Chapter 3 #2
His frankness surprised Maxi, but she understood what he meant. She could not allow herself to become anyone’s burden, and she silently accepted the stone. Just as Ruth had promised, warmth enveloped her. She stared at the stone in awe before she realized she had not expressed her gratitude.
“Th-Thank you, S-Sir R-Ruth.”
A subtle look flashed across his face. “I’m a sorcerer, not a knight. You can just call me Ruth.”
With that, he turned around and walked across the barn to his bed. Maxi was watching him, a blank look on her face, when Riftan plunked himself back down and pulled her toward him. He was clearly annoyed.
“You must be tired. You should sleep now. We leave at sunrise.” Riftan snuffed out the bedside lantern.
As if waiting for his cue, the other knights put out their lanterns one by one.
In the growing dark, Maxi squirmed uncomfortably in Riftan’s arms before a wave of intense fatigue overcame her.
She closed her eyes, the steady thrum of Riftan’s heartbeat soothing her like a lullaby.
Soon, she was deeply asleep, her qualms about lodging in a dirty barn all but forgotten.
—
When morning dawned, the village brimmed with vitality, bearing none of the eerie silence that had plagued the previous night. Before the row of humble cottages was an endless field of rippling golden wheat, and the verdant beauty of Eudychal Forest was visible just beyond.
Maxi stepped out of the barn and washed her face with ice-cold water from the nearby brook.
With wet hands, she combed out the vine-like tangles from her long tresses of hair.
A cool breeze chilled her damp face, raising a trail of goosebumps down the length of her back.
After wiping herself dry with her sleeves, Maxi returned to the barn.
The knights had already finished packing, and they were assembled in front of the carriage.
“Don’t wander around alone,” Riftan scolded when he noticed her approaching.
“I’m s-sorry.” Maxi rushed to his side, apprehensive of the sternness in his voice.
Riftan frowned and lifted her into the carriage. “Monsters are frequently sighted in Eudychal Forest. Never wander alone.”
She flinched, reminded of the ogres from the first day of their journey. “I’ll be c-careful.”
“Good. We have too much luggage loaded on the carriage now, so I’ll have to ride horseback from here. Call out if you need me.”
Riftan closed the door. Moments later, the carriage began to rattle down the bumpy dirt road.
The wheat fields grew ever more distant through the window, and Maxi’s vision was soon filled with a dense wall of trees.
Rays of sunlight shone through the canopy of leaves, falling over the winding path like a veil of golden thread.
The knights maintained a leisurely pace as they rode in formation through the cascading light.
Maxi anxiously scanned the dense forest, searching for any monsters that might jump out and ambush them.
Thankfully, her worries were for naught, and the journey progressed in peace.
Before long, she slumped down in her seat, exhausted from the strain of her own fears while in the ever-shaking carriage.
Her vigilance, after all, would do little to protect them.
Eventually, the carriage came to a stop and Riftan opened the door for her.
“We’ll rest here,” he said.
Relieved, Maxi hopped out of the carriage.
Her stiff legs tingled unpleasantly as the flow of blood resumed.
Stifling a groan, she bent forward awkwardly to rub them.
Before she had managed a single stroke, Riftan spread his cloak over a flat rock, motioned for her to sit, and began to massage the cramps from her legs.
She glanced around, flustered. The knights who were watering the horses watched them in disbelief.
Maxi blushed and pushed him away. “R-Riftan, I’m al-all right…”
“Is that a habit of yours?”
“W-What?”
His hands were just above the hem of her skirt, gently massaging her calves. “Every time you open your mouth, you say that you’re all right.”
Maxi could not think of a suitable reply. Instead, she wanted to ask why he was being so kind to her. The butterflies he unleashed in her stomach were pleasant, but they also gave her the uncomfortable sensation that her clothes were too tight.
“I-I really am all right n-now….” She freed herself from his attentive hands and pretended to smooth the creases in her skirt.
After a moment, Riftan stood as well. “Rest. I’ll get you something to eat.”
When he returned, he offered her bread and cured meat. The bread was so dry and tough that Maxi had to soak it in water before she could push it down her throat. After she finished her meal, she stepped away from Riftan’s side and relieved herself in the thickets.
The dull journey resumed. Inside the unsteady carriage, Maxi whiled away the time by counting the trees that passed by the window. The farther they went, the thicker the forest grew. Eventually, only thin needles of sunlight could pierce the dense canopy of leaves.
