Legon Restoration (13 page)

“No, she doesn’t know anything,” Heath said.

“Right, cut her lose then. We have other things to do.”

* * * * *

Ankle continued on with his day, walking up a line of small businesses. After the morning’s success, they'd be assigned to working a new part of town. He left his men, who were searching a wig shop, to talk to the store owner next door.
 

Ankle pushed the door of the butcher’s shop open to the sound of tinkling bells. "Hello," he said.

There was no answer. Ankle looked the shop over, gazing behind the waste high counter to a peg board lined with knifes and cleavers.
 

He walked behind the counter looking around
maybe the owner is in a cooler
he thought. He looked under the counter and walked further back in the shop. It didn't look like the butcher was working on anything at the moment so Ankle figured he was gone.
 

"Oh well, I guess we can cross this off the li-"
 

Ankle huffed as he was hit from behind, his sword being pulled from its sheath. Ankle turned, knocking over his assailant and falling with him to the ground. There was a clang as his sword hit the stone floor. Ankle rolled on top of his attacker raising a fist. Below him was a man with a bushy beard and wild eyes. He grunted, bringing his head up, smacking it into Ankles.
 

Ankle fell back feeling his nose break. He stumbled to his feet blood pouring from his face. He reached for his sword,
where is it?

He looked at the man in his white apron. It was covered in blood,
at least you found the butcher,
and in his hand was Ankle’s sword. The butcher swung it at him, Ankle jumped back;
I'm not going to get killed with my own weapon.
He backed into the wall and a knife fell to the floor. The butcher paused as Ankle turned, looking at the assorted knives and cleavers. Ankle looked back at the butcher, his momentary pause over, he bellowed rushing forward.
 

Ankle turned grabbing a three foot splitting cleaver and blocking a blow. The butcher backed off. Ankle swung the cleaver a few times getting used to the feel of it. He could tell the butcher had little to no training with a sword; Ankle however had extensive training with both sword and ax.
 

"Look Sir, you can't win this fight, put down the sword, there's no reason for you to die today," Ankle said.

The man thought for only a moment before rushing forward, the sword high above his head. Ankle dodged to the side swinging the cleaver. There was a whoosh of air from the man as the cleaver made contact with his side. Blood sprayed the ground and Ankle felt the blade jerk to a stop mid way through the man’s body. Ankle tugged; with a slurp the cleaver came free. The man stumbled forward slipping on his own blood, dropping to the floor. Ankle slumped to the floor himself breathing hard, watching as blood pooled around the butcher.

* * * * *

"FLAMMA!" Sasha yelled as she landed on the deck of the ship. Steam hissed in the air as a column of ice evaporated from her flames.
 

"With the fenna," Legon growled. "INIS!" he roared sending a lavender bolt of lightning at her.
 

Remembering the point of the lesson Sasha raised her fenna deflecting the bolt. She crouched to the deck and launched herself into the air. "Communis infirmus," she said as shards of light shot from the palm of her hand. Legon deflected a few of the shards before realizing that it was a harmless spell. Sasha, still in mid air, took Legon's moment of distraction sending a powerful freezing spell at him. The deck of the ship was engulfed by steam as she landed on it. "HA! You aren't allowed to do that in this lesson," she said enjoying her victory, knowing that her freezing spell was too strong for him to hold back.

Legon's voice was a soft whisper behind her. "The steam was just a screen. I didn't need to deflect a spell that was easily dodged," he said as she felt the cool edge of Tento, Legon's fenna, rest on the back of her neck.

A breeze cleared the deck as Sasha huffed. "No fair," she said.

The blade left her neck as she turned to her brother. "How is that not fair?" he asked smirking.

"You used magic to screen the deck of the ship, that's cheating," she accused.

Legon sheathed Tento and put his arm around her shoulder. "Sash, the lesson was for YOU to learn how to block with a fenna, and for YOU to learn how to better fight with magic. There was no rule about using spells on your surroundings," Legon pointed out.

