Authors: Nicole Zoltack
"I did not think so."
Her throat moved as she swallowed.
"What exactly happened?" he demanded, his hand reaching for his axe.
"It's done and dealt with. It's in the past."
Lukor touched the cold metal covering her shoulder, forcing her to halt. She stared straight ahead at his chest. His fingers tilted her chin up.
Her eyes were cold and hard before thawing slightly. "I handled it."
"What did you handle?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Did one of them hurt you?"
"Do I look hurt?" she retorted. "Besides, he's not alive. Couldn't hurt an insect even if he wanted to. Let's focus on those who still wish us harm."
She turned to leave, but he again tugged her to him. "No secrets," he murmured.
"That's reserved for you and your people." Ivy avoided his gaze. "We should go."
The group, still somewhat traveling separately, marched on the rest of the day. When night approached, they circled around two fires, still keeping their distance from each other. Lukor watched as Ivy returned to her people.
Karrina appeared from nowhere. "Stop staring."
"Let them talk," he grumbled.
"They are beginning to suspect, and it's not good."
"I am Golock. Do not presume—"
"I will be golempress when you are dead." Her tone held no maliciousness. "Think, Lukor. If we succeed, if we kill the elves, and maybe the trolls, they will be so relieved they just might accept her. But not now. You've waited so long. Wait a little longer."
Damn Karrina and her irrefutable logic.
Luckily for her sake, she wandered off. Lukor spared one last glance at Ivy. The glow of the fire illuminated her, the whiteness of her dress lending her an ethereal air. She had captured his heart.
Now it was up to his sword arm to protect the rest of his body and that of hers and their people, as she was willing to do for them all as well.
Only two more days until they reached Luna Ford.
Two more days until many of them breathed no more.
Night crept upon the Scandavia Mountains, warm but comfortable. Surprisingly, a good amount of moon and starlight littered through the green leaves of the tall trees. Peaceful insects serenaded them with soft music. A firebug burped out a speck of fire, so small it could never threaten such a magnificent forest.
Hopefully none present were being lulled into a sense of security.
Ivy breathed in deeply. The tangy, bitter emotion of fear hung in the air, a scent Ivy usually only smelled before killing her foes.
She glanced over the two groups. Who accounted for the smell?
A hand rested on her shoulder, and she patted the warm flesh, not having to turn to know who touched her. "Not here," she murmured and led Lukor a few feet toward the neutral ground between hers and his before locating a tree with many full lower branches whose smooth bark would pose no hindrance or harm to the fragile material of her dress.
He overtook her and selected a branch high up, and she slid beside him. From here, they could both keep watch on their people and be hidden away with a measure of privacy.
Lukor's fingers traced along her cheekbones before his hand rested on the curve of her neck. "I hope he suffered," he said, his voice full of emotion.
"I hoped we wouldn't speak of him." Ivy leaned forward and teasingly brushed her lips just below his. "I hoped we wouldn't speak much at all."
Her goliath pulled her closer, and her hands splayed across his beasty bare chest. His lips crushed against hers, alternatingly soft and firm, guiding her to a place she had never been before, exploring new and curious emotions. His fingers kneaded the muscles of her back through the thin material of her dress.
She broke off a kiss. "You are mine," she whispered, back arched, head back.
His tongue flicked against her neck, his breath warm, tickling her. "Or you are mine."
Ivy leveled him a glance, lips pursed into a teasing little grin, head tilted, hair falling over her shoulders in waves. "We belong to each other."
"So we shall." Lukor's voice had deepened, husky, and the sound teased Ivy, bringing her further into her body, into him.
His hands teased along the soft material of her skirt. She tried to move it aside so he could touch her bare skin, but he must enjoy torture, for he smiled and continued feeling up her covered legs.
"I love you," she whispered. Each admission came easier, an affirmation almost, as if she had to keep repeating it, for how else would he know how she felt?
But his words told her differently. "I know." His head buried within her neck. His teeth prickled against her tender skin, but he did not nip at her, trailing a line of kisses around her neck like a piece of jewelry.
Ivy's eyes went to close of her own accord when a sudden spark of movement below had her forcing Lukor back. "Hallo?" she murmured, almost to herself.
Despite being many feet above the ground, Ivy jumped from branch to branch, and her feet touched the ground three seconds later. The tree shook, and she glanced up. Lukor remained on their branch, shaking his hand as if it pained him. Had he slapped the tree in frustration? She did not blame him. The muscles deep within her body clenched and released in an agonizing fashion. Whatever release he might have given her would have to wait.
By the time she revealed her presence in the sparser section of the forest between their camps, Lukor had joined her. Several goliaths and goliathas were moving closer toward the barbarian encampment, the clanging of their weapons piercing the stillness of the night, waking any who might have been sleeping.
