There had been alien fairy-tale moments: like when she watched a hawk skim over the treetops, only to have it grow larger and larger as it approached, then belch smoky flame from a crocodilian head before it screeched and veered off; or when the thunder of hoofbeats called their attention to a herd moving on the other side of a low hill and, just as she turned to ask Dayn why the wolfyn and their guests didnt ride the horses, they crested to see two-dozen massive equids with coal-black coats, ember-red eyes and wickedly sharp unicorn horns that glinted in the sun.
Those moments had grown more alien still when he had told her that the demidragons were nothing compared to the true dragons of Elden legends, like the vicious Feiynd, with its black-pearl scales and assassins instincts. Or how the wolfyn and unicorns were uneasy allies, their peace treaty based on mutual dislike, and that hea horse lover since childhoodhad tried to learn the unicorns language, only to find that while wolfyn tongues could speak it, human forms couldnt.
There had been hauntingly beautiful moments, like the sight of a wolfyn pack gathered on a faraway hill, silhouetted against the fat, full moon as they howled in a spine-tingling descant; and how, when they had crested the jagged ridge that separated the territories of two packsthe Nose-Claws and the Bite-Tails, both of whom they had managed to avoid by staying near concealmenta grassy green plain had spread out before them, forming a bowl-shaped crater with a nearly circular lake at its center, reflecting the pale sky and the shape of a round cloud overhead.
And then there was Dayn. He was in all of those memories and so many others from those precious two days. He was her woodsman, her prince, her lover, and in that short, precious, unselfconscious space of time, she had come to know him intimately. She knew how he moved, how he tasted, what it took to make him sigh and how far she could tease before his control snapped and his fangs came out. Literally.
His vampire heritage didnt scare her anymore; he was just a man like any other, albeit one with the powers of his realm and his heritage. He was stubborn at times, and was inexplicably fond of chewing on wolfsleep sap, which she found tasteless, with a weird consistency. But those were insignificant quirks when measured against the whole.
They hadnt used the wolfsbene again, but instead hiked under their own power, with occasional hits of the stimulant potion, which seemed to be the local equivalent of coffee, or maybe an energy drink. They had traveled steadily, talking quietly or walking in companionable silence, stopping every six or eight hours to restand make love. And at times shed had to pinch herself to be sure she really wasnt dreaming, after all.
But, like a dream, the journey couldnt go on forever, and they were nearing the end of theirs.
Ready to roll? Dayn asked, coming out of a section of woods that ran almost all the way up to the roads edge. He carried only a single rucksack now, along with his crossbow and short swords; she was wearing the other rucksack along with the bow and arrows she probably wouldnt ever use. It was warmer today than it had been, and he was down to his shirtsleeves, with his jacket and sweater packed away.
The sight of him in his plaid shirt, pants and bootsso like the woodcuttings that had brought her to himmade her heart turn over in her chest and put a wistful lump in her throat. If only she thought, but didnt bother even completing the wish.
Lets do this, she said, pushing to her feet. By his estimation, they would reach the arch in an hour or two, well before sunset. They hadnt really talked about what they would do when they got there, but she harbored a secret hope that they could steal one last time together, maybe right beside the waterfall.
She wanted that to be the memory she rekindled when she looked at the final page of the book. Lovemaking, not loss. Shed had the joy; she would take the pain that came at the end of this strange magical adventure.
Still, though, her throat went tight as she came even with him on the trail. She flattened her palm on his chest and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss the side of his neck, where the blood vessels ran, and where she was oddly proud to have given him a hickey. He covered her hand with his and squeezed, but when she moved to pull away, he held on to her, trapping her hand against his heart for a moment longer before letting her go.
They started down the road together, shoulder to shoulder, in a silence broken only by the calls of different creatures. She knew them now: the deep roar of the demidragon, the high, clarion cry of the bugle beast, the deceptively sweet trill of the mudhump, which was truly repulsive in both looks and smell.
On one level, she hated the thought of leaving the magic behind, even hated the thought of leaving this strange wolfyn realm. Yet at the same time, she yearned to be back in her safe apartment, in a world where she knew how things worked and she didnt need to be looking over her shoulder all the time, didnt need to remember to be brave.
