Page 56 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

I tried to ignore the voice in my head filling me with worries. She was probably right. Everything would be fine.

But—what if we were wrong? What if Felsith decided to raise the bounty price? What if someone caught her off-guard again? Should we have been running farther, faster?

Or maybe not be running at all?

That option, of simply facing the music and resolving this with Felsith and the law head-on, had never seemed like a real possibility. Everything had happened so fast. Though she hid it well, I saw how shaken Elikki was—and I was scared for her—so we had just kept moving.

If Felsith didn’t lose interest, though, we could be dealing with more bounty hunters here in Old Orchard. How long would it take before the local constables got involved? I didn’t have enough experience with the law to know if that was likely, but chances seemed good that one way or another, Elikki would have to move on again soon, with or without me. We should make the most of our time here together.

I took a steadying breath. “You’re probably right. Legus and Saho will also be keeping an eye on anyone who comes through their inn. Let’s just stay on our guard. Wait and see.”

“And in the meantime,” Elikki said, taking my hand, “we can have some fun!”

I squeezed her fingers gently. She looked exhausted, still needing a solid night’s rest after her magical exertions today. The long day of travel, the frigid swim, and the strenuous—though incredible—sex by the lake had all probably taken a toll on her energy.

“Definitely. To start, I could really go for a bath and a deep sleep,” I said as I forked up the last bite on my plate. She had finished her meal a while ago and was sipping sleepily at her spiced wine. I drained my tea, then stood and stretched.

“No dessert?” Elikki yawned.

“We can have some sent up to the room,” I said, carefully guiding her around the furniture and toward the carved wooden stairs. Her eyelids were already starting to droop closed. Small hand in mine, she clomped up the stairs with heavy steps. When I unlocked our door, she immediately went to the wide, sleigh-style bed and fell into it face-first with a groan. I bent slightly under the doorframe and followed her, taking in the ivy-patterned wallpaper, sturdy worn furniture, and soft glow of the fireplace. This should do nicely for our time here. I lit a couple of squat candles and stoked the fire so that she would be warm enough, before pulling the dark brown wool curtains closed.

“Can you unlace me?” Her muffled voice came from the pillows. “I don’t think I can move.”

Chuckling, I sat on the edge of the bed and began loosening her corset. When that was done, I got her boots and socks off too.

“El? Can you sit up for me, love? You don’t want to fall asleep in your traveling clothes.”

A tired grunt answered me. With an effort, Elikki dragged herself upright. Her eyes were shut, wavy hair awry. “Not going to sleep. Time for more sex.”

I smothered a laugh and said, “Right. Well, either way, you’ll want to get out of these clothes.”

Eventually, we got her corset, shirt, and long skirt off. I folded them neatly. Down to just her light shift, Elikki snuggled close to me, her breasts and stomach pressing warmly against my side. Moving slowly, I got her lying back on the bed, settled among the fluffy pillows. But when I tried to let go and stand, she held on to my arm, saying, “Noooo. Stay.”

After a second’s hesitation, I stretched out next to her, making sure my boots hung over the bed’s edge. Elikki turned over, wiggling her butt against me before settling into the soft linen duvet again with a contented sigh.

I stroked her hair lightly. She was already falling fast asleep. My heart clenched watching her gentling breaths, her fingers scrunching the sheets, glinting with the beautiful artistry of her rings.

The magic that she wielded astounded me. It was both beautiful and fierce, practical and playful—just like Elikki. Who knew what else she could do?

When her breathing was slow and steady, I finally shifted inch by inch off the bed, pressing a light kiss against her hair. Turning to the waiting bathtub, I shed all my clothes—folding them on a table, of course—and stepped in, sinking down with relief. It wasn’t exactly the kind of luxurious bath one found at Legus and Saho’s place. The water was unscented, and the tub itself a bit too tight for comfort. But it did the trick all the same, leaving me refreshed and clean as I scrubbed away the dirt and sweat of the day’s adventures.

Wrapping myself in a too-small towel, I sat by the dying fire and tried not to think about all the worries hovering at the edges of my mind—the bounty hunters who might be searching at this very moment; my future, or lack thereof, with Elikki; the stress and concern that my absence might be causing my mas and sisters. It was hard to ignore the internal cacophony.

But then I looked over at Elikki, curled up like a cat in our large bed. From what she’s said, she’s been through far worse than this. She barely seemed shaken.

We could handle it all together. Tomorrow, I resolved, I’ll write to my family and explain. Reassure them that I’m all right. And Elikki and I would take things one day at a time.

For now, though, I needed to get some rest. I untied the dark red ribbon from my hair and placed it carefully atop the bedside table. After pulling on my loose sleep pants, I slid into bed beside Elikki and threw a thick blanket over us. She wriggled a little again in her sleep and shifted closer. Tucking one arm gently around her soft body, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

19

ELIKKI

The next few days passed blissfully. Barra and I would wake, sunlight peeking in through the curtains, and come together under the covers for sleepy morning sex. Either twenty minutes or two hours later, we’d dress and head downstairs for breakfast with silly grins. After filling up on fruit-laden pancakes or eggy toast, we strolled through town for a light morning walk.

On the first day, I’d decided to seek out Old Orchard’s local Artisans Guild and found a metalwork station to borrow while I was in town. I was determined to follow through on the promise I’d made myself after the encounter with Maerryl—I would hone my control over my powers, slowly but surely learning how to sink into that calm frame of mind that allowed me to exert full dominance over my metals. And that meant practice, practice, and then some more practice. For this, I needed the resources found at a guildhall, where I could make some new pieces to work my magic on. So now, each morning, Barra and I would end our meanderings there, parting with a head-turning kiss at the door before he went off to take care of his own business.

We knew we should probably be laying low, but his seven-and-a-half-foot-tall lavender form was near impossible to miss anyway. Might as well give people something to stare at, I thought as we approached the guildhall hand in hand on the fourth day.