The Sun's Shadow

Chapter Twenty-Five

Even the older woman picked up on the common hand gestures that Ele used and they could communicate enough to enjoy each other's company. Ele would have enjoyed her anyway, even without the ability to speak and simply listen. This woman had some stories to tell.

Just as she dug into the pancakes, the talkative chef began telling her a story she's already heard before. Twice. She didn't mind it though since she told stories so well. This particular tale she loved- The story of how she met a man in the south who loved her cooking so much that he left his wife for her. Only for Armida to turn around and make a grand meal for his wife and sleep with her instead.

Fabricated or not, Ele admired the woman's backbone.

"Now, take my experiences with a grain of salt, miss tomboy. Don't go causing that kind of trouble around these vampires or else they'll bite your head off. Dhampirs, on the other hand... Totally different story." She laughed at her own jokes as she prepared breakfast for the rest of the castle who had yet to awaken.

Ele finished her plate quickly and raced over to the sink to wash it, but Armida stepped in her way. "So here I am telling you not to cause trouble and you're over here acting like that's exactly what's on the agenda for today."

She waved a pancake batter coated spatula in Ele's face to convey her point, and the young girl smiled wickedly before sticking her tongue out to lick the spatula. That would show her!

Ele ducked under her arm and sprinted out the back door that headed directly out to the east side of the castle grounds. Trouble might not be on the agenda but freedom was. She hopped between feet, testing out the spring in her ankle to see if she could run. To better put it to the test, she did one swift loop around the castle itself, hugging close to the wall in case she needed it for support.

She managed just fine without it.

"Armida said you ran outside with no-good intentions." Roman's voice halted her morning run, and in a blur, he appeared beside her. "If you really wanna challenge yourself, how about try to run away from me? A big, scary vampire-"

Without thinking twice about the consequences or sheer impossibility of outrunning a vampire, Ele took off in the direction of the gardens she knew so well. She used that to her advantage- That and the fact that he forced himself to run at a more normal speed. Roman paused at the entrance of the maze she just entered, bordered by hedges that led in and out of numerous greenhouses.

"Hm, good play... Clever girl." He needed someone that matched his wits so that he could be tested daily without getting bored. This one certainly was unlike any other female.

He walked on, exaggerating each step to give her more time. Every door he entered, he made sure to check behind it in case she was being tricky. He looked behind each tall plant in the greenhouses and even checked the cabinets containing watering cans and sacks of soil, knowing she could easily squeeze into the small spaces.

Now upon the last greenhouse, he shuddered at the thought of catching her. It excited him like nothing else. Their little game of cat and mouse was about to come to an end...

When he twisted the handle and pushed the door in, he came to realize that he was the mouse in this instance. This faenix, in all her wonder, proved to him that she could overcome any opposition or shortcomings thrown her way.

There she stood in the center of this forgotten greenhouse, the one so far out that not even the veteran gardeners employed by the royals came to check on. Apparently, the sight of it displeased her eyes, so she took it upon herself to bring it back to life.

Her hands, which were stretched out in front of her as she walked up to each decaying plant, glowed with an aura he'd never seen come from her before. He'd seen this magic in books throughout his studies, however. He dropped to his knees, watching her as she worked her hardest to erase the despairs of time that made it seem these flowers would never live again.