Warrior

by Michelle Magly

  Alina nodded and lowered the blanket. She scooted to the side for Senri. “Thunder has always alarmed me.” Senri moved closer but did not get under the covers. She turned and tied back a corner of the tent flap to allow firelight inside. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

  “I don’t need a blanket,” Senri replied. “I won’t get cold.”

  “Senri, for the love of the Almighty get under this blanket and sleep like you would on any other night, or so help me I will go sleep outside in the rain.”

  The glare Alina gave her showed no sign of bluffing. Senri nodded and pulled some of the blanket on top of herself, though she stayed as far from Alina as possible. She pulled the blanket taut and laid down. “Good night.” She closed her eyes, knowing she had no hope of falling asleep.

  “Would you stop being so juvenile?” Alina asked. She gripped Senri’s arm and pulled, making her roll over and face Alina. She pulled Senri a little closer to her. She frowned as she felt Alina’s skin icy. She had been a fool to think anyone would be comfortable in the middle of a rainstorm. No wonder she wanted Senri close.

  As if reading her guilty expression, Alina said, “Not all of us are magically able to heat ourselves.”

  Senri blinked. Alina was close, extremely close. “I…I’m sorry.” She could feel Alina’s body heat, could smell her. It felt nothing like the night at the inn, nothing at all like the brief moment she had shared with that other woman. Alina reached a hand up between them and Senri flinched. “What are you doing?”

  “You have something in your hair.” Alina reached forward and plucked out a leaf. She showed it to Senri and smiled. They lay there in awkward silence for a moment. “I don’t suppose you’ve shared your bed before?”

  “What?” Senri frowned, stopping herself from scooting away.

  “Keep it down,” said Alina, grinning. “We don’t need the whole camp hearing.” With the wind howling so loud, Senri doubted the camp would hear them shout at one another if they so chose. “But if the question troubles you so much, you need not—”

  “I have, once.” Senri waited for Alina to react, for her to frown and push her away or to scold her, but she did none of those things. They stayed close, barely touching. “It’s not something I’m proud of.”

  Alina’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

  Senri remembered the night. She remembered fumbling and being nervous. The act itself had been simple enough and they both found physical release in one another. Still, the ache in Senri never left. “I didn’t want to sleep with her. I only did because I thought it would make me feel better.”

  “You had no feelings for her?”

  Senri shook her head. Alina’s eyes had drifted down. Neither of them bothered to make eye contact. Eventually, Senri sighed and shifted closer. Alina glanced her way.

  “And what about you?” Senri asked. “Any bedfellows?”

  Alina laughed softly and closed her eyes. “A few, during my last couple of years at Eastwatch Keep. I had essentially grown up with one of the maids. When we reached seventeen, we started…we did not do anything serious until perhaps a year later, then the others found out and had her sent away.”

  Senri had the urge to wrap and arm around Alina. Her hand shifted as she thought about it. “Did you miss her?”

  Alina shook her head. “No. I knew it would happen. Anyone I got too close with afterward got sent away. Soon they wised up stopped allowing people close to my age to work there.”

  “Why didn’t they just watch you more closely?” Senri tried to picture being locked away in a fortress. Try as she might, the images never came.

  “They felt sorry for me,” said Alina. Lightning flashed and she moved closer. The thunder sounded distant. “I was an orphan who had been locked away as Osota’s last resort. I had tutors and horse riding lessons and archery, but none of it came close to being a system of family and friends, as much as they tried. I suppose it was the greatest kindness they could do to send away my lovers rather than execute them.”

  At these words, Senri shifted away slightly. She swallowed at a lump in her throat.

  “Oh, they can’t do anything like that now.” Alina’s fingers wrapped around her shoulder and held her in place. “I will rule my kingdom, Senri, no one else.”

  Senri tried to smile as Alina’s hand rested on her face. The tips of her fingers traced down Senri’s cheek and neck. They stopped at the necklace chain. Senri’s heart beat as Alina’s fingers stayed. The princess kept her gaze focused downward, so Senri stared pleadingly at her forehead. She tried to speak, but words stuck in her throat.

