Under The Elven Sky (Fengysha Series Book 1)

by Jordan Cramm

  Several nomads smiled at each other and nodded, speaking to each other in such a way that Wolflen, Ayvock and Katrina could only guess after in their minds. At last though, one of the nomads spoke up, stating that it would be nice if Katrina could somehow attract big game to the area so that their hunting could be prosperous beyond the normal measure. Katrina smiled and agreed and then she prepared for the spell.

  The evening fires were warm and Ayvock took solace in the comfortable mood that the glow of twilight created among the serene setting. He stood by the wagon after giving the horses some water and then tying them to trees near enough grass for them to eat their fill. On the prairie here though, trees were sparse. The nomads lived close enough to the forest edge however, to have a constant steady supply of wood.

  As the night grew dark, Ayvock found himself just dreaming as he stood by the wagon. Out in the wild open, he had no orders to follow. He didn't have to listen to someone like his father telling what to do, or comment about how he could do better at something. In the wild open he realized, he was free. It was a thought that was liberating and terrifying both. Here in the wild, he could do whatever he wanted he knew. But here in the wild, nature could be unforgiving. In the city, picking a fight with the wrong person could have consequences, but there was always a way to back out of a fight. In the wild though, if an animal attacked, there was no such safety net. No guards to yell for; no one to aid them but their selves.

  Meanwhile, while Ayvock stood near the wagon, Wolflen had settled down upon a rug that was on the ground near the fire. He spoke with a few of the nomadic Izenians, giving them stories of current news from Akartha and Haven both. He held back the part about him being a War Mage though, perhaps for fear of how they might react, but at least partly to protect them. Wolflen knew he would have enemies as a War Mage. And so Wolflen decided, the less these simple plains people knew, the better.

  He was dressed in his favorite robe; the green robe with his brown belt tied around his waist, and the multitude of pockets inside the robe. With the night air so comfortable though, Wolflen did not bother with an undershirt. And he sat warmly by the fire anyway. He turned his head to see Ayvock in the distance, staring out into the open vast beyond. Wolflen knew that Ayvock needed some time to himself to digest everything that was happening, and to process it all in his mind, so Wolflen did not get up at once. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the fire before him, and in so doing, he saw Katrina beyond it, sitting and talking with local Izenian women, and looking back at him through the flames. Both stared. And suddenly, other voices faded away—for both of them. Passion and desire burned wildly within each of them as they sat caught in the gaze that said everything without saying a word. And in his heart, Wolflen knew that he was destined to be bonded to her. When Katrina smiled and thought about it, she supposed she knew that too.

  Chapter 8: Getting Closer

  The next morning, before dawn ever broke, and when the night was dark still Wolflen sat alone round a small fire that was dwindling in the early chimes of morning. The grass was covered in dew all around, and in the distance, sounds of birds chirping carried back to his ears. He was dead tired, but had spent much of the night studying his spell books once the others had gone to bed in their tents. Wolflen and his party had been given a tent for the night, both out of general hospitality, and to return the favor that Katrina would be granting later that day. She had promised them the sound of hooves by morning and told them they would have no need to hunt outside of their plains area that day.

  Wolflen stared into the fire intently now though, lost in a trance of sorts. He wasn't cold though the night air had grown chilly. But to an Izenian raised in cold temperatures, the cool night air here was actually refreshing. He smiled as he thought about Katrina. He could almost hear her voice again, asking him if he would be sleeping in the tent; just as she had asked him the night before. He had declined, telling both Ayvock and Katrina that he wanted to spend the night in the open and think about some things as well as study his spells. He didn't know that Katrina had wanted a chance to sleep next to him. She didn't know though that he had hoped as a Ranger, that she would have stayed near the fire with him all night. Both of them lost out for miscommunication in that sense, so now Wolflen just sat in darkness thinking.

  Elves were often thought of as being the most fragile and slender of creatures, full of agility and grace, and such was true. Wolflen soon learned that an Elven woman, trained as a Ranger, could sneak up on him and make it look easy to do. She stood behind him a moment just watching him sit there by the fire. She admired him in a way, knowing about some of the challenges he would have to face in the future—even the near future. She was dressed in leggings, a long sleeve shirt, and also had a blanket wrapped around her. She quietly sat beside him on the ground.

