by Leah Ross
There were only a couple of other climbers scaling the rocks when he arrived. Morgan’s face broke into a wide grin as his gaze rose to the summit. Removing his jacket and sword and tying them to his bag, which he slung across his chest, he scrambled up the nearest boulder.
“Are you crazy?” called one of the other climbers from above him. “You’ll kill yourself without proper equipment!”
Morgan laughed. He’d been scrambling up cliffs his whole life, and he never once needed any equipment. He jumped to the next highest boulder and pulled himself up onto the ledge above it. Looking up, he dusted his hands on his breeches and assessed the next stage. It was a sheer vertical face with few holds that extended about thirty feet. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and jumped for the first hold, latching himself onto the wall like he was glued to it. He stretched and shimmied his way up, scaling the face with fearless speed. After that, he clambered to the summit in a matter of minutes.
Pulling his body over the top, he sat for a few moments to catch his breath. Then he dangled his legs over the edge and peered down at the other climbers. They glared at him and his cockiness, and he returned a lazy salute and a lopsided, smug smile. There was an outdoor café on the other side of a railing about fifteen feet above his head, and the people sitting at the tables overlooking the rock garden watched him intently, their food forgotten in their incredulous gaping.
“Perfect!” he exclaimed. “I’m starving!” He took a running jump onto a ledge several feet away, eliciting horrified gasps from the café patrons, and then hopped a series of rocks up to the bottom of the railing. “Shall I send down some food?” he yelled down to the other climbers, who answered him only with withering glares. He lifted his long legs over the railing and dropped down onto the café terrace amid the whispers and applause of the diners. He dropped down into a chair at an empty table and swiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve before perusing the menu.
A short girl with platinum blond hair pulled up in two curly pigtails bounced out of the kitchen door balancing a tray of drinks in her hand. When she saw Morgan, she stopped abruptly and blinked her large blue eyes at him. “Where did you come from? I didn’t see you come in the door.”
He grinned. “That’s because I didn’t come in the door.”
She frowned, confused. “Okay...” She brought the tray of drinks to the table that had ordered them and came back to Morgan, pulling her pad and pencil from the short apron over her ankle-length blue dress. “What can I get for you?”
“Let’s start with a large glass of water. That climb was not easy, but it was damn satisfying.”
She stared at him, looked over her shoulder at the cliff beyond the railing, and then her jaw dropped when he confirmed her suspicion with a nod. “You came up from the rock garden?!”
“He did, miss!” a man at another table exclaimed. “It was the damnedest thing! No gear or anything!”
“So how about that water?” Morgan asked with a wide grin.
~*~
The café was closed for the day, but Morgan and the serving girl were still sitting at the table. Her name was Corrina Bates, she was sixteen, and she lived with her parents a few blocks away from the café. She’d finished her primary education just recently and was working to save money to get her own place.
Corrina watched Morgan devour another buttered roll with fascination. He’d eaten more food in the last hour than she ate in a typical day, and yet there didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat on his lean body. His muscles more closely resembled those of a man twice his age than those of a teenager, evidence that he worked very hard on his ship. She could not keep her gaze from wandering constantly to his face; his hazel eyes contained so many hues that she was captivated by their constant shifts of color, and her fingers simply ached to run through his thick hair, which kept falling in front of his eyes and shined like silky caramel. Rumors of pirates’ lack of hygiene most definitely did not apply to this one; if he hadn’t told her he was a pirate, Corrina would have assumed Morgan came from one of the local wealthy families. His finely-tailored sage green jacket and breeches, along with his ivory linen shirt and tall, dark brown suede boots matched the current style popular among the young, affluent men of the city.
Suddenly she noticed that he was staring back at her. She lowered her eyes as a blush crept up her cheeks. “Can I get you anything else?”
“You mean I haven’t eaten you out of food yet?” He laughed. “What are you looking at so intently?”
“I— That is—”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I can’t keep my eyes off of you either. You’re beautiful, Corrina.”
Her heart fluttered and she felt like her hair must be red now with the extent of her blush. “You move fast, don’t you?”
Morgan laughed. “I’m sorry. Force of habit. Pirates don’t have time for long courtships; we just get right to it. If the girl isn’t worth pursuing, most men won’t even talk to her. I’m afraid I’ve picked up some bad habits from years of close association with questionable role models.”
“You think I’m worth pursuing?”
He smiled, turned her hand over, and kissed her palm. She shuddered as a thrill of desire raced up her spine.
“So, Jonathan, you haven’t said why you’re in Terracova.” She hoped that by changing the subject she could calm herself down.
“I’m testing for my magic license tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened. “So young? Don’t you have to attend an academy first?”
“Those who choose a self-study program can test whenever they complete the program, but testing has to be done here at the Certification Center.”
“I didn’t even know that was an option. Why doesn’t everyone do it that way?” she asked.
“Self-study programs are considerably more expensive than attending an academy. There are several academies around the country, but testing for non-academy students can only be done here. Not everyone has the means to travel to Terracova. Finally, since this test is not part of a regular, exam-based curriculum, but still has to evaluate all of the aspects of one, it is far more intense, practical, and comprehensive than academy exams,” he explained.
“Wow. You really have to be serious about getting your license to go through all of that.”
“Indeed.” He stood and stretched and then gathered his belongings. “I suppose I should get to the inn and do some studying.”
Her heart sank with disappointment. “How long are you here?”
“My ship is returning to get me tomorrow evening.”
“Oh.” She got up and began to gather the dishes from the table. “Well, good luck on your test.”
He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “I’ll come back afterward to let you know how it went.”
Her face broke into a grin. “I’d like that.”
~*~