The moonlight colored the plants in mystic shades of blue and silver. The view had captured Aurelie's attention when she walked past her window. The moon seemed closer that evening too. Resting her elbows on the windowsill, Aurelie leaned out of the window and inspected the garden. A lot of work had been put into it, not just magical work either. It was a shame to leave it behind. She bet more than a few people would be mad at her for this very reason. Aurelie sighed and leaned her head down, resting her forehead in the palms of her hands.
The branches of a nearby blueberry bush rustled and the leaves shook. Aurelie squatted down so that the top of her head was the only thing above the windowsill. It was dark, but the moon's light worked wonders for seeing shadows. She saw none and waited for more movement of which there was none.
There was a light breeze but it did not even disturb the thin tomato plants. Aurelie scooted over the side, and pressed her back against the wall, leaning sideways to take a better look. The last time she thought it was nothing she ended up burning half a town to capture that nothing.
The door swung open. She gasped. Daerious took a step back, his hand jumping to his sword. He was opposite the window, and the light from the inn illuminated his shape.
"What the hell!" he said, panting. "Never mind," he said and shook his head. "Listen, I'm sorryâ" He walked across the room and came to stand beside her, looking sheepish, tired and determined at the same time. His demeanor reminded her of Kirin's. She had never compared the two before now but something in the way he stood there just brought Kirin to life in front of her eyes.
"Get out of the way," she whispered, gesturing for him to move to the side. "Come look here."
"What am I looking at?" he asked, standing right in front of the window and exposing himself completely to anyone who may be outside.
"Get down," she said and pulled him down by his cloak. "Look! That bush over there," she said, pointing her finger, barely sticking it out further than the window sill.
"I can't see anything with you holding me down," he replied.
Aurelie gripped the windowsill and pulled herself up, the top of her head peeking through the window. "Shoot it." There was no way that she was going to ignore what she had seen not after what happened the last time.
"Do you know how long it takes to craft these arrows?"
Aurelie sighed and pulled the bow over his head. "I'll help you carve your damn arrows, just shoot the bush," she ordered, again.
"There's about a thousand of them, you're going to have to be a bitâ
"The blueberry bush, right across."
Daerious grunted and stood upright. His shoulders arched. He pulled back the string and squinted. Aurelie winced, he was too visible. She wished he'd taken her just a bit more seriously, but she wasn't going to pull him down while he handled his precious arrows. The arrow released, and slashed through the bush, crunching the leaves, and breaking the twigs.
A grunt sounded from behind the bush, and the leaves rustled as the target toppled over.
Aurelie shot up and stuck her head out. "I told you," she said. Her heart skipped. "Get the others. There must be more outside," she ordered.
There was no movement, either the man was alone and dead or he was pretending, and the others were waiting for something. Aurelie turned to make sure Daerious was out of the room, and no wondering eyes were watching. She pulled the window further up, and swung one leg over the side, then the other, and jumped. Her ankle landed on its side and sent a sharp hot pain down her foot. She groaned through clenched teeth and limped for cover.
"What are you doing?" Daerious shouted from above.
"Finding thâ
"Watch out!" he warned and readied his bow.
A man stood behind an apple tree at the far right end of the field. He released an arrow. Aurelie skid down. The arrow slashed past her calve, grazing the skin. She hissed and crawled for the corner of the inn. The man shot another arrow. Aurelie ducked. It flew past her head, disturbing her hair with the wind of its passing.
While he reached for another, Aurelie got to her feet and reached the corner. Arrows slashed through the air from the direction of the Inn. Three landed in a nearby apple tree. She was no longer sure where the attackers had been as she had turned her back on them when she ran for cover so she had to follow the direction of the arrows.
Aurelie set a fire to the apple tree and made it crawl down onto the grass. The man ran from the cover of the tree. She didn't see the arrow travel, but hear the swoosh of it and saw it pierce the man's chest as he ran for new cover. He clasped his chest as another arrow pierced his stomach and fell to his knees.
Kirin ran up from behind her and toppled over near her side. "Good God, have lost your mind?" He grabbed her face, looked it over, and let out a breath of relief. "Damn it! Your leg . . . Can you walk?"
She wiggled her face out of his grip. "I'm fine." She flinched. "There's more out there. We've taken out two so far," she said.
"Set fire to the grounds so Daerious and I can see better," he instructed, poked his head around the corner, and disappeared.
A living torch, I'm honored, she thought with bitter sarcasm.
Aurelie could do much more than just set the damn field on fire. She lay flat on the ground and crawled far enough away from the wall of the inn to see the entire field.
