CHAPTER SEVEN
The market at the center of Zenith, a small town in the Spring Quartaine, was bustling. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. Voices raised in excitement, and all shouted orders at each other, selling their products on a beautiful sunny day.
These were Aurora’s favorite days to be sent out. When the sun was shining, and the town was busy, a bustle of people going about their mundane lives. It wasn’t always like this, so it was nice to be in the middle of it when it occurred.
On days like today, she wasn’t forced to train, so she always took up the job of going to town and running errands. Even as a child, she’d had a hard time sitting still when not occupied with household chores or training.
Needing to double-check she had gotten everything Eli needed, Aurora pulled out the handwritten list. It was a scrawl of items he had scribbled down that were needed for the week. There was nothing new on it, nothing that strayed from the usual bread, eggs, and fish.
Eli wasn’t big on experimenting with food. Functional, filling, and easy to throw together was all he required and all he had taught her to make.
“No one has time to cook when you are focusing on surviving.”
The answer she always got when she enquired if she could purchase a different spice, fruit, or vegetable.
Sighing in irritation at the memory of the morning”s conversation, she made her way through the market. Her basket slowly filled as she passed each cart. The coin purse remained just as full as her basket, seeing as most of the things she had placed in it were free, thanks to the skills Eli had taught her.
Aurora knew many things about those who lived in the small town, and all of it information they wouldn’t want others knowing. Petty crimes committed, dark family secrets, affairs.
Aurora knew it all.
All she had to do was glance at the baker, and suddenly she had a fresh loaf of bread, no payment required. The married male had got himself involved with the town”s librarian. They had been seeing each other for a couple of months, and his wife had no clue. He did an awful job at hiding it. All those long glances he gave the young female told Aurora and everyone around them more than enough. It wasn’t Aurora’s fault his wife couldn’t see it. One of them should make the cheater pay.
It’s not like Aurora would have made it her mission to make the wife aware of her husband’s infidelity. She didn’t go out of her way to do good deeds. Those would always come at a price.
With the knowledge she had on the residents of the town, she got most things for free. For those in Zenith who lived a quiet and private life, Aurora found they were harder to get information on. She typically didn’t bother unless she truly desired something from them.
Continuing her walk, her shopping in the market now complete and her purse still full of coins, Aurora made her way home. She had just left the outskirts of the little village when she could sense a group behind her. Not that they were being discrete. She could hear their hushed voices and the crunch of their feet on the stones of the path.
Slowing her pace, she allowed them to approach her. Waiting until they were nearly upon her before turning her head, her gaze fell on three young males tagged around eighteen or nineteen.
Her age perfect.
Pulling her shoulders back, her chest pushing out, she gave them her best sweetly seductive smile, “May I ask why I have the pleasure of the three of you following me?”
She knew exactly who they were. How could she not? She knew every damn person in this small town. But to her advantage, most people didn”t go out of their way to talk to her, afraid she would find something else to blackmail them with. She preferred pulling the information she wanted out of people.
It was like hunting; she got a thrill out of the chase. Where was the fun in it if people gave information to her willingly? Eli had told her many times that to get what she needed in this life, she had to take it.
So she did. Gladly.
The tallest of the three boys stepped forward as he looked her over, a reaction she was used to. Aurora was beautiful, breathtakingly so. She had been told so throughout her entire life, so she used it to her advantage whenever she could.
Her sage green eyes always caught the attention of males and females alike. Her chestnut brown hair flowed down her back in soft curls. The male looked her over again, his eyes snagging from her slightly arched eyebrows to her high cheekbones and then her slender nose. Finally, resting on her full lips where a small smirk was forming.
She loved the attention, and as the sunlight touched her pale skin, warming it, she took a step closer to the boy, causing him to stumble back a step.
“I?” before the boy could go any further with his sentence, a friend to his left jabbed him in the side, “We wanted to help you with carrying your things,” he corrected himself, irritated.
She couldn’t help herself, and the smirk slowly turned into a soft smile, “Don’t think I can take care of it?”
“Well, of course you can, but we still wanted to offer.” The male said, scratching at his short dark hair, an apparent nervous habit Aurora made a mental note of.
“We just wouldn’t want a beautiful female such as yourself to have to carry all these things when you have us, right guys?” The male who jabbed the first boy interjected.
Nothing about the boys stood out to Aurora. Each looked the same as the other. Same brown hair and brown eyes. Except the boy who had not spoken yet had a dusting of freckles that kissed his cheeks, but that was the only thing that made him stand out as different from the other two. If Aurora hadn’t known who they were, she would’ve thought they were brothers.
The two males nodded, smiling at her.
A soft, playful laugh escaped her. Holding out her basket, she offered it to them. Surprisingly enough, the quietest male of the three reached for the basket first, beating his friend”s grabby hands.
