Arden pulled his hand away and Rienna’s eyes opened in time to see him sucking away the taste of her on his fingers. She rolled over onto her side again to watch him, noticing his own arousal. He made to get up, but she shot up and shoved him back into the chair, straddling him and freeing his erection effortlessly. She sheathed herself on him and he squeezed her firm generous ass as she rode him to his own release.
Rienna woke in her bed, still wearing the shift. She was lethargic from the alcohol but whatever Arden had made for her eliminated the pain of a hangover at least. The morning sunlight was peeking in through the windows, but as beautiful as it was, she was still alone. She got up and wandered about, but it only confirmed that Arden had not stayed here. She heard a knock at her door and peeked out to see it was not Arden but Captain Seije. As close as she was with Krose’s brother, she didn’t exactly ever receive him in a state of near-nudity. She smiled at Seije and waved.
“Give me a moment, Seije; I need to get decent and I’ll be right out,” Rienna told him. Seije nodded, looking as formal as usual. The armor he wore always caused a familiar pang to her memory, remembering how handsome Belias had always looked in it. At first, remembering him always came with the taint of his corrupted form but over time, she could once again remember being the hardheaded love-struck girl fawning over and fighting with her childhood crush. As futile as it was, she also tried to picture what their life might have been like if the Viper hadn’t bulldozed through it. Those thoughts would sometimes branch into what Night and Freesia might have been. It wasn’t a bad thing always—yes, sometimes it made her sad, but sometimes it would comfort her into remembering that love didn’t stop happening even in the darkest times. Did she think that she would love again? Maybe not. She had lost two lovers and was not eager to risk her heart again. She did not intend to let fear cripple her either.
Rienna had dressed in a violet traveling dress, not ultrafeminine but flattering nonetheless. She opened the door and stepped out, Seije already heading towards the side yard, which was mostly bare, save for Rienna’s makeshift training ground and a few trees.
“You really ought to start a garden here. I know it’s not as exciting as swordplay, but it’s not exactly needlework either,” Seije told her, his hands clasped behind his back.
Rienna fell into step beside him and watched him looking around like he was inspecting his guards in formation. She knew him better than that.
“Uh-huh, let’s get to the point, Seije; you’re not here to talk about my choice of home décor,” Rienna pushed kindly.
Seije smiled, his eyes still squinting with the effort of concealment.
“Arden took care of you,” Seije stated, but the tone was more of a question.
“Of a sort, yes,” Rienna teased. “Have you heard from Krose again?”
Rienna knew it would annoy Seije to skip to another topic and tried not to laugh as he shot her the look she knew was coming.
“No more drinking, Rienna, I mean it. I know you can handle things most women and men alike dare not, but promise me you will leave the drink alone,” Seije commanded her now.
Rienna shrugged. She wasn’t too fond of it either. Also, as stubborn as she was, Seije was as immovable as a mountain when he set that tone with her.
“It’s not a hard promise to make. I don’t have a lot of luck with it anymore. Just upsets my stomach mostly. That’s what you came here for?” she asked incredulously.
Seije smiled a rare smile and reached into the space in his breastplate where he always tucked things he wanted within reach and pulled out a letter.
“Well, that and I did hear from Krose. I am looking forward to the trip to his restaurant coming up,” Seije admitted.
Rienna had circled around him like an excited puppy dog, playing at snatching the letter from him as he laughed and swirled around, keeping it from her. It was rare to get Seije in a playful mood, but Rienna took advantage of it every chance she could.
It was more of the same; Krose, some times with Dinsch and Seles and he was trying a new drink mix that they just HAD to try when they came. He had named the restaurant Heroes’ Tribute and the new drink he was calling Laughing Rabbit, which Dinsch wasn’t entirely happy about.
When Seije had left, the next two days had left her feeling a bit lonely again. She certainly hadn’t wanted to seem too eager with Arden and cursed herself for crossing the line that made it harder for her to focus on friendship there. Regardless of how much she had wanted to prove men and women were equally capable, sex had the nasty habit of changing the playing field. She had been desperate to fill the void that had been plaguing her, but had gone about filling holes the wrong way. Although she couldn’t deny it had felt right at the time. Very much so.
As much as the temptation to suck it up and go see him loomed, she grudgingly took up gardening as Seije had suggested. She had spent half of a day just trying to make sense of the tools and types of seeds and the differences between bedding plants and perennials. The shop owner in the Market had been glad to help her pick everything and she had needed the shop boy to escort her home with a rather packed wagon that early afternoon. The owner’s granddaughter Lily had talked Rienna into letting her get her started so the three of them had returned, the shop boy only staying long enough to unload everything (and take a generous lunch at Rienna’s insistence).
Lily and Rienna started work on the garden right away and had worked for a few hours just clearing out the space. A rather large, ancient tree with gnarly roots proved to be a bit of a challenge but Rienna was determined to clear away the tall unsightly grasses in exchange for the more pleasing pampas and gladiolas. She chopped away at them furiously and in but a moment, she felt as if the ground had swallowed her whole and she sat stunned, hearing Lily’s distressed squeal as she hit bottom.
