Page 7 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

E LIKKI

I was going to seduce the fuck out of this man.

Barra clearly wanted me, that much was obvious now.

Despite how things went earlier at the tavern, he was definitely changing his mind.

When I ate my chocolate toastie by the fire he practically drooled.

And I know I saw him staring at my tits just now.

I’d tested my theory with a casual little bedtime stretch. Success! I felt vindicated.

Snuggling into my bedroll—with the very comfy blanket he’d given me, much better than my tatty old one—I gazed at his broad back.

I wonder why he wasn’t just letting himself be into me.

At the tavern, now here. We’re practically outlaws on the run together.

And for the goddess’s sake, we were stranded in the woods with a cozy fire and no one around for miles! It was undeniably hot.

With anyone else, I bet I’d be rolling around on the ground by now, enjoying some lovely, mutually satisfying fucking in the crisp night air. Instead, Barra and I were apparently just going to… sleep? What an odd man.

Surely if there was someone in his life romantically, he would have told me when I asked.

Or if he really wasn’t attracted to me—hard to imagine—he would have just lied and said there was someone.

That was his out. But he hadn’t said anything.

Just looked uncomfortable with the painful effort of sharing some minor personal facts about himself.

There was a moment by the fire when I almost thought Barra was going to do something.

I could feel his eyes on me. Finishing the last bit of my bread, I pretended not to notice.

Didn’t want to spook him. But I saw him shift in my peripheral vision, sensed his focus.

I got that pleasant prickle spreading across my chest and down through the belly.

When we came together, I thought, would he grab my elbows and pull me to my feet?

Kiss me hard and slap my ass harder? Stroke my skin softly, treat me like delicate glass?

I couldn’t wait to find out. Everyone was different.

But there was no way I was making the first move. He had turned me down earlier… abrupt and inelegant though my pickup attempt was. I wasn’t taking the risk of being rejected again. So if Barra wanted me, he had to be the one to initiate.

Now. Now! Just say something. Or touch me.

I had yelled at him in my head. But the moment passed.

Frustrated, I’d swallowed my disappointment and went to gather some firewood.

And then just minutes ago when he’d freaked out about my hand—that was…

nice. Surprisingly nice. His expression, filling with fear and concern.

For me. I still felt bad for accidentally scaring him so much, but to be honest, it was also kind of pleasant to see someone worry about me like that.

I can’t remember the last time a person showed that kind of care without wanting something in return.

I turned in my bedroll, shifting to my back so I could watch the stars glinting above.

Goddess, it was cold—but at least it was a beautiful, clear night.

Barra’s unexpected concern was probably why I rambled all that about my magic—showing off in the small ways I safely could, but also telling him the truth about how I can’t exactly control my power.

I rarely shared my limitations with anyone.

In my experience, it’s a mistake to tell people what your weaknesses are. I’ll probably regret it.

But for some reason, I found myself trusting Barra.

Just a little. He was so damn sincere, really seeming to mean whatever he said.

I loved how every feeling and thought flicked across his expressive face, and the way his words always seemed to match up with what I saw there.

Most people—myself included, I could admit—wore some kind of mask, hiding or pretending what they wanted.

Not Barra. This man had such a complete lack of guile. It was… refreshing. Like the first crunchy bite of a carrot after days of eating soups and mushy porridge. Substantial. Real. A welcome change.

Above, the stars glimmered back at me. A despondent howl sounded from the forest—a wolf?

—but I felt oddly safe. With one thumb, I rubbed the B that I’d hastily carved into my bangle earlier and thought about the way he’d looked as I’d ran my fingertips over his hand.

Such a simple touch. But crouched over me, a torn look in his eyes, he’d seemed frozen in place by it.

I had been so certain right then that he was going to kiss me.

Now, wrapped in his blanket that smelled of mint and horse, I forced myself to mentally shrug.

Tomorrow’s a new day. Another day, another sexual escapade!

I watched Barra’s chest rise and fall in slow deep breaths.

He must be asleep now. After a few more minutes, I heard a low rumbling sound. The ground beneath me vibrated.

