Legacy of a Dreamer (21 page)

And he couldn’t have loved her more for it.

::§::

Days went by, and the mundane routine of training during the day and hiding at night became tedious. At Chantal’s insistence, Mathias had been teaching her all he could in the cramped space of the church. Although her speed and strength couldn’t match his, she’d worked hard and picked up the combat techniques quickly. He was proud of her. Perhaps with time, her skills would advance as the legends foretold, but neither could be sure.

Mathias liked watching her fight. She had a graceful presence about her, each movement seemed almost choreographed. Her thrusts delivered with nothing but deadly accuracy, making her a beautiful, yet formidable, opponent.

There were moments Mathias would catch himself staring at her body as she practiced, caught up in the beauty and fluidity of her movements. Although they’d declared some kind of truce, they’d never touched on anything other than for their immediate survival. The future and any chance of a relationship were left dangling in the breeze, along with Chantal’s impending and mysterious power surge.

They skirted around each other, looking away when one caught the other staring in a more than friendly manner. Pathetic and more than adolescent, neither of them budged, wanting the other to take the leap first.

But as the days crept by, it seemed neither was willing to take the chance of causing a potentially dangerous distraction.

The food and supplies Andreu had brought were dwindling down. A few bottles of water and energy bars, which Chantal had declared vomit inducing, were all that were left. Between the two of them, they had used all the Handi-Wipes from both bags this afternoon following practice. She’d started to become antsy, wanting to venture out of their little sanctuary and find something else to eat and a proper bath.

“Can we hunt? Find a stream, puddle, or something to bathe in?” She’d been pacing back and forth as Mathias watched her with growing agitation. Cabin fever had set in for both of them, and patience didn’t seem to be either of their strong suits.

“Hunt with what?” he snapped, and then clenched his jaw together to keep his temper in check.

“I don’t know, Mr. Warrior. Why don’t you figure that out?” Mathias sighed.

“Chantal . . .”

“What?”

“Stop.”

“I’m hungry and I smell,” she whined. “And if I have to eat another one of those damn bars, I’m going to go insane!”

“We don’t have a choice,” he said for what seemed like the billionth time.

“And you don’t smell yet.”

“Yet.” She huffed.

“Okay, I know you don’t want to leave me unprotected, and I am grateful, but nobody has found us for a while. Can’t you can do your little poof into the gloom and go get us some food? It wouldn’t take you very long, and I am way more capable of protecting myself.”

“That’s out of the question.”

“Why not?” She stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. Mathias pressed his lips together to keep from grinning.

“I won’t risk it.”

“I could come with you.”

“Need I remind you that Your Grace is like a beacon to them?” he said. “We’ve been over this.”

Chantal threw up her hands and turned away from him, and Mathias came and wrapped his arms around her. She immediately leaned back into him, seeming to melt against his chest. This was the first time he’d touched her like this since the day of Andreu’s visit, and his heart quickened as he let out a tiny sigh of relief.

“I’m not leaving you for a second,” he said, breathing the words into her ear. “I won’t risk the chance of me revealing our position. What if a minion is prowling, searching for you, and they see me? It would take mere minutes for the Kajola to surround us.”

“I can fight,” she said overconfidently.

“But you shouldn’t have to . . .” His words hung in the air, revealing more of himself than he wanted. Tired of the evasiveness when it came to his feelings, he let his statement sit. Let her make of it what she would.

After a moment, she turned to face him, moving closer. Chantal placed both hands on each of his cheeks and smiled at him. Her eyes revealed something he did not recognize, and before he knew what she was doing, she’d popped up on her toes and given him a soft kiss on his lips.

The kiss was both surprising and welcomed . . . and over far too quickly. Then she pulled back, several different emotions crossing her face. He, himself, had a couple of thoughts to contend with, the most pressing being what her actions could mean.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be,” he said, tightening his hold as she replaced her head against his chest.

“I’m not complaining about the company, I promise you, I’m not. I like being cooped up in here with you.” She pulled back abruptly, looking at him with wide eyes. “That came out wrong!”

Mathias chuckled. “I knew what you meant.”

Satisfied, Chantal snuggled back against him. “I know this is how my life is going to be from now on, but it just feels so depressing. With the lack of food and water, it’s almost terrifying. It feels as if we are being punished instead of protected, if that makes any sense.”

Mathias sighed, understanding her anxiety. He hated to leave her, but she was right. Even if they waited until all of the food had been consumed, they’d still have to find rations elsewhere. Titus had ordered him to stay put, but if he didn’t restock their supply, they’d be in bad shape and he didn’t want to risk fighting while weakened from hunger or dehydration.

“I’ll go tomorrow,” he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “There’s a small town nearby. I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I promise I’ll be safe.”

Her words were comforting for just a second, long enough for a false sense of hope to seed its way into his soul. That devil, Hope, was a tricky bastard, because Mathias knew she couldn’t possibly keep that promise if the Kajola found her unprotected.

He held her tight and enjoyed her warmth, hoping that this time tomorrow he’d get the chance to do it all over again.

“You got enough firewood?” Mathias asked, shrugging on the emptied backpack.

   
“I have a whole pile.” She smiled, pointing at the stack in question.

“It’s supposed to dip down into the twenties tonight,” he said like an overbearing father. “Don’t let the fire die down.”

“Mathias, you aren’t going to be gone that long.” She laughed. “I doubt I’ll need to put a log on the fire before you return. Stop worrying. I’m a big girl now.” She winked at him with a playful expression.

