The Brotherhood: Blood (76 page)
You need to stop,
he thought, taking a deep breath.
This isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Uncurling himself from the mass of blankets he’d bundled up in, Odin crawled out of bed and made his way into the bathing room, where he looked at the circular, wooden tub they hadn’t used since they left Fisherman’s point. Then and there, he decided he would take a bath, then heat the water up for either Miko or Nova, whomever returned first.
Turning, he grabbed the bucket of water at his side and brought it near the far wall. There he set it under a pump, turned its rotating knob, and began to draw water from the sea through an ingenius and somewhat-impossible method that couldn’t have been committed without magic or some kind of pressurized system that Odin didn’t even want to begin to think about. The process, though tedius and requiring a constant rotation of the pump’s vaulve, did not take long to complete, given that he was able to cross the distance between the pump and the tub back and forth fairly quickly. Soon enough, he had a tub full of water before him.
“All right,” he muttered, kneeling beside the tub. “Here goes nothing.”
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and looked deep inside himself, locating the fountatin that fueled his magical being and that of everything else in their world. Once found, he began drawing energy from it, shivering at the warmth that traveled the length of his arm and toward the water. It bothered him for only a moment until the water started to sizzle. A dip of his finger proved he’d heated it enough for a substantial bath.
At least I’ll be clean,
he thought, parting the folds of his jerkin.
Not that dirty water necessarily bothered him. He could bathe in it just fine, but he preferred to know what could be in the water around him before he stepped into it without any clothing. He’d heard of foolish men developing illness just because they hadn’t bothered to clean their water.
After double-checking to make sure the tub had indeed heated up, Odin stepped out of his trousers and into the bath. Inside, he sunk until only his upper lip remained above its surface and closed his eyes. He took slow, deep breaths, reveling in the water’s warmth and the way it seemed to drown out all but the simplest of things.
This feels so good,
he thought.
“Hey.”
Odin jumped, inhaling water in the process.
Coughing, he looked up to find Nova standing in the threshold, both hands braced against the wall. “Sorry,” the older man smiled. “I was going to ask if I could get in with you.”
“I don’t care,” Odin managed, pounding his chest. Water ran out the corners of his mouth.
“If you’re modest, that’s fine—I can wait.”
“I’m not modest,” Odin laughed, coughing up more water. “It’s ok. Come in.”
He turned his head to allow Nova his privacy. A moment later, his friend settled into the water beside him.
“Thanks,” Nova sighed, splashing water on his face. “It feels good to have a warm bath.”
“I’m going to run another for Miko later,” Odin said, lifting a bar of soap at this side. “I don’t think he wants to bathe in our water.”
“I doubt he’d care,” Nova laughed. “Here—hand me that bar of soap.”
Odin slid it in Nova’s hand, then moved over so the man could better wash himself.
“Can we talk now that we’re along?” Nova asked, sliding the soap across his chest. “I’m worried about you.”
“I know. It’s ok. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Heh,” the man laughed. “Yeah right. Knowing you, you’re keeping something you seen or heard to yourself and it’s eating you alive.”
Crimson lit Odin’s cheeks. Nova chuckled and gently splashed him. “So I was right,” he said, running wet fingers through the soapy curls of hair on his chest. “You know you can talk to me, bud.”
“I know.”
“So why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”
“All right.” Odin sighed, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “A few nights ago,” he said, giving Nova his full attention, “I saw Miko talking to a water dragon.”
“A water dragon?” Nova frowned. “You serious?”
“Uh huh.” Odin paused, crossing his arms over his chest. It seemed so cold despite the warm water that came to his nipples.
“I thought dragons were extinct?” the older man asked.
“
Supposedly
extinct,” Odin offered.
“Anyway, I guess that doesn’t really matter,” Nova sighed. “I can understand why that would bother you, Odin, but it’s not like Miko’s going to tell people he can talk to a dragon.”
“It’s not that, Nova.”
“What is it then?”
“He… uh… said that he…”
“It’s ok. Take your time.”
“He said that something bad was going to happen, and that he felt he had to protect me from it.”
Nova said nothing. He looked down at the water, almost as if something had caught his attention. For a brief moment, Odin entertained the fantasy of that same water dragon appearing from beneath the silky white soap water to greet them with its presence. That idea quickly passed though, as Nova sighed and brought Odin’s attention back to his face. “I don’t know what to tell you, Odin. On one hand, I’m kinda worried, because if Miko feels like something is wrong that can’t be good. On the other hand though, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, becaue it’s not like you can control what’s coming your way.”
“Maybe this is pointless,” Odin mumbled.
“What?”
“I said maybe this is pointless.”
“Yeah, but
what’s
pointless?”
“Being on this adventure, training to become a knight.
This.”
He flushed his hand at the air around them. “I don’t get the point if something bad’s going to happen to me.”
“Don’t say that,” Nova said, setting a hand on Odin’s arm. “Imagine what you’re going to be doing in a few years, Odin. You’re going to be a
knight,
riding around the country, helping those who need help and defending those who can’t defend themselves. What could be better than that?”
“If something’s going to happen to me, Nova, I won’t be able to help anyone.”
“Bullshit you can’t!”
Odin swallowed a lump in his throat. He looked into his friend’s eyes, unsure of what to say. “What?” he asked.
“You can do
anything
you want. Don’t hold yourself back just because someone’s saying they think something bad’s going to happen to you.”
“But Miko—”
“Miko
nothing,
Odin. I don’t care if he’s half-Elf, half-Drow, half whatever the fuck you can think of—he’s still
here
, he’s still
physical.
