Chapter 10
Tiptoeing Love
Night fell and the wood finally
awoke. Ravens and owls fluttered in the high limbs and called to one another.
Their cackled cries alarmed the horses and caused them to stomp and neigh. The
wind stirred and moaned between the trunks, so the branches contorted further.
As the sun set, the orange sky cast a pale red through the trees and onto the
travelers. The shadows jolted this way and that as the wind and ruby light gave
them life.
The caravan creaked to a stop at Sir
Elshender’s command as Olivia looked back down Savior’s Way. The forest’s lone
road curved around a bend amid the trees and faded into nothing. She looked
around and wanted to know how far they had traveled into the wood. As she
turned from one tree to another, she realized they looked identical to the
trees they had passed hours ago. Olivia’s brows knotted together and she bit
back a whimper. She did not know where she was, or how far they had left to go.
She was lost and would die if she were separated from the group. She would be—
Sobriina laid a hand on her
shoulder. “Be at peace, my lady,” she whispered. “You shan’t overanalyze this
bewitched place. Peace is what combats chaos; therefore, peace is what we
need.”
Olivia shook her head as she
continued to stare at the trees. “But I have no peace. Where does one find it?”
“The Wizard, my lady.”
That answers nothing, Olivia
thought, but bit her tongue.
The members of the caravan were unhappy about stopping and setting
up camp, for each longed to reach Henricien as soon as possible. Though, it was
night and they needed their rest. Everyone was sore, and rubbed aching limbs as
they talked in hushed whispers. Servants and the knights’ squires unloaded
tents and bedding as Olivia’s ladies-in-waiting prepared the meal. Because
there was no traffic on the road that evening, the camp was set up on Savior’s
Way. They crammed in a line along the road and wove in and around one another.
No one dared step under the trees, for none knew what lay in hiding.
Elshender circled his men around the site and told them to keep
their eyes peeled and weapons ready. Blankets, thick cloaks, and robes covered
each person as the small beams of light from the red sun melted away. The
travelers’ breath puffed white from their lips as they stood together. A few
fires were lit, but each was small and short-lived, for fear that those in the
forest would notice, and no one could predict what a curious beast would do.
Lady Olivia, Theron, Aldret, Sobriina, and Elshender sat together
around a fire. A thick, coarse blanket covered Olivia as she sat on a
grass-woven mat. She stared into the fire without a word. No one spoke, and the
few servants’ conversations seemed loud in the silence. Nan, Krea, and Cedany
rushed to and fro as they gave the men their meal of bread, cold meat, and ale.
Krea bowed as she approached the seated five, and handed Olivia
bread and cheese with warmed ale. The two women smiled as they met each other’s
gaze, but their eyes were wide with wary fear. The others were served as each
sat in stillness.
Olivia turned her cheese over and over in her hands. She picked a
piece of dirt from its pale side and forced herself to take a bite. She looked
to Cedany, Krea, and Nan as they fed the men. She wanted to sit by them, to
have Krea brush her hair as Nan told her stories of The One in Red.
She watched Nan cut slices of cheese to give to the men, surprised
by how quickly she had come to rely on Nan. The elderly woman had begun her
service that early spring, but already a firm bond had been made. Olivia was
pleased with the snowy-crowned woman, and grateful to come across a motherly
servant. It was what she had always wanted: a mother.
She watched as Nan slowed her work, her eyes downcast and knife
frozen in her hand. Nan discreetly looked to those close by, not noticing
Olivia. When satisfied, Nan let the knife fall from her hands. As she stooped
to grab it, she picked up a small object as well. Olivia’s eyes narrowed
curiously. It was a stone, gray and round. Olivia stopped eating and stared as
Nan ran her fingers over the stone’s surface. She kissed it. Olivia’s eyes
widened. After a moment, Nan slipped the stone into a pouch and continued
slicing the cheese.
Olivia blinked without a word. Never in her life had she seen
anyone caress a stone, let alone kiss it. That was just not done. But she had
heard some people did, those that lived in the deepest woods.
“This is more of a peaceful wood than I thought,” Theron said,
breaking the silence. No one answered.
Olivia pulled her eyes away from Nan and turned to Theron,
astonished that he would say such a thing. “I shan’t sleep tonight,” she
whispered and poked at her bread. “Shan’t. I’m glad you feel the peace, but
there is none here for me.”
Theron glanced down at her as he stood, his fox fur cloak draped
around his shoulders and his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Nothing will reach
you. The Wizard’s here.” Olivia looked up at him. “He will protect us.”
She turned away, but the fear did not leave her eyes.
“And I will protect you.” Theron looked away as he spoke. He
cleared his throat and shifted his weight.
Olivia half-grinned. “I know.”
The group ate the meager meal, and
silently wished they could build a bonfire and feel its warmth and find comfort
in its light. Something shifted among the trees. Olivia’s eyes bulged as every
muscle froze. The others looked as well, each tense and alert. Theron’s grip of
his sword tightened. Duke Aldret put down his ale. Sobriina’s purple eyes
darted to and fro, and her mouth opened. “A Wraith,” she whispered.
“Wizard forbid!” Olivia hissed. A
Wraith. Here!
