CHAPTER 18 #2
Wep raised a hand and addressed the group.
“Dane has assigned your ranng a mission. We leave before nightfall. Make sure you eat a hearty meal, pack a change of clothes, and bring the weapons you’ve been assigned.
Meet at the east gate by sundown. Bracht can help with any specifics.
If you have the chance, I suggest you rest this afternoon. You’re in for a sleepless night.”
Ignoring our questions, he marched straight for me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me through the back door leading to the training field.
His face, which moments before had been controlled and calm, was now livid.
We emerged into the gray autumn chill, the last few raindrops tickling my cheeks.
Out of habit, I turned right toward the training pitches, but his grip on my arm whirled me around.
“Where are we going?” I asked, seeing nothing but the boundary wall on our left.
“Out of earshot,” he growled, tugging me toward it.
I had parted with my sanity, allowing myself to be carted off like this.
We reached the edge of the training room’s outer wall, and I pulled up short.
Wep kept walking, and the momentum yanked my arm forward, breaking from his grasp.
He rounded on me, but I ignored him, stepping past into a hidden alcove straight out of a fairytale.
At the center stood the most stupendous eucalyptus tree I’d ever seen.
Red and green strips of bark streaked between the brown, like someone had dripped paint all over it.
Its canopy of leaves drooped in a wide arc.
Wild mint and rosemary grew in beds around the walls, filling the air with an earthy, sweet aroma that calmed my senses.
Underfoot, a plush leafy groundcover crept over the open space.
Three exterior walls of the keep, none of which held windows, met to create the alcove. Tucked away as it was, I’d never have known it was here without being led to it. I’d have to be standing against the outer wall to even see it.
“This place is amazing.” I breathed in, intoxicated by the aromas.
Wep had not moved. He just stared at me with that intensity of his.
My second sight opened, and his lifelight pulsed between pure white and bright gold.
A wave of passion hit me, and a second later, Wep reached for my hand and pulled.
It was a single, quick tug, but it sent me careening into him.
He caught and spun me in one fluid motion, my back hitting the smooth bark of that stunning painted trunk.
He captured my mouth, and in the span of a single heartbeat, every bit of his body pressed against mine.
Yes. The hard planes of his chest, his strong arms enveloping me, and that kiss—Martyrs’ bones.
He kissed me like a man starved, and I was just as desperate for him. This was everything my body craved.
When he gripped my ass and lifted me, I wrapped my legs around his middle.
His length pressed into me as he fused our bodies closer together, never breaking our kiss.
That kiss was everything. It was hot and fierce and hard, and I needed it more than air in my lungs.
Everything this man did with his lips and tongue—and fuck, even his teeth—was exactly right to drive me wild.
Too soon, he broke the kiss. “You can’t fucking do that to me.”
I didn’t care what I’d done. I saw the same untamed need in his eyes and pulled him back, moaning into the next kiss and arching into him. His grip on my thighs was a vice as my fingers raked down his back.
“Fuck, I can’t even. Control myself. Around you.” He punctuated each word with kisses down my neck.
“Shut up and kiss me.” I yanked his shirt, forcing our lips back together. I needed him to touch me like this and more for hours, days, weeks, even, but he gave me only minutes and never moved his hands from the backs of my thighs.
The next time his lips left mine, I wanted to scream. He hoisted his weight off me, set me back on my feet, and took several steps away. The front of his tunic was wrinkled where I’d gripped it. He dragged his hands through his hair and dropped them atop his bun.
“We’re not here for this.”
The fuck we weren’t. “Then why?”
“Training.”
I stepped away from the tree. Miniature white flowers scattered all around us. It should have been a fairytale, yet once again, Wep was pulling away from me. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Get the longest bow you can handle. Spend an hour, no more, honing your aim. Then rest. You need to be fresh and ready.”
“What’s this about?” I tried stepping toward him, but he moved back, keeping our distance.
“Dane. I think he means to test you.”
Leaves tumbled to the ground behind me, but I ignored them. “Why? I thought you said I wouldn’t have to fight.”
Regret flashed through his lifelight. Three steady strides brought him back to me, leaving inches between us.
His face lowered to mine, and for one wild second, I thought he would kiss me again, but he stopped short.
His eyes swirled with emotion—raw and hungry—and his fingers caressed down the side of my cheek. “I just need you ready.”
ELDRETH
Early Autumn, Tuskimon 1036
“Eldreth, come.” Dane’s voice was grave.
I had just run into my brother, who delivered Dane’s summons between curses over some mission our father had given him and refused to rescind. Good thing I was already looking for him.
I found him seated on a bench in the gardens beneath the same tree my mother used to sit at while she bundled her herbs for drying.
I could almost see her sitting there, shallow baskets in an arc at her feet, long hair flowing loose down her back.
I blinked, and the vision dissolved. I moved to stand at his side.
“Sit, lad. This isn’t an easy talk.”
I remained standing.
The dane took in a great breath, but when he let it out, only my father remained. I could always tell the difference. His eyes misted, and he rubbed a calloused hand down his face.
“The girl,” he said at last, then paused.
At that, I sank to my knee in the soft grass.
“I think the Great Dragon has chosen her.”
“As are we all. She’s dedicated to the Riht, as you hoped.”
“No. I think she’ll be one of the Bound.”
A lump rose in my throat. A pillar of fire burned through my mind. I stamped the memory down. “Why?”
“Something happened while you were away. You must give her your attention.”
“Father…”
“Imagine it.” He looked toward the heavens. He had always been a man devoted to the Riht but never overcome by reverence. “You could have a dana who is bound to the Goddess herself.”
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“You weren’t there. It’s made me question everything. But you’re right, she needs to be tested. Son, you above all understand this. We need to make sure.”
My shoulders drooped. There would be no fighting him, but I hoped he was wrong. I needed him to be wrong. I had already lost enough to those flames. “What do you want me to do?”
“Go to her. Spend every minute you can with her. You know the legends. Only through an act of faith will all be revealed.”
“You’re speaking in riddles now.”
“No, you’re just not listening. Go. Strengthen the bond between you. Leave the rest to me for now.”
“There is no bond. I barely know her yet.” I kept my constant pull toward her unsaid.
Dane rose to his feet, and I followed. He laid a heavy hand on my shoulder.
“Yet, lad. Yet.”
He walked away, leaving me staring after him, shaded by the rustling leaves, haunted by memories of fire and death. My whole body tensed at his words. There was only one thing I knew for certain. I had to prove him wrong.