by K. A Knight
I grip the mug tighter. “What does that even mean?”
“It means warrior, I see the intellect shining in your eyes. The way you see things and the world, and I have no doubt you will be even able to keep up with your shadow soon. I could do with someone like that by my side.” He must see the panic on my face because he laughs. “I don’t mean leading. I mean as council, someone to lean on. It’s been a long time since I have been out there, same for most others here, but you have and you know Paradise.”
I mull over his words as I sip the herbal tasting tea. “It has nothing to do with the fact I seem to have the assassin’s loyalty?” I ask, making him laugh.
“It was a factor of course, I am not stupid Piper. He is a good weapon to have on our side.”
I grit my teeth and look away, right at Archel. “He is more than just a weapon,” I defend, and when I look back I see Trev grinning.
“Good, the fact you see him as more only proves my point. I need someone to be here, to call me on my bullshit. I need new blood, or I fear The Forgotten may be more than just a name.”
Sipping my tea, I think over his words so I don’t jump to a decision. “Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go,” I joke and he smiles softly at me.
“There is always a choice Piper, but life is too short for second guessing and worrying. It can disappear in the blink of an eye, from one moment to the next, you could just be gone. I’ve experienced enough loss in my life to know that lesson well, our world isn't made for the soft, so you have to create it yourself. Live every moment like it’s your last, because it very well might be.”
Eyeing the brownish liquid in my cup, I smile at his words. “I would like to stay, for now, if you will have me. You can teach me about your people, our land and this world, and I will help where I can. Deal?” I offer, holding out my hand.
He ignores it and leans forward, embracing me. I stiffen at first but soon relax. “Family doesn’t shake hands, and Piper, you are family now.”
I lean back and he lets me go. “Your shadow wants you, come to me tomorrow after training and your check up with Simon, and I will start my teachings.” He stands slowly, cracking his back as he holds his hand out for my mug. I quickly down the lukewarm tea and he wanders away. I watch him go. He’s a strange one for sure, but he’s lived a thousand lives and pains, that much is obvious. The idea of a family again, it’s appealing. I just hope it’s not all lies, but I will be ready incase it is.
Archel plops down opposite me and I lean back into the pillows. “Back to training?” I guess.
He shakes his head. “Nope, I have to leave tomorrow so I figured we could have the afternoon off and just relax and enjoy it here.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow?” I echo, disappointment lacing my voice.
He leans forward, catching my eyes. “I will be back in five days. In those five days, I want you to practice because I will test you when I get back. If you do well enough, I will give you a present. Five days, Princess. That’s all you get away from me. Try not to get into too much trouble.” He waggles his eyebrows, making me laugh.
“Fine, so what do you want to do?” I question, smiling as the sun bears down on me.
He winks and I roll my eyes. “How about I show you why I love this place, besides the free food and trees.”
He shows me around Paradise, showing me the mountains, the land, the food, and the people, and when the sun starts to set he leads me back to the middle again.
I thought he would take me away from the crowd and show me something, but instead he seems to know something I don’t, because he grabs my hand and leads me towards the Hall. When inside, he slips to the back as people start streaming in. I watch in interest and then suddenly music splits the air. My eyes round, and I zone in on the record player in the corner, the music flowing from it as people pour drinks and start to dance. All the furniture has been moved from the middle of the room, and now it’s a dance floor. I even see Trev busting some moves.
I can’t help the smile crossing my face, lighting it up. This place is more of a paradise more than that bunker ever was, if only there were two annoying men here with me. Instead I will have to settle for the one by my side.
“Dance with me,” I demand, and he looks down at me with an arched eyebrow.
“I don’t dance,” he grumbles, looking back at the moving bodies.
“Why? Not enough places to hide?” I joke, as I step backward, my hand held out to him. I’ve had enough hiding in the corners and shadows, no doubt I will retreat every now and again when I feel too raw, but right now I want to dance and have fun, with Archel.