The shadow moved again. She leaned closer to Theron. A crow shot
from the underbrush with a cry, a guard flinching as it flew past and a horse
rearing up and stomping the ground. Those around the fire sighed as though
sharing one breath, and turned back to their food. Theron grinned to himself
and rubbed the back of his neck as he let go of his sword. Aldret glanced down
at his ale and drank the rest of it in one huge gulp.
“A Wraith.” Olivia shook her head
and shot Sobriina an icy look. The she-elf stiffened at the young lady’s
glance. “What a cursed thing to say!”
“I meant nothing,” Sobriina said as
she turned away. “And it wasn’t one; therefore, The Wizard should be thanked.”
Olivia shook her head, her eyes
sharp. “But it could have been, stones on bones!”
“We would have recognized its
ominous presence long before we saw it, my lady,” Duke Aldret said as he set
down his cup and pulled his furred robe closer to himself. “The flames would
churn as though in a tempest, and condensation would collect about our
exhales.”
“Misty breath and wild fires.”
Theron stared between the darkened trees. “Interesting combination.”
Olivia turned from Aldret to her prince. “We would see it only if
it wanted to be seen. I hear they are always invisible, those wretched
monsters!” Her heart pounded in her ears like a drum. She shook her head and
looked down at her barely touched food. She did not feel hungry, and had never
liked warmed ale anyway. Krea should have known that!
With a sigh, she pushed the food away and stood. “We should have
brought a Seer.” Theron glanced at her. “They know how to deal with all that is
not of the Red.”
“Ah,” Sobriina said. “They know the art of spirits and
future-telling, yet, by the Silver Eye, I say a sword to them is like a hoe in
a fisherman’s hands. No, my lady, it is well we have knights at our side. A
Seer can do many things, yet . . . protection against bloody dangers is not one
of them.”
“I bid you goodnight, then.” Olivia bowed to the prince and Duke
Aldret. “I cannot sit in tension, so I’ll try to find peace in sleep.”
“I’ll escort you,” Theron said as he stepped forward. Olivia took
his outstretched arm and they nodded their farewells.
Theron walked Olivia to her tent,
which she shared at the center of the camp with her ladies-in-waiting. Her
bodyguard was stationed at the tent’s entrance, and he bowed low as the couple
approached. The young lady glanced up to the intertwined branches, darkening
the sparkle of the stars. A twig snapped. Olivia jumped and stepped closer to
Theron.
He looked down at her, seeing Olivia’s wide eyes darting here and
there. He looked away and gritted his teeth. “You know, Lord Demus is a myth.”
Olivia looked down.
“There’s no such thing as a Spellbinder—”
“That still doesn’t settle me much,” she whispered.
They came to stop at her tent and Theron looked at the shadows
cast over the ground. “I . . .” Olivia looked at him and Theron cleared his
throat. “I just want you to be safe.”
Olivia sighed and grabbed his hand. “Thank you.” Theron looked at
her and a small grin lit her eyes. “For protecting me.”
Theron glanced away, though she saw that he smiled. Olivia watched
him as he breathed in and out, and the white frost of his breath curled around
his lips. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek with a sudden peck, and
stepped back.
Theron’s eyes widened as he turned toward her.
“Goodnight,” Olivia whispered, and she moved toward the tent.
Theron grabbed her arm and drew her close against him. Olivia
gasped, and he kissed her on the lips. She closed her eyes and kissed back. The
bodyguard fought against a smile, and looked down as the betrothed couple took
hold of one another.
Olivia’s heart pounded and her skin warmed. She stepped back with
a deep breath and laid a hand over her mouth. She looked to and fro to those
around her, but they busied themselves with chores and none other than the
bodyguard saw the kiss. Theron, his eyes alive and a grin filling his
complexion, cupped her face with one hand. Olivia looked up at him; his eyes
were so brown, like that Suvarian delicacy she’d tasted years ago. Chocolate,
was it called?
A distant wolf howled to the moon with a low, sad moan and
everyone turned this way and that with rigid shoulders and darting eyes.
Everyone save the pair. They did not hear the wolf, and did not fear the
darkness for a brief moment.
“Goodnight,” Theron whispered. A smile lifted Olivia’s rosy lips,
and redness flushed her complexion. She glanced away, but did not pull from him
as her grin broadened.
Theron brushed her cheek and stepped away. Olivia almost held onto
him, but stopped herself with a muffled laugh. “What?” he asked. She shook her
head and let him go. She stared at him for the longest heartbeat, then turned
on her heels and walked the few paces to her tent. She glanced back; he still
watched her. She grinned.
She passed Krea and Cedany before she entered the tent; the two
women tried to busy their hands as they silently watched both of them. “Don’t
say anything!” Olivia hissed as she passed through the tent’s entrance. The two
ladies-in-waiting bowed low and tried not to giggle, their eyes shining bright
with excitement.
Once inside, Olivia’s smile grew until it filled her whole body.
She laid a hand on her chest and laughed. She sighed and touched her moist lips
with a shake of her head. Olivia rubbed her temples and her heart’s glassy
surface cleared to a shine.
Love tiptoed in.
___________________________________
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“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7
Hearts like fragile clay jars.
Fragile like glass.
Hearts of glass.
If you have any comments, critiques, or concerns, please comment below!!!
If you have any comments, critiques, or concerns, please comment below!!!
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