His mocking smile widened.
They thought killing an animal with magic was evil, dark, but they were hunting us down. To burn. I considered the alternative, pierced through with arrows, blessed with a prayer, and I laughed.
His eyes were intense as he reached up and cupped his hand gently around my neck, his fingers at my spine, his thumb lightly brushing the base of my ear. My breath caught as I felt him urge me forward.
“They’re coming in.” I started as Ruby spoke, beside us from out of nowhere.
Chevelle leaned back, his fingers brushing my collarbone when he pulled his hand away. I bit my lip as a tingle ran through me. I thought I saw the corner of his mouth turn up in a smile as he stood to walk from the room.
I stared at the stone entry struggling to keep my thoughts from spinning out of control. Eventually, Grey walked out as well, which broke my trance and I noticed Ruby by the front window, wearing an odd smile. I flushed and turned from her, rolling into a ball on my blankets. I decided to go back to the book, keep my mind distracted.
I wasn’t able to find much regarding humans in the study’s library. But I was definitely right, illustrations and descriptions matched what I had seen. I know I took a risk extending Rune’s spell further, but I did not want to get caught, definitely not followed. I wondered if my sister was still at the original camp. Surely she wasn’t bright enough to figure it out. And apparently she wasn’t willing to tell anyone.
I was returning to the spot I had found the humans the previous day when I ran across one of them alone. I hid myself behind a patch of brush to watch him. He had a lovely complexion with a hint of bronze and cropped dark brown hair with a few tiny streaks of blond just around his face. He looked less like the others I had been watching. He was built like the elves, strong and muscled but still lean. He wore plain pants and tall boots. His light cloth shirt moved around him as he walked, unlaced at the chest. He carried a small blade in his hand but I couldn’t imagine what he was doing here, unaccompanied. There was a rustle from the brush several yards in the opposite direction I was hiding. He rushed toward it and I followed, unsure why he was running. The noise was made by a small boar and the human was chasing it! He ran after it, gasping for air and I followed close behind, thrilling at the spectacle. The boar approached a ridge of rock and turned, giving the human the advantage. He leaped after it, blade held wide, and landed, slicing into its side and twisting the blade back out. He was leaning over its small motionless body, heaving for breath, covered in blood. I laughed, shocked at myself and completely found out but still filled with excitement and amusement. He stood, whirling to face me, bloody blade held out and I had to stifle another laugh. I managed to keep my reaction calm, only a smile.
He seemed disoriented for a moment and then his breathing slowed and his arms relaxed. He stared at me as if I were a delusion, a dream looking back at him. He was speechless and it occurred to me that perhaps elves were not a part of this human’s knowledge. I wondered if he would recover soon. I considered abandoning him and returning to watch the others but his face was so interesting, the emotions so plain and readable there. But he wasn’t afraid. It was awe.
I decided to have a little fun with him. They couldn’t possibly be dangerous. Just a little harmless fun. “Hello.” I spoke to him slowly, but it appeared he didn’t comprehend. He merely stood there, gawking at me. I tried again, “Do you wish to speak with me?”
“Yes,” he finally stuttered.
Ah, he understood! I started again, “Hello.”
Bewilderment. And then, “Uh… hello.”
“I am…” I hesitated, unsure if I should tell him my name; I was on the run after all. I decided on a replacement. “Lizzy.”
He seemed to like that. I waited. He finally caught on. “I’m Noble.”
Now I was confused. “You are noble?”
He shook his head. “Noble is my name. Noble Grand.”
“That is a large name. You are a ruler among your people?”
He laughed, shaking his head again, “No, no. Noble is my given name, passed down for generations. Grand is the family name.”
Generations? I was surprised again. I stepped closer, enthralled. “What are you doing here?”
“We are searching for a good place to start over,” he explained. I was scrutinizing his blade. “Oh, well, I’m hunting.”
He wasn’t as slow as I had thought, quite capable of conversation. I couldn’t help but wonder, “You were a bit… stunned before?”
He flushed a dark shade of red. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s just that you are quite beautiful. Surely the most lovely thing I have ever seen.” I smiled at the compliment in spite of myself and he continued the flattery. “And then when you spoke, your voice… it’s like a melody.”
“And you are seeking a new camp?”