The Crimson Claymore (7 page)

Chapter 7

S
earon’s horse pranced forward through the small meadow with Starlyn at his back, clutching hard onto his plate mail. She seemed uneasy at traveling on a saddle and behind Searon. It could probably be assumed that it was both her first time on a saddle and riding behind someone. When they reached the end of the meadow through the thickening sun, she whispered in his ear to stop. He clutched the reins, causing Stripes to halt, and he looked around. The meadow was clear besides a few fluffy white clouds above them that only blocked enough sun to withstand being completely blinded by its bright yellow rays.

She gently dropped to the ground and stalked over to a small bush with large leaves and violet flowers. Searon kept on his horse, stroking his mane for comfort while watching Starlyn out of the corner of his eye. She brushed her hands through the five large flowers as if searching for the perfect one. Finally satisfied, she pulled two and held them tight to her chest as she made her way back to him. She handed him the two flowers, and he studied them curiously. Both were deep blue in color and turned bright green near the petals. The two flowers must have been hard to find when the majority of them on the bush were violet. He cautiously wrapped them in a red linen handkerchief and stuffed them in an empty saddlebag.

She lifted herself back onto the saddle and sat behind him, tugging at her hair.

“What are those called?” he asked.

“Adueur… they are rare in these colors and hold more healing potency than the purples…and they’re less bitter.”

Searon watched as her glittering sunflower-blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Her electric silvery eyes resembled jolts of electricity that bolted outward from her pupils and sparkled to match the stars at night. Her beauty outmatched any human that he had ever met, and yet he felt nothing for her. Nobody could tear away the love he had felt for his wife, and even though her physical beauty hadn’t compared to this kheshlar before him, in his eyes Victoria was absolute perfection.

He became lost in thought, and her body faded out of existence, replaced with memories.

* * *

Victoria clutched at his waist as he rode off into the sunset to begin his life anew with her in it. There was something about the way she clutched at him as they rode into the sunset atop his brown mare. She seemed to want the closeness with him but was still afraid of what kind of person he was. He knew he would have to prove himself to her before she fully trusted him. She had accepted his proposal, but she was still reticent about accepting him as a husband.

When they arrived at his small gray slate home, he noticed her anticipation. Worry stained her face at what his intentions were, and he had to prove himself to her that he was kind. After dismounting, he gracefully lifted her into his arms and pushed open his front door. Inside, candlelight lit the room, and it was larger than it appeared from the outside. He strode into the bedroom with her still in his arms before he rested her on his bed. She looked up at him with concern on her face, and he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

“Rest well, my darling fiancée.”

Without pausing to see her reaction, he left the bedroom to rest in his chair in the front room. He pulled out his pipe and lit it carefully, pondering the events of the day. In his room rested the most beautiful woman he had ever come across. It wasn’t only that, but she glowed unlike any other as if the heavens were making her known to him. He rested his pipe on the small table and shut his eyes to patiently wait for the next morning.

The next morning, he awoke to the smell of fresh porridge lingering under his nose. He opened his eyes to see Victoria dressed in loose cotton clothes of his, setting two bowls of porridge on his cedar table with two cups of fresh squeezed orange juice. His eyebrows rose as he got to his feet and approached her.

A smile brightened her face when he secured his arms around her and relaxed his jaw on her shoulder. She motioned for him to sit, but instead he pulled out her chair for her and set her down properly before relaxing in his own. The soothing smell of cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats relaxed Searon.

“This is a surprise,” Searon grinned.

“It is gratitude, for not pressing consummation last night.”

“We have not made our vows for each other yet; my fiancée and I have no interest in consummation until after our marriage. It will not be until you are ready.”

An exhale of relief spread across her face, and a slight smile appeared. Searon nodded and silently ate his scrumptious porridge before directing his attention back to Victoria. He chuckled as he glanced back over his loose clothing she was wearing.

“It seems I must take you shopping today; besides, you must pick out a dress to marry in.”

