The Mage of Orlon: The beginning (12 page)

BOOK: The Mage of Orlon: The beginning
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If she could seduce him, he might get to know her better and then fall in love with her over time.
For now she just had to get rid of the pesky elven woman long enough to start seducing Nate.
Then he would be Ileana

s forever!

After the meal, they packed up what little was needed for the trip and left Santrose.
Half an hour into the hike Lela began to yawn, finally she stopped.


Sorry, I guess I did not sleep as well as I thought I had.


We can take a break Lela, go ahead and get some rest.

Ileana chimed.


Nate, could you get me a little water from the stream over there?

Lela asked around a yawn.


Sure Lela.


Thank you Nate.

Lela smiled weakly as Nate walked into the forest.


Lela there isn

t a stream over where you sent Nate.


I know Ileana.

The flatness in her tone sounded bad.
Lela

s hand went quickly around the front of Ileana

s throat.
Ileana was slammed into a thick tree having the wind knocked out of her and no way to breath she slapped weakly at Lela

s rock like grip.


Sleeping root, really Ileana?
Before you become a tragic victim of a roaming forest beast who tore you apart, I will give you one chance to explain.


How did you know?

Ileana whispered.


I smelled the scent of sleep root the moment I stepped into your home; I chewed some caff root to counter the herb that was in my bread.
So tell me why!


I wanted some alone time with Nate, I thought if I could seduce him he might stay with me and send you back home alone.
I

m sorry I tried to trick you, but I am so lonely in Santrose.
He was the first person in a very long time to even care enough to ask me how I felt after a dream.
I know I am pathetic, but that is the truth.
I wanted to break you two up so I could have him.

Ileana started crying, she had gone from a feared demon archer to a conniving, weak little girl and all because of a few moments of kindness from a boy.
How could she tell the woman who had her pinned to a tree about all the times the children never wanted her to play because she was different, or of all the lonely nights she had silently cried because no boys would ask her to the festivals the village had every year?

Lela began laughing, a thick joyous sound that starts from the bottom her soul until it tumbled out of her mouth.
Lela released her grip on Ileana

s neck.
To think all this was about, was getting to know Nate better.
More laughter erupted from Lela, she couldn

t help it.


At the risk of being pinned to the tree again I ask, what is so funny Lela?

With tears in her eyes and hiccupping for enough air to talk Lela finally answered the confused demon archer.


If you want him then take him!
You think we are a couple.
We are not; he is the next mage of Orlon.
I am helping him restore the spell book that he destroyed.
That is why we are here.
You thought we were a couple!
Oh, oh my, I have been torn about how I feel about him, but I would never drug the competition just for alone time.
When this is over you two can figure out if you are a good match or not I am staying out of this one.


But Lela, you two sleep together!
That means you are a couple.


Ileana, we slept together for warmth before your nightmare, but I slept on the floor after we got back.
We are not lovers!
I think if I gave him half a chance he would fall in love with me, but I have been in love with a mage and it ended badly.


So you are not mad about the sleep root?


Mad, no, furious, yes!
You made a mistake this time. Do not try that ever again with me, or you forfeit your life.
Ileana, I know the sight, smell and texture of every known plant in these forests do you understand!


I am sorry Lela.


You will earn your forgiveness from me by taking us the quickest route to Lex

s house.
If you want Nate, then by all means have him, but do not betray me again!

Lela slid down on the ground just as Nate came back through the bushes.


I

m sorry Lela I couldn

t find the stream.


It

s okay Nate; Ileana gave me nice herbal drink that should have me back up and running in a little while.
Why don

t the two of you go out and find some more of those delicious thorn bush roots.
Ileana can show you how to find them.

A smile spilled across Ileana

s face, Lela was not going to tell Nate about the sleep root.
She would never betray Lela again.
Ileana took Nate by the hand and pulled him behind her as she started searching for the thorn bushes.

Lela laid back and smiled, she might have just sent Nate off with someone who would love him back as much as he could love her.
So why was sadness creeping in to her good mood?
It had been a good plan, and anything to keep Ileana from trying to drug her again or do worse was a nice bonus.
The feeling persisted; finally she had to admit that Nate had grown on her.
She had tried everything she could think of to stop these feelings, but deep down inside her she loved Nate, through all the things that he had put her through, she loved him.
A tiny tear slid from her eye.
She loved him and had just pushed him into the arms of another woman.