When it became so dark that it was impossible to journey farther, the horses came to a halt.
Maxi was permitted to disembark only after the knights had patrolled the vicinity to ensure that no monsters or wild animals were lurking nearby.
She clutched the handle of her lantern and approached Riftan as he set up a small tent near the carriage.
The other knights were placing their tents around a campfire.
Riftan hammered a stake into the ground to secure his tent and turned to face her. “These woods are thick with fog before dawn. We need these tents to protect ourselves from the frost.”
Maxi looked down at the small, waist-high tent, and bent down to peer inside. It did not look like it fit a single person.
“Isn’t it t-too n-narrow for t-two p-people?”
She tilted her head quizzically, and Riftan stopped hammering. He looked embarrassed.
“I’m sleeping here alone,” he said. “You’ll sleep in the carriage.”
Maxi’s face went red. She should not have assumed that they would be sleeping together. Ashamed, she hurriedly searched for an excuse.
“W-W-We’ve b-been sleeping w-w-w—sleeping t-together, so I th-thought…”
“Spare me. I could barely hold back last night.”
Maxi hung her head, and Riftan let out a deep sigh. Muttering a curse, he took her hand and led her away from the camp. She followed him as best she could on her unsteady legs.
They did not go far, but it was already alarmingly dark. The haunting cries of nocturnal birds mingled with the rustle of leaves in the wind. As Maxi squeezed Riftan’s hand in fear of the unsettling sounds, he pushed her against the thick trunk of a tree and hungrily kissed her.
Maxi gasped as his soft tongue passionately wrapped itself around her own. She flinched, still embarrassed by the sensations of such intimacy, but her movement only encouraged Riftan. He cupped her face and kissed her more deeply.
His soft hair tickled her forehead as his large hands gently stroked her neck, and a finger traced the line of her jaw. Riftan tilted his head to taste the roof of her mouth and explore the insides of her cheeks. A drop of saliva slipped between their lips and trickled down Maxi’s chin.
Following its trail with his tongue, Riftan whispered, “I want to spend the whole night like this.”
He guided her hand down his body. When she found his hardness pressed against her palm, her heart pounded loudly in her ears. She tried to yank her hand away, but his grip on her arm was far too firm.
“Do you have any idea how excruciating it is to keep my hands off you when I’m in this state?”
Riftan ravaged her with kisses. Caught between the tree trunk and Riftan’s body, Maxi struggled for breath.
His hands cupped her buttocks and pulled her close, the bulge of his arousal grinding over her belly.
A hungry fire ignited between their bodies.
Afraid of how she might react if this continued, Maxi tried to twist out of his embrace.
“N-No…N-Not here…”
Riftan groaned and knocked his head against the tree. “You’ll be the death of me, goddammit.”
His shoulders heaved with ragged breaths, and Maxi tensed, worried that her refusal had displeased him, but he slowly backed away from her.
“I can’t help myself whenever I’m around you,” Riftan said. “So you should sleep alone in the carriage. Do you understand?”
Maxi nodded.
He gently patted her cheek. Once again, he took her hand and led her back to the camp. When they returned, a burly knight sat perched on a rock, warming himself by the fireside. He flashed them a knowing grin.
“Done so soon, Commander? It’s been too long since you brandished your sword! Has it gone rusty?”
Riftan stopped in his tracks and threw the man a murderous look. Unfazed, the burly knight simply chuckled.
Nearby, another knight leaned against a tree, polishing his sword. “Vulgar oaf,” he muttered.
“And how virtuous is the young scion of the House of Ricaydo?” asked the burly knight.
“More virtuous than you’ll ever be.”
“Ha! The tongue that praises its own master often spouts lies. When no one’s looking, prigs like you are the worst lechers of all—Ow! Ow, you little—!”
The burly knight’s taunts were cut off as the blond knight—Ricaydo—kicked him. He sprang up and drew his sword, and Ricaydo raised his own freshly polished one to meet him. Maxi clung tightly to Riftan, shocked by their quick tempers.
Putting an arm around Maxi’s shoulders, Riftan glowered at the two men. “Aren’t you both sprightly tonight! Guess that means you can take the night watch.”
“What?!”
“Commander!”
Ricaydo and the burly knight protested in unison, but Riftan ignored them. Brushing past them, Riftan led Maxi straight to the carriage. She glanced anxiously back at the two men, who continued to glare at each other with murderous intent.
Riftan turned her around to face him. “Don’t mind them. They’re always at each other’s throats.”