Brianna ran towards the sound trying to make sense out of it. The village was deep asleep and even if there was an insomniac awake, there was no reason for him to be this far from home in the middle of the winter. When she arrived to the recently burnt land, her heart clenched at the sight of a laying male figure.
Coming closer she noticed he was covered by ashes, but very much naked. His chest was moving up and down, which was a major relief. She was not a fan of accidentally killing people. She shook him up a bit, trying not to look bellow his waist. It would be extremely awkward it he were to wake up to her staring at him. Unfortunately for her, he didn’t move, so she understood her only choice was to bring him home to tend to his wounds.
She didn’t even try to lift him up, knowing a well-built man like him would be too much for her to carry alone. She asked the earth for a little help and was immediately granted with the strength to carry him home. She was glad they were not in the water domain, because that playful little prankster would smirk at her for leading a handsome naked man into her home at that time of the night and she was simply not in the mood.
Reaching her cottage, she placed him on her bed and started to assess his condition. Surprisingly, he had no traces of burnt flash or any other wounds for that matter. With a wet cloth, she cleaned him up as best she could. She skipped his mid-section thinking he could manage the dirt down there when he woke up.
To avoid any embarrassment, she got a large piece of clothing she had and put it on him with her eyes away from his body. She glanced at him to see if her movement had caused any disturbance, but he didn’t move. His face was peaceful, but Bree couldn’t help but notice he had a fierce expression even with his eyes closed.
She took her time to take in his figure, imagining there could be some indication as to what he was doing in the middle of the woods. He was strong and tall, had a short copper hair and his messy beard gave off a perilous vibe. His hands were calloused and big, and when she touched them, she thought them warmed up a bit. It reminded her of the sensation of calling for fire, but the rest of his body was cold, and the feeling was soon gone.
The sun was rising by the time she finished, but she was exhausted from the agitated night, and her guest was deep asleep in her bed. She went towards the small couch near the bed and decided to rest her eyes for a while. Soon, she drifted off to dreamland hard and heavy.
Bree woke up in an awkward position in the couch. She stretched a bit and scanned the room, fixating her gaze in the guest on her bed. She came closer and noticed he was on the same position she left him, indicating he was not simply resting, and his unconsciousness was deeper than she thought.
Now that she was rested and the sun was piercing through the window, she noticed a few things about the unexpected guest. First, he seemed strong. Not his body, though he was indeed muscular, but even in his sleep he would let out a powerful aura that was a bit overwhelming. Second, he was somehow calling for her.
It was a small pull, that had her confused at first, but kept bothering her like a strand of hair attached to your arm that you can’t locate and remove. When she focused on it, the pull drove her to touch his chest lightly. She cleared her mind to make sense of the foreign sensation that spoke to her and when she did, it was strange and dark. He was calling for fire.
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Nathaniel knew it was to soon for the Council to have found him already. He was in a void and had no way of knowing the exact passing of time, but he was not restless yet, which indicated not much time had passed. Maybe one of the members was passing by and found him earlier than expected or perhaps his deed in the forest was noticed and they came to reward or punish him.
Either way, he felt power and knew he needed to reach out. He expanded his energy aura to make his possible savior aware of him and asked for fire. He felt light hands touching his chest right above his heart and felt a presence unlike anything he knew. His fighting instincts kicked in and he was ready to pin down the owner as soon as he was granted the fire he needed to wake.
He knew this presence was the source of power he had identified, but the pump of flames didn’t come. The soft touch he felt left and he went back to feeling only the void.
Brianna stood frozen in place trying to make sense out of the calling she heard. How could she call for fire and place it within a person? She had never experienced a call from something outside the raw elements and was ultimately confused by it. She knew the elements like childhood friends and although they sometimes played tricks on humans, she’d never seen them go straight for the kill like that. Placing fire within that man would kill him, wouldn’t it? She backed away from the sleeping figure to think and decided to go by her day. He wasn’t going anywhere in that state, so she had time to think about it while performing her daily tasks.
“Who are you?” he asked, sensing he was dealing with more power than he originally thought. She noticed the change in attitude and decided to leverage his reduced aggressiveness. She let go of the water and allowed some branches to retreat, which was a major relieve for them both. She took a deep breath to steady her own voice before talking“I am Brianna of Hawthorne, and I would appreciate if you cease to attack me for no apparent reason” She felt drained and still scared but was glad her voice didn’t tremble.&
He watched her cook for a while, but got a bit confused by her ways. She was obviously powerful, and by now he was positive she had domain over all the four elements. However, she cooked as a peasant. She got water from a bucket she clearly got from the river, and he noticed a fireplace bellow beside the stone oven, which meant she didn’t even use air to stoke the fire. When she got the flint to start the fire, he couldn’t help himself.“Are you really going to use that?” He pointed towards the stone. Her confused expression made his eyes roll and he ignited the wood inside the fireplace with a small hand gesture.
The day after his awakening, Nathaniel made the quick walk towards the witch’s cottage to begin training. They meet by her door and she swiftly took him through the woods, into the clearing she described the day before. The spot was perfect for training and the man noticed how comfortable she was in the nature.“Where do we start, Nathaniel?”“I was the one to make the offer so it’s only fair I start teaching. Perhaps you can show me what you can do.”
