FIERCE: Sixteen Authors of Fantasy

by Mercedes Lackey

  It was a beautiful place, nicer than any inn I’d seen back home, small but richly decorated in polished wood and luxurious fabrics. Several people ate their suppers in a brightly-lit dining room, and the smell of roasted chicken and rosemary wafted out into the lobby. I should have been interested in all of it, but I found myself watching Aren instead of enjoying my surroundings.

  His hands rested on the dark hardwood desk, and he smiled and laughed quietly with the clerk. She blushed. He looked exhausted and pale, and like he’d been on the road for far too long. In spite of that, I understood why the woman behind the counter found him so interesting. It wasn’t just the way he looked. There was also the way he carried himself, his quiet confidence, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled on the rare occasions when he really smiled. I shifted in my seat, which had suddenly grown uncomfortable.

  The woman behind the desk giggled quite unprofessionally and handed a key to Aren. She leaned over and whispered something as he was turning away, to which he replied “No, but thank you,” and came back toward me.

  I stood too quickly, and faint gray spots appeared in front of my eyes. Aren rested his hand on my waist and guided me toward the stairs. I suddenly felt warmer than I had by the door, and my heartbeat quickened.

  After a few nights on the road, the room looked like heaven. The head of the bed was piled with big, fluffy pillows, and thick quilts were folded at the foot. A chair and small, formal-looking sofa faced a stone fireplace, and when I took off my boots, the carpet was soft and deep under my feet.

  “Oh,” I groaned, and flopped face-first onto the bed. Sleep began to crowd my mind as soon as my face sank into the feather mattress.

  “You go ahead,” Aren said from somewhere very far away. “I’ll sleep on the chair.”

  “Hrmflphmrm.”

  “Pardon?”

  My head weighed a thousand pounds, but I lifted it to tell him, “I said, ‘that’s not fair, you take the bed.’” I mashed my face back into the sheets, then lifted my head again to add, “It smells so clean!”

  I heard him moving around the room, but couldn’t open my eyes. “If I change, I’ll be more comfortable perched on the chair than either of us would be on the sofa,” he said. “Go ahead and sleep for a while, I’ll see what they have to eat around here.” I barely heard him, and was only vaguely aware of him pulling a blanket up to cover me.

  The most beautiful scent greeted me when I woke form my nap, clean and floral. I opened my eyes to the last of sunset’s light filtering in through the window. As much as I wanted to stay curled up in that beautiful bed, I had to see where the smell was coming from. After three days on the road, I knew it wasn’t from me. My hair was greasy, and my skin felt like it had a layer of dirt and smoke ground into it. If only it was—

  “A bath!” A door I hadn’t noticed before stood open, revealing the edge of a tub in a small room, steam rising from its bubbly surface. I nearly cried, it looked so good.

  “Excellent timing.” Aren sat in the chair next to the fireplace, reading a leather-bound book. His damp hair left wet patches on his clean shirt. “I asked them to prepare a bath for you. Nothing personal. I just thought you might like one.”

  “That’s all right,” I said as I climbed off the bed. “I know I stink.” He grinned as I walked past him and into the bath room. A washbasin stood in the corner with a round mirror hung over it, and a wooden bench next to the tub was stacked with soaps and fluffy towels. There were no windows, but oil lamps burned bright on the walls, creating an inviting atmosphere. I cleaned my teeth with one of the mint-flavored cloths on the edge of the wash-basin, made sure the door was closed tight, then stripped off my dirty clothes and stepped into the tub.

  The water was hot enough to turn my skin a deep pink as soon as I slipped in, but I didn’t care. I was happy to let it burn the grime of the previous days out of my skin and hair. I soaked until my skin wrinkled and used a heavy bar of soap to scrub every inch of myself twice over.

  The door to the bedroom opened slightly. I scrambled to grab something to cover myself, but it was only the maid. “May I take your clothes for cleaning, ma’am?”

  I willed my heart to slow. “In a minute, thank you.” The door closed again, and I slipped my head under the water again. Silly thing. Who else would it have been?

