She could tell by the silence that he was watching her. She turned her head slightly to the side, letting her hair swing across her back. She giggled playfully at the dumbfounded expression slapped across his face.
“Oh, sorry,” he stammered, feeling like a kid that had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
She bent down and picked up her shirt, sliding it on over her head, then turned around. With both hands, she pulled her long hair up and out of the neck of her shirt, flinging it lightly behind her.
“It’s fine, Anders,” she said looking away from him. “If I didn’t want you to see me, I wouldn’t have let you stay in here.”
She walked to the cot and sat on the edge, “You’re funny. Did you know that?” She kissed him twice, the second longer than the first, then stood up. She moved to the tent door and slid on her boots. Putting her arms through her jacket sleeves one at a time, she said, “We should wake Zahara if she isn’t up already. And you need to clean yourself up. You’re still pretty filthy.”
Anders rubbed his cheeks with his palm. He’d forgotten he was in such haggard shape. He threw the covers aside and sat up, ready to get out of bed. He sat there with his hands on the edge of the bed slumped forward for a moment, sore from crashing off Zahara.
Maija looked at him, “Well, are you coming?”
“Give me a second. I’ll be out in a minute.”
When Anders stepped out of the tent, the first thing he noticed was Zahara sprawled out in the grass next to Maija’s tent still sound asleep.
Maija stood, waiting. “Have you ever heard her snore before?” she asked.
Anders shook his head, realizing that even though they were bonded he still didn’t know everything about her, “No, has she been snoring?”
“Yes, she snores mostly when she rolls over onto her back,” she said. “Let’s wake her up.”
Maija stepped toward her, but Anders said, “No. We’ve had a long couple of days. Let’s let her be until she wakes on her own.”
Returning to Anders’ side, Maija said, “Okay,” with a pleasant smile. He’d never seen her like this, the way she was acting the last couple of days. He liked it.
“I should go check in with Ivan and see how the elf woman we brought back is doing.”
“They aren’t in the medical tent anymore,” Maija said, grabbing Anders by the hand before he could take a step. “I saw them move her last night. They’re on the elven side of camp. Come on, I’ll show you.”
As they walked toward the elven encampment, Maija asked Anders about their search for the riders and dragons. Anders recounted looking for them using their newly formed magical abilities. He explained how they flew into an airmine and crashed along a mountaintop. “That’s how I got this cut on my head,” he said putting his hand up to his forehead to feel the hardened blood just below his hairline.
“That must have hurt,” Maija said with concern.
Anders nodded. He continued to explain how they’d found the first dragon and rider. “Killed by magic,” he said after seeing Maija’s shocked expression. “And Nadir said I should take this,” Anders pointed to the sword he had belted around his waist. “As a gift. He said the rider would’ve wanted me to use it in his honor.”
Maija frowned and held his right arm as they walked, bringing him closer to her, “That sounds like a terrible thing to see.”
“And that wasn’t nearly as bad as the elf woman’s dragon,” Anders replied, the words spilling out before he could think fast enough to realize that telling her about the gory scene would possibly sour her unusually cheerful mood. He glanced down at the browned blood stains on his lower body. “Her dragon was cut and wounded badly. Probably a slow death. The elf woman was being crushed under its weight.”
Maija shivered at the thought, “That is awful.”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine what I would do if that happened to Zahara, and I haven’t been bonded with her for that long. The rider’s going to be distraught when she wakes up.”
Maija pointed to a large tent where a group of elves had gathered. She let go of Anders’ arm and pointed to them, saying, “That’s where Ivan and the others took her last night.”
“Okay, thanks,” Anders said and began walking toward the tent. Maija didn’t continue walking with him. He stopped, looking back at her, “Aren’t you coming with me?”
She shifted uncomfortably, “Wouldn’t it be weird if I came?”
“I don’t think so. I’m sure it’s fine, come on,” Anders motioned for her to join him. After a moment’s hesitation, she relented.
As they approached the tent, the group of elves stopped their elvish chatter. One of them turned and bowed, saying, “Many thanks to you, young rider. Natalia has been taking to the healing better than expected. We are grateful for your efforts in returning her safely.”
Anders glanced at Maija and then bowed slightly to the elf, “That’s great to hear, and thank you for the update. It was Zahara’s and my honor to help a fellow rider in need.”
The elf bowed again as did Anders to show his respect. The elf separated from the others and led them into the tent.
Ivan and Nadir were standing next to a cot where the injured elf woman lay. They all looked tired, turning slowly toward the door as Anders and Maija entered. Nadir’s face instantly lit up upon seeing them. Ivan’s facial expression was harder to read, but he looked relieved to see them.
Anders and Maija came to the edge of Natalia’s cot. Looking down at the resting rider, Anders asked, “How’s she doing?”
“The healing was difficult, but the elves did a good job restoring her physical injuries. We have yet to see her awake. I would assume she’ll be distraught over the death of her dragon and fellow rider,” Ivan said.
“It’s possible that Merglan injured her mind as well,” Nadir said. “But based on the physical nature of the attack, it’s likely that she was able to defend against him on that front. If her mental barriers were susceptible, she would have wound up like Keanu.”
Anders peered down at the elf woman. She’d been cleaned up during her treatment in the medical tent and he could now see her features clearly. Her face bore hard lines, strong jaw and bold cheekbones. She was striking in appearance and shared the same color hair as Maija.
As they gazed at the elf woman, Natalia’s body slowly shifted. Anders quickly looked up at Ivan and then to Nadir. She moved again, this time more quickly as though she was becoming restless. Slowly she opened her eyes. To Anders’ surprise, they were bright green.
First, her eyes moved to Ivan and then to Nadir. Next, she shifted her head, her gaze coming to rest on Anders and Maija. When Natalia saw Maija’s face, her expression transformed from slightly confused to shocked.
With her eyes wide and mouth ajar, Natalia tilted her head slightly and said, “Maija?”
Chapter 22
A Hard Truth and a Difficult Goodbye
