by Beam, Brian
Pushing aside my trepidation, I began. I told Sal’ about everything: escaping from Galius, my enslavement, befriending Briscott, freeing Max, and all that Max had revealed to me. Recalling the events shot emotional and—in the case of recounting the rock being driven into my chest—physical pain through me. Having Sal’ pressed against my side at least softened that pain.
When I finished, Sal’ leaned back and stared at me, tears rolling down her cheeks. She placed her hand on my chest, right over where the scar was under my shirt. Her fingertips curled forward, as if trying to hold me in place.
“It’s all my fault,” Sal’ whispered, drawing in ragged breaths.
I placed my hand over hers. “What do you mean?”
Sal’ tightly closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, exhaling sharply through her nose. Tears continued to leak from the slits between her eyelids. “You were coming after me when all of this happened. It’s all because of me. If you’d never met me, then . . . Korin, I—” Sal’ threw her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder as her body heaved with wracking sobs.
“No, Sal’,” I began, putting one hand on her back and the other behind her head, holding her close, “don’t you dare think that. If I’d never met you, I would probably be Galius’s slave right now. If I hadn’t gone to the Wizard Academy for you and Max, I may have never learned as much as I have about the rocks, about what is truly happening in Gualain. Without you, I probably wouldn’t even be here to try to stop Raijom or . . . or my father.”
Sal’ squeezed her arms even tighter around me. “Your father . . . Korin, I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I’ve had plenty of time to come to terms with this. It still hurts, but I will do what I have to do. Max maintains that there is something more to all this, that I shouldn’t simply give up hope of my father’s innocence.”
Sal’ sniffed, her sobbing receding. “Korin, maybe Max is right.” Sal’ grabbed my hands in hers and squeezed reassuringly. “Whatever happens, though, I’ll be there to help you get through it.”
I forced a smile. “Thank you, Sal’.”
We sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the warmth of the kiln and each other.
“So,” Sal’ began, piercing the hush that had fallen over us, “you’re the heir to the Prime Sovereign of Paigea. Pretty heavy responsibility for a farmer.”
I laughed, and this time my smile wasn’t forced. “Yeah, it seems so.”
“I can’t believe there are other lands out there.” Sal’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “Who knows how big the world is if there are lands beyond the storms. And if Paigea is instead a world separate from our own, there could be an infinite number of worlds in existence.”
I smiled again, taken in by Sal’s wonderment. At that moment, holding each other as we sat on the mattress, I felt more at ease than I had in some time. Unfortunately, I knew it couldn’t last. In a matter of hours, we’d be off to Bherin, possibly to our deaths.
I pulled my arm from around Sal’ and stretched with a yawn. After the day’s action, the comfort of the mattress, the room’s warmth, and Sal’s soothing presence, I realized that I may actually get some sleep. “It’s getting late. We really do need to get some rest, Sal’.”
“Yeah,” Sal’ replied distractedly. She rose from the mattress and reached down, starting to pull off her robe.
I was taken back to the night we’d spent at the entrance of Nansunic’s Temple in Urdale. “Sal’, we can’t sleep here,” I said, remembering how she’d told me then that wizards didn’t sleep in their robes. “We need to get back to Max and the others before . . .”
My voice petered out as Sal’ exposed the full length of her toned legs, revealing that she wore nothing underneath. I followed the rise of her robe, unable to blink. Her coy smile emptied my head of all thought. I had to lean forward with my arms across my lap to hide my . . . enthusiasm.
“Wizards do more with their robes off than sleep,” Sal’ purred. Sal’ pulled the robe off over her head, standing fully exposed before me, her soft, milky skin highlighted by the kiln’s glow.
Warmth blossomed across my cheeks. My mouth moved, but no sound emerged. My heart slammed against my ribs as if trying to escape to get a better view.
“This could be our last night together, so let’s make it one to remember.” Sal’ leaned down, putting a hand behind my head, and drew me into a deep kiss, our tongues intertwining.
