9
Amlach had remarkable luck. It continued to rain throughout the following two days. While no more storms carried us away, the heavy rain was sufficient to fill the grooves we had carved into the tree trunk with water.
Whenever I saw a shoal of edible raw fish, we would dive to catch them. The human was a decent fisherman and learned to fillet fish quickly by watching me. However, when he swallowed the pulp, he would grimace as if he were about to be sick, which made me smile a little.
On the third day, under the scorching midday sun, Amlach suddenly halted his rowing. His upper body swayed slightly, and he leaned forward, propping himself with one hand against the tree. I watched worriedly as his hunched shoulders lifted and fell with each breath.
He needed water. A lot of water.
“Hold on,” I told him, rowing with more energy.
We were almost there. I could smell the scent of grass, flowers, plants, and freshwater in the salty breeze.
Indeed, nearly an hour later, the outlines of the archipelago became visible about thirty miles away.
“I see the islands,” I exclaimed.
“Awesome,” Amlach replied, his delivery flat. He coughed and groaned softly as he got ready to lower his oar back into the sea.
“Don’t,” I stopped him. “You’d just slow me down.”
“You know what, Elf?” He leaned back against the tree trunk, resting the oar on his abdomen. “You’re such a bitch.”
Spirits, I hated his foul language. “I’m saving your life, you idiot,” I growled.
He chuckled—a vibrant and warm and sensual laugh—clearly pleased that he had succeeded in making me lose my temper.
As we reached the archipelago and our tree’s branches and roots brushed the sandy seabed, we jumped down and made it to the shore.
I had never seen a beach before, as the Kingdom of the Elves was known for its rocky coastlines with sheer cliffs. Unlike the Kingdom of Men, which featured gulfs with golden beaches in the north, here the sand was almost white, and I felt a pleasant tickling sensation under my feet.
It was beautiful.
I wanted to lie down and rub my cheek against the sand grains, but a sudden, frantic grip on my elbow snapped me back to reality.
“There,” Amlach said, jerking his chin toward a stream of freshwater flowing into the beach.
I walked beside him, unsteady on his legs, careful not to cut myself on the scattered white shells.
Water burst from a low crack between two tall rocks. Amlach dropped to his knees beside the stream, immersing his face to drink greedily. I knelt on the opposite side and scooped water with my hands to drink.
The first sip was so painful that I squeezed my eyes shut. I tried to drink slowly, my parched throat craving more water, and my cracked lips burning intensely. Once I no longer felt like every sip was a rock sliding down my trachea, I washed my face with a sigh.
I opened my eyes just in time to see Amlach do the same. He tilted his head with a blissful expression, eyes closed. Drops of water trickled down his temples, onto the sides of his nose with a slight dimple on the tip, along his beard, and down his neck.
I looked at the latter, noting how the bulging tendons beneath his not-at-all-as-smooth-as-mine skin converged into the jugular notch.
“You done?”
I tried to hide my flinch, my stomach tightening at the simple sound of his deep, mellow voice.
“Let’s go into the forest to find a deeper spot in the river where we can wash ourselves,” I said sternly, getting up. “Then we’ll handle the food.”
He stood up as well. “What if we don’t find anything?”
I turned to the mushroom-shaped islets. “I’ll search the other islands. Or I’ll fish in the lagoon, near the coral reef.”
“Fish. Again . . .” Amlach muttered behind me as we ventured further into the woods.
I let slip a smile—after all, he couldn’t see my face. “But now you can cook it.”
“It’s still fish, Elf,” he replied mockingly.
I glared at him over my shoulder, and he responded with a smirk and a wink.
We moved quietly through the forest, parallel to the small river, with our stink drawing in every flying insect eager to feast on our sweaty skin.
I loved walking barefoot among the beech trees surrounding Aegel. However, here the undergrowth was stickier and more treacherous, so I often risked cutting myself on half-hidden rocks covered with dense moss.
Eventually, the sound of roaring water drowned out the chorus of birds rustling in the tall, dense tree branches. Soon after, we found a small waterfall with a blue-green pool at its base.
Amlach dropped his knife and rope and jumped in before I could check for leeches or anything. The water level only reached his hips as he moved toward the waterfall.
“No snakes, Elf.” He tilted his head toward me with a small, defiant smile. “You can come over.”
I narrowed my eyes in hostility, then set aside my weapon’s sheath and followed him. As I approached the waterfall, the muddy pond bottom felt like it was sucking my feet up to my ankles.
Even though I was already soaked, I gasped as the cold water hit me, then surrendered to a moan of pure delight.
Finally, the sea salt patina washed off my limbs, clothes, and hair. I ran my fingers through my braids, loosening them, and enjoyed the sensation of water splashing on my cheeks.
When I took a step back to catch my breath, I saw Amlach staring at me with a murderous look.
As if he wanted to grab my head and smash it against the rock wall behind the waterfall.
My warrior-like body tensed, ready for the fight.
But then his gaze traveled over my curves, and the darkness within it shifted, growing hotter and more intense.
More yearning.
It was then that I realized the water’s force was molding my white tunic to my body, making it look like a second skin. The fabric was thick enough not to be see-through, yet my breast contours were clearly outlined.
It felt as if I was naked.
Every fiber of my being longed for him to come closer. His body pressed against mine once more, just as it had been during the storm. To feel his breath on my lips again.
However, when Amlach moved to close the short distance between us, I snapped back to my senses and jumped into the pond. I then climbed out and stood motionless on the bank, soaking wet and rigid, with my chest steadily rising and falling.
Amlach’s eyes were like a spiral of fire that tightened around me, calling me back to him.
But I didn’t turn around.
I took my knife and went hunting.