‘A quest from a lowly human?’ He raised an eyebrow.
Lowly human! He’s a human too. Elves don’t come in extra- large!
Biting back the urge to comment on his racist tone, she offered him an endearing smile. ‘It’s a quest from Ingeth, the elf sorceress, which is being delivered by a human.’
His gaze strayed down her body again, and she felt as if he was undressing her with his eyes. ‘And what is a human doing here in Dorlendell?’ His voice was raspy as he stepped closer to her, his breath warming her cheek.
Heat flooded her face as she tried to ignore his close proximity. While it was true that elves had no understanding of personal space, being close to one had never had this effect on her before.
His nearness was causing little sparks of electricity to shoot all over her body, and her pulse was racing.
‘I’ve always been here.’ She gazed up at him, her breath coming out in embarrassingly short, little gasps.
‘That’s impossible.’ He lowered his head, his lips only inches away from hers. ‘I’ve never seen a human in Dorlendell before.’
‘Then you must have not lived here for long,’ she muttered, staring at his lips and inclining towards them as he inclined towards her.
‘What bull-chicanery is this!’ Master Bink’s familiar voice bellowed behind them.
Malian jumped back, and Caelan did the same while staring at her with widened eyes, his chest heaving up and down as he caught his breath.
She spun around to face Binks, trying to ignore the blush that was heating up her face. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Three guesses.’ Bink’s knuckles whitened around his staff as he glared at her.
‘Oh, oh! Er, yeah, so I went to see Ingeth.’ Malian tried to get her mind back onto the problem at hand, but her eyes kept wandering back over to Caelan.
‘And…’ She turned to see Binks staring at her.
She tried to think of a way to tell Binks about the witch without making Caelan think she was crazy. ‘We all need to go on a quest because if not I’m going to die.’
She heard Caelan gasp while Binks just rolled his eyes.
‘Seriously, a death prophecy? Is she kidding?’ Binks lost his smooth accent as he lost his temper.
‘Why would a Sun Knight save a human?’ Caelan asked.
She swung her head around and glared at Caelan. For a half-human, he didn’t have much love for his own species. She noted the missing element on his tattoo. None of the points of the diamond had been filled in. That meant he wasn’t even a Sun Knight recruit yet. He’d only just signed up. ‘You’re not a Sun Knight yet. This is your basic training. You can accept it or go home, soldier.’ She lied. What the hell. It sounded convincing.
He clenched his jaw for a moment. Then he nodded in agreement. ‘Fine. Where do we begin?’
Since Malian was running on pure fantasy right now, she had no idea where to begin, so she tried to formulate a plan. ‘We need to go to Master Bink’s house to prepare for our journey.’
And pick up Tagra.
Caelan nodded. He doused the flames in the forge. Then he strode out, following her as she led him down the street.
‘A death prophecy!’ Binks cried incredulously behind them before he also followed them down the side street that led to his house.
6
THE QUEST
Malian was painfully aware of Caelan’s presence when they entered the small gnomish dwelling because the half-elf was far too large for the small house. She couldn’t shake the jittery feeling in her stomach every time she looked at him, which was putting her on edge.
It must be some kind of human disease. What the hell has that witch got me caught up in?
She watched Caelan scan the room, looking for a seat. Unfortunately, the furniture was all quite small to accommodate Bink’s three-foot height, meaning that it would probably be a tight fit for Caelan to use it. Even if he did have slim hips for a tall human, his muscles wouldn’t fit anywhere.
He’s about my age though, right? Sure, he’s taller than me, but he has a boyish look to his face.
‘So, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?’ Binks hurried into the room. ‘What did the witch promise to do?’
‘Er, she said that we had to hunt down an old rune and destroy it. If we don’t, I’m dead.’
‘Didn’t she give you anything?’
Malian pulled out the instructions that Ingeth had given her. ‘Just this.’ She waved the parchment at Binks, who quickly snatched it out of her hands.
He scanned the document for a moment and then frowned. ‘Oh, hell no.’
‘What?’ She glanced at him.
‘According to this we need to go into the capital city, Ilsador. I’d rather bathe my eyes in the urine of a sabre-toothed boar.’
‘Eww,’ Caelan muttered, his elf side beginning to show.
‘Oh, okay. I’ll just sit here and die then.’ Malian slumped onto the old couch while shooting a glare at Binks.
‘I didn’t mean that,’ her mentor said. He wandered over to the window and stared out of it. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he peered back at her with wide eyes. ‘You know what, you’re right. Get packed up, kids. Let’s get going on this quest.’ Then he pulled the curtains shut and clapped his hands to hurry them up. ‘Come on. We don’t have all day,’ he cried before grabbing a bag off the floor and then hurrying into his bedchamber with it.
Malian frowned and jumped up before hurrying over to the window. Binks didn’t change his mind that fast without a good reason. She peered through a crack in the curtain, her eyes widening at the view outside. The elves were gathering on the walls, all staring at the enlarged forest. They’d brought in the seers, who were chanting at the trees.
Quest, more like making a run for it before they find out I did it.
