Bliath: Shattered (17 page)

She was gone as fast as she came, Fera touched her face, she knew the blood would be coming out of her nose, and her head hurt, Vance ran to her side, helping her sit, and Oren dipped his head down nuzzling her neck.  When she regained enough sense to talk, she explained what Nuna had said about a giant under a rock.  Vance got it right away, it was a star grouping.  Now they knew where they were going. 

As they were preparing to leave the brook, Vance could tell Fera was still very shaken, he knew he was about to cause more harm than good, if only to himself, he grabbed her hand, and when she spun around, he wrapped his arms around her, and she let a sob lose and the dam that held her tears back broke.  He stroked her hair and let her cry, she needed to cry, keeping it in would only break her, change her, and the thought of her being altered in any way that was truly not her, caused his heart to constrict.  He gently kissed her forehead. 

After a few more moments past, he spoke, “You just stood your ground with a dragon, and I think she likes you.  I mean she didn’t eat you, but then again I hear if you eat a maiden you’re hungry a few hours later.  Shh you’re going to be ok.”

Fera glowered at him, her honey eyes with the mix of emotion she was so desperately trying to keep harnessed, she was trying to think before she spoke, but it was hard, “Vance, I have lost everything in a matter of days, my father, my tutor who was like an uncle and great confidant, my home, and a sense of who I am and who I am expected to be, I have not had time to process this, and then there is you, who looks at me with such, I don’t know, and holds me and protects me, who even has kissed me, even if it was in limbo, but then acts like I am a pain in his ass and looks in pain to touch me now, like I might hurt him or give him cooties, I am being hunted, I talked to what I thought was an extinct or imaginary creature, so what gives you the right to tell me I am going to be ok, I am so far from ok.”   The last part became strained and the air started to get warm, her energy was building and she had no clue.

Vance felt the shift, he was staring at Fera, waiting for her to go off, but it just kept building, he looked at Oren, and he knew the horse could sense the change too, he motioned for Oren to get back, Aloine was far enough away, Oren moved as the energy started to snap and crackle.

Fera looked at Vance her eyes now wide with terror, he told her to let the energy go, but she couldn’t, her skin seemed to start to glow, Vance didn’t know how much she could take. She inhaled sharply, and sparks were flying wildly around her, she let out a whimper, it clearly was burning.  Vance couldn’t take it anymore, and he knew what he was about to do would call trackers to the area faster than he had hoped, but it was the best option.  Fera in any kind of pain was hard to think of much less watch.   He pulled Fera too him, and began to draw her energy and let it mix with his, she closed her eyes in relief.  The storm clouds came rolling in, he leaned down and whispered in Fera’s ear to keep her eyes closed, she turned to the sound of his voice, her lips met his, first by accident, but soon reaffirmed their position.  The lightening was striking madly around them.  Fera brought her arms up around Vance’s neck, and he pulled her even closer, after a few moment the lightening stopped, but they were very much clinging to each other.

It was Oren’s thoughts thrust into Fera mind that brought her back to reality,
“Next time tell Flash, I want a storm warning!”

Fera looked at Oren confused, but then saw burnt patches on the ground and on some of the trees where the lightening hit.

“Vance, what did I, you, or we do?”  She didn’t know to be in awe or scared. 

Vance drew in a ragged breath, and raked his hand through his hair, “Yes, you, me, we.  Fera, we need to go, and fast again, if I promise to explain some things to you when we make camp tonight, can we just focus on the fleeing part for the next little bit, please?”

“Fine.” She sounded more defeated, then ok with having to wait. 

Chapter 25

As promised they rode in silence, for the first half Fera had to lean down on Oren, her head pounded, her body hurt, and she felt raw from the energy.  She sat up around sundown and took a good look around, the trees were changing, getting denser, taller, and bigger, the air was changing too, it was cooler, and the smell was different.   She didn’t want to bother Vance, she felt Oren’s wall was down, so she asked him instead,
“Where are we, do you know, have you been here before?”

“Yes A’mael
,
Devendra Forest, I journeyed through here to come to you, it is a strange place, once inhabited by many things, history says when these ancient trees were not yet seen a battle raged between the Elves and the Dwarves for this land, it was long and bloody, the guardians stepped in, and created the mountains for the Dwarves, a protected area for Elves and made this forest as a reminder of the horrible loss, every tree was a life lost. The creatures that called it home a short while ago, got caught in the war that is causing you so much pain, they were forced to pick a side or flee, most fled.”

“Oh that is horrible.  The way everyone keeps describing the Elves, is a cold, calculated, race that push their own agenda without consideration of and for others?  Is that how they will expect me to be?” 
This was one of the questions she wasn’t sure if she wanted an answer to.

Oren softly chuckled,
“For the most part the High Elves yes, sadly, the other classes are a mixed bag, but in general, as a race they are more controlled then most humans.  I expect if you were to go there, they would very much want you to act like a High Elf and even more controlled giving who you are.”

Fera’s face bunched up
, “Oren, I am not sure I can do that, how do you shut most emotions out or lock them in? I should just prepare myself for them to hate me if or when we get there?”

“A'mael, anyone who would hate you should be banished from Bliath, but you will fare better if you check them back, just when you are not among your trusted, think of it as a game, you must never give yes or no answers, be indifferent about almost everything, and talk in half-truths and partial lies.” 
Worry crept into Oren’s mind.

Fera thought his mind was cute when he was worried,
“Oren what does A’mael mean, and why do you call me that?  Don’t get me wrong I love when you speak in Elven, but I have little clue to what you are saying.  Things are going to be different.”