The dirt had caved away into a deep cavern but, try as she might, the sides just crumbled away at any attempt to climb back up the way she had fallen. She looked up at Lily who was keening in panic. Rienna sighed and had to shout the girl’s name a few times before she could get her attention.
“Lily! Calm down; I’m okay. I need you to get to Merschenez Castle and ask to speak to Captain Seije or Arden, whichever one is available. They will come and help. Don’t worry about me—just get going!” Rienna instructed her.
Rienna was trying not to marvel at her surroundings—she had seen a great many fantastic things in her short life, but this one was certainly for the books. The great cavern was nearly perfectly circular and held up by the great tree’s massive root system. The only apparent flaw just happened to be where she had fallen in (of course). The cavern was musty and lit with that strange bluish fungus she had seen in caverns before. When Ashe had pulled her along on the adventure to Calderon, for one. She let that thought pass before it pulled her where she didn’t want to go. Only the first 25-foot strip that she sat on was soft earth before it dropped off into a shallow still pool of water. An ominous lump sat at the water’s ledge and Rienna could not contain her curiosity. She did not even bother to stand but crawled cautiously towards it.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that the strange lump was a burlap wrap held together with twine.
Rienna frowned at it. It wasn’t strange on its own but she couldn’t imagine who might have found this place, let alone who would seem to deliberately place anything here. There was no sign of rot nor wear.
She drew it away from the water’s edge and pulled it into her lap, unsheathing her dagger and cutting the twine binding, gingerly pulling at it until it fell away. She realized she had been holding her breath and released it to take another, having to force herself to keep doing so, a procession of breathing and limb movement. She tugged at a hanging corner and unfolded the bundle, gasping as she spied the contents, tears spilling from her eyes as she removed a letter.
“Despite the corruption in the waters, I knew to prepare for this day anyway and I knew who would find it to receive it as well. Intuition is not
just about the present but about peering unafraid into the future. There are more gifts than these and those will be known in time, even though my time will soon come to an end. Protect and cherish those gifts, my sweet child, and know that I have never turned my back on you.
Yours, Sea Star.” The bundle contained not only the armor that Sea Star had once made for her, but a great many pearls (still intact even with her magic withdrawn) and the amazing gown and jewelry she had worn when she had first met the elemental. What really took her breath was a woven plait of delicate mother-of-pearl chains that held intact the chunk of hair that Rienna had cut herself and thrown into the Lesthene River just before meeting the undine. She absentmindedly touched the hair on her head now, very nearly the length it had been then.
She could not stem the tide of tears and sobs that wracked her, mourning the loss of the elemental. They may not have been the most trustworthy of creatures, but Sea Star had been the most dedicated of them all. When she was able to stop sobbing, she clutched the gift to her and wondered what these other gifts she spoke of were, hoping this was not a double-edged gift. The gifts held no special magic as they once had, more just well-made replicas, reminders of how far she had come.
She heard shuffling above as she saw Arden and Lily peering into the hole above her.
“Rienna, are you hurt?” came Arden’s sincere concern above her. She peered up, squinting at the brighter light silhouetting Lily and Arden.
“I’m fine and it’s about time. I hope you brought some rope; I’m leaving with more than I came with,” Rienna shouted back.
When Rienna was cleaned up, Arden and Lily were sitting at her breakfast table sipping at one of his strange herbal teas. She joined them and sat down. They hadn’t asked her about the bundle she had brought up with her, but she knew they were curious about her small misadventure.
She sat down and laid out the tiara, earrings and necklace from the package, Arden and Lily stunned at the intricate beauty of the pieces. Rienna proceeded to tell them bits and pieces of her long history with Sea Star. She couldn’t always make sense of Sea Star’s actions but in the end, the elemental had clearly cared for Rienna and had left her ‘gifts’. She showed them the letter and confessed that she wondered what on earth the gifts yet to come were supposed to be. Rienna did not miss Arden’s quick smirk at this but didn’t press him, especially with the clearly shaken Lily in the room. The tea was clearly a calming concoction but if you panic someone enough, nothing short of knocking them out will suffice.
The sun was dipping down in the sky by the time she had finished her tale. Lily had been apologetic that they had gotten so little done and promised she would return tomorrow to help again. She seemed to shake off most of her anxiety in her excitement to work on the garden again. Rienna asked Arden to escort the girl home anyway and thanked them both before they set off. She closed the door and reflected on all that had happened, not quite able to figure out what Sea Star could have meant.
She must have nodded off because when she heard a gentle rapping at the door, it was very near to dusk. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched as she stood and headed for her door. She did not bother to check who was there; Arden entered the house when she opened the door and sat at the table. Rienna was stunned enough that she did not speak at first, just joined him on the other side of the table and waited.
Of course, the silence was far heavier for her and she was anxious to shed the burden.
“I wasn’t expecting you to return,” Rienna admitted.
Arden smirked, pushing the silky hair away from his face and leaning back against the chair to observe her.
“I was having, ah… issues trying to figure out how to see you again without it seeming like I just wanted sex,” Arden admitted.