‘Um, should I go get a sword or something?’ Caelan’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
She glanced in the direction of the forge through the window. There was a protest group marching near it. Many of them were holding banners declaring that the end was nigh because the elements had forsaken Ispa. It seemed the whole village was in uproar outside as shopkeepers and their families packed up their belongings, preparing to flee the village.
Turning to face Caelan, she smiled. ‘You don’t need to get your sword.’
‘But, if we are going on a quest, I’ll need my weapons.’ He narrowed his dark eyes at her.
Even when he was scowling, his presence seemed to make her skin heat up to a blush, which was weird because she never blushed at anyone. She wasn’t some cutesy elven girl with a crush on the Sun Knights, who spent all day braiding her hair and dreaming of getting married. She was a human hunter, a rogue at heart. What was this spell he had over her?
She shook her head, quickly pulling herself together. ‘No, you are to use our weapons. They are ancient and were specially crafted for the warrior who joins us on this quest.’ She lied.
That lie should work. How many lies am I going to have to tell him just so I can pay that witch’s price?
She instinctively knew that if he didn’t believe in the quest, he would stay here to help the elves. While having him around was a problem since his mere presence seemed to make her more stupid that usual, she knew he had to come with them. That was the price she had to pay.
She hitched her breath as his eyes raked over her, starting at her feet and working their way up to her auburn hair before finally meeting her amber eyes. He took a step towards her, and the air in the little shack seemed to get thinner because she could barely breathe when his dark eyes locked onto her, his face only inches from hers.
Her heart pounded, and she stared up at him, unable to stop staring at his lips, which were well shaped and slightly parted.
His eyes were dark pools of liquid chocolate, a warm brown with a sensual light glowing in them. They seemed glazed over as he stared at her, his breath also coming out in short, sharp gasps.
The sudden urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming, and she moved closer to him, feeling his hot skin press against her.
His arm encircled her waist, pulling her closer still as he lowered his head in a similar trance-like state.
‘I hope you’re ready!’ Bink’s panicked cry came from his bedchamber, shattering the moment and shocking them both back into reality.
Caelan jumped back, releasing her, and Malian stumbled back in the same instant, shaking her head to try to clear it.
What crazy magic is this?
She couldn’t understand how they’d been enchanted, but it was some kind of dark magic, she was sure of it. She glanced up at Caelan. Judging by his expression, he was thinking similar thoughts as he scowled at her.
‘Where are these weapons?’ he asked.
She headed for the weapons chest in the corner, striding over before kicking open the lid and kneeling over it.
She felt his presence behind her, but she ignored it as she rifled through the rusty old axes and blades. There had to be something in here that would work for a knight’s quest. She smiled as she came across the old sword made of Dwarven steel. It was rusted and blunt, but the hilt was jewelled, and it could be restored into a fine weapon.
She pulled it out and offered him it. ‘We had to dig through the earth on Mount Kaelor to find this for you. The blade is—’
‘Dwarven steel,’ he muttered as he plucked the sword out of her hand and swung it, testing the weight. He held it up, balancing it on his hands as he studied the blade. ‘It needs work.’
‘Can you fix it?’
He nodded.
‘Hurry up!’ Binks shrieked from the next room.
‘While we’re on the road?’ Malian added as she quickly threw supplies into her bag, packing a separate one for Caelan beside it.
‘I will make do. A Sun Knight is prepared for any situation.’
She peered back at him. He didn’t look like a Sun Knight, but he did act a bit like one, and he was certainly anti-human enough to be one. He was a bit weird really. He was a half human who hated humans. How did that even happen?
‘How long have you been living with the elves?’ she asked.
‘I don’t understand your meaning,’ he muttered as he rubbed some rust off the sword with his fist, concentrating on the blade.
She turned around. ‘Well, you’re half human, right? Where did you grow up?’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘I’m an elf. I grew up in the palace with my mother, Lady Lithalia.’
She frowned. ‘And your father?
He worked his jaw for a moment as the muscles in his neck bunched up at the words. Then he cast a murderous glance at her. ‘My father may have been a dirty human, but he was never part of my life. I am born an elf, and I live as an elf.’
She nodded. That’s why he hated humans. It was also why they had never met before. He would have grown up inside the highborn walls of the palace. She couldn’t imagine how much disdain he’d had to face as a child with a human face inside that world. ‘How come you were working at the forge?’ It seemed a lowly profession for one of the highborn elves.
‘I was sent there when I completed my education. Although, I intended to join the Sun Knights, they had put my application on hold until I was ready.’ Judging by the look in his eyes, he wasn’t happy about that.
I bet they shunted him off to the forge, only planning to use him as a foot soldier if they went to war.
She felt a little bit sorry for him for a moment. He would have been waiting in that forge for a long time if he had waited for the Sun Knights to accept a human into their regiment.
On the bright side, it was good for this quest. It would be handy to have a trained warrior on their side. Perhaps this quest would help Caelan find his path in the world.
After convincing herself that lying to him was a good thing, Malian smiled. ‘It looks as if your training as a knight begins today. I hope you are ready.’ She threw the bag at him. ‘We have a long journey ahead.’
‘Move it!’ Binks cried as he rushed out of his room.
‘We need to take Tagra,’ Malian said.