They were all so desperate to impress her, cute.
There were a few stalls along the road out of the village, a stall that sold charms and trinkets and another selling sweet apples and the like. Perhaps, if she played it well, she could not only get them to carry her things home but perhaps get them to treat her as well.
“I still have quite a few more things to get. I hope that isn’t a problem,” Aurora batted her eyelashes. Her flirting seemed a little excessive, even for her. But the males fell for it; they agreed quickly.
Aurora smiled again. At least she’d be entertained.
“You wouldn’t mind walking me home, would you?” She had gotten everything on her list, and she had no desire to lug the heavy basket all the way back to the cabin.
She almost laughed at the males’ reaction. Talking all at once, they eagerly agreed. Aurora tried her best not to roll her eyes as they talked over each other, explaining how they would protect her should they be attacked by vagrants or wild animals.
With a coy smile, she thanked them and started walking away from the market town, leading them to the trail that would end up taking them to her home.
In reality, Aurora didn’t need protection. Eli had made sure she never would.
Ever since she was just a youngling, she had been trained in various ways, from hand-to-hand combat to using a variety of weapons.
Swords? Easy.
Daggers? They were her favorite weapon of choice.
A bow and arrow? She had always done well at target practice.
But if she didn”t need to carry the heavy basket home, then why not take the offer of it being carried for her?
Arriving back at the cabin, at last, Aurora sighed in relief. It turned out the quiet and mysterious male was anything, but once you got him talking, he didn’t stop.
All three of them were doing their best to impress her. Tales of hunting, fishing, or small fights they had gotten themselves into at the town”s local tavern were spilled. She didn’t know what was more tedious, having to listen to their dull stories or keeping the smile locked in place as she occasionally gave a giggle or gasp to show she was listening.
Aurora was almost ready to pull out her hair when she heard the heavy wooden door of the cabin creak open.
A familiar voice called for her, “Aurora, what did you do?”
Looking up, Aurora watched as Eli gave an exaggerated sigh, a disapproving glare locked on his tawny, weather-worn face. It was an expression he seemed to be giving her a lot lately.
“Nothing.” she responded, giving him her most innocent smile, “These strong males just offered to help me carry my basket and walk me home.”
The males in question gave Eli a lopsided grin, puffing out their chests to the best of their ability, and even as they stood trying to put a brave foot forward, it was obvious they were quaking in their pants.
Eli had a bit of a reputation locally. He took no shit, and even though he kept to himself, there had been an altercation when they had just arrived a year or so previous. The male who thought it wise to push Eli’s buttons landed himself with a couple broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, and a mangled hand.
No one bothered Eli after that.
Aurora cringed at the efforts of the young males. She knew Eli wouldn’t have the patience for them. He was a grump after all.
Eli clenched his jaw, obviously not happy with Aurora. Surprise, surprise.
“Thank you for walking her home. It’s time for you all to be on your way,” he jerked his head in the direction of the path they had just taken, little emotion shown in his sage-colored eyes.
Her three knights in shining armor suddenly stiffened and quieted. Abruptly the basket was tossed into her arms, and all three of them quickly scurried off.
Brave fae males, indeed.
Many people in town were intimidated by Eli. The huge scar that covered half his face didn”t help. The deep wound cut through his eyebrow, slashing over his eye, and stopped just at the corner of his mouth. As a result, one of his eyes was a slightly lighter shade of green than the other. A foggy version of what it used to be, thanks to the injury which partially blinded him in one eye, not that any such injury could slow him down. His hearing had improved upon the injury, making up for his partial blindness. Having the best hearing out of any fae had benefited him greatly and had made sneaking out completely impossible in Aurora’s youth.
His other eye was a beautiful green, the same shade as her own. Aurora could only imagine the many females and males who used to chase after him. Not that he would ever tell her about that part of his life. He wasn’t one for sharing things about his life before she came into it.
The rare times they walked through town together, Aurora had always noted just how many pairs of eyes had followed him. Even the married and mated townspeople couldn’t help but lust after him. Even with his scar and the constant scowl that rested on his face, he was a sight to behold. A vision of strength and raw masculinity. He never gave in to those stares, never even entertained them.
His sharp features pulled others in. His tan skin made him look like he could be from one of the warmer Quartaines, but even he had no clue where he was originally from. His chestnut brown hair usually just barely touched his shoulders. But he wore it up more often than ever, having it down, out of his face, and secured so opponents couldn’t grab it.
Eli watched as the young males left. Once he was satisfied they were gone and well out of earshot, he finally turned his attention to her, “So you can’t even get food for the week without flirting and luring males to our home?”
