Chapter Five #3
“Sorry, yes, I…I thought to protect your modesty and—” She began laughing.
I did not dare to look back at her, for I knew—just knew—she was still nude.
“Sorry, I will…I will go back to …to the others. Enjoy your bath.” I ran off, face hot as a griddle, and did not stop until I reached the ponies.
The twins tossed me a smile while Asdren sat on a rock, glowering down at a stick he was whittling—or more precisely hacking at—with a small knife.
I pushed in amid the small horses. They all turned to nuzzle at me, seeking apples in my pockets, gentle comfort flowing from them to me.
And non-druids wondered why I preferred to spend my time with animals.
Maybe I should try to extend a hand of friendship to the leader of the Sable Legion.
It seemed our squabbles were upsetting the others.
Perhaps I would try to be less prickly with Asdren once the fire left my cheeks…
“What the fuck do you mean you’re staging a sit down?” I stared up at Asdren, the others a few steps back, their saddlebags in their hands. “Stand up. We got to start climbing this mountain.”
“No, I will not stand. Newt is still in pain. I felt his anguish all night long. He requires another day of rest for the bruise and swelling on the frog of his hoof to go down more.” I sat cross-legged on the rocky ground with the horse’s reins in my hand.
“We will give the horses a rest here. Perhaps at midday his swelling will be lessened, and we can begin. If not, then it will be on the morn tomorrow. Perhaps you males could take the time to bathe as Smuta and I did?”
Under the cover of the darkest part of the night, I had crept to the trout hole, quickly washed, and was back in camp without any of the dwarves the wiser.
“You’re yanking my curly hairs, right?” Asdren asked, wholly confused, his bright blue eyes locked on me.
I shook my head. Newt gave my head a sniff.
“Listen, Chirp.” He hunkered down so he was right at my level.
The man had great energy, strong, commanding, slightly angry, domineering in a way that made me feel…
things. “I get that you and the beasties are chums. That’s all well and good, but it was your king that sent us out on this mission to find this missing elf, and we can’t very well do that if you’re sitting here on your scrawny arse.
Now, I know the pony has an owie, but we ain’t got time to dither around with our dicks in our hands.
So I suggest you wrap up that foot of his, climb on your horse, and follow along, or we will leave your pert blushing arse behind.
And I reckon your king and whoever that fucking crow is taking letters to—”
“Raven. Click is a raven. It’s important to name people and creatures properly.”
His bisected brow twitched.
“He’s got a point, Asdren. I got a cousin who used to be known as Morga when they was young, but now they call themselves Pilla and is quite firm on others calling her that.
We seen her performing in that cabaret when we was doing a job in Kanazen.
No one would ever guess that she got a sausage betwixt her legs,” Narub commented. His twin nodded.
“I found that out the hard way,” Smuta replied as she waited. “Still, we had a good night. Just had to delve into a different cave to find her treasures.”
Asdren growled. The discussion of Pilla, the cabaret performer, stalled out.
“Go cut some wood for the grotto,” Asdren barked over his shoulder. Who left to cut wood or who stayed, I was unsure, for I was unable to look away from Asdren. A squirrel began chirping at us, complaining about our proximity to the tree where he stored his nuts. “Look, Chirp—”
“Beiro. My name is Beiro,” I corrected as I stared into blue eyes as deep as Lake Falomar and just as tumultuous.
“Right, I know that. I just think you sound more like a Chirp.” I scowled.
He slapped a strong hand to the back of my neck then drew me in slightly as he leaned forward.
His brow touched mine, and his sight remained locked with mine.
A long, long moment passed while he searched my expression for something.
No clue as to what. His fingers were rough, calloused, and powerful.
“This job is a big one for us, and for your king. This ain’t going to help endear you to him, or us, or the kingdom itself if you put things off to play nursemaid to a pony.
Now, that being said, I understand you druid types are sensitive. ” I rolled my eyes.
“We are empathic is what Beirich and Kenton state.”
His fingers bit into the nape of my neck, just enough to make me return my attention to him.
I drew in a breath, suddenly unsettled with his nearness.
There was no stench of unwashed man wafting off him.
He smelled of pine and smoke as one does when sleeping in the woods.
My sight drifted to the hair of his beard, to the silver threads darting through the rich black.
“Hey, boy, I need you to listen to me this once instead of that damn red squirrel.” My sight darted back to his.
“Good, now we are going to head up that mountain. Time is money. You’ve heard me say that a few times, yeah?
” I nodded, unable not to gape as I floundered in what seemed to be softness coming into his expression.
The tight hold on the back of my neck gentled, his thumb rubbing over the spot where my pulse thundered in my throat.
“I know you got principles, and they’re good ones.
I got morals too. Not many, just a few, but I got them.
” A twitch of amusement pulled at my lips.
He smiled. Sort of. Just a tug at the corner of his mouth, but it did things to him…
to me…that I felt down to my toes. “We ain’t got time to dither with a lame horse.
King Aelir is anxious to get this elf found, so let’s wrap that hoof good and tight so we can start the climb.
We’ll do the best we can for the pony, but we ain’t going to stop moving ahead.
We won’t be going as hard or fast, for the sides of the Witherhorns don’t brook racing along the skinny trails cut into her sides. ”
I blinked when his words stopped, so engrossed was I with the differing shades of light and dark blue in his gaze.
“The pony will just get worse if we don’t rest him,” I whispered.
“I know, and I got a sadness for the poor beast, but life ain’t always easy and it ain’t always genteel. Now, wrap his hoof, will you, Beiro?”
He had spoken my name. By the goddess, I wished I could read the minds of higher beings! What was he thinking when he spoke to me so kindly, so softly…
“I wish you would let him rest.”
“I wish we could. Now wrap the pony, boy-o. Time ain’t our friend.
” With that, he exhaled, his breath rich with strong cheese, dried apple slices, and warm ale they had broken their fast with.
The ale had been tart, heavy with the taste of yellow cherries and pink peaches, frothy.
Quite good. I had sipped at it and then had a small cup to wash down the dried apple slices and cheese.
Now I wanted more ale but from his fat lower lip…
“If he comes up worse, that fault lies with you,” I replied and got a nod of a bushy black head.
“I’ll bear that burden.” With that, he gave my neck a squeeze, released me, and rose.
The others were locked in place as if frozen by an evil spell.
Asdren turned to look at his underlings as I sat on the ground like a toadstool.
“You three, saddle up. We’re going to reach the first southern plateau by midday then break so Chirp can check on the pony’s hoof. No bitching either.”
He strode off. I wet my lips, unsure if my legs would hold me up.
Newt gave me a nudge, soft muzzle into the back of my head.
Empty head it was, for I had gained nothing from that encounter than a stiffness in my breeches and a sudden craving for more ale.
The call of my raven broke the spell I’d been under.
Leaping up, I felt the eyes of the three Sable Legion underlings on me.
Surely they felt I had failed in standing up to Asdren.
And they would be right. Next time I made a demand, I would not tumble into blue eyes framed with thick black lashes.
I would speak to him with my eyes closed!