2. Esther #2
“Pfft, there’s no such thing,” I say, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as I balance on the thin, uneven cobbled edge of the bridge.
Most of those who live on the outskirts of the city are fast asleep.
I, however, have a pep in my step, sensing Blaze’s uneasiness as he trails me.
“Oh no!” I pretend to lose my balance, and he’s behind me within seconds, catching me by the waist. I laugh as I shove him back, poking a finger in his face.
“That’s really not funny at all. Only Neina knows where you’ll end up if you’re carried away by the water and into the sea.”
I roll my eyes at the mention of the god Neina who, in my opinion, is revered more than she’s worth.
In my experience, she’s never spared me a second glance, but perhaps because she births everything that is life and light; and my nature, as Felia blessed, is destruction and death.
Few greers are blessed in nature at birth, either by Felia or Neina, the first two born gods.
Greers might be inclined toward one temperament, but often when blessed at birth, it is hard to avoid the inevitable.
It’s said that some might even be confronted by their god, either good or bad, depending on their action and if the god is pleased.
The third god, the Fates, decide the elemental magic a greer is gifted with, but are widely known to be meddlesome.
Some pray to them in hopes of divine guidance.
Others are misled into ruin for their entertainment.
Though magic is often inherited, it’s very rare a child is born with a different element to their parents.
It’s even more unheard of if a child of two greers has no magic in their veins at all.
There was once a fourth god, a short-lived name already forgotten, but it was their influence that enabled greer and beasts to contract. Each god is seemingly important, and I despise all of them.
“I don’t know, being carried away by the water and sea sounds like an interesting adventure. Who would’ve thought I’d make it to twenty?” I consider thoughtfully after my morning with Master Kain, relieved that he’ll acknowledge and allow me to finally try out for the military.
Blaze remains quiet, but his body stiffens ever so slightly—he’s most likely thinking the same as I am. I was never meant to make it to twenty. I spend every year feeling an impending doom that something is coming to get me. And that only feels more ominous as my twentieth birthday approaches.
“Not if you continue walking like that, you won’t,” Blaze says under his breath behind me as I jump down from the edge.
I roll my eyes as I move to walk casually beside him when his home comes into view and nudge him in the shoulder. “Come on, don’t act like I’m the only bad influence here.”
His striking blue eyes bore into me, and I smile, only ever truly feeling myself when in his company.
“Who would’ve thought you’d go from a snot-nosed brat”—I hiccup—“to the king’s most trusted assassin.”
“Need I remind you that when I appeared, you didn’t even talk?” He returns my nudge.
I place my hands in my pockets contemplatively.
It was a year after Master Kain had brought me into the kingdom, and although I lived and worked among the others, after the pillage of my clan, I hadn’t spoken a word.
It wasn’t until Blaze was brought in, and he remained by my side, that I began to open up.
I smile at the memories, mostly of me leading us into precarious situations that would end in a lecture. But he’s always been there.
“Have you stayed in my room much while I’ve been gone?” he asks.
I follow him up creaky stairs to the second level, where he uses a tarnished key to open the door. “No, I like to stay with the others.”
“You know this home is more for you than me,” he says, opening the door to a small room with wood flooring, scraped walls, and a single bed in the corner that creaks even with the slightest draft circulating the room.
He walks over to the wooden dresser and lights a waxed candle.
I only ever come here if Blaze is here. Although he’s had the privilege of his own room since he was sixteen, I still remain in shared housing. Master Kain has offered numerous times to change my living situation, but I don’t want such privilege. Besides, I hate sleeping alone.
I dive for the bed, the immediate squeak a warm welcome. This feels like home with Blaze—if only his leaving didn’t happen so often. But soon, I’ll be doing the same when I join the military.
The marking at my throat scorches, and I feel the scampering of little talons as Grimace runs down my arm and into my lap.
“Hello, Grimace,” Blaze says, removing something from his leather jacket.
Grimace replies in gibberish and sits upright, lazily putting a hand on his hip.
“Yes, of course I brought you a snack,” Blaze says, unfolding a cloth to reveal what looks like a piece of dried meat, and he throws it at the little beast. Grimace leaps for it, catching it midair and scampering off under the bed.
I look down at my feet as he runs between them, hiding the treat for himself.
“It’s rude not to share,” I call after him, but I don’t get so much as a response. “You bribe him more than you do me now.”
“That might be true, but need I remind you of the living hell he makes my life when I’m not in his favor?” Blaze quips as he peels off his leather jacket.
“And are you saying I don’t?” When he removes the jacket, I notice the new wound healing on his arm. It’ll leave yet another jagged scar. His body is covered in them, from enchantments, weapons, claws, and poisons.
“I’m saying that one is easier to satisfy.” His striking blue eyes pin me, flaring an uneasy fluttering in my lower stomach.
I push off the bed and move toward him. “How about you take a guess at how you might satisfy me, and I can tell you if you’re close to the mark?” I say with a flirtatious smile as I lean past him to reach into the dresser and take out one of his shirts.
He looks down at me, and I memorize those eyes, the sharp pinch of his jaw, and lips marred with a jagged scar from beneath his nose to halfway down his chin.
It’s only in recent years that I’ve noticed our height difference.
I might be taller than the average woman at five-ten, but I stopped growing, whereas he only continued, gaining more muscle as well.
He reaches for my jaw, carefully pinching it. His thumb rolls over the tip of my chin thoughtfully, and his gaze burns with an intensity that has me wondering every time we play this game if this time it might be different.
My heart pounds harder, and a subtle heat trickles down to my core. The thing I’ve noticed the most about my dear friend and me is that I have grown into a woman and he a man.
My wild curiosity has not bypassed Blaze Hangrain. No, every time he returns from a new mission, that intriguing desire continues to unfold.
“This mouth always gets you into trouble. And sometimes liquid courage from ale is a poor ally with reckless ambitions,” he says, leaning forward.
My heart gallops in my chest, my gaze flicking between his intense blue eyes and the jagged scar on his lips. But then he presses a kiss to my cheek, and all that excitement washes off me like a dousing of cold water.
“It’s late; we should sleep,” he says, stepping away and clearing his throat.
My teeth grind as I try to push away the rejection. I know it’s a game we play, to tease one another, but sometimes I wonder if that’s all it is—if that’s all I want it to be. And most of all, I wonder why he always stops.
“Maybe I need to find someone who’s up for the challenge,” I suggest as I turn my back and peel my clothes off, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror positioned in the corner of the room.
“I strongly suggest you don’t. Wouldn’t want to have to hide any bodies in the kingdom,” he says, turning around, now shirtless. He quickly turns back when I catch his gaze in the mirror.
I can’t help but feel a smug satisfaction as I pull down his shirt, which stops halfway down my thighs, and undo my red hair, shaking it out. I place my clothes in a pile with my boots at the end of the bed.
“You’d be surprised at how awfully good I am at keeping secrets.” I hiccup, and when he faces me, he does not look at all impressed.
I pull back the somewhat dusty blanket on the single bed and lie in it. Grimace scampers up the post and into my arms, where he nestles in for a warm cuddle.
I like sleeping here the most—with Blaze close—because it’s the only time I feel safe, and I might actually get some sleep. It’s also the only time Grimace can so openly enjoy the world without being seen.
Blaze pulls out a fur mat and a second pillow, placing them on the ground beside the bed, then angles his head toward me. We haven’t shared the same bed since I turned sixteen.
“Tell me another story,” I say, not yet ready to fall asleep, because I’m never ready to confront what might be waiting for me. I hope with his familiar voice regaling me with his adventures, that I might fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.