  The towels were like nothing I’d ever used before. Thick and fluffy, they seemed to drink the water off of my skin. A clean nightgown and robe hung on the back of the door, and I slipped into them. It almost made me feel like myself again.

  The maid was bringing in supper when I left the bathing room. “Your husband said he’d be back soon, ma’am,” she said in a lilting Tyrean accent thicker than Aren’s. She placed a plate of chicken, roasted potatoes, and unfamiliar greens on the small table, then went to the other room to collect my dirty things.

  “If I may say,” she added as she collected my boots and my extra clothes for cleaning, “he seems like a real gentleman, and I hope you’ll be very happy together.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing and nodded. She smiled and backed out the door.

  “Thanks,” I said, but she was gone. If only you knew. Then my stomach growled, and I forgot about everything but my supper. I ate too much and too quickly, and it felt fantastic.

  I cleaned my teeth again after I finished a glass of a deep-red wine, then ducked down the hall to the toilets that our room shared with a few others.

  When I returned, Aren was taking off his boots. “Careful about leaving the door unlocked,” he said.

  “Sorry, you didn’t leave a key. The maid has one, though.” He didn’t say anything to that, but leaned back in the chair and rubbed his forehead. “Are you all right?” I asked. “Have you eaten?” His color was better, but he looked even more tired than I still felt.

  “I’m fine, I just need a good sleep.” He rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to sleep in the bed? As a person?” He opened one eye, and my face grew warm. “I mean, not with me. It just doesn’t seem like you sleep well as an eagle. I could sleep somewhere else.”

  The corner of his mouth pulled up slightly, and he closed his eye again. “I’ve never slept well.” He pushed himself up and stood, then paced around the room, checking the windows and door. He stopped in the middle of the room and seemed to be listening. Satisfied with what he heard, or perhaps didn’t hear, he turned to me. “It’s better if I change.”

  “Fine.” My voice came out colder than I’d intended. I turned away, and a moment later heard his clothes dropping to the floor, followed by a flapping noise as he scrambled up to perch on the back of the chair. “But I could be very comfortable on that sofa if you change your mind.”

  I blew out the trio of candles on the table and climbed into bed without looking at him. I didn’t know why I was so irritated. It wasn’t like we were going to stay up late and share stories by the fire if he stayed in his human body. After the previous night, I should have been glad to be half-way rid of him. But I was lonely, and being the only person in the room only reminded me of that. I missed my family. I missed my life, even if I hadn’t ever appreciated it before. I wondered what my parents, my aunt and uncle, Felicia and Ashe were doing. They had to be worried about me. And what about Callum?

  My stomach tightened as I realized that I no longer wanted Callum to find me, whether he knew the truth about magic or not. I was on my own. It was frightening, but good. For the first time in my life I’d chosen to do something unexpected. And there was the magic. It wasn’t what I’d imagined it would be, but it was real and fascinating and a part of me. What lay ahead was uncertain and dangerous, but now that I’d decided to keep going, it was exciting, too. And I wasn’t completely alone.

  I rolled to face the sitting area, where an eagle’s silhouette stood outlined against the window. “Aren?”

  He snapped his beak to produce a soft clacking noise.<
br />
  “Have a good sleep.”

  Clack. Goodnight.

  Chapter XIX

  Rowan

  “WAKE UP.” I WAS PULLED from my dreams by a hand on my shoulder, shaking me.

  My eyes snapped open. The room was still dark, with only a hint of sunrise lighting the window. Aren leaned over me wearing nothing but a blanket he’d wrapped around his waist. I shouldn’t have stared, but it was a fantastic view. His body was lean and strong, beautiful. I forced my mouth to close and hoped he hadn’t noticed my reaction.

  “Get dressed,” he said, and stepped back. “We have to get out of here, now.”

  He’d already set my clean clothes and boots on the end of the bed. I threw off the blankets, grabbed a set of clothes and ran to the other room to get put them on. When I returned, Aren was dressed and pulling his boots on.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered as I pulled the lavender-scented sachets out of the toes of my boots and tossed them aside. “Is someone coming?”