She summoned her fire at the opposite corner of where she was and dragged it along the field, illuminating the grounds around them. One shadow popped up behind the water well, and two behind their fruit trees. Aurelie flicked her hand outward and three rows of fire crawled out of the main line and followed the direction of the three shadows.
As if by signal, at the sound of the screams of the men Aurelie had set alight, a group of men emerged from the trees. The archers stayed behind and looked for cover while the others ran toward Aurelie and Kirin. There must have been at least twenty. Aurelie's heart jolted with excitement and fear.
Kirin took out his dagger, and a small whirlwind climbed up his body. His shadow expanded, and he fell through. "Get inside the inn." He told her and stepped through it.
Hah, no. Running and hiding was the last thing Aurelie intended to do. Kirin appeared in the distance behind one of his attackers. He moved quickly, flying out of his portal, and stabbing the invader in his neck. The attacker fell to the ground, and Kirin's shadow disappeared, turning into dust in the same amount of time that it took his body to hit the grass.
The whirlwind around encircled him and beamed with purple light, his feet levitating. A shadow creature appeared behind each attacker, following their every move.
Daerious hit a target, then another. Kirin danced past the arrows, almost as if his eyes rotated all around his head.
A man crouched and approached Kirin from behind. Aurelie trailed him with her fire. His eyes glanced sideways, and he ran faster than she could catch him. She summoned a fire in front of him. It caught the sole of his shoe. He tapped his foot, but it was too late. Aurelie's eyes blazed, and the fire engulfed him.
A thud sounded to her right. She flinched and leaned against the wall. After a few seconds of regaining her unsteady breath, Aurelie peered around the corner. Daerious had run out of arrows and jumped from the window. Kirin and Daerious fought side by side, their daggers, cutting through the air as their attackers dodged every move.
Kirin kicked forward, and his shadows mimicked sending two of the less attentive attackers flying.
Aurelie's fire trailed Kirin without her notice. His head flicked back and then toward the corner she hid behind. "I thought, I told you to get back," he shouted, gasping for breath.
Oh, well, since you told me. I better run along. She tightened her lips but didn't respond. She wasn't about to blow her cover.
Daerious split up from Kirin, chased by three men. He backed up against Aurelie's fire line, and skipped over it, sparks forming on his trousers. Aurelie pulled at the fire, and it fell off Daerious, like water drops, merging with the other fire. She flicked her arms up, and the fire climbed higher, protecting Daerious from the men.
Something cracked and Kirin grunted. Sparks of ice traveled through Aurelie, and her heart punched out her breath. A man stood above Kirin, her fire circled them, and burned on his clothes. He lifted his sword and yanked it down.
Aurelie froze. A vicious tremor knocked her back and forth. She had lost the ability to think, time slowed, the sword traveled toward Kirin's heart.
Fire levitated above Kirin, and exploded up, into the man's face. Kirin rolled on to his side and stabbed his dagger into the man's leg. He toppled over, grabbing Kirin's feet, and sending him down with him. She didn't know how she managed it and was half certain that it wasn't even her that did it, but she'd save him . . . for now.
Aurelie's vision tunneled. The man swung, and Kirin's head flew left, then right. A guard lay to the left of them, his body jerking, and an arrow stuck in his heart.
Aurelie's feet moved before she could even think it. Her ankle cracked beneath each step, but she pushed herself forward, biting her tongue to balance the pain. She ripped the arrow from the guard's chest and leaped at the guard. Her legs swung around him and pierced the arrow through the hollow of his neck.
The man twisted and turned, but she clung to him with everything she had left in her. Aurelie's hand ignited with fire, and she pushed her it against his face, digging her nails into his skin. Kirin pulled up, and stabbed, his flesh tore, and he toppled over onto Aurelie.
Kirin crawled over, and pushed the man on to his side, helping Aurelie free. "I told you to go inside." He gasped. His face looked as if someone had painted it blue, red, and purple.
Aurelie traced her finger over his torn lip. "And, you promised me you wouldn't die. I'm helping you keep that promise."
Daerious ran passed and grabbed Kirin's collar, knocking him forward. An arrow flew passed and slashed the side of Aurelie's shoulder. She looked up, but could not see the man who shot them.
"Come on." She rose and limped for cover. Kirin ran the other way.
Kirin's shadows were keeping the others busy, but not for long. The men had teamed up and slashed through the shadows together. Shadow particles glinted on the ground. Daerious reached the cover of a tree. A fist swung, and Daerious fell. Aurelie sent fire toward him, but they were too close. Her fire settled into a small flicker, waiting for the man to make a mistake.
