Chapter 1, Pages 32-36

 

As
the sun crested the horizon it poured it’s light in through the
single window. Zefrik looked down at the woman he held captive at
arms length. She was nude and stunningly beautiful. Her hip length
hair was so black it appeared blue except for one large steak of
white that came down the right side of her face. He was overcome
with the desire to run his fingers through the thick, soft looking
tresses. Her large silver eyes stared at him coldly as he continued
to admire her. A round pale face with high cheek bones, a dainty
nose and full lips. Her ears when they poked through her hair were
pointed, which he had never seen before. Her ample breast caught his
attention as they moved with her heavy breathing. Her waist was
small and well defined and her hips were nicely rounded.

“If
you are done staring at me would you mind if I put some clothes on,”
Rielari mumbled as color flooded her cheeks. No man had ever seen
her naked and she felt awkward.

“You
are beautiful,” Zefrik breathed as he released her. He bent
quickly to recover her kampilan.

Rielari’s
cheeks reddened as she swiftly turned to dress, uncertain what to say
she remained quiet. She could feel his eyes on her back as she tried
to dress and she felt suddenly turned on. Lord Zefrik is a very
beautiful man, she thought. His eyes were the color of sapphire, the
bluest she had ever seen. A sleek jaw with full lips and a dimple on
his chin; he had the prettiest face she had ever see on a man.

Fully
dressed Rielari turned back to face him, “Well shall we talk then.”

Zefrik,
with her kampilan in his hand, sat in the only chair in the room,
“Yes.”

Rielari
felt slightly foolish for letting him get the better of her, “You
said you didn’t kill Yislon, how did you know her?”

“This
is a very unique sword,” Zefrik mused, “I don’t think I’ve ever
seen one like it.”

Rielari
sighed heavily knowing she would get no where with him until she
answered all of his questions, “It was made for me the night I was
born, or so I’ve been told.”

“Hmm,”
Zefrik pondered, “Where are you from that they would make such a
deadly weapon for a newborn babe.”

He
turned the sword over and looked at the engravings on the blade, he
couldn’t decipher the runes which bothered him. His early childhood
had been spent learning all of the runes mankind had made, so for him
not to know these ones was very unusual.

Her
kampilan was a single edged sword with a tapered blade much broader
and thinner at the point than it was at the base. On the spine side
of the tip it had a deadly spikelet. The blade was approximately
thirty six inches in length and the pommel was bifurcated, it
appeared to be a creatures mouth.

Rielari
looked at the man, “I don’t know. I was raised in Geal but I have
no idea who my parents were or what city I was born in ”

Rielari
shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortably. She
didn’t like when people questioned her about her past. The fact that
she didn’t know where she came from had always bothered her.

Noticing
her discomfort Zefrik changed the subject, “Yislon and I met
several years back. My cousin, Lord Gelrok had one two many drinks
that night and he was beating her severely. I stopped him and nursed
her back to health. After that anytime I was close to Geal I stopped
in to check on her.”

His
simple explanation baffled Rielari, she knew there was more to the
story but didn’t ask. She hoped if she kept quiet he would continue
and clear things up. She looked at him encouragingly.

The
skeptical look on her face made Zefrik smirk, “I was young and
naïve, yes I fell in love with her. One day I was hopping to get
her out of the brothel but every time I spoke with her about it she
said she couldn’t leave.”

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“>His
hands clenched as he spoke turning his knuckles white. Rielari could
tell he was a little embarrassed to be telling her this story.

Hoping
to ease his embarrassment she confided, “I was in love with her
too.”

His
eyes, which had been staring down at his hands, snapped up and he
gave her a cold stare, “So you were the reason she wouldn’t leave
the brothel.”

Rielari
smiled and blushed deeply, Yislon had loved her she knew that but
until now she had never realized the extent of her love. She slowly
started pacing, “She never mentioned you.”

“Of
course she didn’t,” Zefrik said with an edge to his voice that only
made Rielari smile wider, “She was not in love with me.”

Rielari
tried to hide her smile as she stopped pacing, “Of course she
wasn’t Lord Zefrik, your a man.” She couldn’t contain her laughter
any longer and it spill from her lips like a cascading water fall.

Zefrik
stood defensively, her kampilan raised slightly and his shoulders
squared. Barely containing her laughter she tried to sooth his
bruised male ego.

“She
only serviced women, Yislon never liked men in that way.”

Zefrik’s
beautiful full lips formed an o, the look on his face made Rielari
laugh even harder.

“Why
didn’t she just tell me that,” he seemed to be talking to himself.
He sat back heavily in the chair all of his anger deflated.

“If
it helps she wouldn’t leave the brothel for me either,” she
offered, “Yislon loved the life too much.”

Rielari
decided to sit, hoping it would ease the tension that was building
again. It also put her closer to the throwing daggers under her
pillow, just in case.

“So
you were explaining to me why I should believe you that you did not
kill Yislon,” she said attempt to get them back to the matter at
hand.

Zefrik’s
lip twitched up at the corner giving him a lopsided smile, “The
fact that I loved her isn’t enough for you.”

Rielari
shook her head no.

“Well
than let me start from the beginning,” he cleared his throat and
continued, “I stopped in Geal five days ago on my way from Kautron,
a city further north.”

Rielari
nodded her head, she was familiar with the city.

“I
spent the first night in Geal with Yislon, I took her to a few of the
really nice taverns and we had a great time. Later my guard, Ruik
informed me that someone had been following us and watching. When I
asked the Madame if I could take Yislon out the next evening she told
me that she was already engaged with a client so I went out alone.”
Zefrik paused.

A
tear came to Rielari’s eyes, “She was with me.”

He
leaned in and tried to comfort her but she pulled away viciously.
She was unaccustom to the emotions she was feeling.

“I’m
sorry,” simply stated it brought more tears.

Zefrik
stood abruptly and walked over to Rielari. With a look of pure panic
on her face she attempted to retrieve the daggers. Seeing her
reaching for something he quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted till
she was standing. Pulling her close to him he put his other arm
around her in a tight embrace. She struggl

ed for a moment before she
gave in and sobbed. Her tears soaked the front of his shirt rapidly
as she let out all of her pent up sorrow. Gradually relaxing in his
arms, she breathed deeply the smell of the ocean that seemed to
permeate off him. He released her pinned wrist and she hesitantly
put her arms around him.