She sighed, "I am going to be a horrid fighter, I'm avoiding combat if at all possible," she said and then pointed out, "I don't even have the nerve to fight unless I'm connected to you."

It was Iselin that had first made the connection about how Legon affected Sasha. When Sasha was only weakly connected or not connected at all to Legon, she was just as timid as she was when she was a little girl. It was only when connected to her brother that she was able to even make an attempt at aggression, and even then it was a poor attempt.

Legon responded to her inner monologue, "Sash, that's a good thing."
 

"Normally yes, but we are at war Legon. What if I need to fight and you are not close enough for me to connect too?" She gestured around the deck, "It's one thing here when we are in training and I'm connected to you, I can fight with you but only because I know that neither one of us could ever get hurt because we place wards on one another."

Legon took his time answering. "Fair, but when you were with the White Dragon he gave you his anger didn't he?"

"Yes, when I see injustice I will feel it."
 

Legon squeezed her shoulder. "Then you will be fine, when you are with me you can train connected to me and if you find yourself in a combat situation I assure you that you will have the White Dragon’s anger." Then he added brightly, "Now let's go see what’s for lunch."

Chapter Nine

Flight of the Dragons

"Growth is almost always painful; it's the world’s way of reminding us that there is a price for everything. For us, we need to figure out that price and then pay it."

-Confessions of Love, The First Wife

Legon closed his eyes breathing in deeply the sweet scent of Seeon, they would soon be docking. He was surprised by how much he'd missed the city. They hadn't been gone for very long, but he suspected that his feelings had more to do with the fact that when he'd left the Capital, he wasn't sure if he would be returning.
 

Sasha joined him by the rail, he could feel her apprehension.
 

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you think he will see me as a monster?" she asked.
 

Legon could see in her mind, she was thinking about Edling, the Elf that had told her he loved her. She was concerned about what he would think of her new appearance, her eyes being red and her new power. Legon held back a sigh, knowing that while Sasha's concerns seemed silly to him, to her they were far from that. He thought humor may be the best course of action.

He turned to her placing his hand on her shoulders, looking her square in the eyes. "Sash, Edling is a smart, talented man. I promise you he figured out women are monsters long ago," he said with mock sorrow.

Sasha's face softened and she fought back a smile. "I hate you," she said looking back over the rail of the ship.

Iselin approached them and in Legon's mind said coolly, "Don't think I didn't hear that."
 

Legon turned to her. "Hello my dearest love, you look radiant," he crooned.

Iselin thought for a moment “better,” She said, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist, "But you did say that all women are monsters...and I am a woman."

"Who has threatened to eat me on a regular basis since we met," Legon argued.

She smiled, "True..."
 

Legon kissed her. "I think you are just upset that now it is me that can eat you," he said kissing her again.

"Love, you can eat me anytime you want," she said suggestively.

"Eww," Sasha said making a disgusted face. "That’s my cue to leave. Honestly you two, how many years does the newlywed syndrome take to wear off in Elves?" she said without waiting for an answer.

* * * * *

Sasha left Legon and Iselin alone. The ship was pulling into dock now and she was excited to see her family and if she was being honest, both excited and nervous to see Edling. Emma stood with her on the deck, lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet.
 

"You're on edge today," Emma noted.

"A little, you seem a little keyed up yourself," Sasha pointed out.

Emma stopped bouncing. "Just restless, we've been on one ship or another since we left Seeon to go to Noris. I'm ready for unmoving ground and something to do."

Sasha smiled. "You didn't bring enough to read I take it?" she asked.

Emma snorted. "I was sure that you'd leave me here when the fleet left so I didn't bring much in the way of reading, but also..." she paused looking thoughtful, "also Seeon is my home now. I never thought I would truly see it that way, but I love the city, it feels like where I belong. I'm happy here. If I'm being completely upfront I'm happier in Seeon than I have been anywhere else."