About an hour into this last leg of their journey, as they marched up the long incline of a rolling hill, Dayn spat his last piece of wolfsleep gum into the bushes, rinsed his mouth with a few sips from the waterskin they had refilled just that morning and wordlessly offered it to her.
No, thanks, Im good. Her voice felt rusty, her throat tight.
He tucked the skin back in his rucksack and adjusted the strap an extra time, then fiddled with his sword belt. Shrugged inside his shirt.
She glanced over and raised an eyebrow. Are you okay?
Yeah. His voice, too, was husky. Its justwell be able to see the arch from the top of this hill. He didnt meet her eyes as he said it.
Oh. Oh, God. Her newly reawakened libido tugged at the thought of making love at the edge of the waterfall, but that pleasant flutter was quickly submerged by the thought of what would follow. Aware that her steps had slowed, she made herself speed back up. One foot in front of the other. Well. I guess we made it.
He unslung his rucksack, pulled out his jacket and shrugged into it, only to yank it off seconds later with a frustrated noise. I hate this. I hate He trailed off, staring at his hands. Oh, gods. This isnt coming from me. Its the magic. The vortex is already starting up.
No. She spun toward the crest of the hill, but didnt see anything strange about the sky or trees, nothing to say there was magic beyond. There was no glow, no noise. She couldnt even hear the waterfall.
Dayn knew magic, though. He was magic.
Come on! He tucked a piece of wolfsbene in her hand, and downed his own in a single gulp. Well make a run for it!
She gulped the gritty lump, forcing it past the tightness in her throat and the pressure that made her want to cry out that it wasnt fair, that she needed more time with him. Just another hour, that was all. Though in her heart of hearts she knew even that wouldnt have been enough, and maybe it was better this way. Swallowing, she nodded. Lets go.
They charged up the rest of the incline together, strides lengthening from moment to moment as the drug kicked in. Power raced through her veins, lighting her up and making her feel mighty, invincibleand even hotter for Dayns body than she had been moments before. She wanted to trip him and follow him down, cover his body with hers and ride him until they were both wrung limp. She wanted to kiss him, touch him, own him, belong to him.
Instead, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they crested the top of the hill. The sound of the waterfall hit her first and then the valley opened up in front of them and she stumbled to a halt as she saw it: Meriden Arch.
Dayn stopped beside her, standing so their arms touched.
Even from the half-mile distance, she could see that it was a match to the woodcutting: a high stone archway capped the top of a waterfall that crashed halfway down an interrupted cliff face to fall in a tumbled pool that gushed to a river leading away. Heavy foliage flanked the waterway and the cliff faces, then thinned to a rolling green valley. All that was the same.
The shimmering in the air below the arch, though, was new.
He was right. The vortex was already forming.
We need to go. His voice broke on the last word.
I know. She reached out and took his hand. Their fingers twined together. And they ran down the hill together, shoulder to shoulder, as if they were mated, though that was only a dream.
Her eyes were burning by the time they hit the flat-lands, her throat by the time they reached the edge of the pool, pausing near where a wide trail zigzagged up the cliff and led to the archway, where lightning arcs leaped from stone to stone. The air sparkled and swirled but hadnt yet begun to rotate.
They had a little time, then, to say their goodbyes. She wasnt sure if that was a good thing or not. She lifted their joined hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles, grazing the skin with her teeth and making him shudder.
Sweet Reda. He cupped her face in his hands and bent to kiss her.
She leaned into his touch, into his kiss, feeling a poignant ache grow along with the now-familiar heat, which was made sharper by the burn of the wolfsbene in her blood. She gripped his wrists, held on to him, tried to imprint the moment on her soul.
He drew away before she was ready to let him go. But his eyes were very intent on hers, searching her face as he said, Come with me. Come to Elden.
Oh, she whispered as a full-body shiver ran through her; and her blood ran hot and then cold, then hot again. It wasnt like she hadnt thought about itof course she had. But logicand, worse, her gut instinctsaid it was the wrong answer. Tears prickled, but she willed them back. I want to, she said, forcing her voice to stay steady. God, of course I do.
His voice, his eyes, went flat. But you wont.
The vortices are unpredictable and we dont know if theres a direct connection between our realms. It could be a one-way trip for me.
Would that be so terrible?
The question stung, mostly because, on many levels, the answer was not really.