“I love you too, Luke,” she whispers into his ear. “That’s why I want to be with you tonight and every night for as long as you can have me.”
Luke smiles as Sari wraps her arms around his neck and kisses his shoulder. He nods to another guard, who is approaching them, and quickly makes his way to Mayor Highrider’s home.
16
Luke is surprised when he wakes at dawn instead of stirring hours earlier and having to meditate for the rest of the night. He can sense the griffin wanted him to get extra rest, which confuses him until his hand touches the naked shoulder of Sari. The gypsy’s blue hair is splayed across the pillows of the canopied bed while she continues to sleep. She smacks her lips and yawns before muttering about needing a break. The events of the night flow into Luke’s mind, making him smile as he rolls over to kiss Sari on the neck. Her skin is so soft and warm that he finds it difficult to stop kissing her. She giggles in her sleep, but refuses to open her eyes. Luke is about to cuddle up to her when a faint knock on the door startles him. He can see a shadow shifting at the bottom of the door and guesses that Mayor Highrider is waiting for them.
“I don’t want to get out of bed,” Luke whimpers, glancing at the naked girl next to him. “Maybe he’ll go away if we go back to bed. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“We should get out of bed because we have a lot to do today,” Sari says into her pillow. She rolls over to Luke and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. “Nyx will be angry if we’re too tired to travel. If we’re lucky, maybe we can join with a caravan or get on a ship. Then, we can get a private room and have some more . . . practice.”
“That was only practice?” Luke asks, wrapping his arms around her.
“One should always seek improvement,” Sari answers, pulling herself as close to Luke as possible. She feels her heartbeat rising and tenderly nuzzles at Luke’s neck. “I enjoyed last night. I mean, I really enjoyed last night. I’m not as experienced as I pretend to be, but I know that was amazing. You’re so flexible and strong and sweet that my body is trembling just thinking about it.” Sari bites her lip and risks a quick glance at the door. “Maybe we can get another round in before he gets mad and breaks the door down.”
“Not with the noise you make,” Luke hisses while his fingers tickle along her side. “He’ll figure out what’s going on.”
“That’s what silence spells are for,” she coos, her happy giggle sending shivers down Luke’s spine. “Try to have a little faith in me, lover. By the gods, I love whispering that word and meaning it. It’s just so . . . special.”
They pause when they hear the solid tapping of a large hammer on the other side of the door. Mayor Highrider’s voice is clear and calm as he says, “I’m glad you took me up on my offer of hospitality and left me a message about your wish for privacy. You also have my congratulations on settling your problems. Still, this is my home and I would appreciate it if my guests join me for breakfast. I’m not beneath bashing in my own door and having the guards throw buckets of cold water on you.”
“Can we have thirty minutes?” Sari politely asks.
“You may have as much time as you need, milady,” Mayor Highrider answers with a deep laugh. “Luke is needed within the next ten minutes or your ride to Visindor Forest will become highly offended. He has already agreed to give you two a private room on the ship considering your situation.”
“You’ll have to be more specific about the situation you’re referring to!” Sari yells while Luke begrudgingly gets out of the warm bed. She tries to pull him back under the covers, her efforts foiled when he kisses her hard and presses her against the mattress. The kiss is so strong and sudden that it stuns her long enough for him to slip out of reach.
“The situation involving you two making enough noise to wake my dead mother,” a slightly familiar male voice says. “Now, would Mr. Callindor please grace an old ally with his presence, so we can discuss our journey? He only needs enough time to put his pants on, so I’m going to start counting to ten.”
“Hold on!” Luke shouts, struggling to get his pants on. “Let me grab the rest of my clothes and my sabers. I’ll be right out.”
Luke straps his sabers to his belt and gathers the rest of his clothes while Sari rolls out of bed. She walks to the door, her bare feet making an adorable pitter-patter noise on the blue-tiled floor. With an annoyed sigh, she opens the door and smiles at Mayor Highrider. The knight blushes at the gypsy, who is barely covered by the light green sheet she is holding to her chest. With his superior height, Mayor Highrider is able to see her bare backside. He clears his throat and backs away to the far side of the hallway, so he can only see her happily smiling face.