  “Men. Not Severn, but they’re his. I’ve done what I could to throw them off, but we can’t let them find us here. Come on.” We took our bags and cloaks, and he pulled me down the hall to a closed door that I’d assumed was another bedroom. Aren turned the cut-glass doorknob slowly, and the door opened onto a steep, enclosed staircase.

  “Is this what you were doing when I was in the bath? Scouting escape routes?”

  “Among other things.” He hesitated, head turned to one side, listening.

  We crept down, keeping close to the wall. We’d almost reached the bottom when voices approached the other side of the door.

  “Is there another entrance? Another way upstairs? Anything?” A man’s voice, accompanied by the sound of several sets of footsteps. It didn’t sound like they were right outside the door, but they would be soon.

  “Shit,” Aren whispered. “We’ll have to go back up.” He started up, then paused at the top to wait for me.

  I moved more slowly, examining the walls as well as I could in the almost non-existent light. If this building is anything like Stone Ridge… there.

  “Wait.” I ran my fingers over a wide groove in the paneling until they slipped into a hidden space. I tugged. Nothing. I tried again. Aren started moving back down toward me, and the narrow door nearly smacked him in the face as it popped open. He ducked around and piled our things on the floor next to a dusty old mop and bucket, then offered me a hand to help me step up into the otherwise empty closet. He followed, and I reached past him to pull the door toward us until the latch clicked softly.

  The cupboard was tall, but Aren had to hunch over to keep from knocking his head on the top. I was grateful for the vertical space, but it wasn’t wide—just enough room to breathe and not step on each other’s feet.

  The door at the bottom of the stairs slammed open and heavy footsteps clattered toward our hiding spot. I held my breath and pressed my face into Aren’s chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. The door to the upper level of the inn opened with a short groan. Someone heavy stepped down onto the top step.

  “Henderson!” the top-of-stairs man called. “What have you got?” He continued down, and the two met just a step or two above the cupboard. I couldn’t believe they didn’t hear my heart pounding, or the blood that rushed through my ears. Aren breathed deeply and quietly, but I felt his heart beating as hard and fast as mine. I had to fight an insane urge to throw open the door and get it over with. I closed my eyes and grabbed on to the back of Aren’s jacket, squeezing my hands into tight fists, just to keep myself grounded.

  “Nothing, sir,” said the man I’d heard downstairs. “They all say the same thing—the only couple they’ve had pass through here was two nights ago, and they didn’t match our description. Some of them don’t remember anyone at all. Desk clerk said she thought they’d headed south out of town, but she couldn’t be sure.”

  The other man grunted. “Fine. There’s something going on here, though. That clerk had a strange look about her when we came in. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was them and he did something nasty to the lot of them. We’ll assume it was and go from there. Only lead we’ve had so far. Send word back to the boss, let him know we’re headed south.”

  “Yes, sir.” Henderson’s boots scraped the stair as he turned and clomped back down. The other one didn’t move.

  “Henderson? You take a few men and head north. He might have given them a mixed-up idea about that, too. We’re supposed to watch for these things.”

  “Yes, sir.” The sound of Henderson’s footsteps grew fainter, but the other one stayed behind. The stair creaked, and the closet door moved in as something pushed on it. Aren tensed, and I held my breath. A scratching noise came from outside, then a sigh. “Damn it,” the man muttered, and the door settled back into place. Footsteps descended the stairs, and the door at the bottom slammed shut.

  My heart slowed, but I couldn’t stop shaking. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, not speaking, breathing in the closet’s musty air. It seemed like hours, but I felt certain that as soon as we opened the door someone would decide to come storming back up the stairs and spot us. I was fine waiting. There were worse places to be. I felt safe with Aren.

  I looked up, but it was too dark to see his face. Was he using magic, sensing the people around us? I never felt anything when he did it, but his eyes sharpened when he focused on his magic. I shivered as I thought of that look. Frightening, but dangerously attractive. I suddenly became more aware of his arms around me.