  “So...” she said nervously now that they were alone again.

  They hadn't been so since their time outside of Haven when they nearly kissed before Jakarta interrupted them.

  “So,” he responded calmly.

  “What a beautiful night. But it was getting a little cold in the tent. I hope you don't mind that I came out her to join you.”

  Wolflen turned his head to her with shadows dancing across his face as he stared into her eyes with a soft gaze.

  “Of course not m'lady.”

  She smiled back at him and fumbled to find something to talk about—anything that would distract from the desirous tension between them.

  “Ayvock seems to be in paradise out here. Are you sure he wouldn't make a good Ranger? He talked about you quite a bit before he fell asleep. He really loves you I think.”

  Wolflen smiled and nodded before turning his head back to look at the fire once more.

  “He is my truest of friends. He likes being out here in the open because of the simplicity of it—the freedom and the peacefulness. But even if he could afford Ranger school, I am not sure he would go. There is so much to learn and he might just lose all concentration before reaching the point of being able to be on his own in the wild.”

  “But, we are in the wild now...” Katrina remarked softly.

  “Are we going to talk about what happened before?” Wolflen asked bluntly and changing topics.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, not following his train of thought.

  “I mean,” he replied as he looked back at her again, “what happened outside of Haven? Did we almost kiss before Jakarta came along? What would have happened if he didn't?”

  Katrina blushed and looked down before turning her eyes toward the fire.

  “It's a warm fire, and a beautiful flame.” Katrina said softly.

  “So you can't talk about your feelings?” Wolflen asked desperately.

  Then there was a brief pause before she replied sweetly.

  “I was talking about my feelings.”

  Wolflen looked at her, and she turned her head back toward his. She put a hand on his cheek and he smiled softly, feeling warmth radiating from the palm of her hand. His heart began to race and he felt as though he could melt in that moment. Then she leaned over and kissed him. He turned his legs slightly and turned to his side while he kissed her back passionately in front of the fire. They kissed a few more times before she spoke again, this time she spoke lowly but with a sweet voice.

  “A few chimes until sun up. You haven't slept a wink.”

  Wolflen felt a rush of energy after kissing her, and wasn't sure he could ever sleep again now. He smiled at her tenderly and replied.

  “If this is real then may I never sleep.”

  She smiled back at him with her own tenderness worn upon her face like a mask.

  “Hold me,” she said, “I am cold.”

  They repositioned so that Wolflen's back was up against a large nearby boulder, and she sat between his legs as he wrapped his arms around her. He could smell her hair, and her natural scent. It was intoxicating to him. And as for Katrina, she felt the warmth she sought in his embrace, and she
hugged his arms around her tightly.

  Dawn crept upon them like a snake in the grass. Both of them were sleeping and still together around embers of what had been their warm fire the night before. Now their shared warmth kept the cold away. Wolflen only woke when he felt Ayvock nudging with his boot into Wolflen's arm. Wolflen opened his eyes slowly, yawning and looking upward in the daylight at his friend Ayvock, who stood with a puzzled look upon his face. Clearly, Ayvock wanted some answers. Wolflen wasn't sure of how to give them. All he knew was that he was tired, and achy from sitting against a boulder and sleeping that way for a time.

  Wolflen lowered is head and kissed the back of Katrina's head and then worked his way down to kiss her neck gently. She moaned as he kissed her, not wanting to leave the comfort of his arms, but not realizing where she was or that the sun was already up.

  “Wake up sweetie...” Wolflen softly whispered.

  Ayvock heard it.

  “Sweetie?” Ayvock mouthed, still confused about what had happened the night before after he fell asleep in the tent.

  He shook his head, deciding he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on and so instead, he began to walk toward their wagon for something to eat. When he returned, Wolflen and Katrina were standing, seemingly both flustered and embarrassed that they had fallen asleep together. Ayvock tried not to notice, but he thought it was funny how both Wolflen and Katrina were dancing around each other now, and how both were flirting but also pulling away at the same time.