Next to the towering half-orc is a stranger wearing a white shirt and simple breeches. Sari catches the scent of oceans and rivers wafting off the aqua-skinned man. It is an oddly calming scent to her as she yawns and rubs her eyes. She notices he has webbed extremities and delicate gills that softly suck at the air. His yellow eyes examine her intently, giving her the feeling that he can sense her naiad heritage. Her guess is proven true when he takes her free hand and bows to her, his moist forehead touching her knuckles. Sari fights the urge to caress his cheek as her blood boils at the invigorating smell that flows off him. With a knowing nod, the sea elf releases her hand and remains bowing to her.
“My apologies, ocean princess. It’s an honor to behold even one who is partial-blooded,” he whispers in a gurgling language that Sari is surprised she understands. “You’re obviously new to your powers, so you must be confused on what’s happening. The smell of the open sea and rolling rivers is intoxicating to a naiad. It drives you to pull enjoyment out of the world around you. It’s different for every naiad with some drawn into a dance and others into a feeding frenzy. It appears that the smell of your ancestor’s domain brings out your carnal nature. It’s definitely best that I secure a private room on my ship for you and Mr. Callindor. I can’t have you pouncing on my crew every few minutes, so you will have to be distracted until you learn restraint.”
“Captain Higgs!” Luke exclaims when he finishes getting dressed and catches a glimpse of the sea elf. He quickly approaches and shakes the man’s hand while Sari moves toward the bed.
“Can you guys have this discussion elsewhere?” Sari asks with a pleading expression on her face. “I need to get dressed and retrieve my belongings from Timoran’s room. I’d like to get some privacy for the first part.”
“We’ll finish our discussion at breakfast,” Mayor Highrider states, bowing to the gypsy and gesturing toward the dining room. “Please grab something to eat before you leave, Sari. I won’t be able to see you off, so I would appreciate the chance to say a proper goodbye.”
Sari curtsies to the three men and beams a warm smile at them. “I promise to stop by before I leave, Wendi.”
With a wry smile, Mayor Highrider ushers Luke and Captain Higgs out of the doorway and closes the door. He leads his guests to his glistening dining room where a horseshoe-shaped table sits with a collection of fruits, pastries, and breakfast meats. Luke immediately fills a plate with food as if he has not eaten in days. The famished warrior takes a spoonful of scrambled eggs as a butler carries the dish to the table, startling the old calico with his quick movement. Captain Higgs settles for a decanter of juice and a plate of assorted rolls. Mayor Highrider takes a seat at the middle of the table and gestures for Luke to sit in front of him. The young warrior takes his seat after piling food onto a second plate.
“You’re very hungry,” Captain Higgs says, watching Luke devour his breakfast. “I guess you were busy last night.”
“Yes, but this is because I transformed into a griffin more than once yesterday,” Luke explains with a mouthful of eggs. He washes it down with a glass of orange juice. “The change takes more energy than being in griffin form, so I burn up a lot if I change back and forth repeatedly. Normally, I can recover by meditating and eating a bigger meal than usual. This time I slept all night becaus
e the griffin decided I needed sleep more than meditation. Now, I feel like I haven’t eaten in days and I can already feel the food burning up in my stomach. It’s weird being able to sense the slightest activity of my body and understand what’s going on.”
“I heard of your gifts from Aedyn Karwyn,” the sea elf claims, snatching a strawberry before Luke can grab it. “Show some manners, boy, and let an old sailor get first shot at the sweet stuff.”
“Sorry, captain,” Luke says. He swallows his food and looks around the table for any dishes that the other men are not interested in. “How is Aedyn doing? I received a letter from him before I left Haven, but he never mentioned how he’s handling the loss of his legs. He only said he was happy, making temple contacts, and begged me to stay out of trouble.”
“He’s been using some weird contraption given to him by a gnome,” Higgs replies with open distaste in his voice. “They’re metallic legs that make loud whirs and clanks whenever he walks. He tried to explain how they worked, but I wasn’t listening and he barely understands. I’ll admit they get quieter every time I take him to his appointments in the north, so the gnome is making design improvements.”