I reached my hands around her back, slowly sliding them down her smooth skin. My breathing and my heartbeat sped with passion. Sal’ pushed me back against the mattress with her body, her naked breasts pressing enticingly against my chest. She reached down, unbuckling my belt.
We continued to kiss as Sal’ rolled my body on top of hers. I broke away from her delicate lips to pull my clothes off. Sal’s hand immediately went to the scar on my chest.
“Korin,” she whispered, tracing my scar with her finger.
“It’s okay,” I assured her.
She simply smiled in response and pulled me closer, once again bringing her lips to mine. She wrapped her legs around me and drew us together as one.
Chapter 50
To Kiss and Not Even Have to Tell
Some time later—I kind of lost all sense of the hours and the number of times Sal’ and I had been intimate—we made our way to the house. We were both all smiles and giggles, almost as if children again . . . or very drunk. We probably could’ve illuminated our path through the town with the glow of our happiness, but Sal’ conjured a ball of light above her hand anyway.
Soldiers and wizards patrolled the streets, but there was no sign of attack yet. After the terrors the town had seen, I was glad to see that no lives were currently being lost and that everyone was getting a chance to rest their bodies. I was also glad because if an attack had come during my time with Sal’, Max would’ve never let me hear the end of it.
The ruined town was just a blurry backdrop as we made our way down the street. Only the beautiful woman hanging on my arm, the woman I loved more than anything, was truly in focus. Sal’ made no pretense of propriety as she held tightly onto me. I suppose she’d decided that even if she lost some of her hard-earned respect due to what the other wizards would see as adultery, so be it.
By the time we entered the house, the fire in the hearth had dwindled to smoldering embers. Til’, Briscott, and Ithan were nothing more than blanket-covered lumps on the floor. Max was curled up close enough to the dying fire that a stray spark could’ve easily given him a rude awakening. The bed had been left unoccupied, as I’d planned.
I pointed to the bed and pressed gently against the small of Sal’s back. Sal’ nodded and tiptoed across the room as I went to stoke the fire. Grabbing the poker leaning against the stone hearth, I crouched down to stir the embers. Max let out a heavy breath, opening one eye.
“You are pretty good at worrying an old man,” Max muttered tiredly. “I have not slept a single wink. I hope that whatever you were doing was worth it.”
I couldn’t stop the broad grin that stretched from one ear to the other. “Yeah, it was.”
“Oh,” Max replied turning his head toward Sal’. “Does this mean you are going to mysteriously disappear in the morning?”
“Very funny,” I retorted sarcastically.
Max gave me a slight smile before resting his head on the floor and shutting his eyes once again.
I shook my head and placed another log on the stoked flame. I then made my way to the bed, climbing under the covers beside Sal’. “I love you,” I whispered, brushing strands of wavy hair from her face.
“I love you too,” Sal’ replied, pressing forward to kiss me.
“Thank you for tonight,” I whispered, meaning it for more than just the physical actions between us. We’d shared something special, something beyond the physical.
“Hey, why are you two so happy?” Til’s voice suddenly questioned shrilly. I lifted my head to see the Kolarin sitting
up on the floor. “We were worried about you, but Max convinced us you were okay and that we should sleep. I’ve been having trouble sleeping, though. Where were you? Were you making preparations? With the way you two are smiling . . .” Realization settled on his face, and he broke into an impish grin. “Ha! I knew it was just a matter of time.”
Even in the dim light of the fire, I could tell that Sal’s face had flared into a nice shade of crimson.
I looked back to the smiling Kolarin. “Go to sleep, Til’.”
“I think you two are the ones who need to rest,” Til’ responded knowingly with an exaggerated wink.
“Go to sleep, Til’,” Sal’ and I returned in unison.
Til’ laughed and continued talking. I looked to Sal’ and rolled my eyes. Sal’ laughed, pulling me in for another kiss before turning on her side and resting her head on my shoulder. She draped one arm across my stomach.
I could still hear Til’s voice as the most restful sleep I’d ever had took hold.
