The King's Sword (16 page)

“They are beautiful animals.” Fiona smiled, reaching to touch Sorcha’s coat. “Keegan Yore has raised some fine horses.”

“He has and I am grateful that he allowed us use of them. I can’t imagine trying to walk this long way.” He glanced at her. “How long did it take you to walk it?”

“I was given a lift a time or two from farmers with wagons and such so it took me very little time to get from Merisgale to Fullerk.” She smiled when he cupped his hands so he could help hoist her back atop the animal. She stepped into his hands and swung her leg over the horse’s back gracefully. Ronan mounted behind her.

“There is a village just past the foothills of Jobi. I can obtain another horse there.” Fiona offered.

“Is Jobi as large as Fullerk?” Ronan asked.

“No, it is just a small place. A few farmers and their families, a small tavern, and a school,” Fiona answered. “Thatched roofs and sod walls.”

“Sounds lovely,” Ronan said sarcastically and she chuckled.

“They are a simple but good people. It shall not be so bad,” Fiona offered. “It can’t be much different than your own home.”

“I have a roof,” Ronan growled. “And a mind to think with”

“Yes, you were very clever to make a fake sword for the centaur,” Fiona agreed, nodding so her hair brushed Ronan’s cheek

“Are there lonely women in Jobi?” he asked and she laughed this time.

“Most are children or are married.” Fiona glanced over her shoulder at him. “It is good to hear you are revived enough to think of such things after being so weakened last night.”

“Ula cast a spell where I would feel no pain. It works. I’ve nearly forgotten about the injury,” Ronan told her. “It is better than having her smearing cow urine all over the wound which I believe would be the alternative.”

Fiona’s lips curled before she faced forward. “She was worried about you last night.”

Ronan’s brow rose. Her words were spoken softly as if she felt some tenderness for the sorceress when not long ago he had to tell her not to be cruel. Perhaps he’d only spoken what she already knew in her heart. Perhaps he’d actually helped her let go of her pain.

“Most likely afraid she wouldn’t have a chance to wave her rat foot at me again,” He chuckled lowly.

Nine

Ronan’s eyes swept over the green foothills and then to the crystalline lake that nestled in the dip that the hills made against one another. To the north, the sun slipped down casting ribbons of blue, red, and orange across the fading afternoon sky. It was breathtaking.

“We stop now. The horses need to revive themselves,” Keegan said. “They’ve been pushing nonstop for days. We’ll set up camp here.” Ronan smiled with approval of their campsite. Surrounded by so much beauty, he felt pure and his worries fled with the setting sun. There was peace to be found in this place.

“How long will they need?” Ronan slid down from the horse, then reached up to lift Fiona to the ground as well.

“A couple of days and they will be ready to go again.”

“A couple of days?” Ronan repeated, releasing Fiona’s waist once she was standing on her own feet and turned, staring at the horseman. They could not afford a couple of days. By then the centaur could catch up with them and he did not look forward to meeting with Bryan again.

“They have not slept since we left your cottage,” Keegan explained. “They can go for many days but need to stop to collect their strength at some point.” Ronan glanced at the horses then sighed and nodded. He didn’t like the delay but Keegan was right. They couldn’t keep pushing the animals or they would be no good to them anyway.

“At least from here we have a clear view of the road for miles.” Ula nodded in the direction from which they’d traveled as if to offer some ease to the worries Ronan might have felt. “No chance of that centaur sneaking up on us.” Ronan followed her gaze, noting that it was a very good place to stop.

“Not on my guard,” Arien piped, eyes awaiting Ronan’s nod of approval. Ronan gave it to him without even thinking about it. Arien beamed at his response.

“You shall make him so that he will think he is the guard rather than you,” Ula warned. “He has already put himself in danger because of you.”

“Why don’t you get to finding us something to eat? I’m famished.” Ronan looked to Ula and she slanted a smile. Arien wasn’t the only one who enjoyed having a task to perform. She seemed to enjoy his approval as much as his apprentice.

“You shall grow soft,” Ula accused softly but ambled toward the light wooded area that scattered across the hillside to their north. He knew she would bring back something and cook it so it was a meal prepared well enough for a king.