  “Would you want this,” Alina’s voice hovered barely above a whisper. “If I were not sworn to the throne?”

  The block cleared in her throat, more out of necessity as she gulped in air. “Alina.” Damn the formalities. She deserved honesty if nothing else. “It is your dedication and love for the people of Osota I find admirable and worthy about you.” The words tumbled from her lips so quickly. Only after they were said did Senri realize how long she had held back. Alina’s fingers still touched her collarbone. She thought she saw her smile in the waning firelight.

  “You said something about pretending the other night.” Alina’s hand lay flush against her chest, almost like it had before. “What if I did not want to pretend?” Alina looked up at her, brown eyes wavering.

  “Alina.” Saying the name intoxicated Senri. It felt incredible, even in a breathy whisper. They stared at one another. Senri’s fingers rose to brush against Alina’s shoulder. She wanted to pull Alina close to her so badly. “I know you want this, but we would only be fooling ourselves.” She took a deep breath and waited for Alina to say something. When she remained silent, Senri continued, “I do not want to start anything and then have to stop because of your duties, and I know your duties will come before me. I won’t let it be any other way.”

  Alina readjusted. She scooted up a little higher. “If I were queen, they’d have to listen to me. I’d be allowed any companion—”

  Senri shook her head. “Any plaything.”

  “Stop. Don’t you dare say that.” For a moment, Senri thought Alina might smack her. Her face flushed. Then, Alina took a breath and composed herself once more. “I’d never let you be that.”

  Senri looked away. “You wouldn’t, but the Council might.”

  She felt sick for making the argument. They were in bed together. She could not have ached for Alina more if she wanted to, and Senri was doing all she could to make it not happen. A small part of her knew she did not want to experience that kind of fulfillment with Alina without them having a fair chance. Politics would always stop that fair chance. Her temperature rose.

  “Senri.” Alina’s hand moved to her cheek. “Senri, I won’t let them control me. I will give Osota everything it needs, but the individual I choose to...to…” Alina removed her hand. “Your skin is hot.”

  Senri blinked and moved further back from Alina. She had let her temperature escalate too much. She closed her eyes and concentrated on lowering it. Her thoughts jumbled. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to having conversations like this.”

  Alina smiled weakly and touched Senri’s arm. This time, her hand did not jump away. “It’s all right. Neither am I.” Their eyes stayed locked. Senri wanted to kiss Alina. Instead, she rolled on her back and wrapped an arm around her.

  “Here,” she said. “We should get some rest.”

  Alina rested her head against Senri’s chest and laid a hand on her collarbone. Senri’s body pulsed where they lay in contact with one another.

  “Thank you,” said Alina.

  She nuzzled into the crook of Senri’s neck. The wind had died down. The worst of the storm had moved on. As they lay there in the growing darkness, Senri heard only three things: the rain pattering outside, her own heartbeat, and Alina’s breathing.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ALINA HATED STAIRS. THE records described steps running alongside a steep mountain cliff with a rock
wall scaling the other side. These steps stood pin-like from the ground as if they were wedged placeholders for the real structure. One could not walk up them. It would require leaps over gaps, and the incline frightened her. Alina could hardly imagine climbing them without the help of Nat and Yahn. The two worked to smooth out the slope so the horses would come along. They dug their hands into the earth and pulled up, trying desperately to make the ground hold to the terraced shape it had long ago abandoned.

  To make matters worse, the night’s storm had left snow higher up on the mountain and a cold breeze rolled down on them. The half-frozen mud on the trail caked around their boots and softened as the day’s sun rose higher and higher. Yahn and Nat worked twice as hard to keep footpaths from crumbling away underneath them. Lanan joined them in their efforts and curbed the melting snow.