"Even more than Salmont?" Sasha asked thinking of Kovos.

Emma thought for a bit. "Salmont was a different life. I miss Kovos, you know that better than most, but I don't dwell on it anymore, it doesn't hurt the way it did before." She breathed out, "When I left Salmont I felt something inside me die and I will never get it back; I won’t love again, not the way I did with Kovos. But he would have wanted me to be happy and so I am. Does what I said make any sense?" she asked.

"Yes, it does," Sasha said.

The ship was stopped and they were getting ready to disembark. As Sasha made her way down the ramp of the ship onto the dock, she could see her parents waiting for them. They knew about everything that had happened during the battle and Sasha wondered what they would think of having two immortal children. Her mother came to her first, hugging her and then pulling back, looking Sasha up and down, finally looking into her eyes. Sasha could see herself reflected in the bright blue of her mother’s eyes, no longer were Sasha's the same vibrant blue but now red that shone like a mirror. Her mother’s face looked confused almost, she looked as though she recognized her daughter, but didn't at the same time.

"Will they go back to blue?" her mother asked.

Sasha shook her head, "No."

Her mother’s face saddened. "You have always been like a mirror for me, if it weren't for our age we'd have looked like twins you and I."

"You're upset," Sasha said feeling a sting deep inside her.

"Not in the way you think, I am happy for you. No longer will you have episodes, or so I've been told. No, it's the bitter sweet feeling every mother has when she realizes that her daughter is no longer her little girl," her mother smiled patting her cheek.
 

Sasha smiled, understanding what her mother was feeling; she looked to her father who looked down on her, disapproving.

She felt herself shrink like when she was a child and had done something wrong. "I thought I made it clear you were not to get hurt," he said.

"I- I didn't get hurt," she spluttered.

Her father put his hands on his hips. "Really? The way I hear it you just about died on top of that hill."

"Oh that..."

She looked down trying to think of something to say; instead she felt his hand on her cheek, pulling her head up to look into his eyes. "I know I can't stop you from doing anything, but no more mortal injuries, got me young lady? You are still my daughter no matter what your title is and I'm not going to lose you again."

"Sorry Daddy," she said just like when she was little.
 

And just like when she was little, once her father had scolded her, his face softened and he pulled her into a tight hug. "I am so happy for you now; and don't think that you being a class eight, or whatever, means I don't get to worry about you or can’t get on your case."

She laughed, "I'm a class six, and I will always be your little girl."
 

She felt the mental presence of another; she turned to see Edling a little way off looking at her. She slowly walked up to him. He ran his fingers along her cheek bone and brushed back her hair, taking in every detail of her face. His mind felt wondrous to her, he held her shoulders, the look on his face disbelieving. "You really don't have episodes anymore?" he asked breathless.

"Not once since I've changed, it’s been almost two months now," she explained.

"And you're immortal," he verified.

She nodded. His hands moved down her arms to her waste and then he wound his arms around her bringing her in close. She could feel the heat from his body, hear his heart race, and even see his skin flush. She opened the connection of their minds, timid at first, but then feeling what he felt. He was happy and relieved.

"So you don't think I'm a freak," she said.

Edling pressed his forehead to hers, "Always thinking so little of yourself. You are not a freak, you never have been."
 

Unexpectedly he kissed her. Sasha felt her whole body get warm and tingly, she knew others were watching them, her family included, but she didn't care. When they broke away she pulled him close to her whispering in his ear, "You know you’re going to be stuck with me for the rest of eternity, don't you?"
 

She felt him chuckle. "I already was."

* * * * *

Legon made his way along the roof top garden of the Palace, Iselin next to him, holding his hand. They walked until they met up with Tenick, Legon's uncle, Opes and an Elf Legon did not know. He was short for an Elf, with short brown hair that matched his eyes and to Legon's astonishment he saw brown flecks sparkle in his eyes.