Unedited.
Chapter Twelve: The Calm of his Dance.
The storm hit as a vicious wave. We had left the last camp once the wind had picked up and with the Lycan's eyesight, had managed to find an outcrop of rocks where we could shelter the horses and keep our selves dry for the night. My bed-roll was knotted around me as I sat as close as I could to the entrance, watching the fury of the skies unfold with wide, awed eyes.
It was beautiful; lightening streaked across the storm swollen skies as rain thundered down. The sound of it striking the earth was deafening, a great constant muffle to anything that might be happening outside. My chin rested on my knees, but I listened also to the murmur of the people behind me.
Again, they were talking of this Dragon Rider. The protectiveness simmering under my skin was severe, the knowledge that they would dare to touch Seren or use her in any way was enraging.
"How would we convince this dragon rider to accompany us back to the castle? To pledge themselves to the King?" Dara asked.
Fingers curled on my legs, a foreboding feeling pressing into my stomach. I would not pledge myself to the King. Why should I have to? I was no Lycan and I didn't need the guidance of their 'Alpha'. But this was dangerous thinking when sitting amongst the King's personal soldiers – people who would have seen the man up close.
"I am not sure." The Lycan admitted. "If we explained the situation to them, then I could hardly think of someone who would say no."
"I could think of a few." Ailbrich pointed out. "People's morals vanish once they think their life is in danger. If you threaten the dragon, then forget about ever getting their help."
"Threaten the dragon!" Luca scoffed. "It's a beast."
I nearly turned where I sat. The rage that flickered across my face was too telling, too suspicious even for me. I wired my jaw tight and watched the storm.
"Luca, you are a fool." Dara snapped. "Dragons are not beasts. They are far more intelligent and vicious than we could ever hope to be. We should not worry about threatening the dragon, but to threaten the person who has paired with them would be a grave mistake."
"Do you think they care about each other that much?" The Lycan queried.
"I think this pairing is not by mistake." She hesitated. "Why now? Why is there a Rider and dragon now after the dragons have been gone for so long?"
I frowned at that. Were Seren and I a vessel for something more? The day I found her, there had been darkness chasing me from all angles, but once I found her, the light seemed to filter through the trees once more.
They talked until the fire began to flicker and I tired of the rumbling storm. I retreated into the warmth of the bodies where my bed-roll had been laid out beside the Lycan's. He glanced at me as I curled beneath the blankets, rustling loudly to find the most comfortable position a person could when sleeping on the hard ground.
The night was broken by the rumble of thunder, like giants fighting behind the cover of thick and heavy clouds. I fell asleep to the sound it, and the Lycan's breathing. Before sleep claimed me, I felt a heavy arm sling over my waist, a hand pressing into my stomach softly. A gentle touch, a careful embrace.
I didn't shake it off.
∦
"Who do we have here?" A smooth voice cut in.
Knocked to the ground, I could only shiver as the cold air bit into my bruised skin. My torn clothes provided little protection against the winter rolling in, and my body had shrunk with the starvation haunting my body. I was not made for this life- I was too weak to protect Seren and I.
A man squatted in front of me, and surprisingly there was no cruelty in brilliant green eyes. He just stared at me, his handsome faced pinched in thought. I wondered how pitiful I looked to him. A frail, idiotic little girl who was lost in the wild trying to keep herself and her dragon alive.
"She tried to rob us, Sage." A beast of a man, dark skinned and solemn glared down at me. "She tried to rob us!"
I looked at the one they called the Sage. He had a solemn air around him, but he was one of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. His skin was a soft, dark hue, his lashes long and sooty. Everything about him was refined and elegant, as if there was noble blood thundering through his veins.
"You tried to rob us?" The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. "How bold of you."
I kept my jaw wired, afraid I would say something stupid. There were several large men surrounding me, all individually strong enough to break and brutalize me. Panic thundered in my veins, flooding my tongue as I realised I was completely at their mercy.
The Sage waited for my answer and sighed, leaning back on his haunches. "If you don't talk, I cannot understand."
My eyes flashed to his, anger stirring. "I do not want to be pitied."
He just stared back. "I do not pity you."
"Good." I settled back. "I would hope you wouldn't kill me either?"
A squeak sounded suddenly, and a man emerged from around a set of tents. He was a ruddy faced man, red hair cropped short. In one meaty hand, he held a small and struggling Seren. Small claws tried to scrape at his skin, her papery wings flailing but she was too small to fight off men still.
I shot to my feet, my feeble body trembling in indignant rage. "Don't touch her!" I snarled.
I was a pitiful sight to these men, I knew that, but I could only gauge the distance between Seren and I. A hand suddenly fisted in my hair, a boot kicking into the back of my knee. Falling with a cry, I clawed at the hand in my hair.
The Sage kneeled in front of me, a hand clasping my chin. "You are vicious for a woman outnumbered and out-skilled."
I bared my teeth, my attention darting to Seren momentarily. "You have someone I love."