Just because he’s lived a lot longer than we have doesn’t mean he knows something we don’t.”
“What if he has the Sight or something though? Like you have?”
“So
what?
Just because someone has the Sight doesn’t mean everything they see is true.”
“But you… you found me.”
“That’s because it was
right
that time. Who knows what could have happened. I could’ve went all the way to find out you didn’t exist. Would that mean that just because I saw something and didn’t find it that I was somehow better than everyone else, somehow
more useful?
Because if it does, hell—sign me up. I’ll be the king’s royal seer.”
“That’s not funny Nova.”
“But do you see my point?”
“Yeah,” Odin sighed. “I do.”
“Come here bud,” Nova said, opening his arms.
With nothing else to do, Odin sighed and slid into his friend’s embrace.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” the older man whispered, patting Odin’s upper back. “Don’t worry. I promise.”
Somehow, Odin believed that, despite everything he felt.
Later that day, after Odin and Nova had bathed for what seemed like hours, Miko returned. Upon noticing the pair of them were freshly-washed and clean, he smiled, then strode across the room to sit at Odin’s side.
“You’re very handsome,” Miko said, touching Odin’s face. “As are you, Nova.”
“Thanks,” Nova grinned, reching up to smooth his beard. “I kinda already figured I was though, since I’m a married man and all.”
“I know.” Miko returned his eyes to Odin. “Is there still water?”
“I’ll go run more,” Odin said, standing. He smiled when Miko pursed his lips. “It’s all right, sir. I was planning on doing it anyway”
“All right,” the Elf shrugged, slipping his cloak off his shoulders. “If you want, that’s fine. Don’t feel as though you have to.”
“I know.”
Odin reached up and gripped the Elf’s smooth wrist. He traced the muscles up his knight master’s arm until his hand came to rest on his shoulder, at which point his eyes fell to the Elf’s smooth, handsome face. As always when in the presence of such a tremendous creature, he stared until he figured his action too impolite, then turned and made his way into the bathing chamber.
As he pumped fresh, if salty water into the tub, he found himself thinking about what he and Nova had discussed earlier. Although his friend was only a few years older than he was, Nova held gems of knowledge in his mind that he could only hope to achieve. He couldn’t imagine being on this journey without him. Had Nova not been there, he would’ve never had the courage to introduce himself to Icklard and Domnin, nor would he have had the strength to traverse the shaking halls of a storm-battered ship. And now, pumping new bathwater for a creature he could have only hoped to dream of, he realized he would have never gotten over the worry and fear of the future heading his way like a loaded crossbow shooting its bolt had it not been for Nova.
He’s helped me a lot,
Odin thought, reaching up to scratch an itch on his cheek.
I don’t know what I’d do without him.
“Is it ready?”
Odin blinked. Miko set a hand on hi shoulder, kneading the tightened muscle.
“Almost, sir,” Odin said, kneeling beside the water. “You can undress now.”
Miko slid his hands to the knot of his skirt while Odin held his hand over the water, warming its depths from top to bottom. He caught sight of Miko’s muscular legs, but quickly turned away, not wanting to stare like he’d done so long ago in Ornala.
“There’s nothing to be ashasmed of, Odin.”
“I know, sir. It’s just that… well, you already know what I think of you. You’re strong, smart… brave.”
“As are you, my friend.” Miko set a hand on Odin’s cheek, sliding a thumb along his jaw. Unnerved by the touch, Odin shivered and would have drawn away had he not the self restraint. “Is something wrong, Odin?”
“No, sir. Is… is the water warm enough?”
Miko stooped, sliding the tips of his nails inside. “Yes,” he nodded, stepping over and into the tub. “Thank you, Odin. I’ll call if I need anything.”
Odin nodded, accepted the grip his knight master offered, then left the room, trying his best to shake the iamge of a life-hardened warrior from his mind.
As traveling southwest would have predicted, the weather continued to worsen, often to the point where even the comfort of four walls all but diminished. Odin, who’d experienced this drastic change in temperature firsthand upon their initial maiden voyage, refused to go on the deck without reason now that the skin on his back, shoulders and arms was flaking.
“Dammit!” Odin cried as Nova rubbed sunburn balm on his back. “That fucking hurts!”
“Quite a mouth on you there,” Nova chuckled.
“Shut up.”
“I’m sorry, Odin, but don’t feel like you’re the only one who has it.”
“I know,” he sighed, biting his lower lip. It’d be raw by the time the day was over. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” The older man paused, squeezing more balm onto his hand. “Damn hot weather.”
“It makes you wonder where we’re actually going.”
“Sure as hell does,” Nova agreed.
“I just wish everything didn’t have to be such a big secret.”
“So do I, but you heard Miko—‘you’ll appreciate it more if you want until we get there.’”
“Did you appreciate Neline?”
“No,” Nova mumbled. “I was cold and miserable both ways.”
Odin chuckled. Nova slapped the back of his head and dumped him out of the chair. “Hey!” Odin cried.
“Snooze you lose, bud.”
Smirking, Odin rose, brushed some dirt off his trousers, and walked to the bed, where he spread out across it on his stomach and tried his best not to move. “I hope this weather doesn’t last too long.”
“Even if it does, we’ll get used to it.”
“I guess.”
Nova settled down at the foot of the bed and squeezed Odin’s thigh. “Just relax and get some sleep. The sunburn will be gone soon enough.”
“I know. Thanks Nova.”
“Don’t mention it.” Nova rose and crossed the short distance to his bed, but turned and looked out the window before he could get there.