He narrows his eyes at me, almost blending with the shadows back here. I know he has had a bad life, and he prefers the dark to the light, he makes every attempt to know what is going to happen and plans for the worst, but I don’t think he’s ever actually stopped and enjoyed the present. I wonder how many times he has watched from the shadows as the people here celebrate, live their lives, and dance and laugh? Does he wish he could? That's the thing about life, you could hide in the dark and death, but it won't matter in the end, it doesn't matter how much you laughed, loved, or hurt—in the end it's all about living in the moment, even if later on you regret it.
“Dance with me, Archel?” I whisper.
The room fades away as he stares at me, his eyes wide and darting to the dancing then back to me with nerves. Give this man a battle and he is fine, but faced with one woman and some music, he turns into a lost little boy. I guess we are all more damaged than I thought, but that's the thing about damaged people, together they can be whole.
He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the movement before placing his hand in mine. I know the importance of this moment, and I squeeze his hand in thanks for him trusting me.
Turning, I pull him behind me. I don’t head straight to the center of the dancing. I don't want to put on a show, that's not what this is about. Instead I pull him to the edge and spin to face him. People are swaying along, others are slow dancing, some are headbanging. Anything goes.
Archel surprises me by pulling me into his arms. Pressed against his chest, I tilt my head up to see his face. His eyes scan the people and everything, and they are tense, even his arms and body are like steel. I don't think he even knows how to turn off.
“Play a game with me.” I grin and he looks down at me in confusion.
“What, like fireball?” His eyes are so confused that a startled laugh slips out.
“Fireball? What the hell, crazy pants? I was thinking like I fucking Spy, not let's burn down the entire village.” Giggling, I grip his shirt as he smiles down at me, dimples appearing in his cheeks that I never knew he had and holy kaola shit, why the hell are dimples like kryptonite? I swear, he could even put it in my ass and I wouldn’t care as long as he kept flashing those cute motherfucking hypnotizers.
“Piper,” he says, exasperated, and I frown when said dimples disappear.
“Hmm?” I ask, reaching up and pulling his lips up to try and catch them again.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he inquires, but it comes out muffled, seeing as I am playing Picasso with his face.
“Trying to make those little dips of happiness and orgasms appear,” I murmur in concentration, and he freezes up and stops swaying, and when I catch his eyes he stares at me before bursting into laughter. His whole face turns red and I drop my hands as he laughs so hard people look over in shock.
“Fucking hell Princess.” He coughs and gasps for air, his laughter finally stopping as he tightens his arms and starts moving us slowly to the music again. “Happiness and orgasms?”
“It’s the two most important things in life! Wait, shit, no, I take that back. Coffee, coffee and orgasms are. Damn, I would kill someone for some coffee right now,” I grumble. I asked Trev yesterday, but he informed me they can't grow it and you can't find it anymore. I am not too woman to admit that I teared up about that. Life on the run I can live w
ith, but no coffee? It’s a hard decision.
He rolls his eyes, but is still grinning. Not smirking or being a cocky crazy bastard, just grinning at me with happiness swirling in those ocean eyes. “What game did you want to play?” he asks, shaking his head like he forgot what we were talking about.
“Ohh yeah, you pick!” I say, moving with him as the music slows down on another song. He rolls his eyes to the ceiling, seeming to think. “Without using weapons, killing someone, torturing, or fire,” I specify and he groans.
“That takes all the fun stuff away.” He sighs and looks back at me. “Fine, what about Fuck, Kill, Eat?”
I blink at him, not sure what to say. “What is that?” I inquire.
“So, we pick three people for each other and you pick the order of what you would do to each of them.” He smiles at me. “Here, I’ll show you. Pick three people.”
“I think I preferred I Spy,” I mumble, but I turn my head and eye the crowd. “Okay, those three.” I point out the chunky short man, a old grey haired woman, and a blonde middle-aged woman.