Chapter 51
To War
After a dreamless night, I was awakened by two sharp points of pressure on my chest, followed by soft lips pressing against mine. My eyes fluttered open to see two brilliant, sky-blue eyes gazing lovingly at me. Sal’ had propped her elbows on my ribs, resting her chin on clasped hands. Her face was the most beautiful thing I’d ever woken up to.
“You’d better wake up. Max was threatening to stuff your pants with snow if you were still asleep when he returned.” Sal’ pursed her lips, her eyes drifting upwards in thought. “Then again, maybe you should get a little more sleep.” She let out a winsome laugh and sat up.
I leaned up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Every inch of my body screamed with pain ranging from dull ache to stabbing agony. I really could’ve used a couple more hours of sleep, and Sal’s eyes indicated the same. If only we could’ve been afforded such a luxury.
“You’re hilarious,” I muttered, grabbing my pillow and swinging it playfully at her. Sal’ caught it in both hands and tugged forward, pulling me into another kiss. It was a shame that after we’d found such happiness together, we would probably lose our lives in a simple matter of hours.
The fire in the hearth burned brightly, filling the room with toasty warmth, but Sal’ and I were the only ones in the house. Outside the windows, I saw nothing but darkness. “Where are the others? It’s not even morning yet.”
“We have less than two hours before sunrise,” Sal’ informed me, folding one leg under the other, adjusting her robe as she did. “Max wanted you to have the extra time to rest. The others are making sure everything’s ready for when the dragons arrive. They left your armor here. I have to say I’m looking forward to seeing you in it.” Sal’ narrowed her eyes seductively.
Suddenly, I recalled the threat of another attack on Terafall during the night. “Sal’, did anything happen last night? Was there any sign of eldrhims?”
“Fortunately, no,” Sal’ replied, sounding relieved. “Julus came by not long ago to give report—I swear, I don’t know what they’re going to do without me—and said there were some strange noises in the distance during the night, but no visible signs of anything hostile.”
I grabbed the elbow of my right arm with my left hand, rotating my shoulder with agonizing results. “That’s good,” I grunted as I repeated the process with my other arm. “Not that I’m complaining, but why aren’t you out helping the others?”
Sal’ scooted closer, placing her hands on the bed and leaning towards me with a ravishing curve of her lips. “Because we’re alone, and the door is latched,” Sal’ responded, bringing her lips to mine as she pressed her body against me, pushing me back onto the mattress. My pain was forgotten as we once again relented to passion.
****
My muscles protested against the weight of my armor, but then again, they probably would’ve protested against anything heavier than a feather at the time. I rigged my shoulder bag to strap diagonally across my chest, the bag pulled taut against my back with my journal and Til’s woodwork inside it. I just didn’t feel comfortable leaving them behind; they’d become my most valued physical possessions.
With my shortsword at my hip, a dagger tucked in my boot, and Til’s fortune block around my neck, I was as ready to go as I’d ever be.
Sal’ was dressed in a blue and black Wizard Guard uniform that Julus had brought her when he’d come to give report. She wore leather gloves, the fingertips cut off so she could still draw magic energy from the mice in the wicker case at her hip.
Briscott returned just as Sal’ and I were starting for the door. He was dressed in leather armor over a shirt of mail. With a knowing grin that made both Sal’ and me blush as if he’d actually caught us in the act, Briscott announced that Max, Ithan, and Til’ were waiting for us at the eastern edge of town.
We ate a simple breakfast of bread and cheese as we walked. No snow fell from the dark sky, and what was already on the ground was pocked with footprints. Soldiers, wizards, and townsfolk filled the streets, many carrying boxes or barrels presumably filled with food and water rations. Many of the buildings around them were nothing more than crumbled heaps of blackened wood.
Pyres had been aflame throughout the night, and the charred remains of what they’d incinerated nearly kept me from finishing my meal. The stench of burnt flesh didn’t help either.
