I walked to the window, resembling every other that dotted the face of the mountain with the frame carved smooth, the rest of the rock on the outside and inside left jagged and natural. Below me, a clearing sat nestled against the face of the mountain. A black, charred spot marked the center with some cutoff tree trunks as stools surrounded it. A small stream trickled along to a bigger pool to the side and farther down the hill. I wondered if it led to the pool I saw when I first arrived. The one with the shadows.
The trees had thick, brown trunks and stretched out like giant green spikes reaching toward the sky. They covered the land in patches, with small spaces for paths or streams, even some wider spaces that must have been towns or villages. Beyond them, several larger hills and even a few more mountains jutted up from the ground. The sky was heavily clouded, light grey in color for rain.
Farther off to my right were the mountains bordering the path Danst and I took to get this place. Thinking about Danst brought a twinge to my gut. Why was he kept from me? Marren knew he was my best friend. I couldn’t imagine a reason severe enough to keep me from him.
A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. I turned to Marren bringing in a small round basket filled with fruit, his eyes glimmering with love. His beautiful face was still in wolf form. I thought about asking why but decided to wait, too busy gaping at him, not accustomed to him walking around in only pants and barefoot. His muscles rippled along his chest, abs, and arms, moving as he moved. The desire to be pressed against his body filled me. He smiled at me, obviously enjoying my staring.
“Breakfast, my lady?” He presented the basket in one hand, holding it out to me.
Clearing my throat, I took the basket and walked to the bed that took up the center of the room. “Thank you. But, why call me lady?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” he asked.
“No. Should it be?”
He smiled, giving a light chuckle under his breath. “Considering my position, I would think so.”
I considered that, and it made sense. I shrugged, placing a strawberry into my mouth. The sweet tanginess of the fruit danced along my tongue, awakening my senses.
“I want to show you around now that you are here and we have some daylight left,” he said after I ate a few more pieces of fruit.
“Okay.” I started to set the basket on the bed, but he stopped me, pushing it back into my lap.
“After you’ve eaten enough.”
I gazed at him with a raised eyebrow and finished eating.
“How are you faring?” he asked after a few moments of silence.
“I’m good.” Marren seemed as though he didn’t quite believe me. So, I added, “A little stiff and my hands feel odd with the bandages.”
“I have the perfect solution to that; a hot springs pool. The odor is a little bad, but is good for the skin and will help your body heal,” he said, sounding anxious.
I thought about saying okay, but instead, “I keep expecting us to change back, but that hasn’t happened yet,” came out.
“That is because we don’t need to here. Whereas, on the mortal realm we do.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. My mind still reeled over the past few days and the events that had left me exhausted and too afraid to sleep. I feared the nightmares would come back.
***
Marren started the tour by taking me through a series of turns that climbed higher up toward the top of the mountain within the hall that bordered it. I let my hands, now healed and free from bandages, wander along the stone, my fingers moving with the rise and fall of the jagged edges. Coolness returned my touch, bringing just the right amount of contrast to the heat given off Marren’s body walking next to me. At the top, a large cliff overlooked the entire world, it seemed; standing at the point closest to the stars. Considering how high we were, we made the trek pretty quickly.
The mid-afternoon sun was occasionally shaded by clouds pushing on beyond what my eyes could see. But, the sun shone bright across the land having yet to be shaded by the clouds. We were high enough I could pick out villages nestled in between mountain peaks, where I learned the dwarves lived, and forests far off with trees in tight clusters, where the elves lived.
Marren said, “The place we are standing was made by the dwarves, including Raden. I saved his life once. To return the favor, he turned this mountain into a series of rooms and halls. They connect underground with his people. We only use them when necessary.”
Marren stood with his arms crossed over his bare chest. I had difficulty restraining myself from leaping and tackling him to the ground. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes as if he heard my thoughts. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a crooked grin, but his eyes held sadness.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing, why?”
“Your eyes say otherwise,” I said.
He faced me slowly, seeming as though he struggled too, keeping his arms wrapped around his torso, and his lips pressed together in a firm line. “Do you remember the story I told you last night?”
“The one about how traditions are important to your people because of what they had to already lose?”
“Our people, and yes, that one.”