Rienna actually smiled at that, having thought the same thing. Her smile became wry.
“Nothing complicates a friendship like a one-night stand,” she agreed, feeling silly all of a sudden. Save the world and still blush like a schoolgirl.
Arden nodded.
“I think maybe we should start over. Seije has a tremendous amount of respect for you and I would like to know more about THAT Rienna,” Arden told her.
She nodded, agreeing. She stood up casually and gestured to the kitchen with the flip of her head.
“I have the most amazing wine selection and no stomach for it. Would you like one for the road?” she asked him.
“I’d love to,” he did not hesitate to accept. She suspected as much from the first meeting. Not many men can get a dive bar to serve them a vintage above swill so she had him pegged as a connoisseur.
The day for Rienna and Seije to take the trip to Krose’s new restaurant had finally come and she had talked Arden into coming as well. Rienna had picked her favorite forest green riding dress for the trip and when she answered the door, she frowned when she saw only Seije was there.
“I thought Arden was coming with you,” Rienna told him now.
Seije shook his head apologetically.
“He didn’t have time to say goodbye but he promised to write. His brother Sylvas sent an urgent summons—apparently the Council in Abundance has stepped down to accept a new King and Queen after the former King perished. You’ll be happy to know that Pierait and Lyria were chosen.”
Rienna was floored by all of the information but equally happy and sad in the same measure. Abundance was quite the journey and if she saw Arden again, it would be a long while. Lily was a nice companion (her garden was impressive already in the short time she had been able to put towards it) but she realized she couldn’t just wait around as she had. When her and Seije returned from this trip, she would try to convince him to let her train at the Castle barracks again, or at the very least, have him send along some recruits to train at her personal training grounds. She would love the chance to break down some mouthy orphans into soldiers.
Rienna’s reunion was an expected mix of tears and joy and amazing food. Rienna was proud of Krose and never more ready to stop waiting for life to fit and start moving the pieces herself. Whatever was to come, she certainly did not plan to sit around. Krose was building an empire from his humble plans at a restaurant and Dinsch and Seles were there too. She was eager to see her friends again, to see the electric city that she had passed through once only in a blur of despair and rage. She had heard the place was beautiful and a marvel of modern technology. She wished she could revisit the dive bar with Arden and annoy the bartender again, but she was able to talk Krose and Seije into it. It was a little too diabolical how very, very much she enjoyed the look on the man’s face when he saw her again. You’d think she was haunting him or something.
Chapter 13: The Other Side of Paradise
The day had come where the Elder of Daunting Peaks had finally agreed to meet with Finn and Verity. The quiet, not-sostupid guardsman (who happened to be named Jarris) happened to be the messenger and he started with apologizing for the incredible fuckery of the novice they had met at the gates (who happened to be named Carl). They were both Reishefolk of the same bird family, with golden brown feathers and splashes of black over the feathers. They didn’t look related but Verity was still not quite sure how much of the avian gene pool went into the varieties. She imagined that it would be easier to make sure they weren’t inbreeding just by steering clear of similar coloring. From what she knew about the Folks’ histories, it was apparent that they weren’t overly concerned with using a great many of different hosts for their experiments. The Bry sample Eve was the root of all of the Bryfolk, but the rapid rate of deterioration had made it necessary to use a great many hosts. Krose had lent her a really interesting book on the subject.
In her musing, Verity realized she must have wandered out of the conversation because the messenger named Jarris was staring at her curiously. In these situations, it might have instinctively made her use her Mirage to hide her embarrassment or disappear altogether but she no longer had that, of course. She blinked rapidly,
avoiding his eyes.
“Did I miss something?” Verity asked shyly. Jarris furiously shook his head as if such effort was needed to break eye contact.
“I apologize, my lady; it’s just that, well… we have a great many people here but it’s rare to see someone from the southern continent,” Jarris told her, his voice tight from his own embarrassment.
It struck her as odd that this man could even tell. Reishefolk weren’t terribly common on the Stoneweld continent either, but they had rather remarkable differences, namely being part bird. Darker skin wasn’t uncommon on Vieres—the Bryfolk often had darker skin and many of the tribes, barbarian and elemental, had been no strangers to the sun. She could not seem to think of how he would know.
She must have been frowning a bit too fiercely in her thoughts because Jarris started babbling again.
“I meant no offense, my lady—I had traveled down the Walk many years ago and there were a desert people that all had the almond-shaped eyes as you do. I heard that place is gone now. A real shame since it was a jewel in that wasteland…”
For a flickering moment, Verity felt that sinking melancholy that had once swallowed her, but she had scattered those shadows before meeting Jarris’s eyes levelly. It had to have been her town that he was referring to and she did realize now that their eyes had been a distinguishing feature. They were evolved that way, her people—they were eyes meant for the cruelty of a bright sun and their long lashes blocked the swirling sands from stinging those eyes. They glistened now with tiny beads of unshed tears. Verity would not cry but the reminder would always over-moisten her eyes. Nothing that ever happened in the deserts would parch her.
The Truth about Heroes: Complete Trilogy (Heroes Trilogy) Page 68