“I’ll collect the wood for our fire.” Keegan was already striding away and Arien found a boulder to perch on so he could keep watch on the road. Ronan realized immediately, as if by some secret, silent communication, they were all giving him room in the event he wished to share a few moments alone with Fiona. It embarrassed him slightly to have them all so at ease with the situation when he felt everything but.

“What should I do?” Fiona faced Ronan, eyes reflecting eagerness to be useful. He could think of several things she would be useful in doing but she did not appear to have guessed what the others had done. He reached up and retrieved the leather wrapped sword and the sheath from Sorcha’s back. He tied the sheath onto his belt and then unwrapped the sword. He couldn’t leave it here. He felt it was too dangerous to leave it anywhere out of his sight after what Ula had revealed about the weapon. He drove it into the sheath and then turned.

“Those clouds look like they carry rain,” Ronan observed and then glanced around until his eyes rested on the small crevice of a cave entrance. “Let’s see how much dry space we’ll have to work with. We may have to move some rocks around to make room for everyone a place to sleep.” He stepped toward the cave. At the entrance he stopped and looked back at her, feeling ashamed that he’d actually considered leading her inside with hopes that her affection could be won.

“It’s dark in there. You may want to wait outside,” He reluctantly warned and her mouth slanted as she pushed past him into the cave.

“For what? You think there are snakes in here?” Her sarcasm echoed from within the belly of the cavern.

“There is now,” He mumbled back at her before ducking into the darkness behind her. Pitch black and no crevices to offer light, he observed, or rain. The smoky scent of rock dust was light in the air, but not damp. This would be a good place, if it were big enough.

“Can you see anything?” Ronan reached out but his hands slid through the velvet. His voice hit the back wall of the cavern and came back at him. He judged it to be just a few feet deep. It was big enough for the five of them, though they would be sleeping side by side.

“I’m a Serpentine. Of course I can see,” She said from just ahead of him. With his hands extended in front of him, he stumbled deeper into the cave, stepping carefully over the unfamiliar stone floor. The scrape of his shoes on the floor sounds like the steps of an ogre, he thought to himself. That meant there were no other entrances in the back.

“Psst.” The sound whispered past his ear but he could not find a body with his hands. Instead they hit the back wall of the cave. His fingers dragged down the rough rock. Feels like granite, he observed absently.

A little giggle caused him to turn left. “I believe you are trying to get me lost in here.” He felt like a fool grinning into the blackness. But he couldn’t help it. It felt like she had started some erotic game, one that might end in a way he wouldn’t mind if he caught her. He swiped his hand around him but she’d moved again. He whirled when she tapped him on the shoulder but then she was swallowed up by the darkness again.

“No fair if you are using snake arms to do that.” He called then lowered his voice. “What do I get if I catch you?”

“You won’t,” She whispered, the sound of her voice seeming closer than before, the echoes not traveling so far. He reached out but touched only nothingness.

“Then what is the point of this?” He moved slowly, turning in circles as he stepped. “There must be some reward that will keep me interested.” A little sound, like muffled laughter and he found a wall again. She was right. He wouldn’t be able to catch her this way. Finally he grew still and closed his eyes to the darkness. Maybe if he listened hard enough he could hear her breathing.

Without sight, Ronan’s other senses became more acute. Faintly he could smell her, the soft but musky scent of her hair. Keeping his arms extended he felt warmth move slowly past them, parting the cool of the air. She was close. She moved with silence so it did no good to focus on trying to hear her. But he could feel her eyes watching him now. He wondered at how much of an idiot he looked like in the dark.

But Ronan had started to feel like part of the cave, now. It was similar to how he felt when he made a sword, becoming adjusted to the straight lines and sharp edge. His body became part of the heat of the forge. His hands held the blade, almost as if he was an extension of the weapon. Now, he was a stone in this dark cave and she was the intruder. He was part of the darkness, seeking out his prey.

It startled him that he would even think of it that way. He was not preying on her. It had been she that started this game. But still it was a hunt. She’d set their roles when she’d laughed at his fumbling. And he was a hunter, she was the hunted. The thought of those roles caused his heart to quicken.