He was snoring. Gently, and in calming waves. I struggled to keep my eyes open. But moments later, I slipped off to sleep.

When I next woke, it was freezing. The fire’s weak embers barely gave off any heat. A cold wind crept harshly across my face, reaching through my blanket and clothes with icy fingers.

I heard hoofbeats on the road nearby, loud in the night’s quiet. That must have been what had woken me. That and the voices.

“… just figures he’d insist we set off in the middle of the goddess-damned night. So demanding, that one.”

Two, maybe three, people. It sounded like they were close by—too close—but I knew the tree line of our clearing should cover any sign of us.

I could see the brightness of their lanterns swinging, but no details of them, which boded well.

Our own embers were barely visible. Barra’s rumbling snores were steady and quiet enough that they blended into the sounds of the forest night.

It was cloudy, the moon’s light muted. We were safe.

Still, I slowly slipped one hand down to the comforting hilt of my belt dagger, tucked in its leather sheath. It didn’t hurt to be prepared.

“Long as his coin is good, I don’t care. We need an easy bounty, and I wasn’t tired anyway.”

The grumpy first voice replied, “Yeah, well, you have that insomnia, right? Doesn’t make a difference to you.”

“Hey, now. Let’s not turn on each other already,” a third bounty hunter piped up. “Keep your eyes peeled for any sign of them. Probably will be far ahead of us on their way to the inn, but the sooner we snatch her and get back to Felsith, the sooner we get our payment.”

A chill that had nothing to do with the night’s temperature slipped down my back. So. I guess Felsith had put a bounty on me after all.

Well, it wasn’t the first time this had happened, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. I thought back to that last view of his ugly face, shrieking that he’d find me. That stupid idiot. No one was going to put me behind bars—certainly not a weaselly weakling like him.

I stayed still on my bedroll, ears attuned to the sounds of the bounty hunters until they moved far enough along the road that even my elven hearing couldn’t make them out anymore.

Mind still a bit fuzzy with sleep, I scooched my bedroll closer to Barra, trying to escape the wind and steal some of his warmth. He had turned over at some point in the night. I huddled back into my blankets, facing him but not crossing the divide over into his space.

He was so close now. In the moonlight, I watched the subtle flickers over his face, some dream playing behind those closed lids. Honey-brown hair brushed his broad forehead. I imagined running my hand through it, then tracing the large shell of his ear, down to his strong lilac jaw.

His bulk blocked the worst of the wind. I still shivered, but after a time the low rumble of his snores lulled me back to sleep.

B ARRA

I came out of sleep like a cork rising suddenly through water. One moment I was dreaming, adrift in fragmented memories and warped images. The next, I found myself thrown into the harsh light of morning—muscles aching with stiffness and a soft, warm body pressed against mine.

Oh no. Elikki was fast asleep, close beside me. She’d burrowed near sometime in the night.

My arm wrapped tightly around her soft waist; I couldn’t move without the risk of waking her.

After a minute of silent panicking, I forced myself to relax.

Breathed deeply in and out. I could smell her spicy cinnamon scent more than ever before.

I kept myself from burying my face in her neck, just barely.

Elikki looked so fierce in sleep, her face scrunched up in a scowl.

I bet she was striking down assholes even in her dreams. I’d been drawn to her boldness yesterday.

The way she confidently went for whatever she wanted—sales from the square’s customers, respect from Felsith, even sex from me—she was unlike anyone I’d ever met.

Brash and loud, yet charmingly cheeky. And here, tucked against me, she looked so peaceful.

Vulnerable in sleep, and it made something in my chest ache slightly to see her so snug and safe.

With my free hand, I moved a stray piece of auburn hair off her face. She murmured and snuggled closer.

This was… nice. Very nice. But what happened when she started to wake, found herself in my arms, and screamed? Or turned to me with a face full of unease or embarrassment or—the worst—alarm and fear?

It had happened before. It will certainly happen again.

And I can’t blame anyone, not really. I imagine it must be confusing in those moments between sleeping and waking, finding yourself being held by a muscled seven-and-a-half-foot-tall purple half-giant—no matter how intimate we had been the night before.