“Easy. Eat the fatty, more meat. Kill the oldie, cause she gonna die anyway, and fuck the blonde,” he replies.
I grin up at him. “Your turn,” I tell him, actually enjoying this game.
“Hmm, okay. Geeky dude, redhead, and oldie.” He points them out and I giggle as I eye them.
“Fuck the redheaded woman, she has good tits. Kill the geek. Eat the oldie, it’s like aged meat, right?” I look back to see him grinning at me, those dimples out again.
“Your crazy matches mine, you know that right?” he asks suddenly.
“Nuh-uh buddy, your crazy way outranks mine,” I defend.
“Are we really going to argue about who is more crazy?” he counters, lowering his head so we are closer.
“You so are.” I stick my tongue out at him.
“I’m not the one who pulled a fucking rock out of my own leg and killed a feral with it,” he points out.
“Least I don’t stalk people,” I offer.
“I prefer to call it protective watching,” he defends, making me laugh again. “You are beautiful,” he says, before his eyes fly wide and his lips clamp shut like he didn’t mean to tell me that.
Biting my lower lip, I try not to tease him...too much. “Is that right?” I smirk.
He rolls his eyes, but I watch as a cute blush flushes across his cheeks. “This is where you say, I’m pretty too,” he jokes.
Tapping my chin, I step back and pretend to take him in from head to toe. “Well, I don’t know—”
I laugh as he swoops in, picks me up, and swings me around. My hair flies out around my face and I can’t stop laughing.
I guess there is beauty in the darkness, or to be more exact, beauty in the shadows.
That night, the moon and stars shine through the open window as I turn onto my back with a huff. I can’t seem to sleep, everytime I close my eyes I fear what I will see. I’m irritating myself, which I don’t like, I prefer to irritate other people.
Flopping to my side, I bury my hand under my pillow as I curl up tighter under the quilt. My eyes immediately seek out the area where I know Archel is, perched in his ever-present stalker chair. I can’t hear him, or see him, but I know he is there. All it would take is for me to call out for him, and he would be at my side in an instant, but is that crossing a line with us? They are blurring and I don’t know what we are to each other, but right now I need to be held and I promised myself I would live in the moment.
“Stalker?” I ask quietly, in case he is asleep. I know he needs his rest, he told me he is setting out at first light to make it across the Wastes in time.
He leans forward into the moon's rays so quickly that I jump a little. “What’s wrong, Princess?” he growls, and when I look down I see his knives flash in the light.
“Sorry, I can’t sleep,” I finish lamely.
He snorts and puts away his weapons before getting to his feet. He stops at the side of the bed and watches me.
“Will you stay with me?” I request and scoot backwards.
He looks from me to the bed before kicking off his boots and climbing on over the covers. I roll my eyes. “Dude, get the fuck under. I know you aren't going to feel me up.”
He smiles but scoots under. “I was more worried about you feeling me up, I have to protect my virtue, you know,” he mocks, making me grin.
He rolls to his side, until we are inches apart, his face turning serious. “Need me to fight your demons?” he murmurs softly.
Searching his eyes for the truth, I let my question flow out. “Would you?”
“I would fight Lucifer himself for you, I would follow you into your dreams and keep watch if I could. The best I can do is lie here, and ensure that you know that no one will ever touch you again. Not while I live,” he vows.
“Why?” I ask, truly curious.
“I told you, you owe me,” he mumbles, closing his eyes.
“Liar,” I whisper and his lips twitch. He reaches out without looking and pulls me into his chest, tucking me close with his chin on my head.
“Sleep, Princess. I won’t let the bad dreams get you, don’t you know the shadows hide all? They can’t touch you.”
Closing my eyes, I bury my face in his chest and let him hold me for the night, fighting away those demons reaching for me so I can sleep, and I do. The whole night.
My eyes shoot open when something moves against me, my heart hammering and my palms turning sweaty as fear rushes through me. Unfocused, I blink, almost hyperventilating before a familiar, soothing voice reaches me.