All Kirin's shadows were gone, and the men were fast approaching Kirin. He took a few steps back and summoned a dark hole in the ground. One man had been too slow to react. He wobbled, trying to grip one of the guards. The men took a step back and fell into the portal. A shadow tiger that mimicked Leila's shape, jumped out of the portal and crouched.
Aurelie had her chance. Kirin was far enough away, and the men were gathered in a group. Fire rose below their feet and engulfed them. The fell onto their backs and rolled.
The air reeked of barbequed beef and copper. Aurelie held her hand, over her mouth, and swallowed back spit. Spew streamed into her throat and puffed out her cheeks. She spat, and coughed, her stomach jerking, and sending more vomit.
The tiger circled a man. It jumped, dodging a swing. The tiger's tail wagged playfully, as it dodged another blow. He roared, and leaped, knocking the man off his feet. His sword flew out of his hand. Kirin ran up, grabbed it, and plunging it into his chest.
Aurelie crept toward Daerious, moving in from behind. A ball of fire formed in her hand, she flicked her hand, and it fell on him like a ball, setting his hair on fire.
There were three guards left, and they were all chasing Kirin. The tiger knocked out down, but the others were still adamant to catch him. "Traitorous scum," one man yelled, dropped his sword, and withdrew a dagger. His hand pulled back for the throw. A raging cloud ran through her chest. A wall of white fire erupted out of the ground. The dagger melted and dripped down his hand.
Aurelie strolled over to them, her rage controlling every step. "You chose the wrong leader to follow," she said, while they were gasping for their last breaths.
Aurelie fell down beside them, exhaustion settling in, now that it was over. A drop of blood rolled down her nose, she wiped it away and lay down on the grass. The reek was suffocating her, but she needed a momentâeven if just to catch one breath.
"Is that all of them?" Kirin asked, his voice sounding distant. She looked up, and recoiled, he was standing above her.
"I think so," Daerious answered.
Kirin bent down, and his hands reached behind her neck and knees. "Let's get inside," he said, and Daerious nodded, walking away.
Aurelie wrapped her arms around Kirin's neck, and he lifted her. He didn't move, his eyes flowing Daerious until they could no longer see him. She dipped her head back and waited for the scolding. Did the man have no decency? Aurelie had no energy to spare, and his scolding would take more out of her than any battle ever could.
Kirin lifted her head, pressed it against his chest, and rested his chin atop her head. He squeezed her closer and exhaled. Aurelie relaxed, the strain of the battle almost disappearing into his embrace.
Kirin cleared his throat. "I would have died if you weren't there," he said, and paused, his nose stroking her forehead. "But, if something happened to you... I would have wanted to."
Aurelie's stomach somersaulted. She wrapped her arms around him and bore her face into his neck. He reeked of smoke, and it had never smelled sweeter.
This was it, the moment she'd waited for. The moment she craved. Her hands gripped his face and pulled it down.
His fingers lowered, tracing patterns on her back. They found an opening in her torn clothing and dug into her skin. The hair on her neck rose, and his touch reflected throughout every inch of her body, setting her on fire. Kirin gripped her hard, pulling her as close to himself as he could.
His heartbeat pulsed through her.
The wait had been too long. Her lips screamed to be on his. She lifted herself up, and their lips collided. Aurelie breathed him in. His lips were ice-cold against the smolder of hers. His fingers ran up her neck, and cupped her head, lightly pulling her hair. She gasped, her tongue caressing his. Her mind exploded in bright colors.
Kirin pulled away, leaving her gasping for the air that he had stolen. His lips still reflected on hers, and she hoped that they would never stop.
"Say it," she demanded, her eyes blazing with remnants of their kiss. She knew that he felt it, but she needed to hear the three words that she felt almost as soon as she met him.
Kirin's cheeks reddened. "Do you really not already know?"
Aurelie smirked and rested her head on his chest. The exhaustion had passed. Energy flowed through her like never before. "I do. I just want to hear it. You can even whisper."
He pressed his mouth against her ear, his bottom lip sliding up her earlobe. Goosebumps rose up her neck, his breath softer than silk against her eager flesh. "Aurelie Dranoir, I lâ
"Kirin, Sasha's dead," Daerious said.
A soft whistle formed in Aurelie's ear. They stood in silence for a moment, taking in what had been said. Kirin's set her down slowly. Just as she thought he'd follow Daerious to the front, he wrapped her up in a tight hug as a single tear rolled down his cheek and dropped onto her shoulder.