Legacy (The Biodome Chronicles) (29 page)

Leaf wanted to continue to remain one step ahead as he navigated all the secrets thrown his direction. Jeff, Timothy, and Connor had begun the community vote yesterday evening, nominating him with a confident and unanimous agreement. Why did they want him to leave New Eden? Why did his father? Was it because his father knew of the faction, and the danger his own family would face? Or was there some other reason?

Leaf placed his arm protectively around Willow’s waist as he drew her against him again. She looked up at him with affection, a first in their relationship since they were children. Wanting to reassure her, Leaf kissed her forehead and gave his sister a comforting smile. She melted against him once more and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. He glanced up and met Coal’s stare. A look of longing passed on the young man’s face before it hardened, the internal ache visible as the tendons in his neck twitched. He could not help Coal, but he could help himself.

There were four things
Leaf wished to do before Saturday: make his affection known to Ember, demand the Earth Element position, find the Scroll, and speak with the Dungeon Master once again. The man from the Outside was able to ascertain information through a magical device, including confirming the statement his father made him memorize should he need a connection. What he did not share with Willow or Master Fillion was that his father had been adamant for years that if anything should ever happen to him, they were to seek out Della Jayne Nichols for guardianship and protection, which was his very last plea before the air left his body. No words of love or pride; instead, desperate instructions to guide their next steps as Leaf became The Aether.

The ceremony finished as Norah sang a hymn in graceful and soothing tones. Her weakened body accepted the arm of her husband as he led her back home, the lanterns swinging with their movement. Leaf echoed Willow’s whispered “amen” spoken into his tunic and cloak before she raised her head to peer up at the reflective sky to appreciate the darkened dome, mirroring lovely shades of lavender and blue.

“Are you ready to return home, Oaklee?”

“Yes, My Lord. Are you ready to return home?” she asked softly.

Leaf whispered back, “Thank you, yes. I shall inform Ember that she may return to her family.”

“Frog, shall we walk?”

“I prefer that you have an escort,” Leaf said. Willow gave him a strange look, but refrained from any comments, much to his relief.

“My Lord, may we walk with the Hansens?” Laurel’s sweet voice made him smile. His courtesy title always sounded wonderful whenever she used it in public.

“Actually, would you fine ladies act as chaperone as I walk Ember back to her family home?” Leaf was thankful his hood was still over his head, and that the sky was darkening. Both sisters giggled, making him smile shyly at the ground in response.

“Yes, we are happy to do so,” Willow said.

The Hansens still lingered as Connor engaged in a conversation with Timothy. Connor gave Leaf a friendly nod as he walked toward their cluster, casting a quick glance at his daughter before returning his attention to Timothy. The Wind Element began to say goodnight, but Connor asked him another question, and Leaf had the oddest feeling that Connor knew what he was about to do and approved.

Nerves made his whole body tingle as he approached the Daughter of Fire, her brown eyes locking with his as he continued to move toward her. In his peripheral vision, he could see Skylar watch them and knew that his friend was brooding. Strangely, this made him feel more confident as he slowed before Ember, enjoying how the lantern light played across her face, making her amber-colored hair glow.

“Would you do me the honor of a walk, My Lady?” Leaf asked in a low voice. “My sisters agreed to chaperone.”

“Yes, My Lord. I would very much enjoy a walk this evening in your company.”

He felt his spirits soar and started toward the path leading to The Orchard. Ember walked next to him, leaving a respectable space between their bodies. He wished to offer his arm, but this gesture was reserved for couples who were pledged or married. Touch was discouraged and frowned upon, the older generation explaining that the passions of youth were often the root of trouble between young men and women, and the foundation for a crumbling society when moral codes were compromised.

He thought back to yesterday when she took his hand in comfort, her words and touch breaking through the burdens and stress as she lay her cheek upon his hand as he held in the urge to cry, offering up her own reputation to his grief. Now, he studied her hooded profile, enjoying her graceful walk and the loving hands she kept folded at her waist.

Leaf nervously cleared his throat, and then said in a soft voice, “Willow has welcomed me back home and, therefore, I wish to escort you to The Forge.”

“I am pleased to hear of the reconciliation. You are needed, Leaf. Your family as well as
others
in this community will feel your absence.” She gave him a sideways glance, a bold and mysterious smile on her face, before lowering her eyes to the ground. The breath left his body with her words, and he marinated in the pleasure of being needed by her.

Walking through The Orchard, they ambled at a leisurely pace toward the Great Hall, the stone building casting long shadows across the meadow. As they neared the building along the path, Leaf decided to use the opportunity for privacy, knowing that the Hansen family still remained in The Rows with the Kanes, Timothy’s family. He asked Ember to wait a moment, briskly moving toward Willow, and whispered into her ear to act as a sentinel. She nodded her head with a giggle, and pushed him back toward Ember.

Leaf stood before Ember once more, and kept his head bowed, afraid to meet her eyes. With a low voice, he asked, “May I request a private moment along the Great Hall, My Lady?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Her breath hitched, and Leaf felt the same response flush through his system. He had never been so aware of another, and his body felt as though it floated away with every thought and with every nervous roll of his stomach. With downcast eyes, he nodded his thanks and then turned around and began walking. He led Ember into the shadows of the Great Hall off the path as she followed him around the bend, and each step became heavier than the last, each breath more difficult.

Leaf placed his lantern on the ground, and touched her arm once they were hidden, his nerves catching fire as she turned around peering up, searching his eyes in the limited candlelight. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and lowered her hood, his heart pounding against his chest as he watched her breaths quicken.

“My Lady, Ember, I am unsure of the future—”

“Yes, Leaf,” she whispered in a breathless voice, cutting him off while placing a finger on his lips. “Yes.”

