eyebrow raised. I didn't understand at first but then she held her hands under her face like a pillow.
"No. Hungry," I said as I put the last of the jerky in my mouth and washed it down with water. I had been eating almost every hour for the last two days. Sometimes my stomach cramped and I threw up a bit, but my appetite justified the risk. I hadn't gained any perceivable weight though.
"More?" She pointed to the food and I shook my head. She looked confused. "Hungry?"
"Yes. Hungry." I nodded. "No. Food," I said with a smile as I looked over her body again. Her eyes opened wide. I guessed she understood what I meant because her heart began to beat much faster and she drew in a deep breath.
"Ahhh . . ." Nadea looked around at her slumbering companions. She whispered a bunch of words I didn't understand except for "sleep.” Was she telling me to go back to sleep or that her friends were sleeping and we needed to leave? I hoped it was the latter. Her face flushed red in the orange glow so I guessed that she wanted the same. I got up from my rock and began to move around to her. Her mouth opened but no words came out. I reached out my hand to pull her out of her bedroll and into my arms. First I would kiss her full lips, and then savor the salty curve of her bare neck with my tongue.
"Hurmph! Awww. What?" Greykin rolled out of his blankets with a rough moan. He squinted against the fire and said something I didn't understand. Nadea whispered back to him. He sighed and untangled himself from the covers, sitting up straight with a growl that really did sound like a bear's. When he realized I was standing, he pointed at me and said something to Nadea. She responded and he seemed satisfied with her answer.
I took the next two steps toward Nadea and handed her my empty cup. She nodded and her brown eyes met mine. Her face wore a complicated expression of relief, fear, lust, and disappointment. I smiled back at her and shrugged my shoulders. Paug told me that we had a few weeks of travel ahead of us. There would be a time soon where Nadea and I could explore our passions.
I returned to my bedroll without looking at her or the big man. The stars became the white birds of my dreams. If I jumped high enough I would reach them. I heard the sound of the water cascading off of the islands as they disappeared into the cloudy gray mist beneath me.
Chapter 5-Paug
"Can we go around them?" Kaiyer asked Iarin as we ducked behind the small outcrop of rocks and branches.
"No. The range here is impassable." The quiet woodsman shook his head.
"We should just wait them out," Nadea said. She poked the top part of her head over the rocks and then slowly shifted down behind cover. The four of us were about a hundred yards ahead of our horses, Greykin, and Jessmei. We were on the border of Vanlourn and Brilla. Nia and Brilla had an intact truce, so we had almost reached a country of relative safety.
The only thing that stood between us was the canyon up through the mountains, the guard post at the border, and about forty soldiers on patrol. Iarin had mentioned the obvious to those of us that knew this country: the mountain range that separated Brilla and Vanlourn went almost sixty miles in each direction.
"There were three guards here when we came through a month ago. They must know Jess is with us now," Nadea said, exasperated. Jessmei had really made the whole mission difficult.
"Can we disguise her?" I asked.
"I doubt that will work. The only people that pass between the borders are traders, and we have no goods or wagons. Also, I don't know how we could disguise Jessmei. She is very easy to spot, even if I dyed her hair, her blue eyes might give her away," Nadea said with a frown as she looked back toward the princess.
"I can take her up the . . . rocks." Kaiyer said as he pointed to the steep sides of the canyon. "But do they see you?" he said as he looked at us. He had learned our language amazingly fast but I had to
"No. Hungry," I said as I put the last of the jerky in my mouth and washed it down with water. I had been eating almost every hour for the last two days. Sometimes my stomach cramped and I threw up a bit, but my appetite justified the risk. I hadn't gained any perceivable weight though.
"More?" She pointed to the food and I shook my head. She looked confused. "Hungry?"
"Yes. Hungry." I nodded. "No. Food," I said with a smile as I looked over her body again. Her eyes opened wide. I guessed she understood what I meant because her heart began to beat much faster and she drew in a deep breath.
"Ahhh . . ." Nadea looked around at her slumbering companions. She whispered a bunch of words I didn't understand except for "sleep.” Was she telling me to go back to sleep or that her friends were sleeping and we needed to leave? I hoped it was the latter. Her face flushed red in the orange glow so I guessed that she wanted the same. I got up from my rock and began to move around to her. Her mouth opened but no words came out. I reached out my hand to pull her out of her bedroll and into my arms. First I would kiss her full lips, and then savor the salty curve of her bare neck with my tongue.
"Hurmph! Awww. What?" Greykin rolled out of his blankets with a rough moan. He squinted against the fire and said something I didn't understand. Nadea whispered back to him. He sighed and untangled himself from the covers, sitting up straight with a growl that really did sound like a bear's. When he realized I was standing, he pointed at me and said something to Nadea. She responded and he seemed satisfied with her answer.
I took the next two steps toward Nadea and handed her my empty cup. She nodded and her brown eyes met mine. Her face wore a complicated expression of relief, fear, lust, and disappointment. I smiled back at her and shrugged my shoulders. Paug told me that we had a few weeks of travel ahead of us. There would be a time soon where Nadea and I could explore our passions.
I returned to my bedroll without looking at her or the big man. The stars became the white birds of my dreams. If I jumped high enough I would reach them. I heard the sound of the water cascading off of the islands as they disappeared into the cloudy gray mist beneath me.
Chapter 5-Paug
"Can we go around them?" Kaiyer asked Iarin as we ducked behind the small outcrop of rocks and branches.
"No. The range here is impassable." The quiet woodsman shook his head.
"We should just wait them out," Nadea said. She poked the top part of her head over the rocks and then slowly shifted down behind cover. The four of us were about a hundred yards ahead of our horses, Greykin, and Jessmei. We were on the border of Vanlourn and Brilla. Nia and Brilla had an intact truce, so we had almost reached a country of relative safety.
The only thing that stood between us was the canyon up through the mountains, the guard post at the border, and about forty soldiers on patrol. Iarin had mentioned the obvious to those of us that knew this country: the mountain range that separated Brilla and Vanlourn went almost sixty miles in each direction.
"There were three guards here when we came through a month ago. They must know Jess is with us now," Nadea said, exasperated. Jessmei had really made the whole mission difficult.
"Can we disguise her?" I asked.
"I doubt that will work. The only people that pass between the borders are traders, and we have no goods or wagons. Also, I don't know how we could disguise Jessmei. She is very easy to spot, even if I dyed her hair, her blue eyes might give her away," Nadea said with a frown as she looked back toward the princess.
"I can take her up the . . . rocks." Kaiyer said as he pointed to the steep sides of the canyon. "But do they see you?" he said as he looked at us. He had learned our language amazingly fast but I had to
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