The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (47 page)

Swinging his legs off the bed, he looked over to see a pair of riding pants and a plain shirt laid out for him on the other side of the bed. Wolf’s mother must have brought it to him while he slept. The thought made him smile slightly to himself.

“What are you smiling about?” a reproachful voice came from the hall. Looking up, he saw Rain standing in the doorway, a confused and weary look on her face. Caught by surprise, Aiden sat looking at her with a dumbfounded expression. She waited for him to say something, but he was at a loss for words. In the dim morning light that trickled through the open window, he could see her better, and her beauty was even more breathtaking he remembered. The green of her eyes was startling against the dark flow of hair that hung in waves around her face. Clearing her throat, Rain continued awkwardly since he hadn’t said a word. “My mom just wanted me to make sure you were coming,” she explained. “The food is ready.”

“Oh, okay,” he replied, his voice rough with sleep. “I’ll be right there.” Giving him another calculating look, Rain turned and left, closing the door behind her. Getting up, he quickly dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for him and hurried down the hall to the large front room where everyone already sat eating.

“Good morning!” Sunny greeted him, her face flush from the heat in the small kitchen. “How did you sleep?”

He glanced hesitantly at Rain, who kept her head down, focused on the food on her plate. He looked back up with a weak smile. “Fine, thank you.”

“Come and eat then,” she instructed, leading him over to an empty seat. “You can’t go out hunting on an empty stomach.” Hawk and Moose sat quietly eating, neither of them paying attention to anything but their food.

“Do you think I could come today?” Rain asked, gazing at her father. Aiden watched her closely, but she ignored him completely.

Hawk glanced over at her in surprise, as if he had just noticed her sitting there. “Rain, we’ve been through this already.” His voice was gentle, but held a warning note in it.

“You’re bringing
him
,” she said accusingly, throwing a bitter look in Aiden’s direction. He shrunk back slightly in his seat.

“He is a guest here, and a highly respected warrior in the King’s army. I don’t see how that has anything to do with you.”

“He’s not a Rider! Why should he be allowed to participate in the hunt and not me? I’m just as much a part of this tribe as any of you!”

“Now Rain,” their mother interrupted before Hawk could respond. “The women of our tribe are not meant to hunt. We are homemakers,” she said proudly. “You are young, so I don’t expect you to understand, but for now you must listen to what your father says.”

“I can ride and shoot just as well as the others,” she said furiously.

“You are a woman! End of conversation. It is too dangerous, and absolutely unheard of,” replied Hawk, his voice now dangerously on the verge of anger. “Just because you are my daughter does not mean I can bend the rules for you.”

Moose ate his food quietly, seemingly ignoring the argument taking place in front of him. He caught Aiden’s look and smiled. “They always do this,” he whispered, however not low enough. Rain turned her glare on him, her green eyes burning. Sitting up straight, Moose held up his hands in submission. “Don’t get mad at me, sis. You know I’d bring you if I could, but the rules are the rules.” Without saying another word, she got up and stormed out the room.

“She has your temper,” Hawk said, looking over at Sunny.

“Sure she does,” she rolled her eyes in return. The rest of the breakfast was eaten in silence.

Aiden sat at the bottom of a tree, leaning comfortably against it. Moose flopped down beside him. As he glanced around the group, Aiden noticed that the two of them appeared to be the youngest there.

“I got you an apple,” said Moose, throwing it into Aiden’s lap.

“Thanks,” he said, wiping the fruit on the front of his shirt. Hawk walked towards the two boys, lowering himself down in front of them.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his face and voice showing no signs of mockery.

“Stiff, but I’ll live,” Aiden replied. Moose snorted beside him.

“Normally we hunt with bow and arrows, but the Shaman told me your weapon of choice is the double-headed axe. I brought one for you,” he said, motioning towards his horse. Aiden could just see the top of the blade sticking out of his satchel. “When we go into the woods, stay close to Moose. He’ll lead you on the proper paths. This forest can be extremely dangerous, so try to keep together.”

“Dangerous? Why?” Aiden asked, his pulse picking up slightly.

Hawk shrugged his shoulders casually, replying to Aiden as if it were nothing. “There are sand traps, poison bushes, the animals themselves of course, and the forest people.”

