Nights in Rodan Ch. 03

Eleanor had heard stories of the former King's family, or rather her family, having magical powers; all royal families did. Very few commoners possessed the Druid gift; she just thought she happened to be one of them when she was growing up. Iny tried to help her learn to control it when she was young but it was wild and when it overtook her mind it was a desperate fight to regain her senses and control it. She eventually got frustrated and tired of dealing with it so she buried it. It had been easier after she met Colin. Everything was easy with him; he was so easy to love. She felt so guilty about sharing a kiss with the prince, and almost as guilty for cracking one of his ribs, although it served him right for pushing her boundaries. She felt exhausted; the sheer power of the magic she'd used had drained her already weakened body. Rayn told her that was common when magic first started expressing itself; she rested her head lightly against his back and hoped he wouldn't mind it too much.

They reached camp and found everything was packed and ready. Her horse was even saddled for her. She slipped off the side of Rayn's mount and walked to her own. Rayn tossed his saddle over his horse's back and pain shot through his handsome features; no one saw it but Leni. Pangs of guilt attacked her heart, he'd saved her from the raiders and she'd repaid him by trying to kill him. He probably avoided asking the healer to fix it just so he could make her feel guilty for days. She sighed and realized she had never even thanked him.

They rode all day. She was adept on a horse but she'd never ridden for so long before over rough terrain. Her legs were aching and her tailbone was still sore but she didn't complain. She wouldn't tolerate these men thinking she couldn't keep up.

Rayn slowed his horse to ride beside her for awhile, the men took turns "guarding" her, although it was clear she wasn't going anywhere or she would have tried to get away already. He hoped she felt guilty for hurting him earlier, as the day wore on the injury bothered him more and more. It was late afternoon and they'd have to stop soon to hunt for dinner. He was surprised that Eleanor didn't complain at all for the whole day; most women would be whining by lunch time that they were bored, sore, or tired but not this one. He refused to admit he was impressed but he was starting to feel more for her than just a wickedly strong attraction, he respected her.

They found a sandy beach along the stream and decided to stop for the night. Rayn was barely able to dismount without his side being seized with searing sharp pain. He should definitely make her feel guilty for this one.

"It's your turn to catch dinner tonight," he tried desperately to keep a straight face when he told her.

"What?" her eyes went wide.

She was easy to rile, he loved it.

"Come on, I'll help you. We'll need a few fish to feed all of us. It'll take too long for me to do it alone." He rubbed his side, silently explaining it was her duty to help since she'd put him in this predicament.

She looked at Kieran and he nodded, urging her to go with Rayn. Why would she look to him? Rayn felt the jealousy seeping in but she turned and followed him upstream. He showed her how to stand, with her feet wide, and hold her hands steady in the water with an arrow at the ready.

She was so angry she could spit. This was her payback, catching fish!? She hated the texture of live fish. She helped Colin hunt before and handled that rather easily but live fish were not her forte. And now she was stuck out in the cold water with him. A fish slid easily through the current, she waited patiently and closed her hands around it. When she tried to stand up her foot slipped off the rock she'd been standing on and she landed on her ass. She splashed, trying to recover before Rayn saw her. The water was knee deep and not dangerous but she was embarrassed. He looked up from his position a few feet away and smiled at her.

"Try again." He encouraged her.

She growled. He almost laughed at her; he'd never heard a woman get so exasperated that she actually growled. She repositioned herself quickly and prepared to try again. By the time she saw her next fish coming Rayn had already caught three of them. They were laying on the bank, each speared by an arrow just waiting to be cooked. Her stomach rumbled, her feet were numb in the cold water, and her back hurt from standing bent over for so long without moving.

She was not about to lose this fish too. She grabbed too soon and the fish escaped.

ARGH

She pounded the water with her fist, she was infuriated and Rayn made it look so easy.

"As much splashing as you're doing, it'll take hours to catch any more fish, "he waded towards her. "Let me show you, again." It was the fourth time he'd critiqued her position, style, or method.