A smile lit her face, and she swiftly washed the few dishes before sliding back into her freshly washed black silk dress. She strode forward into Searon’s arms, who took her wholeheartedly. Looking into his eyes, her face lit up, and she bit her lip. Her freckles glimmered in the candlelight, and he fought the urge to kiss her. There was nothing more that he wanted at the moment than to feel her soft lips upon his, but he held his desires back. It would not prove to her to act hastily with her. He knew waiting for marriage for his first kiss would be the hardest thing he would have to do, but somehow in his heart he knew that it would be worth it. For the moment, he was at his happiest with only her in his arms. He felt complete, which was something he had never known before.

* * *

“Searon?” a familiar voice whispered unseen.

His memories swirled back into nonexistence, and reality consumed him. Looking down, he saw Starlyn at his back on his horse, staring at him with concern. Sighing heavily, he pulled at his hair and coughed. He wondered how long he had been lost in a haze of memories.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes, I am fine,” Searon shrugged and cracked his neck. “Starlyn…about last night.”

His mind flashed again back to the memory of her arms around him throughout the night. Even though he felt warm and peaceful through the night for the first time in ages, it still wasn’t something he was ready to get used to. He had been alone for too long, and his memories still faded to Victoria every chance they could.

She dropped her grip from her ear and bit her lip, eyeing him. Her eyes either filled with hopefulness or surprise.

“What about last night?” she asked with innocence.

“When you came in the middle of the night and slept by my side. Either to comfort you or me, or perhaps both of us from the past memories that still haunt us. First, I would like to thank you for the comfort. I haven’t slept so well in such a long time. Now, you are beautiful, of that there is no doubt, bu—”

Starlyn didn’t allow him to finish his sentence as her lips met his. At first, he resisted, but soon he molded into the kiss. Her lips were so soft and tasted so sweet that he couldn’t find it within himself to pull away. The kiss seemed more comfort than passion, and it lured him in.

* * *

By midday, they had arrived at the thick pine forest to the west. Searon slowed his horse now that they couldn’t see too far ahead. Birds conversed with each other from branches, and Searon noticed several nests where mothers fed their hatchlings. They sought only two more plants in the forest: a purple-leafed plant and a scarlet flower.

“Starlyn…about what happened back there,” Searon said.

He hadn’t soberly lost control around a woman in so long that he wasn’t sure how to act around her now. Complications rolled in his mind at his stupidity that he had seemingly become involved with a woman that traveled with him. Not just any woman, but a kheshlar for that matter.

She smirked with a blush but said nothing as she continued looking for the plants.

“What about it?”

“What happens now?” He turned away from her.

“The two of us were lost in a moment of comfort and passion. It stays at that.”

He looked at her now, and her face was stern without emotion. Her blush was gone and so was her smile. She stroked her blonde hair from her eyes and tugged it behind her slender ears.

“What do we say?” he asked.

Her grip on him tightened, and he imagined if he didn’t have thick steel armor on that he would be able to feel her claws digging into his flesh. She shifted abruptly behind him in the saddle and cleared her throat.

“Tell no one.”

Her eyes stared deep into his, colder than he had ever seen them. She left it at that, but it seemed to carry weight that it was important, that it was to be kept secret. Turning her head to the north, she smiled slightly before hopping off the saddle. She knelt to the ground and picked up a few large purple-bordered leaves from a plant.

Searon slid off the saddle and soothed his horse before approaching Starlyn from behind. Before he reached her, he noticed a scarlet flower from the corner of his eye lost in a patch of vines. Gently, he plucked it and walked over to Starlyn, tapping her on the shoulder. Abruptly, she turned to face him and stared into his eyes. Her heart caved and lips parted as she studied him. Finally, she saw the flower he held in his hand. She blushed quickly before snatching the flower from his grasp and rising to her feet. Smelling the flower, she smiled before placing it in her hair.

“That’s the last one; now we can get back to heal him.”