Luke sips at a glass of water as he tries to imagine what Aedyn must look like. “So, you’ve escorted Aedyn to the north a few times? It hasn’t been that long since he and I parted ways. I didn’t think the River Scout could make that many trips in such a short time.”
“The River Scout was given to my nephew after I was hired by Lady Kellia as her personal captain,” the sea elf says with a proud smile. “My crew and I carry her and Lord Karwyn whenever they need to travel by water. Our new ship, the Azure Goddess, was given to us by Duke Solomon and it’s able to circle Ralian in five days if kept at its top speed. The ship has been heavily blessed by priests of Elichai of the oceans and Harmoke of the rivers. I’m sure there are several other enchantments on the ship that make it so fast, but such things aren’t my business.”
“How is Kellia?” Luke asks. He jams a few pieces of bacon into his mouth and gulps down a glass of creamy milk.
“I would recommend catching up after you depart,” Mayor Highrider interrupts with a calm, stern voice. “Your presence is urgently needed in Visindor Forest, Luke. Nyx and Timoran have already been told of the brewing problems in that region. As a former student of Hamilton Military Academy and a forest tracker, I assume you would like to be told everything that we know about the situation.”
Luke is about to say something when Sari enters the room and walks around the table with a purpose. She grabs Luke by the ears, massaging the sensitive tips, and kisses him hard enough to push his chair off its front legs. The kiss lasts for a few minutes while the older men go back to their breakfasts. With a contented sigh, she breaks the kiss and steals a handful of green grapes from Luke’s plate. She sits on his lap and innocently pops them into her mouth one by one.
“You can continue, Mayor Highrider,” she says with a polite smile. “I just really needed a kiss. You remember how young love works.”
“I’m not too old to have forgotten that,” the half-orc admits, glancing at Captain Higgs, who is nodding in agreement. “It’s good that you’re here, Sari. As I was about to tell Luke, there’s trouble in the Visindor region. Selenia has sent word to all of her allies that there are two armies within the Caster Swamp and she is certain they are preparing to march on her academy. One of the armies is composed of orcs, which has the Growk Council concerned because they believe it’s a legion that went missing this past spring. The other army are giltris, but that shouldn’t be too surprising given the Caster Swamp is home to several tribes.”
“Does Selenia know who’s going to lead the army?” Luke asks, even though he is sure he already knows the answer.
“I’m betting it’s our decaying friend who we’re cursed to constantly deal with,” Sari answers in mild exasperation. “I hope we destroy him this time and never have to see his red-eyed face again.”
“Selenia believes the Lich will lead the armies, but she thinks someone else brought them together. The only evidence she has is that the armies remained unnoticed until two days ago, as if cloaked by powerful magic,” the knight explains, frowning at the worried expression on Luke and Sari’s faces. “Selenia fears that the armies will be used to crush her academy and the Lich will use his powers to resurrect the fallen. As they march toward Gaia and beyond, he could create a third army of undead, which would include the zombies of some very powerful warriors.”
“I think I know what she’s planning,” Luke states. He grabs a piece of toast off his plate, but Sari swipes it from his hand and nibbles at it. Luke fights the temptation to take his food back and playfully pokes her in the side. “Selenia wants to make a pre-emptive strike with a smaller force. She’s waiting for us to arrive because that would give her more specialized warriors and a powerful caster. If I was her, I’d wait until Fizzle was awake to help. So, we should get moving as soon as possible.”
“It’ll take me two days to get you to the coastline nearest to Selenia’s academy,” Captain Higgs declares as he stretches his arms. “I should leave to help with loading the supplies and inspecting the ship. Thank you for breakfast, Mayor Highrider, and I will see you two at the docks within a few hours.”
Captain Higgs wipes his mouth with a napkin and gets to his feet to give a small bow to the mayor. He turns to give a deeper bow to Sari, a friendly smile crossing his face as she blushes. Luke takes advantage of Sari watching the sea elf and eats as much of his breakfast as he can before she can steal more food. In his haste, he starts choking on a slice of apple he swallowed whole. Sari calmly touches the rim of a full goblet, willing the water to rise into the air like a serpent. She sends the water down Luke’s throat where it envelopes the apple and gently pulls it free. Luke gasps for air while Sari holds the apple slice, grinning as she puts it to his lips.