“Shh, Princess. It’s me.”
Sucking in deep breaths, I slow down my heart and blink to clear my vision, finding Archel frozen with his arm half out from under me, where he must have been trying to sneak away without waking me. Relaxing, I close my eyes for a moment before opening them again.
“Sorry,” I mutter and he shakes his head, cupping my cheek.
“Never say sorry to me, I mean it. But I do have to go, if I don’t go now I won’t ever leave.” He lays a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Stay out of trouble, Princess.” He slides the rest of the way out and starts dressing as I watch sadly from the bed.
Finished dressing he walks away, stopping at the door. “Don’t forget to practice, and if you can’t sleep…” He shifts, rubbing the back of his head without looking at me. “I left you one of my shirts, I dunno, I thought it might help,” he mumbles, and before I can open my mouth, he is gone and I’m alone again.
Shuffling, I bury myself in the warm spot he left behind, inhaling his scent. I lay there for a while before deciding to get up. I get dressed, the hut quiet without Archel’s usual prodding. On his chair against the wall is my bow and katana, and a black shirt. Grinning, I inhale it before lying it back down and grabbing my weapons. I need to make my movements fluid and quick. A little part of me wants to impress him when he gets back, the other part of me just wants to shoot shit.
So I drag my ass to our clearing and set up. I spend hours just shooting bolts, trying new angles, reloading faster and pushing myself until I can reload in under five seconds and aim in less.
Once I am happyish, I move on to the katana, working through the moves he taught me and just feeling out the balance and movements. Archel told me once he got back we were going to sword fight, so I need to know how to move my feet in time with my slices.
The next time I take a break, the sun is high in the sky and sweat is pouring over me. It’s probably about time for me to go meet Trev, so taking the katana as protection I quickly wash off in the stream and get dressed in fresh clothes. I drop the bow off at my hut but keep the katana on me, it makes me feel better.
Trev isn’t at the clearing, so I look around, biting my lip before deciding to wander up the road to check the Hall. A couple are just leaving one of the houses as I walk past and they wave.
“Good morning!” they call and I smile at the friendly greeting.
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“Mornin, have you seen Trev at all?” I ask kindly.
“Sure thing sweetie, he’s up at the tent dealing with any issues.” I nod and go to turn away when the woman calls again. “Have you had breakfast, Piper?”
“Erm, no?” I respond, unsure how she knows my name.
The man laughs and nudges her. “Sorry, everyone knows everyone here. You better get used to it, and just do what Martha here says, it’s easier.” He kisses her cheek and she pretends to smack him. He smiles at me before leaving and heading to the Hall.
“Come on, let’s get some breakfast. He won't be free for a while.” She grins.
Before I can object, she grabs my arm and starts wandering in the direction of the cooking area. Shrugging, I let her guide me. When we get there I see one of the tables has been turned into a breakfast area. She leads me to another close by and pushes me down before hurrying over to the other and grabbing two plates. I watch her in amusement as she starts filling them, smiling and talking to everyone on her way.
She hustles back over, dropping the plate in front of me as she sits opposite me.
“Thank you,” I say, gratitude clear in my voice and she grins, her blue eyes lighting up with her smile. She’s older than me, probably late fifties. Her blonde hair is brushed and straight, hanging over her rounded shoulders. She’s not chubby, but curvy and I am already jealous of the dips her body has. The lines at her eyes and mouth tell me she smiles and laughs a lot.
“No problem, Piper. I know what it's like to be new, but everyone is nice around here and they will probably approach you now that your shadow has disappeared.” She digs into her food and I do the same, chewing before I reply.
“What do you mean?” I ask, covering my mouth just incase.
“Oh honey, don’t get me wrong. He’s fine as hell, but he is scary. A lot of people give him a wide berth, and when he threatened to hang them by their entrails if they came near you or touch you—well, people listened.”