"Go and rest." Lukor clapped his hands on one of the goliath's shoulders, avoiding the spikes on the armored shoulder sleeves.
One exaggerated a sniff, his huge nostrils flailing. "Can you not smell it?"
Ivy crossed her arms. She had never talked to anyone to see if they could also at times smell emotions. Could this goliath?
"You'll get used to it."
Ivy looked up at Lukor. He was amused. The goliath did not mean the scent of fear after all.
She jabbed a finger against his chestplate. "If we have to put up with the stench of a people who wash—"
Lukor tugged on her other wrist.
Oh, right. How could she have forgotten? Sometimes, nay most of the time, with Lukor, she did not see yellow- and apple-green skin tones. She only saw Lukor. Nothing else.
But the rest of his species...
Still, considering Lukor was her future, she had to make peace with his people and their people had to accept each other. And trading insults would help not a whit.
"Wash far more than is necessary," she continued, valiantly trying to keep a straight face, "we can all try to ignore the other race's smell and differences."
"We might be allies today..." The goliath stood a few inches from her, his right eye twitching a little.
"And tomorrow." Ivy couldn't help smiling.
"Thul," Lukor warned.
Ivy wanted to hold up her hand and address the issue herself, but it wasn't her place to.
Yet.
By now, a group of barbarians crowded Ivy's and Lukor's backsides.
"Need a song sung so you can sleep?" Maul taunted.
"Too nervous and can't sleep?" Saber added.
Ivy shook her head. Males and their complex concerning machismo. In barbarians especially, it was heightened, and once they got started, it typically did not end until one or more was dead.
She slipped in front of her barbarians. "We are all on edge."
The goliath brought up his short sword.
Ivy half-turned toward Maul. "Perhaps a song is just what we need to be able to come together and prepare for the upcoming battle, where we are allies." Now she fixed her gaze upon Thul.
Maul jerked back as if she had drawn her weapon against him. "Sing?"
"Aye," she said coolly, a warning in the word.
"I will, O Barbaroness."
Katar stepped forward. She had suspected that if any barbarian would stand beside her it would be Glaive, or even Springald, but on second thought, Katar had sung often years ago, when she and Orchid and he had been young and wild and without too many responsibilities.
His blue-green eyes searched the trees and underbrush. After a moment, he closed his eyes, thrust out his chest, and rumbled:
Through the forest glade,
Where teal grass grows,
Sits a stone fortress
No wind blows.
Proud and strong,
Our fortress our rock
Behind our barbaroness
We shall flock.
We might number few,
But our might remains.
We shall not falter
As the moon wanes.
Stand with us today,
Fight with us tomorrow,
We shall not fall.
We'll feel no sorrow.
All fell silent as the last long note faded. Ivy's heart swelled. Katar had changed the lyrics to some of the stanzas and completely added a new verse.
"You have songs," the goliath Thul said.
"We are not the savages you think we are." Ivy held her head high. She offered Katar a smile. The barbarian looked strong and noble, not the least bit sorrowful. The barbaroness inched toward him. "Thank you."
"I did it for you. And her."
Orchid. "Thank you," she repeated. How hard it must have been for him to sing when his favorite audience member could never be in attendance anymore.
"Do you have songs?" Ivy directed her question to Lukor, reverting the conversation back on course.
"None that you would like to hear." She did not miss the warning in his green eyes.
"I'm surprised your songs aren't all about blood and crushing your enemies."
That Thul was a troublemaker, wasn't he?
Ivy merely shook her head. "Thinking of the trolls, I see."
The goliaths and barbarians both laughed at that, and some of the tension disappeared. The two fractions returned to their groups and waited out the dawn.
No sorrow. If only that would prove to be the truth.
Luna Ford, so called because the only time this portion of Glass Springs was low enough for crossing was at night, and only certain nights. Luckily, this night, the stars had aligned, and the waters were low enough, at their knees compared to their necks.
Unluckily, the trolls were nowhere to be seen.
Lukor gnashed his teeth. Where were the blasted creatures?
"We should not linger." Ivy slinked toward him in the darkness, easy to see in her white dress. Like an angel. An angel with a dark side.
"Go?" he repeated, trying to keep his gaze from following the slit of her skirt and remembering how soft her skin felt against his hands.
"Into Celestia Forest. We are a more than formidable force. How many goliaths have you brought with you?"
Far more than half. And the roughly one hundred barbarians counted for much more than their number, capable of handling five or more foes at once — if said foes were not using trickery and magic against them.
"We should wait. Especially with it being so dark and the forest so close. If the trolls are planning to ambush us..."
Ivy crossed her arms, full lips pursed. "You never should have agreed to this."