  Senri remained close at her side for the duration of the day’s travel, though neither of them spoke much. Alina suspected Senri was as tired as her, if not more. She found it difficult to sleep while resting against Senri. As comfortable as it had been, the close contact stirred her. On top of that problem, she had also spent the night in fear that a vision would overcome her, that Senri would find her out without having a chance to explain first. That morning Alina swore she was in the midst of a vision when she woke up alongside Senri. It had felt too good to be part of reality.

  Alina shook her head to clear her thoughts. The present needed her concentration. She sighed and pulled on her horse’s reins. She glanced over at Senri, but the Warrior stared straight on. Alina glanced back to the road. They would be at the top of the rise soon. Hopefully, there would be enough level land for them to camp and rest. The elements had taken their toll on everyone.

  “Almost there.” Senri’s soft tone interrupted Alina’s musings. She smiled, the first one she had seen all morning. “Perhaps we’ll stop and rest.”

  Alina nodded and looked at the pebbled ground as the incline grew steeper. The scree covering the slope grew thicker and more widely scattered toward the top. “It’s been a tough climb.”

  Senri did not respond. Their conversation felt so restrained compared to last night. Even though they had essentially done nothing, it felt good to speak openly with Senri last night. She wanted to have that all the time. The attraction toward Senri had started out as purely physical for Alina, but had grown. If I showed you all that I am, would you still want me? The urge to be that open with Senri startled her more than any want to sleep with her, which seemed ridiculous in hindsight. Physical intimacy with Senri would most likely lead to her discovering the seer’s marks anyways. Back in Eastwatch Keep it had been easy to discourage more clothing removal than necessary, but with Senri, she did not want to hide anything, physical or emotional.

  The top of the rise revealed a saddle between two peaks. The isolated dip protected them from some of the elements and the level ground was easy to stand on. They decided to rest there.

  “We have to be close,” said Nat. His shoulders sagged and his hands were caked in mud.

  “Seen any dragons yet?” asked Yahn.

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Then we’re not close,” said Yahn. He stood up and dug for something in his saddle pack. He pulled out a map. He pointed to a place on the map far away from any recorded dragon settlement. “It seems we are between these two peaks.”

  “That’s a lot farther to go,” said Lanan.

  “Yeah, my body needs a rest,” said Nat. “We have food, at least, right? I can’t keep rockslides away on an empty stomach.”

  “We’ll rest for a moment, but we need to keep going if we want to make it before winter sets in,” Yahn replied.

  The rest did not seem nearly long enough for Alina, but she dare not complain when everyone worked so hard for her. They kept moving well after twilight, stopping only after the last light faded. Alina wanted to make dinner for the others. She stared at the supplies on the packhorse and tried to calculate how long they would last. What if the dragons turn us turn back? What if they offer no help at all? They would starve on the mountainside and Alina would be the one to blame.

  She made a simple soup for dinner from the food stores the villagers had given them. She added in a few extra spices from her own supplies. No one really talked for the night. Alina and Senri even set up their tent and crawled into bed in silence. Alina curled against Senri’s chest and sighed, feeling the warm body underneath her. She wanted to kiss Senri goodnight, to say something, but all words stuck in her throat. Senri’s hand stroked her arm. It moved slowly along her skin, up and down in a comforting manner. Alina blinked against the darkness in the tent. Her nose touched Senri’s neck. She could lean forward and kiss Senri.

  Outside, the temperature dropped to freezing, but Senri kept her safe. The hand on her arm slowed. It stilled. Senri’s breathing fell into an easy, rhythmic pattern. It lulled Alina, made her not worry about being struck with a vision in the middle of the night, made her unafraid of the things to come. Alina had known for a while that she wanted more than a simple fling with Senri. All at once, she realized she had fallen for the Warrior. She loved Senri, and before their journey came to an end, she would confess all that she had kept secret. Senri deserved it.

  ***

  Days passed. They hiked so long and so far that the cold seeped into their bones, even Senri’s. It did not matter how many layers they put on, the wind cut through all of it. Senri’s legs went numb first every day, probably for the best, considering her muscles ached so much from walking. Her hands never lost feeling, however. They stayed burning hot, so much so that she kept her gloves removed and would take turns pressing the warm palms on her face and arms.