  Packing camp for them was easy, and yet awkward that morning. Wolflen and Katrina had grown silent even though as they rode out onto the plains, Wolflen rode Sespa dangerously close to the wagon and horses where Katrina was sitting. They had helped those who had taken them in the night prior before leaving, and now they were again out in the wild open. Ayvock rode Colt beside Wolflen and Sespa, and he was growing quite tired of the silence. He was curious about the night prior, and at last, said something.

  “Oh come on already. What happened last night?” Ayvock asked.

  Wolflen turned his gaze from the prairie ahead to look over at Katrina, who was looking right back at him and blushing.

  “Well,” Wolflen started out loud, “we just...”

  Suddenly Katrina burst in with her own comment.

  “We were just sitting by the warm fire when it started getting cold. I asked if it would be all right if I curled up to Wolflen so that we could share body heat to stay warm. And after a while we just fell asleep.”

  Wolflen and Ayvock both disbelieved what they just heard. Wolflen, because he was no wondering why Katrina would deny what had happened, and he took it to be insulting, not to mention the fact that the comment stung like a dagger in his stomach. Ayvock on the other hand had his own reservations about her comments because that same morning he heard Wolflen call her “sweetie”.

  “So nothing else happened then?” Ayvock asked, looking over at Wolflen.

  But Wolflen was still staring back at Katrina. What Wolflen saw in Katrina's eyes was that she planned on sticking to her story the way she told it, and that she expected him to do the same. Is she testing me? Wolflen began to speak at last, which he knew Ayvock was waiting for.

  “That was pretty much it,” Wolflen remarked, “just like she said.”

  Wolflen turned his head back toward the road, refusing to look at Ayvock, who was most likely staring back anyway. Wolflen decided it was better to just not make eye contact, and continue riding. But he was as confused as Ayvock was. More so perhaps. But unlike Ayvock, Wolflen was hurt by the way that Katrina seemingly dismissed their closeness from the night before, and so Wolflen told Katrina and Ayvock that he would scout ahead.

  Scouting ahead was really Wolflen's way of just racing ahead of them so he could be alone with his thoughts, and not worry about looking Ayvock in the eyes. After all, Ayvock knew better, and would know instantly that Wolflen hadn't told the whole truth about the previous night with Katrina. This way though, Wolflen rode forward alone and ahead of them. On the prairie though, there was little to be seen ahead of the wagon that could not have been seen riding beside it. Still, he rode out ahead of them anyway. He was all too relieved to see a grassy hill he could ride over, putting himself out of sight temporarily, and offering a cheap excuse to have ridden ahead.

  Back at the wagon, Ayvock was confused.

  “What's with him today?” he asked out loud to no one in particular.

  But Katrina answered anyway.

  “He is your friend,” she said calmly, “I figured you would know.”

  Ayvock looked at her a moment, trying to discern if she was trying to secretly tell him anything. He huffed after a moment though and continued riding silently. He rode steadily for a few more moments before looking over at Katrina once more. He stared in her direction but she stared off into the distance, lost in her own thoughts. Ayvock stared a few more moments before spurring his horse Colt onward quickly. He decided to try and catch up with Wolflen beyond the hill ahead. As he rode onward, Katrina didn't seem to mind.

  Over the forward hill, Ayvock rode quickly to get beside Wolflen and Sespa, who had both come to a halt for a rest. Wolflen looked back at Ayvock a moment and then stared blankly ahead at the prairie.

  “So what really happened?” Ayvock asked, convinced that Wolflen had a story untold that was just waiting to be told.

  Wolflen turned his head and at first was expressionless. Then he raised one eyebrow. Then a grin began to form over his face. Ayvock shook his head with amusement and nodded his understanding. For whatever reason, Wolflen could not speak of the night before, but he had in fact been curled up next to the fire with Katrina for a good portion of the night.

  “So can we trust her still?” Ayvock asked curiously.

  “There's more mystery to this woman than to the War Magic I think. I have yet to learn as much as I hope to about her, but I am anxious to get to know her better. I don't know what that episode back there was about. Maybe she just needs time.”

  Wolflen and Ayvock scouted what they deemed to be a boring area for a short time more before both of them turned and rode back to Katrina and the wagon. They fell into rank in short time and once more they were all riding together as the day progressed. They stopped later for lunch as their routine now made a regular thing to do. But Wolflen was unusually quiet. The party had moved toward the riverbank as Katrina suggested they do, and while Ayvock dealt with the horses and wagon, Katrina had gone in search of lunch for all of them. Meanwhile, Wolflen managed a campsite fire, again with his spell, which seemed to get easier each time he used it. And then he began attempting another spell.