  “They’re gone,” he whispered, and lowered his hands to his sides. My own fingers seemed frozen, and I had trouble letting go of him. I reached out and felt for the latch.

  Aren stepped out, brushed cobwebs from his hair, and then held out a hand to help me. I was glad for that. My legs were like jelly, and I expected to fall out of the cupboard and roll down the stairs.

  “Thanks,” he whispered, and gave me an uncomfortable smile. “How did you know that door was there?”

  “Hide-and-seek. I almost got stuck in a closet like that when I was a kid.” I reached behind me for our bags, then pressed the door closed.

  Aren took his things and started back up the stairs. I followed cautiously. “Aren’t we leaving?”

  “I just want to see something. It’s safe enough, now.”

  The doors to the bedrooms were all open. I’d locked ours when we left, and it hung off of its hinges, cracked in the middle. Every room we passed was ripped apart, mattresses overturned and wardrobes emptied. Most had been unoccupied, but I still felt terrible for the people who would have to clean up the mess. I doubted Henderson or Sir would be back to help with that.

  Aren leaned against the wall and crouched, resting his forehead in his hands. I sat across from him and waited. He looked up. “That was too close.”

  I laughed, mostly out of relief. “You think so?”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. It’s much more difficult to sense danger when there are other people around, getting in the way.”

  “That’s not your fault. I guess we’ve been lucky so far.”

  “Maybe. But I should have known they were coming long before I did. I must have been sleeping more deeply than I realized.”

  “No harm done.”

  “For now.” He stood and offered a hand to pull me up. “I couldn’t have picked a better person to be stuck in a closet with, though.” He picked up his bag again and headed toward the dark staircase.

  I hoped I wasn’t blushing. That would have been stupid.

  Chapter XX

  Aren

  WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG with me?

  I couldn’t look at Rowan as we walked to the stable. It wasn’t like me to speak on impulse, to say something that revealed so much of myself. But then, I’d been acting out of character too much in the past few days. It was so much easier before. I knew my place, knew what I was supposed to be doing, and who I was supposed to be.

  Now that I had thrown that life a
way, I couldn’t seem to remember who I was.

  I’d made a plan before I fell asleep. Get her to safety, find someone to break the binding, leave her to make a new life for herself wherever she chose. We’d both be safer once we were apart. Severn would follow me. He didn’t need her as much as he needed his revenge. And I would be better able to escape without her. The decision should have pleased me, but it left me feeling empty.

  She was becoming more of a distraction as the days passed. In spite of the trouble she caused and the way she always had something to talk about, I found myself enjoying her company, wanting to touch her, to make her smile or to tell her things that would please her. But it was best that I not let her get too close. Every time I caught myself thinking about her, I found that my attention had slipped from my magical defenses.

  My reasons for helping her were becoming more clear to me. My feelings toward her were not due to magic—at least, not now. I had to face the fact that I cared for her, wanted to protect her. I would accomplish that task, but the emotions couldn’t be allowed to continue. I would acknowledge what had happened, learn from it, but I would not let it make me weak. And she would never know.

  Rowan spoke quietly to her horse while I convinced the groom that he should give us new tack for the horses, plus supplies for ourselves and the animals. She seemed like the sort of person who became attached to people and animals far too quickly. A person like her would never survive in my family.

  She turned to me and smiled nervously after the groom left. She’ll do better somewhere else, I thought. She could take care of herself. She’d shown that in the dragon cave when she got us both out of that situation, and without any magic to rely on. The hardness she’d revealed in her handling of the dragon was unexpected, and admirable. Finding that cupboard in the inn was a bit of good luck, but still, she’d thought to look, and moved quickly to try and keep us safe. I didn’t like hiding, but it hadn’t been all bad. It was cramped and uncomfortable, and being trapped in there left us too vulnerable, but even understanding the danger we were in hadn’t kept me from enjoying having her body pressed against me for a few minutes.