She groaned and stood up. He could tell she was close to her breaking point, he didn't let on that he was close to his too. His ribs were on fire and they still needed a couple more fish. He stood behind her this time, so he could guide her hands exactly how they needed to go.

Her hands were on her hips, she rubbed the back of her neck with one before dropping it to her side casually. He knew she was tired, but he was going to teach her something even if it killed him. She pulled her wild hair forward over her right shoulder to get it out of the way.

"Get in your stance again." He instructed her.

She obediently bent forward and put her hands in the water. The ends of her hair floated on the current.

Oh GODS why did he think this was a good idea!?

He took a deep breath, "bend your knees, and make sure your fingertips are just brushing the bottom of the stream."

She leaned down farther and bent her knees; her round butt was hair's breadth from his groin. He clenched his fists, steeled his nerves, and plunged his hands into the water to join her.

She could feel his muscular body hovering just above her, and his hands were holding hers in the cold water. His face was next to hers on the left side, so close to her cheek she was almost brushing the stubble on his jaw. She tried to stay focused but it was very difficult. The muscles in her legs were burning from standing for so long but Rayn's warmth was surprisingly comfortable on her back. They stood close like that for what seemed like an eternity, and then finally a fish caught the current and swam directly for the opening between their legs.

"Steady, don't be too eager." He whispered to her. His warm breath caressed her cheek.

He was making it impossible to focus. She watched the fish swim closer, and then suddenly he whispered, "Now!"

He closed her hands on the fish, but it was bigger than the others and she wasn't prepared for it. He tried to hold on to it with her hands but she gave up and started to stand, knocking him backwards in the process and into the water. Now they were both wet.

"Stop!" he demanded. His temper was flaring, "try again, now. And this time, HOLD the fish and do not let go."

They resumed their stance, together. It was absolutely killing him that her delicious butt was lightly pressing against his inner thighs.

It took forever but another fish came along. He helped her close her hands just like before only this time she actually held on to the fish before pulling it out of the water. She speared it with the arrow he handed her and then tossed it onto the bank.

She waded toward shore.

"Where are you going?" Rayn was secretly relieved she was not between his thighs anymore, his lack of control had started showing and he was hoping she hadn't noticed.

"I'm going to take the fish back to camp. I can't stand in that cold water anymore." She picked up their catch and started downstream without a backward glance.

He stroked his erection back down and willed it to go away. He was dying to kiss her again, her damp clothes were sticking to her every curve and she had them in all the right places. He followed her back to camp, watching the way she moved through the forest and along the banks; she was graceful and quiet. Turning her over to his father would not be easy and he only had a couple of days to figure out a solution that wouldn't result in her being thrown into the dungeon and left to rot.

They were almost back to camp when it happened. She held up her hand and stopped him while she crouched down. He had no idea what she saw until he knelt down next to her. It was one of the smaller types of woodland deer called a Bayon, a little smaller than her dog and enough to feed them for a couple of days. She was carrying the extra arrows and silently unsheathed one while Rayn handed her the bow they'd brought. He almost shot the deer himself but she seemed intent on doing it. He'd have a good laugh when she missed. He'd never seen a woman hunt game in the forest. He watched her work, drawing the arrow back, and taking a crouching step forward. As she moved the early evening light filtered through the trees and was dappled on her mane of hair. Her eyes narrowed and she breathed very quietly. With practiced ease she found a gap in the brush, and waited. The Bayon's head popped up and before it could move it was on the ground, the arrow had found its mark. Eleanor sighed and turned to hand the bow back to Rayn, but he was frozen.

He had just seen a woman take down a Bayon in the forest with a bow and arrow. He was thoroughly impressed.

"Well?" she asked as she picked up the fish.

"Right," he was still absorbing what he had seen as he lifted the creature up and carried it across his shoulders back to camp.

She didn't speak to him much for the rest of the evening. She was very tired, he had pushed her hard for the last couple of days and they still had two days of riding ahead of them. She went to sleep right after a plentiful dinner with Wren by her side gnawing a bone. Rayn sat in the firelight sipping brandy with Riley and Kieran.