Bree regained consciousness before she opened her eyes, which allowed her to enjoy the feeling of being taken care of a bit longer. The gentle strokes on her hair and cooling sensation on her neck took her to a blissful state and when she opened her eyes, she met a pair of hazel ones that gazed her with such intensity she found it impossible to look away. Nathaniel froze when her eyes fluttered. He wanted to stay there, but he was not known for his self-restrain when it came to matters of the flesh and escalating things with the witch would only compromise his endgame. He opted for a harsh approach instead.
About a month into their training, Nathaniel was finding the nights exceedingly long and the days spent by Brianna’s side way too short. As he made his way to the clearing, he reminisced the day they practiced way after dark. At dawn, he asked her to start a fire pit for practice purposes, but in truth he just didn’t want to leave. In return, she asked him to kill the fire with water from the river and though the water started to move, it was not enough to perform the task. The woman held one of his hands and he felt a surge of power coursing through him, allowing him to call for the water and lower the flames. The memory almost put a smile to his face, but he frowned, shook his head and kept his morning path towards her.
That night, Brianna laid in bed lost in thought. She did not plan for any of that to happen and was puzzled by the consequences of her acts. The construction of a rational train of thought was constantly broken by flashes of his hands on her body, the softness of his hair, and then the agonizing detachment of their lips. She shook her head trying to focus. There was something there, just bellow the surface. It needed to be thought through and brought out.She was a master of the elements and her purpose was to answer their callings and tend to their needs, not the callings of men. Mankind had a way of satisfying their needs without her and she had no business messing with the natural flow of th
His kisses trailed down her neck and she tilted her head invitingly. He groaned at the movement and she felt his manhood swell against her skin. Her knees weakened and she felt his grip on her tighten, but Bree decided the gravity was not helping her stay vertical. She called for the wind and it wrapped around them like a cloak, lifting them gently and placing them back on the ground on a horizontal position. She made sure to end up on top of him and backed out just enough to see his eyes widen in surprise.Her heart was racing, and she felt daring, so she went down to kiss him again but not missing the chance to lightly brush her nipples against hi
The camp near the southern border was perhaps one of the oldest. It lost many residents throughout the years, but still held more people than the resources could feed. The movement of the desert’s sand was the only thing indicating the passing of time on the otherwise static land. Even the strong willed eventually caved to the ruthlessness of the camp, the inevitability of its reality. It was the apex of grief, that much power constrained by the invisible shackles of danger. The self-imposed imprisonment eroded the souls of the adventurers and crushed the wishes of the dreamers.
“Allow me to shed some light into your path, my dears” The couple turned to the woman, surprised to see she was still there. Bree trusted her implicitly, but she knew Nate was still apprehensive. The anger from his drawn need was present, pulsing behind his eyes. She heard him fuming against her hair and intertwined their fingers to help him calm down. The old woman motioned them to take a sit again, and Bree took the opportunity to quickly peck Nate on the lips. It was working, the little contact she was establishi
Bree was the first to accept the situation. She was barely functional during the four days she spent with the older woman, but it was enough for her to understand she was as mysterious as she was caring.“Cassie, where should we start”“Tell me everything you know, child”Nate was beginning to catch up with the ladies.
Brianna was trying to keep herself together, but she was livid. It took her over an hour to calm Nate down enough for him to tell her the story. An hour and two punches to the wall. She felt the anger pouring out of his every word and by the end, most of it was shared between the two.She was sitting on their bed while he paced around, both trying to breath through the rage. “We need to leave” Her voice was sure, probably more that she really felt.
“So, Angel, hm?” Bree threw him an amused look while arching her left brow. He was still laying in the grass by the river after they explored each other to exhaustion. “What do you mean?”“You called me Angel”“Oh, yes. Do you like it?” He asked, eyes still closed enjoying the afternoon sun.
Nate jumped into the river like he was seeking to put out a fire. In a sense, he was, but reaching the water did nothing to calm his need. They reconnected emotionally after the near-death experience, but now he urged for her body. She had a smile that could light up any mood and when his hands reached the back of her neck, it felt like she was molded for him.“So you decided to join me after all?”
Bree and Nate left the room way too late for a morning meal, and both their stomachs were complaining when they got to the main flor of the library. Lady Cassie, as the amazing host she was, prepared them a complete meal to welcome both of them back to the world of the living. As they sat on the table of her simple home, Nate wondered again why someone with the Lady’s means and possibilities would choose such a humble life. He wanted to ask, but she was the one to break the silence.“Nathaniel, I understand you just came back from
Bree knew her routine for the past couple of days was absurd. She tried to spiral out of it, but it was impossible to control matters of the heart with a rational mind. As much as she thought ‘enough is enough’, her soul was not done yet. She had to keep searching and digging. She didn’t even have a chance to grief, despite the sadness that consumed her every move. She was not one for crying, but she knew it wasn’t healthy to bottle all those miserable feelings inside. Yet she didn’t cry. Not once. She tried to, but nothing came out, not even a dry sob.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what the hell is happening. I’ve been away for the past four days and I really need to find Bree. I need to make sure she’s safe.”Nate’s softer tone seemed to make the woman in front of him relax a bit, and he hoped it would make her slip out information on Brianna’s whereabouts. He was using all his will to contain his anger, since it did not seem to be taking him anywhere.“Oh, so you leave the poor girl after she fights a bear alone and now you need to know if s