"This dragon?" The Sage leaned back, glancing at Seren who tried to gnaw at the man holding her. Her teeth were viciously sharp even at her young age, enough that if she got a hold on him, she could tear through flesh and sinew. "They vanished from Anene, no? She will fetch a pretty price on the markets."
"No," I lurched even with the hand holding my hair. I felt the hot sear of hair being ripped from the roots before he released me. I launched for her, only for a harsh hand to crack across my face and sending me reeling.
Vision shaking, I whirled on the Sage. Chest heaving, I tried to keep an eye on them all and find some way to get to Seren and get out! "Hit me all you want. Do whatever you want, but please don't hurt her."
Bright brilliant eyes were drawn downwards. My pitiful clothing had torn, my neck and shoulders exposed. Thin, silver lines inter-crossing and then the vicious scar given to me the day my mother died. Some of the marks of what Bashkar had done on me were still fresh, red lashes instead of the silver that he wished to mark my skin.
"Who did this to you?" The Sage's aggression filtered away.
Blood coated my teeth, my vision still shaky from the strength of his blow. "I do not want your pity."
He just smiled. "I do not pity you, woman. But I will extend a hand."
The aggression in the group was seeping away, the men settling back as they waited for my reaction. "A hand? If I do not take it, will you kill me?"
He shook his head. "No. That I promise you."
"And if I take your hand, you will... help us?"
"You will become one of us. A member of our merry little band. You will be trained, you will have to do things that are completely and utterly illegal, but you will be apart of us. You and this little dragon."
In the months to come, Sage would regret calling her a little dragon. But I took his hand, thinking that I could at least try and get an easy meal for us for the night. But I fell in love with those men, with their struggles and the family we had knitted together. He had not pitied me; he had seen a fighter in the starving, run-away Lady with nothing of worth but her spirit.
To them, and to Seren, I willingly pledged my life.
∦
Lips pursed in mild annoyance, Dara surveyed the lake town spread out ahead of us. It was the first place of civilisation we had encountered since the storm. The countryside had been battered, trees missing limbs, the ground unstable from where mud had been washed down.
Storm stirred underneath me. I knew she was tired, longing for a warm place to stay and I patted her thick neck, murmuring comforts that I hoped she understood. Attention turned to the Lycan who scented the air, his eyes flashing cautiously. My attention flickered to those broad shoulders, the strength in thick arms and broad hands that had held me so softly the other night.
A sliver of doubt crawled down my spine. A scrape against the wall I had erected around myself, a warmth worming into my mind as I looked at the male. I was attracted to him, no doubt. He was a gorgeous wild man but there was something in the width of his smile, the brightness that flashed like lightening that drew me in hopelessly.
I knew it because I was full of dark corners, and rage. A mind burdened with the trials of my past, a mouth that rarely smiled and a heart that was bruised and betrayed. But not the Lycan – he was a man who hoped, honestly and openly when I would not dare to let others know that I even doubted. He was softer than I, quicker to be hurt by a harsh word when I was used to things much harsher than a person's word.
Strangely, I didn't scorn him for it.
I admired him. For the optimistic view he had on the world, for the soft smile he flashed when he watched his friends. He tried to appear grumpy, but the wildness under his skin was not a darkly vicious one.
"That is Derralann lake." Ailbrich pointed out the body of water beside the town.
Seren would love that. I said nothing as we approached, and the sounds of the town drew us in. Music spilled from the streets and colourful banners fluttered in the breeze. I perked at the sound of laughter, spilling so honestly onto the streets.
No one greeted us with suspicion as we passed through the gates, a set of worn down pillars that offered no protection from attackers. There were soldiers posted there, but there was no wariness in their eyes, no quick glance at the five strangers riding through their gates.
We left our mounts at the stables, and Luca admonished me for mildly threatening the stable-hands about what I would do if Storm's care was not exemplary. She was more of a lady than I was and loved a good pampering.
"I need to sort some things out." Ailbrich stated, casting us a look before heading into the streets.
"That sounds utterly suspicious. We should follow him." I looked after him, wondering if the man with the dark eye's secrets had burdening his mind like I did.
"That would be rude." Luca cast me a look.
Crossing my arms, I refused to look in his direction. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Luca. I do a lot of things other people would consider rude. Does that mean I hold my tongue?"
"...No."
My lips pursed as Dara released a sigh. "That wasn't something you answer, Luca."
The Lycan decided to remain silent; most likely fearing the cutting tongues of two annoyed women. Dara's hand hooked into the crook of my elbow and I let her walk beside me. "We should get rooms in the inn, bathe..."
She looked pointedly at Luca, "And then go and enjoy the festival."
I didn't offer to pay for the room in the inn, finding myself intrigued by the paintings when the Lycan fished for his coin purse. The damn male kept it at his waist, just begging for it to be stolen. As we climbed the stairs to our rooms, two bedrooms shared between the five of us, I pondered the idea of robbing it.
Just to see what he would do.
We bathed- I waited for Dara to go first and she left without saying a word. She had seen those scars and knew that my hesitance, the flicker of confidence as I looked between her and the bath wasn't just because I was a blushing virgin – I was ashamed, no matter what I told myself.