"Why exactly are we all the way out here for a woman?" Kieran finally asked the question. Rayn was surprised it took his friend so long to get curious enough to inquire.

"She's the daughter of the last King of Rodan." He wouldn't lie to his men, they should know.

"So she's the Princess..." Kieran considered for awhile but it was Riley that spoke up.

"You're taking her back to your father."

"Have to, he sent us after her." He looked at them both and hoped they couldn't tell he was fond of her.

"And how may I ask is our gallant Prince going to shield her from your father's wrath?" Kieran looked irritated. He didn't see the point in hurting a woman who clearly didn't have a desire to rule a kingdom.

"I have a plan."

Riley and Kieran exchanged a look.

"That usually means you have no plan." Riley even seemed angry at him.

"I will not let him hurt her." He assured them, he wondered why they were so concerned.

They looked at each other again, "The womanizing Prince has taken a fancy to the woman from the city?" Kieran punched him in the shoulder, he winced.

"By the way, Riley I need you to heal my ribs."

Riley stared at him blankly, "What happened?"

Rayn told them what happened, well most of it. They discussed how it was possible that she had some very strong magical powers that were connected with intense emotion. None of them had ever met or heard of anyone with the ability to control and manipulate power like Rayn was describing.

Leni drifted in and out for awhile, she heard the men talking about her but couldn't make out if it was anything important. She was just so tired. Wren kept her warm; she smiled and massaged his velvety grey ear. He made her miss home; she missed snuggling up every night with her little boy. She wondered if he missed her and if everything was okay. She wondered if she should tell Rayn about him, but sharing that part of herself made her uneasy, she couldn't let anyone harm Lukas. Her thoughts drifted to Rayn. After the events of this morning she was not surprised by his reaction when they'd been fishing together. Part of her wanted to throttle him; the other part of her wanted him and felt incredibly guilty for it.

She was first to wake in the morning, and she found herself inches from Rayn's back with Wren wedged against her other side. At least she was warm? She was trying to figure out how to rise without waking him when he turned over. His face was so close to hers she got to examine his features; his eyes had faint lines around them, his lips were molded perfectly. The dark stubble that was growing on his face made him look rough but he had a very princely jawline, strong and square. His dark hair was mussed from sleep, her fingers itched to reach out and push the strays back off his forehead.

He woke slowly, blinking several times before waking completely. He drank a little too much brandy the night before. He was acutely aware of her so close to him, she was awake, he felt her gaze on his face. Her eyes were clear blue and almost luminescent in the grey morning light. He slowly put his hand out to stroke her arm but she caught it in hers and put it back down, stroking his large fingers with her own long delicate ones. Before he was completely lucid she disappeared, was he dreaming?

He groaned as he sat up and looked for her. She was kneeling by the stream, washing her face. He watched her turn her head up to the sky and murmur something, a prayer perhaps. She seemed sad. He shook his head and smoothed back his hair. He wanted to get moving early, today they'd skirt around the edge of the plains. He felt it was safer than cutting across; the raiders were becoming too bold.

She was quiet as they rode together. He always took the first shift of the day guarding her, and today was no different. He felt the pang of jealousy again when Kieran circled back to take his place. They laughed together and talked about plants, trees, and berries in the forest around them. She knew quite a few surprisingly. He felt himself wishing she would smile at him like that.

By mid day they were squarely in raider territory and they rode in silence. Rayn stopped them several times and they sat and listened for a moment before continuing on. Leni felt nervous in her gut, something was going to happen today but she didn't know what.

Around the time they normally stopped to camp, they pushed on. Rayn wanted to ride into the night; he said it was too dangerous to stop. Leni was very tired but her senses were on high alert.

The full moon was nearing its peak in the sky, bathing them in the light. It was fairly easy to see in the dark with a moon that big. Rayn held up his hand and turned his head to listen. Everyone pulled up behind him, he made a circling motion with his finger and the men fanned out, pointing their horses away from her position. She was in a circle of warriors, they were protecting her. Her horse stood patiently, ears flicking about and eyes wide. Something was going on. She tried to stay calm but a moment later the air was pierced by a scream.