“Forest people?”

“Little nasty things,” Moose replied before his father could. “They’ll put a spell on you and take you away. Never talk to one if they approach you, just turn and leave. They can weave a spell with normal words, without you even realizing it’s happening.” Aiden swallowed stiffly. Moose slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry though, they don’t usually bother us when we’re in a group. It’s when people decide to go in on their own that they find trouble. Serves them right.”

“That will do, Moose,” Hawk silenced his son. “Just stick together and you’ll be fine.” He then got up and walked over to a group of men sitting in a circle.

“How come there aren’t any other young guys here?” Aiden asked when Hawk had sat down with the larger group.

“This is a smaller hunting party, so my father didn’t think it necessary. Normally we go out in larger groups, but with the threat of war, we’ve been going out in smaller numbers more often, leaving behind the younger men to protect the village. He always lets me come though,” he said proudly.

“But your homes are invisible to others. How can there be any threat?”

“There is always a threat, Aiden. Even with our Shaman’s magic. Aziz is the most powerful sorcerer Eden has ever seen. My father will not underestimate him. But between you and me, I agree with you. There is little to no danger to our city with the cloaking magic over our homes.”

The two of them retreated into silence as they ate. The only noise was the crunching of the apples. It wasn’t awkward silence though, Aiden thought. It was companionable silence. Moose didn’t make him feel obligated to fill the silence with meaningless conversation. On the contrary, Moose seemed to prefer silence over talking. He was different than Wolf, Aiden decided with a smile. He couldn’t remember a time when Wolf wasn’t talking.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Oh,” he laughed lightly. “I was just thinking how quiet you are compared to your brother.”

Moose grunted. “He always talked too much,” he said, taking another chunk out of the apple. “I was constantly telling that boy to shut up.”

Aiden couldn’t help but laugh. “When was the last time you saw him?” Suddenly he couldn’t help but miss his old friends. He wondered what they were all doing, if they were all safe. He doubted they even knew he was back.

“Not since he left for the Capital,” Moose replied nonchalantly. “I heard he’s in the south now though.”

“Is the whole army down there?”

“No, just him, and that friend of his,” Moose scoffed. “Idiots.” The last comment was muttered under his breath. Aiden smiled again.

“What about Elisa?” he asked, hesitating on the question. Moose looked at him again, his lips twitching as if he wanted to smile. “She’s my friend, so I was just wondering,” Aiden explained.

“Right. Friend. I believe she is still with the King, but I wouldn’t really know. I haven’t seen my brother’s betrothed since she was five.” His words sent a pang of jealousy to Aiden’s stomach.

At that same moment Hawk called them all to their feet. He suddenly didn’t feel very well, but there was no way he was going to let on. Fetching the axe from Hawk, he and Moose took off into the plush greenery.

It was cool in the forest, and Aiden found it difficult to see very far. The other men were spread out wide. In this lighting, Aiden could easily imagine being shot accidently by a tribesman. Moose manoeuvred through the trees silently, while Aiden followed closely behind. He took all the same steps, and yet he sounded like an elephant stomping through the bush. He’d have to practice how to move like he used to. Finally Moose turned back to look at him with raised eyebrows.

“Are you trying to scare them away?” he asked, mockingly.

“Sorry,” Aiden whispered. The other boy chuckled, then continued on as quietly as before. Aiden seemed to get better the further they went. The sound of running water was close by. They came up to a wide tree, where Moose stopped, placing his back against the trunk, and crouched down. He motioned for Aiden to follow suit.

“The stream is just through those bushes,” he whispered, pointing in the direction where Aiden could hear the rushing water. “It is usually the best place to go because all the deer go there to drink. Be careful though.”

“Why?” Aiden whispered back, calling the other boy’s attention as he had begun to move forward.

Rolling his eyes, he crouched back down beside Aiden. “Because they’re not the only animals that need to drink. The last thing I need is you getting attacked by a bear!” Aiden nodded his head stiffly.