Setting the basket on the ground, Aurora laughed softly, “I would hardly say I lured them. They offered to escort me here. But there’s also nothing wrong with using what my mama gave me to my advantage, right?”
Eli narrowed his eyes at Aurora, knowing as well as she did that she had no clue who her mother was or what she had looked like, “You know looks aren’t everything, Aurora. They can only get you so far.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Aurora waved her hand in the air dismissively. Swiping the basket from where she had left it, she walked around the side of the house. She was not in the mood to listen to the scolding she knew she was about to get.
Aurora could feel the irritation flow off him in waves as he followed closely behind her.
“We’ve talked about this before. This habit of yours...flirting with every tom, dick, and Nora is going to get you in trouble someday, and I don’t want all my time training you to be wasted when I find you dead on the side of the road.”
Removing her cloak, Aurora threw it on the ground. Slowly she turned towards him, “Oh, that’s lovely. I’m glad you don’t want me dead because you care about me.”
A deep sigh left Eli, a sign he was losing patience. He crossed his arms over his chest. The muscles in his arms strained under his black tunic, “You know I care for you, don’t start that nonsense. It is because I care that I say these things. There is no point dressing this shit up. It won’t sink into that brain of yours if I do.”
He was right, she had overheard many conversations of girls her age talking to their parents and whining about how they weren’t loved enough if they didn’t get the things they wanted. The amount of whiny brats was one of the many reasons she was glad they lived outside of the town. They didn’t have to deal with all the extra people until they needed something from the nearby town.
Their cabin, the land, was all they needed. It was quiet, it was isolated, away from the busy village and the nosey neighbors that living in close quarters would bring.
“Fine, but I don”t see why flirting is a problem,” she replied, mimicking his body language and watching him.
He took the basket and began to remove the items from it. Lifting the coin purse, he held it, weighing it in hand. An all-knowing smirk crossed Eli’s face, “Oh, that’s not the only problem. I know the coin I gave you was not nearly enough for all the things you brought home.”
Aurora cursed softly. She had gotten so caught up in the attention from the three males and the thrill of getting the things from Eli’s list without cost that she forgot to hide the coin he gave her.
She had been distracted from her normal routine. Upon returning from the village, Aurora would normally approach the cabin from the back, cutting a trail through the forest to the thick-trunked tree hidden from the view of their home. She would then climb the seven or so feet to the first branch, where a deep knot in the bark gave perfect hiding space for the coin bag she kept there. There she would remove all but one coin from the purse Eli had given her and add the coins to the growing stash.
His silence was deafening, she forgot how easily he noticed things, and she had made a stupid, amateur mistake.
Eli stared down at her until she finally confessed, “Okay! I get things for free, alright? I know everyone in the town”s dirty little secrets. They think they hide them so well. One day I decided to use it to my advantage, and I’ve gotten free food ever since.”
“So you mean to tell me you’ve been manipulating the townspeople?”
His brows pulled into a frown as he sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I use what you teach me well,” Aurora smiled, pleased with herself. She walked over and leaned against the wall of the cabin.
“I can’t say I’m not impressed, but you’ll meet your match one day, and I won’t be able to get you out of trouble like I usually do, Aurora. You’re eighteen; you’re still young. One day you’re going to mess up around the wrong person.” Eli tossed the purse of coins back into the basket, “You’re not as experienced as you imagine yourself to be.”
Hearing those words did not sit well with Aurora. Reaching back, her fingers brushed over a pole leaning against the patched-up wall. Without drawing attention to her movements, she slowly slipped her hand around the shaft and held it in her grip.
One of the lessons she had been taught by Eli when she was younger was to always be aware of her surroundings. Make a mental note of everything and anything that could be utilized and turned into a weapon.
“If I ever got caught, I guess that would show how bad of a teacher you are,” Aurora smirked.
Not giving Eli time to respond, she swung at him.
Eli took a step back before the pole could connect with his face. A smirk pulling on his face to match Aurora’s, he tilted his head slightly. “You want to start this now?”
“I just need to teach you a lesson on how experienced I truly am.”
Her declaration coaxed his smirk into a rare broad grin, putting an end to their conversation. He began to move, his body primed for the beginning of an impromptu lesson. A lesson for her or him, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she had to win.
Taking the pole into both hands, Aurora stepped forward, her movements graceful and swift as she swung it again. Her stance solid, arms relaxed, yet grip firm, she swiped in his direction. Reassessing her form after he dodged her attack, Aurora continued. Spinning on the spot, her head whipped around, keeping Eli in her line of sight as she swiped at him once more, only to become irritated as he easily parried against her attack.
She had never bested him in a fight, he was always too fast, too skilled, but she was determined to win at least once. She had to. He was insufferable after training, using her failure to beat him as a stick to verbally beat her with.