  Sometimes Alina would offer her hands, but not in a romantic gesture. Alina’s fingers were ice cold and she made a habit of warming Alina’s hands between her own, along with anyone else who needed it. The snow accumulated on the path they took. It clung in chunks to the hems of their pants. Senri had never thought she would want it, but she desperately hoped the dragons lingered nearby.

  Ever since their first night sharing a tent, Alina had not brought up the subject of them. Sometimes she would hear Alina draw in a breath as if to say something, then she would release it and settle in closer to her.

  A week after the initial storm, another snow storm made them camp early. They worked hard to get a large fire going to heat the camp for the night. Alina left the camp some time after dinner. After a meaningful glance at Senri, she wandered off to a cliff side, staring out at the lower ranges they had just climbed. Senri stood from her place beside the fire and brushed off her pants. She walked up beside Alina and waited for her to acknowledge her presence. The noise from the camp had faded. They might as well be alone. Alina glanced at her and smiled. Her face reddened from the cold.

  “Are you all right?” Senri asked.

  “Just enjoying the view.” Alina looked out over the range again and crossed her arms. “I used to spend a lot of time looking at the mountain ranges back in Eastwatch.”

  The wind died down a little. The snow fell in small flakes, almost picturesque if they were not stuck outside in it constantly. “Did you have snow to play in?” Senri asked. She remembered pelting snowballs at Nat and running from his counter-attacks. All the village kids would team up to build a fortress after the first snowfall. She smiled.

  Alina shook her head. “They wouldn’t let me.”

  Senri frowned and stepped closer to Alina. “Well, that’s not fair of them.”

  “A lot of things weren’t fair.” Alina looped an arm through Senri’s. “I plan to never let them run my life like that again.”

  All things considered, Senri had to agree. The mountain ranges were an extremely hostile landscape. No one in politics would have ever allowed Alina out there, yet she had made it anyways. She had not let the Council control her. Senri let out a half-laugh, a small puff of hot air against the cold. Alina had promised never to let Senri be a disposable item to the Council.
If she could run away to distant land in order to rule her kingdom the way she wanted, who was to say she would let the Councilors stop them from being together? Senri looked down at the princess, suddenly aware of their physical contact on a much different level.

  “Alina,” she said. They turned and faced one another. “We talked about something that night of the first storm. I think I was a bit of an idiot with my response.”

  Alina laughed and shook her head. “No, your concerns were genuine. I should not have pushed you, especially considering the circumstances.”

  “What? Being alone together in the middle of a storm was not romantic enough for you?” Senri grinned and leaned in a bit closer. She felt emboldened by Alina’s easygoing manner and the gentle snowfall. The world had muted itself for them.

  Alina laughed again. Senri liked making her laugh.

  “It was a lovely night,” Alina murmured, taking a step back and linking Senri’s hands between her own. She looked down. “If we move forward, though, there is something you should know.”

  “Oh?” Senri tried to get Alina to meet her gaze again by raising her hands. Instead, Alina removed her grip and took another step back. Senri did not know what to expect as Alina lowered the hood to her cloak. Her fingers rose to the ties and tugged them loose.

  “I haven’t been honest with you, Senri,” she said. The cloak fell to the snow. “I haven’t been honest with anyone.”

  Senri looked away as Alina pulled off her leather chest plate next. The campsite fire was barely visible. No one was near to hear or see them. Still, her stomach clenched. “I don’t…what are you doing?”

  “Senri.” Her name sounded so clear when spoken by Alina. “Look at me.”

  She expected to see scars. A disfigurement. Nothing prepared Senri for what was really there. Alina stood with her tunic pulled down, just above the start of her bosom. Dark lines lay etched into her skin—no, just under her skin: the seer’s blood coursed through her veins. She stepped back farther. “You’re a...you’re a...”