She suddenly felt very closed in; they were surrounded on all sides by raiders, their swords sparkling in the moonlight. In a flash her warriors engaged them all.

Her instincts kicked in.

RUN

She spurred her horse forward with her heels into the gap between Rayn and Kieran. As she tried to push through them she was pulled off her horse. It was happening so fast she couldn't tell what was going on. Rayn swung his sword down at the raider but he ducked away, dragging her with him. Kieran's horse reared behind her and she pulled away frantically to avoid the hooves, inadvertently pulling her captor straight into the path of them. He let go of her and she turned to run, only to be faced with another man reaching for her. Wren was barking and growling like she'd never heard him before.

The swords rang out loudly as they clashed together. Rayn pushed forward towards the man who had grabbed Eleanor but he ducked into the undergrowth with her in tow. He grit his teeth and plunged in after her. He was not about to let her be taken from him again. He heard her screaming, she sounded like she was putting up a good fight. He left his men behind and gave chase but his large horse couldn't cut through the brush as fast as a single man. Her frantic screams were getting farther away.

He chased her on foot, hacking wildly at anything that got in his way and as he came to a clearing there she was, being pulled along by a lean shaggy man. She kicked out at him and when he turned and backhanded her he saw Rayn approaching. The raider held her close to him, an arm across her throat and a dagger in his other hand.

"Come any closer and she dies." he called out.

Rayn's pace didn't slow.

"I will gut her if you move another inch!" he pointed his knife at her stomach and she screamed, it chilled Rayn to the bone.

"What will it take for you to give her back to me?" Rayn gripped his sword until his knuckles were white.

The man buried his head in her hair and inhaled deeply. She writhed in his grip.

"She is mine." He growled.

She whimpered in his arms but didn't pull away. Her torn clothing revealed her stomach and the raider's knife was laying flush against her skin. She was terrified, it was radiating from her. He reached out with his mind, this time her power was so close to the surface he could sense it. He'd have to talk her through how to use it.

"Concentrate," He commanded her "remember the hot spring?"

Oh she remembered, and then it dawned on her what he wanted her to do. She tried to concentrate but the man's grip held her tightly. Her hands were pulling at the arm that was across her throat but he tightened it. He was trying to make her pass out. She started to choke and panic.

"Focus!" Rayn bellowed at her, she'd be dead before he could close the gap between them if this didn't work.

She pulled down on the man's arm, desperately trying to breathe. Her nails cut into his skin.

"Little wretch!" he held her tighter and pressed the knife into her skin causing her to shriek in pain. Eleanor felt the power surge into her veins; it was like pure light and fire. She closed her eyes tightly and let it overtake her.

Rayn watched in amazement. Her captor howled in pain and pushed her away. He continued screaming as Rayn ran the twenty paces to him. His clothes were burned away and his flesh was wrinkled and severely scorched. He held his hands to his head as more flesh burned away. The stench was foul. Rayn drove his sword home and the screams stopped. He wiped his sword in the tall grass and sheathed it. He turned to look for her and she almost knocked the wind out of him.

She sobbed into his chest, he put his arms around her and held her. He stroked the back of her head, smoothing her hair down. He felt her hands clutching his shoulders, not letting him move. She took ragged breaths.

"Let me look at you," he held her body away from his to check her wound. It was deeper than he thought and the blood was seeping out at a steady rate. She looked down at it and her legs gave out. Rayn scooped her up into his arms and turned back towards the forest. He had to find his men; she was losing too much blood too quickly. She clung to him like her life depended on it.

"Press your hands over the wound, try to stop the bleeding." He gently commanded her.

They were almost to the tree line when Wren appeared, followed closely by Kieran, Riley and two more of Rayn's troupe. He counted quickly and realized they'd lost a man.

"Riley, she needs you!" he called out. He knelt down with Eleanor in his lap. She was trying to press her hands over her stomach but she cried out in pain, it hurt so much.

Riley charged over to them.

"Good Gods Rayn, what happened?"