“It means,”
Oren mused,
“I have given you a nickname to tell you what you are to me and I much dislike calling you what everyone else calls you, I want to be set a part.”

Fera smiled, “Yes but what does it mean?”

“It means you should learn Elfish.”
He replied with his usual confidence.

“Have you two ever thought that having a secret conversation, in some circles might be considered rude?”  Vance intruded half joking, but still giving them a slight glare.

Fera decided to tease back, “Some may also consider interrupting rude.”  She gave a polite smile,

Vance feigned surprise, “Don’t look now, Princess your royal is showing.  So do you care to share your conversation?”  His eyes locked on hers, and a dazzling smile formed on his lips.

His smiles were making Fera’s heart skip beats, “The fact that we are in Devendra Forest, that it marks the site of some epic battle, how I should learn Elfish, and that in the end I act nothing like an elf and they are not going to care for me.  If you must know, and it was you who said to ride in peace?”

“I just, I just needed to clear my head, and put my thoughts in order and come up with some kind of plan.  Fera, we are running blind here and we are not even sure to what or where, we have not had a moment to slow, and when we do, we put on a light show for them to track us.  My mind needed a regroup.  It is time to make camp, and get another early start, so we can make it to cover tomorrow night.  Oh and by make camp tonight I mean no fire, and unpack the bare minimum in case we need to go.”  His tone was light but you could tell it was true.

They found a small area that was less dense, and true to what he said Vance left his horse mostly tacked,  Fera though, was at a slight loss, Oren liked to sleep lying down, and they both like to curl up with each other, she just stood there staring at him.

“Fera” Vance’s voice shook her out of the stupor, “Everything ok, are you sensing something?”

She shook her head no, “I just, umm he likes to sleep lying down, and I sleep next to him, I feel safe that way.”

“As you should,”
Oren’s confident voice leaked in.

Fera reached up and put her hand on his neck, and he let out a sigh like that is what he needed.

“You two have a strange relationship, makes sense since he is a strange horse, just untack him and if something happens we will have to make do.” Vance rolled his eyes, he knew once he figured out what was up with Oren, things would change and it would be for the better.

Once they were all settled down, Fera snuggled into the side of Oren, and Vance on his makeshift roll out bed, he stared at Fera waiting for her to rapid fire questions at him, but she just stared up at the stars.

“Anytime now Ace,” Vance playful said, but Fera just looked at him with sad eyes, “What is wrong?”

“Every time someone explains something to me, I either feel stupid, or hurt even more, and sometimes I know I have to hear things that I might not want to but need to, I mean lately the questions come easy and the answers hard, and I don’t know, I am just sorting through in my head what I need to know and what I want to know, and how the answers might affect me at this point,” Fera sighed.

Vance motioned for her to come sit next to him, even though she hesitated at first Fera gave in and moved next to him, he took her hand, Fera looked down then back at Vance, “So you're touching me now?”

“Well, it seems your questions are finding their way back out.  You want me to answer that or was it rhetorical?” Vance smirked, and Fera melted a little on the inside, she loved that look on his face, it was like his charm was peeking through.  She smiled back and nodded.

“Very well, but first I want you to know I will never lie to you, and I will try to explain this to you the best I can.”  Fera nodded again and Vance let out a sigh, it was now or never he thought and hoped she would not think him crazy. “My energy is controlled most of the time, but when my emotions are heightened or intensified, I lose control, you have little control, but that will come with time and practice.”  He paused again to make sure she was following what he was saying.  “I know our magic, or the energy of it recognizes each other, and are connected to each other somehow, so it only intensifies the feelings I am feeling, and reacts to yours or yours reacts to mine and together they become highly unpredictable and unstable.  I am afraid that it will hurt you, or someone else.  You saw the lightning back there, I mean by myself I can do that but not to the intensity we caused together.  Do you understand?” Vance was slightly blushing and was hoping the cover of night was hiding it.

“I think so, so what are these feels you’re feeling, sometimes you seem like I am a thorn in your side and others like I don’t know, and that confuses me?”  Fera’s cheeks were also pink

Vance apprehensively reached over and toughed Fera’s face very lightly, they both in took a quick breath as a slight hum of energy formed where their skin met. “Fera, I, I know you, everything in me knows you, and craves to be near you, but I-” Fera put her fingers over his lips to silence him and she finished what he was about to say, “But you can’t, because of the effects it might cause.” She finished sadly.

“Fera,” He sighed her name, “The energy part is easy to get past, I mean this is a thing time can fix, but Fera, you are a Princess, the one prophesied to end all of this, and I am an orphaned nothing, the fact that you even let me touch you, look at you, talk to you means more than you will ever know.” 

Fera was frustrated, why would it matter what he was or wasn’t? Didn’t her feelings matter too? She quickly rolled over on her side knocking Vance back down on his back, she leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his.  Vance froze, then all at once reacted, bring his hand up behind her head, tangling his fingers into her hair, pressing her lips more forcefully on his.  Heat surged through them and sparks started to fly around them.  After a few moments Fera pulled back, and gazed down at him trying to read his reaction. There was no visible reaction, he pulled her back down and her lips back to his.  Fera let out a sigh as she could feel his magic and hers, and they met and intertwined around each other. 

Before Fera knew what happened blinding light shot out from where they laid.  It was a blinding shield, Fera flew a few feet back from Vance, he had used his magic and pushed her. She stared at him a mix of emotions, Vance’s face mirrored hers, then turned to anger and frustration.