  His hand began to glow again, and his eyes went dark once more as they had before when he was under attack. Now however, he steadied his hand and produced a shield spell. And focusing his mind, he widened it, watching it stretch out slowly. Then, as though it were an extension of his arm, he swung his arms and began to move in a series of steps that resembled a dance or some kind of martial art. His shield swung around in midair as if it were a weapon. Here on the plains trees were sparse, but Wolflen swung his shield hard at a dead tree ahead of him. With a slicing motion, the shield struck the tree like a hot blade through melting butter. The tree was sliced into separate portions. Shards of bark and solid wood exploded in the area and when Wolflen finished his attacking strike, only a portion of the tree stood standing. He collapsed his weaponized magic shield at once, and slowly his eyes softened. He stood panting with heavy breath, and turned to see Katrina watching him from only 50 paces away. His arm ached; so much so that he felt he might not be able to use his right arm for the rest of the day. He watched Katrina a moment as he rotated his arm in pain. She walked toward him slowly.

  “You are foolish. War Mages should not wield shields like weapons. Some have broken their own limbs doing that. You are lucky that was a dead tree.”

  Wolflen didn't say anything, but instead just turned away and tried to shake off the pain. His arm
was beginning to swell now and he felt the pain surging from shoulder down to his fingertips. But he kept silent. His silence was all too clear of an indicator to her that he was upset about something.

  “Look, out here on the plains,” Katrina said, “hunting is possible but also tough without a good mount when in search of big game. I was wondering if you might be willing to take me out for a hunt on Sespa's back. What do you say?”

  Wolflen turned back to her and simply nodded. She thanked him for agreeing to help and then she waited while he summoned Sespa. Wolflen mounted first, and Katrina saw that he was getting better at that process. She knew that soon he would be more than an accomplished rider. She hung her bow over her shoulder as he helped her up to Sespa's back behind him. He groaned in pain as he lifted her, and she knew he was hurting from using his spell earlier. She touched his arm and he winced in pain, demanding to know what she was doing.

  “Relax,” she told him, “I am going to help the healing process.”

  He turned his head back to look at her as he winced in pain.

  “I thought us touching was something off limits now. You sure made that clear in front of Ayvock this morning.”

  She reiterated that she was helping his arm heal, but she made no other excuse about what happened earlier in the day. In a few moments, Wolflen admitted his arm felt better, and Katrina suggested they get a move on with the hunting. So Wolflen turned back round and spurred Sespa over the plains by Katrina's directions. Soon however, Sespa began choosing her own direction.

  When Katrina asked why they were going in a different direction, Wolflen told her that Sespa made her choice, and soon they would all be eating a hearty meal. So Katrina sat quietly a while as Sespa darted over the plains and found a large grizzly bear. Katrina commented, saying that she hadn't planned to hunt something so dangerous. But Wolflen told her to get off Sespa's back and stand aside. She did so, seeing the bear up ahead and roaring now that it sensed the danger that Sespa presented. Sespa was not moving aside or passing through. She had found the large bear for a reason. And the bear did not like being confronted. It stood on all fours growling as Katrina stepped backwards, drawing arrows on her bowstring. But Wolflen stopped her. He told her not to shoot. In communicating with Sespa, Sespa told him that together they would take the bear down. He had to learn to fight from her back she told him. And he did just that. As Sespa barreled forward, the bear's jaws opened at once and its claws pressed forward. Sespa jumped in the air, leaping completely over the bear. Wolflen didn't understand it at first, but then realized the truth. Sespa could have killed the bear in a single bound possibly. But now, Wolflen flipped backwards off of Sespa's back, driving his dagger quickly into the bear's back. It screamed and turned as Wolflen held his dagger tightly. As the bear lunged, Wolflen’s shield spell was instinctive. The purple glow covered the crescent shaped shield, and Wolflen swung his dagger over the top of its form, striking against the bear's claw strikes in midair. Sespa had already turned to watch and was waiting to get involved further.