Part 2 (2/2)
”You're staring at me.”
He immediately looked away, as though to deny he had been. ”I had never seen you with your hair down.” He let a few seconds pa.s.s in silence, then added, barely louder than a whisper: ”You reminded me of someone I once knew.”
”Who?” Mierna asked without thinking, but the word was lost in the sc.r.a.pping noise of wood on stone when Elden pushed his chair back and stood.
Without a word, almost without a noise, he slid to the weapons room. She heard the characteristic chime of metal on metal when he picked a weapon from the hooks on the wall, followed almost immediately by the swish of a blade slicing the air. She couldn't see him from the doorless archway, but she could see his shadow dance on the far wall. Unable to stop herself, she tiptoed toward the room, stopping to lean against the wall and peer inside. Elden moved almost too fast for her to follow, his sword slas.h.i.+ng through the air, parrying imaginary attacks, never still for more than a second. The look on his face was intense,determined; his every moves reflected strength and focus.
The thought that he was beautiful struck Mierna, coming out of nowhere and leaving her breathless. She couldn't remember ever thinking such a thing about a man before that instant. But then, she couldn't remember either ever wanting to kiss a man before she had met Elden.
She pulled her gaze away from him with some difficulty and returned to sit by the fire. The slight shaking of her hands had nothing to do anymore with the cold. She clasped them in front of her, and turned her face to look at Elden's shadow again. She should have joined him; after all, she had walked through the bad weather to come and train with him. She had a feeling, however, that he would guess the treacherous path her thoughts were taking as soon as he laid his eyes on her, and she would die of shame if he did.
She didn't know how much time pa.s.sed until Elden came back in the common room. The sword now hung from a scabbard at his belt. He returned to the table, but instead of sitting down he leaned against the back of the chair.
”Do you feel warmer?” he asked without looking at her.
”Yes. Thank you.”
He nodded. ”The sun has set. I will take you back to Riverside.”
”I will be fine,” she said quickly. ”You don't have to-”
Already he was striding away without listening to her. He picked his cloak and gloves by the door, and, when he was ready, finally looked at her.
”Let's go.”
His tone left no room for hesitation or arguments. She stood and put on her cloak and sword, then picked up her clothes and looked at Elden questioningly.
”You can keep the clothes,” he said, turning his gaze away. ”At least they will be of use to someone.”
He preceded her outside. By the time she joined him, he was sitting astride the horse he kept in a separate building behind the house. She had seen the elegant horse before, sneaking into the shed while she was out to get water from the well, but she had never seen Elden mount it. He seemed fully at ease even when the animal stomped its foot nervously in the muddy mess the melted snow had left behind.
”Let's go,” Elden said again, holding out his hand toward her.
Mierna breathed deeply before clasping his gloved hand. She missed the feel of his skin, cool but strong as he pulled her up to sit behind him. She had been on a horse before-her father's old, short, stocky mare-but she had never ridden such a fine animal. And she had never ridden at someone's back, with a hand clasped at his side and the other holding her still damp clothes to her.
”Hold on tight,” he said, and heeled the horse forward.
The animal started at a trot. Mierna let out a gasp and let go of her clothes, letting them fall across her legs. She threw both her arms around Elden's waist, her fear to fall greater than her embarra.s.sment at being pressed against his back. With each step of the horse, she could feel Elden's body move againsther, and a slow warmth spread through her. After a while, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the fabric of his cloak as lightly as she could. She felt him tense against her and immediately moved back.
”I think it is time to stop your visits.”
The words seemed loud in the near silence of the forest, louder than Elden's voice had truly been.
”No!” Mierna sat up as straight as she could. She wished she could have seen Elden's face. ”There's so much I still need to learn!”
”The cold season is here. You won't learn anything if you come in frozen as you did today.”
His words made sense, but Mierna refused to see their truth. She couldn't imagine stopping her training so soon. She could imagine even less not seeing Elden until the return of spring.
”Demons don't stop their raids in the winter, do they?” she asked, her voice shaking.
”No, but-”
”And you won't stop fighting them, will you?”
”No, but I'm not-”
”Then I won't stop either. You can't force me to stop.”
During the few minutes of silence that followed her words, Mierna tried to believe she had convinced him, but even she could see the flaw in her argument. She could trudge through wind and snow every day for the entire cold season, but that didn't mean Elden would teach her anything or even open his door to her.
”Is there a place near your village where I could train you?” he asked at last. ”An old barn, or-”
Both relieved and excited, she didn't even let him finish.
”There is. Near my parents' farm. This way.”
They had reached the edge of the woods. In the distance, the village was a scattering of wavering lights behind small windows. Mierna indicated the way to the old barn where all children, including her, had played at one time or another. It had been abandoned for years but it was in good shape.
”It will do,” Elden announced after seeing the place. ”I'll come here every other night, instead of you coming to me.”
”Every other night?” Mierna protested as she slipped off the horse. ”Why not every night like now?”
He seemed amused when he looked down at her. ”You can train on your own the rest of the time. I've shown you enough.”
There was the hint of a question in his words. Mierna didn't know how to answer it. She could have trained on her own, yes. She might even have been good enough with a sword now to best one of theFighters and earn her place amongst them. She wasn't ready, however, to stop seeing Elden.
”I'll see you the night after next,” he said after a few moments. ”Stay warm in the meantime.”
That simple admonishment slid over Mierna like a warm blanket. She watched Elden go, only shaking herself into motion when he had disappeared. As she started toward her parents' farm, she glanced back at the old barn and smiled. She couldn't wait to return and see Elden again.
The snow had all but disappeared over the fields, and she reached the farm in no time. She would get in through the back door and the pantry, she decided, and try to avoid anyone seeing her in the clothes Elden had given her. When she walked in, however, and despite her care at being silent, the old door creaked loudly and revealed her presence. Her mother appeared in the doorway that led to the kitchen.
Of short stature, she had an air about her that commanded respect even from men two heads taller than she was.
”Good evening, Mother.” Mierna crossed the room, trying to hide the still damp clothes she held beneath her cloak. ”I will come help you in a minute.”
She slipped past her mother and into the bedrooms hallway. She intended to change once she reached her room, but her mother followed her in. Mierna dropped her clothes out of sight before lighting a candle.
”We were worried. Were you ... training again? You shouldn't be running outside in this weather.”
Mierna didn't know how to answer. She hated to lie to her parents, yet she had had no choice but to tell them she spent her afternoons training on her own. She couldn't begin to imagine their reaction if she had admitted she trained with a vampire.
”I found a place,” she said slowly. ”In the woods. Where I found the sword before.”
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