“Not at all.I enjoy talking to someone with a passion for sword fighting.And she is quite good.You really have taught her well.”
“Perhaps you and I should try a sword fight sometime,” I said, realizing the innuendo halfway through and closing my eyes in embarrassment, letting out a quiet laugh.
Darion laughed, too.“I’d like that.”
I opened my eyes to see him watching me with that smile still on his face.
“You don’t ever talk about whatyouwant,” he said softly.
“I do,” I said, maybe a bit too fast.“I want Elena safe.I want a home for us.”
Darion let out a gentle laugh.“That’s not what I mean.”
Oh.Thistalk.A tiny jolt of panic hit, but I covered it up.
“I don’t…I don’t dothis,” I said, waving my hand between us.“Not this way, anyhow.When people try to fit into my life, they usually find out they don’t.And then they leave.”
Darion leaned in, then paused, like he was choosing his words carefully.
“I can’t promise everything will work out,” he said quietly.“But I can promise that this means something to me, and I don’t want to pretend it’s nothing.”
I felt like I was standing on the edge of something big, a line I was about to cross.My chest felt tight, like I was bracing for impact.But in the end, I crossed it.
“Then let’s not pretend it’s nothing,” I said, my voice shaking.
Darion smiled, then closed the distance between us and gave me a gentle kiss.It was short and tender but felt monumental.After we separated, he looked into my eyes.
“Well…” I said.
“Well,” he echoed.
“I’m sure you must be tired after all that sword fighting.”
“Not too tired.”Darion smiled.“In fact, I thought perhaps you might want to…I mean…if you’re okay with leaving Elena here.”
“Yes,” I said, with enough insistence to put any doubt to rest.
We raced to his humble home, which felt impossibly far.The entire way there, I imagined the things I would do to him, and I wasn’t disappointed in the least.We recreated the other night, adding even more variations to our repertoire.Gone were the uncertainty and expectations of the first time, and in their place was playful fun as we each discovered what gave the other pleasure.
The next day was much the same.Darion visited in the evening, helped Elena with her sword lessons, and joined us for dinner.Then Darion and I sneaked off for the night.
It was possibly the closest thing to a family that I could remember having since I was a child.But I knew it wouldn’t last.
The next day, I began to wonder if Garrick had forgotten about me.His blunt warning about not coming back to the Charred Snake only worried me more.
Darion came over again, and we were preparing our evening meal when a note slipped under the door.I grabbed the note and then looked outside.The street was empty.
The note was lengthy, and to the untrained eye, it appeared to be a letter between friends.But I recognized Garrick’s handwriting and the code we used.Every eighth word was a note within a note, starting with a pass phrase that only he and I knew—a safeguard that indicated the note’s authenticity.Hidden within the note were instructions to meet at a location near the Analon wharf at sixth bell.
Darion watched me in anticipation as I read the note.When I was done, I nodded and mouthed the wordtonight.Darion nodded back, his face stoic.A strange mix of feelings swirled within me.I was eager to continue my Trials, but I would miss this little slice of happiness we shared.At least it reinforced what I was fighting for.
That night, after Elena had gone to sleep and Darion had gone home, I snuck out of the house and made my way to the designated meeting place by the wharf.I stopped short to observe, to make sure no one was watching and that this wasn’t an ambush.Soon a figure in a dark cloak walked up to the spot.That massive, hulking shape could only be Garrick.I’d know that silhouette anywhere.
I walked up beside him, and we shared a subtle nod.
“My contact can help you get into the Citadel Library tomorrow afternoon.But I’m warning you, you won’t like what you’ll have to do.”
I laughed under my breath.“Sounds like a typical job.”
