Page 41 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge

“I'm thirty-two, and if my guess is correct, we are probably somewhat of an age. Most people in my village live to be around 150. And you?”

“Around the same.” Good. That was one less thing that she’d need to worry about if they were unable to break the bond.

When they were dressed to leave. Elspeth had chosen her dark purple striped dress and had asked Aegir to fix her hair again. He was so attentive and his fingers so gentle that it didn't bother her when he touched her. Perhaps they needed to explore exactly what made her feel unsafe, perhaps it was fine because she’d asked him to?

“As I said, I usually bring the children presents, do you mind if we stop and get them something on the way out of town?" he asked, pulling her from her musings.

“Not at all," she said, eager to see what the store might be like in the elves’ town.

Walking down the small main street with her arm in his, Elspeth marveled at how easy it all felt. Her arm seemed to fit into the crook of his, as if it was made to be there.Again, she wondered at the difference from the night before, and decided that it might have something to do with the intent behind a touch.

Several doors down they ducked into what appeared to be some sort of general store.

“What do they like? What are they like, the children?"

“Well, Ursule and Halsten are eight-year-old twins, a boy and girl. Halsten enjoys art, so I think you might be helpful there. Ursule enjoys making her own clothes, so I always try to bring her interesting fabrics or adornments. Finally, Bjorn is still quite young, so something simple will suffice for him.”

They wandered through the store, Aegir picking out a bolt of brocade fabric in a pale green covered in leaves. “The kids are half Orcish, but because they live among the dwarves, they sometimes need to change their skin to blend in, so they like wearing green to compensate when they can."

Elspeth helped him pick out a smart little lap desk for Halsten, that opened to house art supplies inside. Once they settled on a small doll in the shape of a faun for Bjorn, they set off for Berggeheimnis at last.

Time passed quickly from where she rodeon his back, the road was increasingly deserted, but for some reason it worried her more than a busy one would.

"How many people do you suppose travel along this road each month, will we run into Pathian soldiers?" she asked with a tremble in her voice.

"I have good news for you there. If there were Pathian soldiers in the area, we'd know already," he said.

Elspeth leaned forward, putting her hands on his shoulders, leaning toward him. "We would?"

"Yes. The dwarves and dragons of Berggeheimnis are quite secretive. If the dragons had spotted any soldiers, we'd have seen dwarven patrols, disguised as merchants, by now."

"So the fact that we've seen no one..."

"Is a very good sign.”

“Even this far out?”

“Absolutely. The dragons can fly quite a ways in a short time.”

"Do they know we are coming already?"

"Of course. You might not have seen them, but a dragon passed over fifteen minutes or so ago. I'd have pointed them out, but they really are hard to spot unless you know what to look for."

"If they are secretive... are they going to be alright with me just showing up with you?"

"Yes, they trust my judgment. I daresay they know that I have more to lose than they do in this case. You and I would be easily dispatched should it come to that."

"I see, I suppose I have had it made abundantly clear that I am not much of a fighter. Hell, I didn’t even try, not like Feann."

“Your brother?”

“Yes, he tried to help me and was taken himself, though he was bound immediately, and then no one could do anything," she said. The overwhelming emotions of that day echoed within her. Anger, fear, and helplessness.

“Except you.”

“What?”

“No one would help, you said. But you still want to help him." Aegir reached back and squeezed her ankle.