Moose crept up towards the stream, distancing himself from Aiden. Thinking twice, Aiden decided to stay behind and let Moose look first, afraid that he would scare off anything that was there with his clumsy footing. He crouched down beside another tree, watching Moose make his way through the bushes that lined the shore.

“What are you looking at?” a girl’s voice came from beside his ear. He turned quickly, sucking in his breath so he wouldn’t scream. In front of him sat the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, which was surprising considering the amount of pretty girls he had been meeting lately. This one was different though. Her skin was bronze, shimmering in the little rays of sun that filtered through the trees. She wore only a green dress wrapped tightly around her body. Her arms and shoulders were bare, and Aiden couldn’t help but wonder how she wasn’t freezing dressed the way she was. Her hair was white, falling in waves down to her tiny hips. Large eyes, the colour of amethyst, sat in a perfect face that was shaped in harsh angles. Aiden had never seen anyone with purple eyes before. She smiled at him, her lips full and red like the apple he had just eaten.

“Do you speak?” she asked, smiling playfully at him. He nodded his head back, all words escaping him. “Are you hunting?” Her eyes glanced down at the axe that lay just beside him.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice harsh in the stillness that now surrounded them. He could no longer hear anyone else, his attention solely on the vision before him.

“I like you,” she smiled again, her eyes flashing something Aiden couldn’t quite pinpoint. “What is your name?”

“Aiden.”

“Aiden,” she repeated, as if she were testing it in her mouth. “How strange, I thought all the Riders were named for their animals.”

“I’m not a Rider,” he corrected.

“But you hunt with them,” her brows knitted in confusion, a slight pout on her lips. Aiden couldn’t help but stare at them when she did that.

“I’m a warrior in the King’s army,” he explained, his eyes still focused on her mouth. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He had just met her, but all he could think of was how much he wanted her mouth on his. It was like he was in some sort of trance. “I’m here as a guest.”

“Aiden, from the King’s army,” she smiled again. “I have heard of you, then.” She slowly moved closer to him, their bodies now so close he could feel her breath on his face. She smelled like lavender. “My name is Lily.”

“Hello Lily,” he greeted her, his voice weak and his breath tight in his chest. He should have been watching – Moose, yes that’s who, or even looking for something to hunt himself, but right now there was no one else he could focus on but Lily. “Why are you in the woods by yourself? It is dangerous out here.”

She laughed lightly. “What is dangerous about a forest?”

“Animals, plants, the forest people,” he replied, repeating what Hawk had told him.

“The forest people!” she giggled. “That is nonsense,” she said shaking her head at him. “Those tribesmen just make things up to explain away the deaths of their Riders. They can’t admit that some of them aren’t as good as they may think.
You
have nothing to worry about though,” she said, softly stroking his face with her tiny hand. “Nothing can hurt
you
here.” Without warning, Lily leaned in and kissed Aiden gently on the mouth. Her lips felt cold against his, and tasted like honey. At first he held very still, as did she while she leaned into him, but something inside his head felt like bursting, and before he knew it he had reached up and placed both hands on either side of her face, deepening their kiss. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and he tasted even more sweetness. One of his hands slipped into her hair, gently grabbing a fistful. Lily reacted back, both arms circling around his neck, and she pulled herself tightly against his body. Finally they broke apart, both of them breathing quickly. Lily’s large purple eyes were wide as she searched his face.

“Wow,” she said, her lips twitching into a small smile.

“Yeah,” he breathed. If this was hunting, he’d have to make a habit of tagging along.

“Oh for the Goddess and God’s sake!” a voice yelled behind him. A large hand gripped his shoulder roughly, pulling him sharply back and away from Lily, who stayed where she had been sitting. Her face darkened and a hiss escaped her lips.

“Get out of here you witch!” Moose yelled, notching an arrow into his bow.

“Moose no!” Aiden said, grabbing at his arm. He shrugged him off.

“Now!” he yelled at Lily, who hadn’t moved a muscle.

Slowly rising, she smiled at the two of them, but not a pretty smile, a sinister, calculating smile. Her purple eyes had darkened to almost black.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Aiden,” she said, curtseying lowly. Then she was gone, just as quickly as she had appeared. Aiden couldn’t understand how anyone moved that fast. Moose turned on him, his face full of rage.