them down on him. Rourk leaps and snatches the pick out of the air. He twists and manages to plunge the pick into the beast's paw, getting knocked back by it at the same time. Rourk falls to the ground and rolls several times, heading toward me. Fear jolts through me at the sight of him on the ground, but I’m relieved to see him get to his feet. The man is made of strong stuff.
I ignore Leila and the boys calling me back and rush to Rourk. The summoning of my light takes hold in my mind. I have to help us both. Rourk looks dazed and unsteady, but there is a fierce determination in his eyes when I reach him.
We have no time for words as the beast barrels toward us. In an instant, it is rising up and blocking the sun, about to trample us. I raise my hand to summon a shield, but nothing happens. A split-second of absolute terror dawns on me when I realize I cannot help us. The beast's paws slam down on us. I’m shoved by Rourk and feel the rush of air as I fall to the side. The massive paws crack into the earth. I roll and throw myself to my feet, my head spinning, and see Rourk managed to get clear of the attack.
He has pulled out the knife from the beast's side and he stabs it again into its arm. Dark blood pours from several places, but the beast doesn’t seem to be slowing down or concerned by its injuries.
“Get back,” Rourk calls out, waving me away.
He dives and rolls and pulls the pickaxe from the beast, causing it to roar in pain. The behemoth rises on its back legs and watches us both with its beady black eyes which are surprisingly alert and show intelligence. It focuses on Rourk, who is running backward and waving the pickaxe to get its attention .
I’m left there as the beast bounds towards Rourk. He can’t do this on his own. One direct hit is all it would take to end Rourk’s life.
“Hey!” I scream.
It isn’t enough to distract the beast. A shiver of fury washes over me and I throw my arm out in frustration. A spark of golden light shoots out and spins through the air like a thrown stick. It thuds into the mud by the beast's paw and gets its attention. It turns to me and growls, baring its teeth.
“Oh gods,” I mutter, stepping back.
Rourk calls out, but the behemoth is no longer interested in him. It breaks into a bounding sprint, shaking the ground and sending tremors of fear through me. Spit flies from its snarling mouth, its beady eyes wide and crazed.
As I start running back, I search for the light within me. That charged energy that comes from the spark deep within. But I’m too shaken with fear to think or feel anything clearly.
The huge beast leaps toward me and covers my view. Rourk is running for me, but he’s too far away. I scream as the beast crashes down on me, flattening me into the ground. Everything goes black. And then a blinding golden light fills my vision. A pillar of solid light breaks through the beast and bursts out from its back, shooting into the sky. The light instantly vanishes, leaving a gaping hole in the beast.
Crippling pain keeps me in place as my strained mind tries to focus. Blood and guts are covering me and sticking my clothes to me. The hot stench of blood and meat stings my nostrils .
I blink back my focus and see I am beneath the beast, pressed deep into the mud. I see dazzling daylight through the hole in the beast.
Someone comes to me and I yell out, my sense of danger spiking. It’s too hard to think clearly. But relief swells within me when I see Rourk is there. He takes my arm and pulls me out as he shoves the beast aside.
I still can’t believe he’s really here. My heart swells with joy.
He pulls me up and I wrap my arms around him. Our lips slam into each other and we kiss hungrily, holding each other close. I pull his face to me, breathing him in and tasting his hot sweat and sweet lips. His powerful arms hold me close. I’m lost in the moment and I don’t care. I just want him. I need him. Every part of him. I’ve never needed anyone more. I need his hands on me. Need his body pressed against mine. There’s no amount of closeness to satiate my desire.
I become aware of the sound of our kisses as my senses come back to me. I pause suddenly and break free from his mouth. I turn, slowly, and see Leila and the boys staring at us with slack-jawed mouths and raised eyebrows.
I startle and shove Rourk away. “No,” I say. My mind races with thoughts, but I can’t verbalize any of them.
But he nods, understanding as he always is. And yet something lingers in his eyes, in the way he clenches his fists and the way he averts his eyes from mine.
I wonder, at that moment, just what it is that I think I’m doing.