“If you wanted to be fed your breakfast, you could have asked,” she whispers, forgetting that Mayor Highrider is sitting across the table. She freezes and slowly faces the amused half-orc. “I’m sorry, sir. I promise to behave for the rest of the morning.”
“Apology accepted. Though, I won’t begrudge you if you break your promise,” he responds before drinking a goblet of juice. “Now, I have an exciting day of paperwork ahead of me. I guarantee I’ll be wearing my armor and sparring with the mercenaries by the afternoon. I pity the first five that accept my challenge. Don’t get me wrong, my friends. I’m honored that the people of Hero’s Gate want me to be their new mayor, but it’s already showing signs of being boring. I’m just rambling at this point in an attempt to delay the inevitable, so forgive me.”
Sari hops off Luke’s lap and flips over the table without knocking anything over. She curtsies in front of Mayor Highrider and bows her head. Hopping to her feet, Sari places her hands on his knees and pushes herself up to playfully kiss him on his pronounced lower jaw. She steps away and spins on her toes before taking the empty seat left by Captain Higgs.
“I’m sure you’re going to be a great mayor, Wendi,” she claims. Sari tightens the decorative laces on her boots when she notices they have come loose. “I can’t speak for all of us, but I hope to return here as soon as I can to see the changes you’re going to make. You know, it might be a good idea to find a wife who is more intellectual and enjoys paperwork.”
“I will keep that in mind,” the half-orc says with a nervous chuckle. He stands and gently pushes his chair under the table. “I believe this is goodbye. I expect to hear great things from all of you, especially Sir Wrath. I wish he was staying, but he told me the gods have chosen him to fight a coming darkness. In the short time I’ve known him, the man has never lied to me, so I have no reason to doubt him.”
“We’ll take good care of him,” Luke promises, lazily sliding out of his chair and yawning. “I have to get some things from the mercenary camp, so I’ll say goodbye too.”
Mayor Highrider reaches across the table to shake
Luke’s hand with a powerful grip that proves he is more warrior than politician. It is a long handshake that leaves Luke with numb fingers and a sore shoulder. Even after they let go of each other, neither of them attempts to move for the door.
“I’m off to get my things,” Sari chimes in, noticing that nobody wants to be the first to leave. She walks around the table and takes Luke by the arm. “Goodbye and thank you for everything, Wendi. Please contact us if you’re ever in trouble. We’ll always be willing to help you and your people.”
“Thank you, ocean princess,” he replies. He puts his fist to his chest and bows to Sari as she leads Luke away. The towering knight keeps his face down, so his orange hair hides the look of sadness on his face.
*****
From the cluttered entrance to the docks, Captain Higgs takes in a deep breath to yell at his lounging crew. He holds the scream in his throat when he sees a crate of supplies float onto the deck of his long, slender ship. Gently exhaling, he watches a bag of flour stretch and slip through the kitchen’s porthole. The sea elf steps into the open and grins as his crew jumps to their feet. Many of the sailors look around for something to do, but a handful shrug helplessly and point to someone standing behind a tall stack of crates. Captain Higgs silently walks around the stack, stopping short behind the focused half-elf, who is using her magic to stock the ship. A wry smile crosses his face and leans against the boxes until Nyx stops to flex her fingers.
“I guess you won’t be anti-social and useless during this trip,” Captain Higgs jokingly declares, startling Nyx and waving when she whirls around. “I’m surprised to find you here since nobody could have told you about my offer. Unless you spent some time with Tzefira or ran into Mayor Highrider this morning. Though it seems you’ve been here for a while.”
“Mom told me about it over breakfast,” Nyx casually states, picking up her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder. “Your crew seemed tired, so I offered to help move the supplies while they rested and ate. I can’t do anything about putting the supplies away, except for the kitchen stock I can push through the porthole. The cook is in there waiting for me to send him more stuff.”
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Family of the Tri-Rune Page 42