But I didn’t think I could bear that right now, with Elikki.

So I drew away, detaching myself from her grip as smoothly as I could.

She stirred, face scrunching even more, and tried to hold on to me.

I pulled back. Settled the blanket over her again, grabbed my water flask, and rushed out of the clearing into the woods.

I moved unthinkingly through the trees, half visible in the early dawn light, heading toward the stream I thought I’d heard last night while gathering firewood. Finding it, I dunked my large flask into the clear water to fill it up.

I glanced at my surroundings and tried to focus on something other than the thought of Elikki curled up alone, chilly without me to keep her warm. I should have at least built up the fire first—stupid. Stupid, stupid.

Negative thoughts swirled in my head, popping up one after another no matter how quickly I tried to force them down.

I pulled my flask out of the stream. A deep draught of the icy water calmed me a little, and I focused on the sensation of the liquid cooling my mouth, my throat, down into my roiling stomach.

I stripped off my jacket, then shirt, then all the rest of my clothes and stepped into the stream.

Finding the deepest section, which came up to my hips, I took a breath and plunged my whole body underneath.

After a few moments, relief came. My racing heart slowed. My mind cleared a bit. My breath steadied. Stretching out face-up, I floated in the cold water. Clarity. I knew what to do.

I let the gurgling flow wash over me for another minute, eyes tracing the leafy tree crowns high above, then stepped up and out of the stream.

I dried myself off with my shirt as best I could, then pulled it and the rest of my clothes back on.

Shaking my sodden hair out and finger-combing it back from my face, I grabbed my water flask and turned to head back to the clearing.

“Morning.” A sleepy-eyed Elikki stood in front of me by the tree line, looking me up and down.

I froze. “How—uh, how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” she said, that smirk creeping across her face. I felt a blush spreading across my own and coughed.

“Oh, I’m just teasing!” she said, rolling her eyes as she moved to the stream to fill her water flask. “I’m not that much of a perv. Just got here. And what have you been up to—taking a little ice-water dip?”

I let out my breath, relieved she hadn’t seen me working through my anxiety attack. Though something about the idea of her watching me while I bathed was… interesting.

“Yes, just freshening up. If you want to do the same, I’ll leave.”

“Goddess, no , there is absolutely no way I am getting in there. It’s freezing.

” She bent down, splashing some water on her face and quickly patted it dry with her skirt.

“ Brrrrr … There, that’ll have to be good enough for now.

Plus, you never know what’s going to get you in these little streams and rivers.

Once when I was a kid, I was swimming along and a HUGE toad jumped onto my head. ”

I couldn’t help smiling. The disgruntled look on her face, and the way she grimaced at the water—I could so easily picture a young Elikki screaming with a toad perched on top of her head.

“Hey, are you amused by my pain?! It was horrible! Big as a loaf of bread, it was, and all gross and wet. Its legs got tangled in my hair, and the more I tried to get it off, the more stuck it became. Traumatizing!”

I was flat-out laughing now, and despite her protests she was giggling.

Sitting down on a nearby stump, I said, “I actually hate toads too. Never have encountered one that big, thankfully—sounds like yours might have been a giant toad baby. But somehow one got into my bed once. It’s hard to not be terrified of something when you’ve woken up with its creepy skin pressed against your face, croaking right at you. ”

“Ugh, that sounds awful ,” she groaned.

“It was! I’m still convinced one of my sisters put it there, but none of them ever fessed up. I’ve never been able to touch or be near a toad since. Why do they have to be so… bumpy?”

“And how they stare at you, with those beady little eyes?”

Elikki and I shuddered at the same time, then smiled at each other.

Her eyelashes were wet, clumped together from when she’d washed her face, and I had the sudden urge to brush my finger across them.

Feel the delicate lashes across the pad of my thumb.

She looked happy, relaxed, though a bit cold.

Her hands shook, and she tucked them against her body to warm them.

I suddenly remembered the decision I’d come to earlier, before she’d shown up here.

“Should we head back?” she said, still smiling softly at me. “Get away from these treacherous waters?”