“Hmm.” He nodded with a grin, but still his eyes held a worry and unease that didn’t sit right with Chantal. He’d been a nervous wreck all day knowing that he’d be leaving her once the sun set. She knew agitation didn’t sit well with him, and he’d been more overbearing than usual.

Chantal gave him the benefit of the doubt, biting her tongue when he insisted on a couple of different plans of escape if he didn’t return she’d listened indulgently.

Chantal thought it was both endearing and insulting. Mathias knew this world better than she, yet she wished he had more confidence in her . . . and himself. She understood the risks of him leaving, but what could really happen in five minutes?

“You need a weapon,” he said. “Follow me to the boundary edge.”

Rolling her eyes, Chantal clasped his hand and let him lead her outside. They crossed the yard and stopped about twenty feet off the front porch of the old building. The sun had just begun to set, and allowing the Shade to reopen to this realm. The plan had been that Mathias would peek into the darkness to see if anything lurked in the gloom. If it did, they’d run right then and there, that being their only option once the Shadows knew of her whereabouts. Once they knew, the Kajola would follow, and Mathias would stay to protect her against whatever came through after her.

Chantal still didn’t understand how the mechanics of the Shade worked, but Mathias had said it was a conversation for later. Since they’d been getting along so well, she didn’t push him on it, and instead opted to tell him that the conversation would not be avoided if she had anything to say. He’d nodded. Chantal was nothing if not persistent in her quest for information.

“I’m going in,” he said, and then he partially stepped into the shadows as Chantal held her breath and prepared for anything. If they had to run, she’d be ready. He reappeared a second later, two steel blades in his hands.

“You’re going to have to tell me how you do that,” she said, gawking.

“Later.” Mathias handed her a weapon and Chantal balanced it, getting a feel for the grip and the weight of the blade. Then she swung it a couple of times, acclimating herself to the change from the makeshift wooden blades to the real thing. “Good?”

“Yes.” Chantal nodded, pointing the sharp tip toward the ground. She looked at Mathias, apprehensive all of a sudden. “Be careful, okay?”

“Always.” He winked at her, smiled, and then stepped into the Shade, disappearing from view.

Chantal let out a nervous sigh, glancing over the barren landscape surrounding her. A gust of wind sent a chill through her, and she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold both inside and out. With her warrior’s absence, she felt alone for the first time since meeting the other Oracles at the Abbey, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of frigid fear in her gut.

Darkness had never been her favorite time, even before she’d become aware of what lurked in the shadows. Now she knew they not only craved her blood, but wanted her as a pawn, tortured and broken to give the Evil One the advantage in the war against the Contrites and those who protected the humans by any means necessary. More terrifying, sinister means. Methods she’d seen glimpses of in her dreams, and hoped she’d never have to experience firsthand . . .

She went back into the church and closed the heavy wooden doors behind her, and then she settled in by the fire to get warm. She held her hands over the hot flames, feeling the blood flow back into her fingertips.

Chantal brought them as close to the heat as she could without getting burned, watching the dancing glow. The movement of the dangerous substance so close to her sensitive flesh was almost hypnotic. Pressing forward, Chantal brought her hands into the flames, staring aghast when her skin began to redden and smoke, but she felt no pain.

Experimentally, Chantal tried to grab part of the fire, wanting to see if she could hold it in her hand, and sure enough, she opened her fist to see a tiny flame sitting in the middle of her palm.

A sharp knock against the side of the church jolted her, and the flame in her hand disappeared. She scrambled to her feet, searching the ground for her weapon. Finding it brought a small comfort to her.

Chantal raised her guard, listening for anything out of the ordinary, focusing on the darkened corners, which seemed to become large and more ominous as it got darker.

The wind picked up, sending a chilling whistle of air through. Wood creaked, and the shuffling of something sturdy outside made a cold sweat break out all over. Her brain tried to assure her that it could be nothing, maybe an animal or tumbleweed passing by. Her pounding heart wasn’t convinced, however.

A distinctive thud on the porch steps caught her attention. The sound was rhythmic, like heavy footsteps. An animal howled into the wind, the high-pitched trill unlike anything she’d ever heard on this planet. It had a human quality to it, and she shivered. Gruff breathing and grunts rang out all around, as if their source came from just outside the hallowed barrier—more specifically, the graveyard.

With a sturdy grip on her sword, she thought about calling out, but she stopped herself just in time.

Stupid, she scolded herself. If the beasts didn’t know she was here alone, they’d know once they heard the terror in her voice.

A sinister laugh caused her to freeze and hold her breath, afraid of being heard, the sound eerily familiar to the one she’d heard in her dreams.

“Your warrior must be incredibly stupid.” The voice came from above, and Chantal looked up to see Damon perched on the exposed beams of the roof. “He left you here so defenseless . . .”

::§::

Mathias would never understand the small-town mindset. The shops filled with simple folks who ran their day-to-day life casually. He knew he’d be noticed if he appeared where people could see him. The town moved at a pace seemingly carefree and unencumbered by the demands of city life. Breakfast was served upon rising, dinner at eleven, and supper followed promptly at six, just after the entire town shut down.

The sun had just crept over the horizon, and Mathias appeared in front of a small convenience store getting ready to close their doors for the evening

Once the tiny, hunched-over woman got into her car and disappeared over the hill, Mathias pulled back into the Shade and reappeared just inside the shop. Keeping to the shadows, he quickly made his way through the aisles. Being a country store, he knew that any security system would be rather basic, but even his image caught on a camera could raise a few questions.