He halted, furrowing his brows as she gave him another small smile, her eyes full of longing as she gazed up at him, and he noticed that his fingers were gripping the fabric of her lowered hood. His hands quickly released their hold and he awkwardly placed them behind his back, clearing his throat and blinking his eyes as shyness seized him. Her hand fell back to her waist, but she continued to gaze at him.

Leaf’s
heart thudded against his chest as he slowly understood her response. She was consenting, urging him to make a pledge, her whispers speaking to his soul that she was his and he did not need to lower himself in fear before her feet, begging for permission to love her.

He swallowed, and then took her hand gently in his, raising her fingertips to his lips as his eyes searched hers. Her skin was warm and soft, and his lips savored the contact. His body felt on fire, set aflame by a young woman he had secretly admired since age eight. She spoke of needing him, but he needed her. And he knew that he could only stand strong if she was beside him.

The flickering glow of the candlelight danced across her skin, and he leaned down, drawn like a moth to flame, closing his eyes as his mouth embraced hers, feeling her eyelashes rest along his cheek. Their kiss began soft and slow, and he lost himself to every curious and nervous brush of their lips. A sudden boldness sparked him and he deepened his kiss, feeling a heady rush when she responded. He rested her against the stone wall as his hands framed her face and as hers spread over his chest, her hand resting over his heart. The hood of his cloak enclosed their faces, increasing the intimacy they shared, and he felt delirious, consumed with happiness, and consumed by his bride-to-be. Never in his life had he felt such joy, such passion, and such wonder as he enjoyed his first kiss with Ember.

Willow cleared her voice a short distance away and they broke apart, their breaths mingling as they studied each other a few moments in the shifting shadows.

Leaf whispered hoarsely, “You honor me, Ember.”

“You are worthy to be honored, Leaf,” she said, her velvety tones intensifying the longing he felt. “Do not live in the shadow of your father. You are also a great man and a pillar of strength.”

Moved by her words, he rested his forehead against hers as he cradled her face, trying to hold back the multitude of emotions he had restrained all week.

“How do I do so? The path seems unclear and impassable.”

“Everything you need is here,” she placed her hand on his heart again, and he swallowed nervously, feeling tears form when she whispered, “I love you, Leaf Watson.”

He lifted her hand from his chest and kissed her palm while raising his eyes to hers, feeling honored once more. “I shall speak with your father tomorrow night.” He pressed her hand back onto his chest. “With your permission, I wish to wait until I have received the Earth Element title, something I hope to gain tomorrow evening as I meet with the Nobles.” She nodded her head slowly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Overcome by the Daughter of Fire, he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers softly, whispering, “I love you, Ember Hansen.”

She sighed against his mouth in response, and he felt every constrained emotion held in this week surface passionately. Tears fell as grief consumed him, and the salt flavored their kisses as the curiosity of their first moments turned into something more raw and open. With subtle movements, Ember leaned into him, allowing him to press his hands against her back, a touch and freedom he had never known with another woman outside his family. She was his, and she loved him and believed that he was a pillar of strength. Ember pulled his hood over them tightly as if sensing his need of her, and her alone.

His sister cleared her throat more urgently.

Reluctantly, Leaf pulled away and gave his intended a bashful smile while fixing his gaze upon the grass. “I am most sorry, My Lady. I fear I lost control, and find myself unable to hold in my emotions at present.” His breath shuddered and he wiped away at his cheeks. “Please accept my apologies if I behaved ungentlemanly in any—”

“I long for you, Leaf,” she confessed while cutting him off and lowering her head, and he knew she was blushing as well. “I have need of you, and I wish to know your love and give you mine.”

He sucked in another shaky breath, and stared at her in complete wonder. With a quavering voice, he whispered, “I did not wish to trespass upon your heart should you love another, but I have needed you far longer than before this week.”

“I know, My Lord.” She looked up at him slowly as she intertwined her fingers with his, and then kissed their joined hands. Ember whispered above their fingers, “I am yours, Leaf, wholly and completely. I have waited many years for you.”

With gentle movements, she rested her free hand against his cheek and caressed away another tear.

He turned his head and kissed her hand, then said in a strong voice, “My life is entirely yours, My Lady. I give you my oath, and none shall break it. I shall endeavor to deserve you every day of my life.”

Ember smiled sweetly at him as he completed the process of pledging his life to hers, and then she giggled, and Leaf laughed in reply, overcome with a joy incomparable to any he had ever known. She threw her arms around his neck, resting her head upon his chest, and they held each other tightly. Leaf closed his eyes as they swayed in the night air and enjoyed blissful moments of companionable silence, breathing in each other, followed by moments of soft laughter as the joy they both felt refused to be contained. He was so in love and so humbled that he felt a wondrous disorientation, as if drunk on life.

Willow cleared her voice again, this time with a sound of annoyance. Leaf knew that if they did not emerge from behind the Great Hall that his sister would march into the shadows and pull him by the hood of his cloak and back onto the path, scolding him in such a way that the entire Orchard would know of his scandalous behavior. His heart had other ideas, though, fastening his feet to the grassy patch before Ember.

A coy look flashed across her brown eyes and a smile formed that suggested she understood his very thoughts. “Come, let us join your sisters before we are discovered by our families,” she said.

He nodded, not trusting his voice to provide words of agreement. He wished the world could melt away, leaving only them. Leaf moved as if in a dream state, picking up the lantern with methodical movements before walking out onto the path. Boldness still coursed in his veins, and so he took her hand in his, enjoying the freedom of touch a while longer as he led the way.

His sisters waited near the main path under a large apple tree, eager eyes watching their every move. Willow bit her lower lip in anticipation, and the irritation he had felt in her interruption was quickly replaced with a happiness that she desired Ember in his life.