She disappeared through the trees ahead of him. Searon raised his eyebrows slightly before following her. He noticed his horse wasn’t where he had left him, and Starlyn was nowhere to be seen as well.

Something didn’t feel right to him, and he edged forward, keeping a hand on his claymore. He knelt to the ground and brushed his gauntlets on the scattered branches. They seemed slightly out of place and crushed in the middle. He hadn’t heard anybody approach, but someone had stepped on the branches.

“Starlyn?” he called out, unsheathing his claymore. Silence filled the air without even the gentle chirping of crickets or birds. Something or someone had been in a hurry to step on those branches hard enough to crack them. Cautiously, he looked around to search for more signs.

A foul scent lingered in the air that reminded him of both death and cloves. It was odd that a pleasant smell could be surrounded with the smell of death. He clutched his claymore tighter as he stepped through thick shrubbery into a clearing.

He nearly collided with something and was taken aback when he noticed it was Starlyn that was before him. She wasn’t alone; behind her was a kheshlar that held a curved dagger close to her throat. Her eyebrows were silver and matched Starlyn’s, but her skin wasn’t pale blue as other kheshlars. Instead, it was a light charcoal shade that he had never seen before. Her hair was pearl white and tangled atop her head, coming apart at two thick strands stopping just below her chest. He looked into her gunmetal eyes and had a hard time looking away.

Chapter 8

T
here seemed to be an aura of power surrounding the woman that Searon couldn’t explain. She resembled a kheshlar ranger with a bow attached to her back next to a quiver. Her black steel armor caught his attention with thick pointed shoulder pads and stripes of white to match her hair. Strangely, she only wore a steel gauntlet on her right hand while her left was bare, showing long fingernails. The armor on her bosom was half the depth of Starlyn’s. Silver scale mail covered her legs before they were met by parted boots just above her knees. Three sharp points like daggers rose to her knees from each boot, looking deadlier than the dagger she kept at Starlyn’s throat.

Despite her exotic appearance, nothing kept Searon’s attention more than the woman’s face. It was very similar to Starlyn’s with high cheek bones, a small nose, and lips that nearly mirrored each other. The ears were also very similar with each other, but Starlyn’s weren’t quite as sharp on the tip.

“Let her go.”

He didn’t let his voice falter in the slightest, but inside he could feel chills run down his spine. For the woman to be able to capture Starlyn so easily he wondered how little of a chance he stood against her. Still, he clutched the handle of his claymore until he was sure his knuckles had turned completely white. He kept his eyes focused into the woman’s with as much courage as he could while trying not to be mesmerized by them.

“Ah…you are attractive. I can see now how my sister lost control in your presence.” Her voice was cold and harsh like grinding nails.

“Sister?” Searon breathed, shifting his eyes from the woman to Starlyn’s fearful expression.

He knew Starlyn had told him about losing her sister to the draeyks. She had never told him of her change of appearance, though, and he had imagined the woman to be similar to Starlyn. Indeed she was similar to Starlyn, but the change of skin color took Searon aback. He was intrigued at how the woman could have changed so much. Now he knew that he hadn’t been given the full story of what had happened to her sister.

The woman grinned, showing perfect white teeth. Searon half expected her teeth to be rotting like the charcoal skin on her body. Her skin didn’t appear rotten; in fact, it appeared smoother than Starlyn’s, and he had a craving to touch it. The same craving dwelled in him to feel her cold violet lips upon his.

“Yes. I assume she’s told you about me.”

She loosened the curved dagger, which held a blade similar to a flamberge sword, from Starlyn’s neck only slightly. Starlyn appeared to be partially relieved but still didn’t attempt to make a move. Her blazing silvery eyes watered and pleaded with Searon.

“Some, still I have yet to learn your name.” His hand vibrated slightly from the pressure his grip sustained on his claymore’s hilt.

“Arria.” She masked a smirk that was far from innocent. “And yours?”

“Searon,” he avoided her eyes that now seemed to be boring deeper into his, almost luring him to her. However, looking at her body now didn’t help matters much.