Ducking, she turned her body, arm extended, pole in hand, and swiped at his feet in an attempt to throw him off balance. Eli saw it coming, she was still too slow, and any attacker could preempt her attacks. He jumped, the pole missing his feet but just barely as she corrected her swipe in mid-attack, causing him to stumble forward, almost losing his balance.
Aurora smiled at her almost victory.
Eli rushed forward as she straightened her stance, but she wasn’t quick enough to block his knee, not even noticing it rising. It connected with force in the middle of her stomach.
The air in her lungs was forced out.
Hunched over, gasping for breath, she dropped the pole. He had winded her causing her to fight for breath, completely forgetting the pole she had held moments before. Resting her hands on her knees, she coughed. Eyes closed, head tilted away from him, she dragged in a deep breath to inflate her lungs as she waited for the pain to subside.
The sound of Eli laughing grated on her, “So arrogant for one so young. I remember being that way. Maybe getting a big scar like this will teach you a lesson, yes?” He pointed to the jagged scar running over his brow, tracking over his cheek to end at the corner of his lip for emphasis.
Rolling her eyes, Aurora straightened her body once more. She winced as a stab of dull pain tugged on her stomach. Placing a hand over the area, she knew that before dusk, she would have ugly bruising on her otherwise perfectly pale skin.
“And ruin my beauty? I don’t think so.” Not wasting any more time, she blocked out the pain that radiated in her abdomen and rushed toward him.
Having assumed she was winded and had given up, Aurora had caught him off guard. Fist clenched, she swung a sharp jab to his stomach. She smiled wickedly hearing him grunt. He wasn’t as winded as she had been, but she had landed a solid blow when he had thought she was done. That was a good thing so far as Aurora was concerned. She couldn’t help but smile. Getting hits in, especially on Eli, was always rewarding.
He hunched over, and she used that moment of vulnerability to attack once more. Aurora moved quickly, pirouetted, and with her fist cradled in her other palm to increase the force, she slammed her elbow into the side of his head. The blow caused him to stumble to the side before falling to the ground.
A grin split Aurora’s lips as arrogance took over. She thought she had won. Opening her mouth to make a snarky comment, she was caught off guard as he swiped his leg out. Catching hers, causing her knees to give out, resulting in her falling to the ground. As she fell, he rose. Springing to his feet, he grabbed the pole. Standing over her, he pressed the tip of the pole against her neck, applying light pressure. He smirked down at her, obviously pleased with himself.
Eli studied her for a moment as he stood over her, “See? This is what I mean, you still have a lot of training to do. I could name so many mistakes you just made.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” she responded, her own self-assured smirk now back, locked in place.
“Oh? And why is that?” He asked, raising a scarred brow.
Aurora’s smirk broke into a grin as she lifted her hand, showing off his coin pouch.
His smile faltered, and his jaw clenched once again.
“You should really be careful, Eli. There are thieves everywhere.” She taunted.
Air filled his lungs only to be expelled in a long sigh. Throwing the pole to the side, a soft growl rumbled from his chest.
Aurora chuckled to herself, happy she succeeded in pissing him off. She may have lost the physical battle, but she had gained footing in the ongoing war of wills they both fought on an almost daily basis.
Snatching his coin pouch from her grasp, Eli stepped over her. He cursed under his breath. Aurora could hear Metlorn, the god of Spring, among those curses. A mischievous glint lit up Aurora’s eyes as an idea sparked.
“You know you really shouldn’t curse the gods like that. How will they help you when you truly need it if you talk bad about them all the time?” Her eyebrows rose for emphasis. As much as she tried, she could keep the smirk off her face.
Eli continued to walk, keeping his back to her, “You know better than I that none of the gods are ever coming to my aid.”
“So cynical all the time, that must be exhausting,” Aurora joked.
Eli was a constant grump and rarely laughed. When he did though, it was a real laugh. Real joy was what she saw on his face. She wished she could see it more often, wished he would joke around with her more, let his guard down.
With his hand cupping the side of his head where she had struck, he glared at her before continuing to make his way to their cabin, not bothering to help her up from the ground. It made Aurora smile all the more.
He rounded the side of the cabin, making his way to the heavy wooden door at the front.
Aurora pushed to her feet, smiling to herself. Her hands brushed the dirt from her pants. She fought to hold back her laughter until he was out of earshot but only managed it until he had turned the corner.
She started to laugh.
“You think this is funny?” Eli called over his shoulder, “Let”s see how much you are laughing while you make dinner tonight. I have an errand to run, so you can use some of the vegetables you brought home along with the chicken that is draining out by the side of the barn.”
Aurora’s smile immediately dropped, and she whined loudly as she heard a faint laugh from inside the cabin. Of course, now he was laughing.
She hated cooking.