“You are wrong.” His words sounded like thunder when they interrupted the silence. “I am going to catch you. I can tell which direction you are in now. Before long, my eyes will have become accustomed. You’ll have nowhere to hide.” She giggled and his smile widened as he realized she was right in front of him. Still he did not reach out for her. His muscles tightened, readying to capture his wild thing. He sensed a quick movement suddenly at his side and reached out, hand touching a waist and then hooking it. Fiona’s laughter drifted up.

“Not bad for a blind blacksmith,” She said between chuckles.

“You’ll have to be eyes enough for me until we can get some fire in here. Is it big enough for all of us?” His hand remained on the bare skin of her waist. He’d already determined it was a large cavern and that they would have more than enough room to sleep. But he liked the sound of her voice. It was like thick waves of obsidian in an even darker night.

“More than big enough,” she told him. “No wetness can get in.”

“Good.” Still he didn’t move and he noticed she didn’t either. “How hard would you slap me if I kissed you, Fiona?” He asked after a moment.

“Very hard,” she answered.

“Close your eyes,” he commanded.

“Why?”

“It evens things up a bit.” He turned and reached out with his other hand to find her shoulder. Fingers tightened there on her skin and pulled her forward.

“It’s not a good idea. We have a mission,” Fiona reasoned.

Ronan leaned forward and found her lips in the dark. “I thought you were going to slap me,” he spoke against her mouth.

“Thestian might not approve of this. He sent me to retrieve the sword for him.” Fiona was grasping for reasons to end their exchange. “The others will return soon. It doesn’t take Ula long to bring back food.” Ronan breathed out heavily against the ball of her shoulder. He lowered his forehead and rested it against her.

“Just tell me no or yes. I’m no good at deciphering what you really mean,” he murmured.

“Yes.”

* * *

“You are a wizard.” Fiona’s voice was the first to interrupt the stillness that stretched between them.

“I’m a blacksmith,” he argued

“You are more than that. When you…found your pleasure…” she sounded a bit embarrassed, “there was light all around us. As bright as if we were in an open field.”

“It’s the sword. I’d forgotten to remove it from my belt when we started. I was a bit preoccupied with other things,” he reasoned.

“The light did not come from the sword. The light came from you,” she insisted.

“Stop this nonsense. I am no wizard.” He tried to laugh but the sound caught in his throat. “I am just a man as any other. It’s the sword. The metal holds magic.”

“No.” Fiona touched his arm. “The metal works for a wizard’s magic. The power of the sword is the draw for control. The magic of it is the harnessed power of the person.”

Ronan stepped away from her, toward the entranceway of the cave. “Enough of this silliness. The others will be waiting.” But guilt made him stop. She did not deserve his coldness. He turned back and moved to her. She remained still when he dropped a kiss on her cheek.

“It is a serious matter for a wizard to carry the sword, more serious than if you were man without magic.”

Ronan turned abruptly. He didn’t want to hear anything more. It was making his head hurt.

Instead he stepped into the sunlight and shielded his eyes, leaving her in the darkness. The others were not looking in his direction, going about as if they knew nothing of what had just occurred. Well, all except Ula, who looked right at him. Of course she would, just to laugh at him.

Slowly his eyes adjusted to the light. “The cave will be dry enough for us if it rains.” He glanced at Ula, and then met her eyes. “What is it?” Her lips thinned and she looked down at the meat she was preparing. He didn’t glance back at Fiona as she stepped from the cave.

Fiona’s gaze moved over each of them as Ronan settled near Ula and took out his dagger and a stone. The scrape of the blade across the hard rock filled the air, quickly chasing the uncomfortable silence away.

Fiona figured that the boy was the one most likely to have no judgments about what had just transpired between her and the blacksmith. Ula’s gaze cutting in Ronan’s direction and Keegan’s smug little grin were expressions she didn’t really want to face. So she climbed up the boulder to settle beside Ronan’s apprentice.

“See anything?”

“No.” Arien shook his fair head. “Not even a shadow that might be that centaur.”