Chapter 20


This way Nate!

Ileana nearly squealed with delight.


Ileana slow down, how do you even know where we are going?

It was true she was running with abandon, the elf girl didn

t tell about the sleep root, and told her Nate was all hers.
Ileana

s heart pounded in her chest like a drum.
Finally she wouldn

t be alone!
Running through the trees she caught the faint scent of flowers, a nearly too sweet smell that of the thorn bush.

Stopping a few feet from the bush Nate opened his mouth.
The bush was huge, brightly red with two inch long stickers that lined the spindly branches.
There were no leaves only the wicked red branches shooting up from the ground.


How do you know this is the right bush Ileana?


Because of the smell silly, do you smell the sweetness in the air?

After a few moments Nate did notice the scent in the air.
But the bush looked so bright red that surely it was poisonous.
Then a thought occurred to him, they had run all the way here to this bush, how had she done that being blind?


Ileana can I ask you a question?


Sure Nate anything you like.

She said with a flirty manner.

It was finally going to happen! He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend!
Sure it was irrational, but her only competition could care less! Her joyful daydream was cut short though by what Nate said next.


How can you see to run like that, and you recognize the scent of the bush when it is one of the most fearsome looking bushes I have ever seen?


Nate I know these woods like the back of my hand, I didn

t always run through them.
Yes the thorn bush is in fact a thorn bush with really long thorns, but the roots are safe to eat if you know how to get them.

Not exactly the way she had imagined the conversation going, but maybe he would understand how she survived and fall in love with her because of her cunning.

Nate watched as Ileana stretched out her hands and slowly walked towards the impending thorns.
The tension grew as she inched closer and closer, finally Nate darted forward and grabbed Ileana by the wrists.


You

re going to get hurt Ileana, and why to prove a point.

Ileana yanked her wrists from Nate

s hands, anger flooded into her cheeks.


I am not helpless Nate!
I am blind that is all!
Do you think someone helped me make that breakfast for you? Or bake the bread that you liked so well?
No!
I am the demon archer and I am Ileana, both need food, and both are independent.
I thought you were different, but you are not.
You only see a helpless blind girl, but I am not helpless!

She was out of breath trying to gulp in enough air to finish this argument.
But something was wrong; it was as if she couldn

t get enough air.
Then it hit her, the other scent, poison dust.
It came from another plant one that usually grew alongside the thorn bush.
If she hadn

t been so distracted she would have noticed the vines acrid smell before now.

Ileana was gasping for air she couldn

t breathe, but why nothing seemed to be draining his breath was a mystery.
Ileana was starting to pass out, she stumbled and fell, but why did it matter anyway the person she thought would be hers forever was just like the rest of the people she grew up with, she faded into the darkness and was glad for the release.


Ileana, Ileana, wake up Ileana.

The voice sounded so far away, then pressure on her lips.
It was pleasant, the feeling of breath being pushed into her lungs making her chest rise was a little disturbing, but okay.
The pleasant voice came back

Ileana, please come back.

The pressure of lips was again accompanied by air being driven into her lungs, this time it hurt.
Was someone pushing on her chest?
Ileana sat up gasping for air.


Whose there?

she asked shakily.


It

s me, Nate and Lela.


The poison dust, we have to get out of here!

Ileana nearly screamed.


It

s okay Lela found the vine that was causing you not to breath and burned it.


I told him after the vine was destroyed you would snap out of it, but he insisted on kissing you and pushing on your breasts.

Lela teased.


It

s called CPR, and it has saved many lives where I come from!

Nate yelled back.


Call it what you will, but women generally like to have their breasts rubbed gently, not pushed down on, you nearly broke one of her ribs.


Lela, we weren

t making out, I was forcing air into her lungs to save her life!


You wanted to save my life Nate?

Ileana whispered.


Yeah, why wouldn

t I?

Tears threatened to slip from Ileana

s eyes.
No one ever cared enough about her to help her except Kyne. Nathan had saved her life!
He might not love her, but he didn

t want her dead.
She might be able to work with that.
Maybe he didn

t love her, but maybe she could talk him into living in Santrose with her!

BOOK: The Mage of Orlon: The beginning
12.1Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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