Page 34 of An Arrow to the Heart

“Ah, I see, well, I guess that means we’re both travelling to the same place. What a coincidence.”

Coincidence my ass, she huffed under her breath.

“You shouldn’t even be on horseback with that knee,” she said pointing to his knee as she readied herself to mount. It was a lie though. As long as he wasn’t bearing weight on it and continued his stretches he’d be fine on horseback.

“Feels just fine,” he said, utterly unbothered with a grin that told her he knew she was lying.

“Great.”

“Shall we get going then,” he gestured toward the path ahead.

“Lead the way,” she said snarkley.

“Fine,” he said, continuing on the path.

“Fine,” she repeated back at him, rolling her eyes as she geared the horse into a trot and followed him. She was secretly pleased at his stubbornness to be at her side but she kept a few paces behind him nonetheless. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being able to watch her or talk to her.

But damn, the arsehole looked good as he rhythmically rocked in pace with the horse in a fluid and controlled motion. He was clearly an experienced rider for the way he handled the mare and unsurprisingly he clearly had a way with horses. Because of course he did. His hair was tied tightly into a bun at the back of his head, exposing his muscular neck, a part of him she hadn’t really noticed before and she couldn’t help but imagine what it might feel like to graze her teeth along the nape of his neck.

She forced her eyes shut and forced all thoughts of him out her mind, later, she’d right things with him later but she needed to focus on Sylas right now. So they continued to ride together, but not together until they reached the abandoned former outpost at dusk.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

-Ardál-

By the Gods, that had to have been the most painful few hours Ardál had ever experienced. He could practically feel her seething behind him. He held his shoulders back as he gleefully took in his surroundings. It had been so long since he’d felt the sense of adventure he’d almost forgotten how much he ached for it in his bones. It reminded him that he was merely a speck in something much larger than himself. They climbed the mountain path at a steady pace, the cloud heavy sky above them blocking the sun as it set, something about the sight of it sent shivers down his spine, almost as though it was a foreboding of some form. He couldn’t shake the feeling this was a bad idea.

By dusk they finally reached the location, which as it turned out was an abandoned Luminarian outpost, a reminisce of times gone past. The towering structure facing out over the ravine, controlling who passes through the mountain pass, or well, at least it used to before the fall of the Luminarian Empire well before Ardál’s birth.

And by the time they got there he was dying for a piss. He didn’t want to stop on the road, his stubborn ass determined to not give her the satisfaction of an opportunity for them to squabble. So he dismounted quickly, he stumbled slightly at the feeling of bearing weight on his legs again, but sighed a sigh of relief when he noticed that Sylvie, thankfully, hadn’t been watching him so she hadn’t seen him wince. Her attention seemed focused elsewhere entirely, like she forgot he was even there.

He hurriedly tied his horse to the old steel rings that were still there from when this was a manned outpost, unhooking his satchel, throwing it over his shoulder as he made his way around the back of the outermost tower to relieve himself under the cover of the looming darkness.

He arrived back to find Sylvie deep in conversation with a man he didn’t recognise, the man’s pointed ears hinted at elven or fae heritage, or perhaps an underworldlian, he wasn’t sure and wouldn’t like to presume. His long dark hair covered most of his face making it difficult to discern his facial expressions, especially in the dark, but his posture made the hairs on the back of his neck stand, something seemed off about the male and he really did not like the way his tall stature leaned in over Sylvie ever so slightly.

What was clear though, was that Sylvie stood confidently, not at all cowering at the tall man’s demeanour. She either didn’t feel threatened or didn’t notice the way he leered toward her. Either way, Ardál did not like what he was seeing. So he squared his shoulders, and strode confidently to stand beside Sylvie, making sure to stand tall and firm, hiding the fact that his knee was injured. He folded his arms in a way that hinted at the muscle beneath his shirt, as he said, in a tone lower than his usual, “Who, are you?” directly to the male, his jaw tensed.

“None of your concern,” the male said nonchalantly, waving Ardál off in dismissal.

“If you’re talking to her, it is my concern,” Ardál said, his tone rough and hard, imbued with aggression as he took a step closer to the male. Out of the corner of his eyes, he briefly saw Sylvie’s eyes widen before she composed her confident stance once more. He wasn’t sure what that meant. Regardless of whether the two of them were in the midst of a stubborn fight or not, he wasn’t about to allow some creep to leer at her.

The male let out an amused chuckle, however beneath the aloof demeanour Ardál could see a hint of uncomfort by the way the man’s jaw flexed as he took a step away from Ardál.

“Sylvie, darling, feel free to seek me out later if you change your mind about my proposal,” the male said, looking directly at her with far too much lust and desire.

“As I’ve told you countless times before, Berengar, I have no interest in you or your proposal,” she said, as though she was bored of him.

That’s right you tell him, Ardál thought to himself, feeling proud of the way she could handle herself.

“Hm,” Berengar mused, “I’ve heard similar from many a female, in the end however, I’ve found that they always come crawling into my bed,” he said in what was practically a purr as he undressed Sylvie with his eyes.

That was it, Ardál had had enough as he stepped in front of Sylvie, hand on the hilt of his scian as he said, in a tone he’d never heard from himself before and his eyes darkened with threat, “get the fuck away from her. Now.”

The creep threw his hands up defensively, as he backed away a few steps, smirking at him before turning and walking away without another word.

They didn't talk after the altercation with Berengar, Sylvie hadn’t said anything to him, clearly determined to continue giving him the cold shoulder. So they awkwardly stood beside each other at the back of the inner hall where the auction was to take place. At least that’s what he’d managed to piece together was happening here and the reason for the meeting. It was unofficial trading as they called it. In other words, they’d be auctioning contraband and things that fed the minds of much darker creatures than himself. He loathed being here, it’s not that he was some upstanding law abiding citizen, he was far from that but this place, this was entirely different, the dregs from the darkest of dens had accumulated here. There wasn’t an ounce of morality. At least he was certain that he’d made the correct decision in coming here, whether Sylvie wanted him here or not he was glad to be here watching her back.

It wasn’t long until the auction itself started, and the folk began to trade amongst themselves, striking deals, snatching items before they went into the open market. It was then that Sylvie made her way to what Ardál depicted as a Hag. He trailed closely behind Sylvie, he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight in this den of vipers. He knew she was too stubborn to leave without what she came for so he simply stood guard, silently at her side. By the looks of the Hag she’d been around since the dawn of time itself. Her scraggly hair balding, her face was carved by deep wrinkles and yellow teeth that made bile rise up his throat.