‘Then call her.’ Binks pushed them both towards the door. ‘Time is running out!’
He swung the door open, and a giant bear peered inside.
Caelan jumped back with a gasp as he raised his rusty sword. He grabbed Malian’s arm and pulled her behind him in a protective motion before levelling his weapon at Tagra.
‘No wait!’ Malian pushed past him and hurried over to her friend before giving the bear a hug. ‘This is Tagra. She’s going to get us out of here. She turned to face the bear. ‘Do you think you can carry us all?’
Tagra scanned Caelan with widened eyes.
‘He’s lighter than he looks,’ Malian muttered.
Most people haven’t seen a bear shoot a look of disbelief at them, but Malian was quite familiar with that expression on Tagra’s face now.
‘Just until we’re past the forest.’
The bear rolled her eyes and then nodded.
‘We’re riding on a bear?’ Caelan gasped.
‘Think of it as an adventure,’ Malian said. k'12
7
ADVENTURERS
Caelan moaned with pleasure as he stretched, releasing the tension from his aching muscles. The journey through Dorlendell forest had been an uncomfortable, bumpy ride that had lasted for several hours. He was glad they had finally stopped to rest.
His relief didn’t last for long. He expelled a sigh when he glanced across their campsite and saw the small gnome shoot a lightning bolt at a stack of wood, which appeared to be his attempt at creating a fire.
These companions of mine are strange.
The whole quest seemed odd, but he shrugged.
It’s my first quest. It shouldn’t feel normal.
He watched the white-haired gnome rub his hands together, creating little sparks of electricity sparking between his fingers before he narrowed his intense blue eyes and shot a large bolt of lightning at the kindling. The pile of wood exploded, a fire finally igniting in a burst of flames. Then he watched the gnome do a kind of happy dance around his fire.
There’s something wrong with that gnome.
Caelan shrugged. At least he didn’t have the constant urge to kiss the gnome. The human, however, was a problem. He knew from his years of education that humans were beneath him. He knew his own human side was a flaw. The attraction he had for Malian was some kind of human curse, and he needed to get rid of it before he did something horrific. He was glad she’d wandered off. Her presence was an unwanted distraction.
He glanced back through the woods, feeling an ache in his chest for his home. Dorlendell village had seemed crazy when he’d left. A part of him had almost demanded to stay, to help the elves who had been running around the streets in terror, but he’d promised his mother that he would embrace his elven heritage. That meant becoming a great warrior in the Sun Knight regiment.
You’ve been through worse trials that this. Just get the job done.
‘Want some?’ The gnome offered him a plate of barely-cooked boar.
He shook his head, determined to get this quest moving. ‘I need to clean and sharpen my weapon.’ He held up the rusted sword. ‘I’d be grateful if you could save a little for later.’
The gnome nodded, putting the plate aside.
‘I’ll return shortly.’ He bowed to the gnome before turning on his heel and leaving the clearing. Spending some time sharpening his blade should help him get his head straight.
It’ll help me get that human out of my head anyway.
He walked through the leafy forest towards the sound of running water while thinking that a whetstone would be ideal for cleaning his blade. As he broke through the trees, he smiled upon discovering a fast running river that was bordered by rocks.
Finding the perfect spot, he knelt at the shore and rested the blade against a large stone before beginning to work on it.
He smiled as he used wet gravel to scrub the rust off the blade, discovering shiny Dwarven steel beneath it. This rusty old weapon was going to be something quite spectacular by the time he’d finished with it.
His mind wandered as he cleaned and sharpened the blade. Images of Malian’s face and body filled his mind. He gritted his teeth.
No, no, no. I will not think about the human.
He frowned. It made no sense. He’d grown up surrounded by the most beautiful elves in all of Ispa. Even with his human deformity, they had thrown themselves at him. Lithe, pale-skinned beauties, every one of them, and yet, none of them could incite the feelings inside him that Malian did.
When she’d walked into his forge that morning, all tawny skin and dressed only in worn brown leather straps, it had felt as if the world had dropped from beneath his feet. Even now—thinking about the flash of bare thigh, her auburn hair as it tumbled over her shoulder, the light glowing in her sharp amber eyes as she stared at him—he became lost to her savage appeal.
What the hell is wrong with me? She’s a lower being!
He clenched his jaw as he rubbed the sword against the rock, grinding the edges to sharpen them.
I need to think about something else, something that doesn’t involve her.
He glanced out across the river, focusing on the waterfall at the end of it. It was an impressive sight, the water falling down in a curtain from a cliff fifty feet above it.
His mouth dropped open as Malian stepped back through the curtain, water drumming down on her bare shoulders as she washed herself under the spray.
Trying to avert his eyes seemed impossible as he watched water drip from the tendrils of dark hair hanging over her shoulder onto her naked back, which looked smooth and lightly tanned.
Oh no!
He slapped his hand over his eyes, but the image of her wet, bare skin remained in his mind, the vision so tempting that his fingers parted, and he found himself staring at her again.
His eyes followed the line down the centre of her back, which ended where it was immersed in the water. The urge to trail a finger down that line was overwhelming.
Lost Sorcery- Mage of Myths Page 4