We found the others waiting for us just outside Terafall’s border. Ithan wore light leather armor, similar to my own. At his hip hung a hard leather case. I assumed he’d found a new source to draw magic energy from. Til’ wore chainmail over a thick woolen shirt, the over-large mail hanging halfway down his thighs. His belt was wrapped around the outside of the mail, a large pouch hanging heavily from one side and a sheathed dagger strapped to the other.
Beside them was a pile of thick ropes that we planned to use to stay atop the dragons as Til’ had with Rhyxis. The reminder that I was about to ride a Chralex-blooded dragon into Bherin guaranteed the end of my dwindling appetite.
“Ah, the young lovers finally make an appearance,” Max called from atop Til’s shoulder. The Reservoir was shining brightly on his back, casting a soft aura around his body. “I hope you made the best of the morning while we did all the work.”
Ithan tried to hide his amusement but ended up snorting in an obvious attempt not to laugh. That just prompted him to let out an uncontrolled bout of his strange laughter. Afterwards, he hunched over, abashed. It was good to see that he could find something to laugh about, at least.
Til’ smiled, but there was none of his usual childlike energy behind it. His thoughts appeared to be elsewhere. Given that he wasn’t talking, I knew that something had to be weighing fairly heavily on his mind.
“Watch yourself, Max,” I warned jokingly. “I may just take that Reservoir back from you. I was supposed to give it to Sal’ in the first place.”
“Try it, lunkhead” Max taunted, sticking his bushy tail straight into the air. “Now, unless you have any more ridiculous notions to voice, we need to get our plan in order.”
We went on to discuss what we’d do once we arrived in Bherin. We figured that we could ask the dragons to take us to the king’s castle, where we could approach from above and find a way in from the roof. Such an entrance would be less expected and would actually have a chance of getting us into the castle alive. Sal’s ability to see the trail of magic between the rocks and the Source they were Linked to would help us find the one using the Source.
As the sky purpled in anticipation of sunrise, we started to worry that maybe the dragons had changed their minds completely. Til’, however, was adamant that they’d follow through with their offer of transport.
At one point, Max, Ithan, and Sal’ fell into a discussion about magic that was well above my head, so I decided to break away to find out what was going on with Til’.
I let out a deep breath, vapor rising from my mouth. “Are you ready for this?” I asked, not wanting to immediately p
oint out that I knew something was wrong.
“Korin, I’ve been thinking,” Til’ began somberly. “About when all this is over.”
“And . . .?”
Til’ sighed, his large silver eyes focusing on Sal’ and then on me once again. “I want what you have.”
“Sorry, she’s taken,” I replied jokingly, clapping a hand on his back to lighten the mood.
Til’ smiled, but there was a sadness in his eyes. He brought his hands up to sweep his raven hair behind his pointed ears. “Korin, I’ve enjoyed this adventure with you, and I feel that despite the terrible things I’ve witnessed, I’ve helped do some good in this world.”
“You definitely have,” I interjected.
“We have,” Til’ corrected, crossing his arms with a shiver. “And I appreciate all you’ve done for me. If not for you, I’d still be a simple Kolarin thief struggling to find a way to end my banishment from Isaeron instead of attempting to stop a war threatening all of Amirand. I wouldn’t trade the time I’ve spent with you all for anything.”
Til’ looked up at me and sighed. “But I’ve realized that once all this is over, I want to return home. I want to experience what you have with Sal’.” Til’s brow dropped in concern. “If the Chief will allow me to return.”
“Til’, if we—” I cut myself off, realizing that I was about to say, “if we live through this.” “Til’, once this is all over, if I’m able, I’ll make sure he does.” I crouched to look him in the eyes. “Because of you, there may well be a peaceful return of dragons in Amirand. Just think about that, about how amazing that is. You’ve saved the lives of who knows how may here in Terafall, rid the world of a few eldrhims, and even rescued my Moak-blooded tail more than once.” Moak’s the god of imprudence. “On top of that, you haven’t stolen anything for I don’t even know how long at this point, and that’s the reason you were banished in the first place.”