I dried my hair at the fire-place when I was washed, listening to Dara chatter about the servants in the white stone castle where she lived that would brush carefully through her dark hair, smoothening it with oils and brushing creams onto her tanned skin before lining her eyes to make them sharper than they already were. Curiosity kept me from scoffing; people enjoyed being touched so openly?
To be pampered by people every-day. To be massaged instead of shying away from a touch at your shoulders?
When we were done, Luca and the Lycan were waiting for us down in the foyer. We had no festival clothes to adorn, but the men were bathed, and their hair combed. I skimmed past the Lycan, a hand brushing his waist and I glanced over my shoulder, smiling at his confused expression as my hand slipped into my pocket and the weight in it became heavier.
The streets had only grown more packed in the time it had taken us to wash. The afternoon's sun cast warmth over the town, the air filled with such innocent laughter that I felt it washing through me, tugging at the bitterness clenched tight inside of me.
Stalls had been set up with vendors selling special wares – coloured candies and strange pastries dripping in butter and fruit. Streamers decorated the outside of the houses, with flower pots balanced on window-sills and over spilling with bright flowers. Children darted through the streets in front of us, their hands filled with treats and their good clothes already dirtied from their innocent playing.
I led them through the streets with a giddiness I usually shoved down, stopping to view anything that caught my eye. I scented the flowers on display, showing them to the others before moving on to see whittled wooden figurines. My smile flickered at the bright displays before I noticed it and shoved it down.
The music led us to the market square, a bright and open space that was filled with people. The centre of it was clear and a woman clapped her hands, her voice rising in the beginning of a song. I wove through the crowd, my eyes riveted on her.
"Oh," I recognised the melody as the merry band behind her began to play. "I love this dance."
I stood on the edge of the crowd, watching the pairs moving into the centre. Most of them were mer-people, long and beautiful people with an angle to their eyes and a stiffness to their legs. I had been taught the 'dance of the river' by the mermaids I had saved from slavery, and their only payment had been a piece of their tradition. It was something I treasured utterly.
There was a flash of movement to the side and I stared down at the Lycan's outstretched hand. Cyan eyes watched me closely, a brush of crimson creeping up his neck. "I know this dance."
Maybe it was the music, or the warmth seeping into the atmosphere from the peoples' obvious joy but I couldn't help but smile as I took his offer, slipping my palm into his. Long fingers closed around it tight, a rush of something skittering up my arm as I let the Lycan lead me out.
I told myself it was just a dance as we moved. It was a test between the two of us, a competition to see who knew the dance better. It was wild and reckless – nothing like the controlled dances of the nobility. It was a celebration of the water, of the mer-people and it was their challenge to dance on land like they moved in the water. Fluid, sensual.
I let myself become lost in it. In the feel of the Lycan's hand skimming down my side, in the way he tugged me closer than necessary and the wild flare in his eyes as I pulled away with the music, laughing at the fun of it.
We danced and spun around each other, like it was a game. Not one made from malice, but fun. I caught a flash of a genuine smile, a warmth to his face that I wanted to bask in.
There was no fumbling, no stepping on the other's toes. We danced like two people made to dance with the other, aware of the other's moves and in tune with the body of the partner. As I danced with the Lycan, I had a fleeting thought that I enjoyed this man's company, and I didn't want it to end.
But it did. It ended with a shout, a laugh from someone else in the crowd and I was drawn into the Lycan's embrace as the ending move. I felt the strength in his body, but as I looked up at him with my chest heaving from exertion, there was no fear in this man's touch. There was something addicting about his touch; something that reminded me so utterly of the comfort Seren gave me, but in a different way.
Seren was a storm, and her soul encouraged the recklessness in mine but the Lycan was calmer. Strangely, his presence only worked to soothe me, but it never made me feel like the docile lady I had been. It was a calmness that soothed my spirit but never killed it.
The Lycan's chest was heaving too. He must have seen the confusion on my face, his eyes flashing with something. Again, I let him lead me from the watching eyes. I looked at him as he led the way, at the joining of our hands and the strong length of his arm. I looked at the dark hair curling at the nape of his neck, the tiny nick of a scar that I actually was curious to know how he got. A silly childhood accident?
What is happening?
He led me to a lane between two houses, scenting the air cautiously before stopping. "Lilia...I..."
I didn't listen. There was something strange between us; an attraction I wouldn't deny that seemed to pulse with every beat of my heart. I was aware of him, of the wildness between his skin and felt the weight of his gaze like it was a physical touch.
I wasn't going to listen to words – words took too long and then people wanted answers. So, I decided to test the warmth on my skin, the pounding of my heart with action. For once it wasn't a bold and wild move, but as I leaned in and felt the Lycan's body tense, I knew I was right.
My lips brushed his so softly, a taste of what could be.
Large hands flexed, his cheeks burning red. But he leaned down, not one to be bested and as he drew me close, my path was set. Acknowledging this, letting the Lycan claim my mouth set in motion the inevitable.
Only I didn't know that.
∦