The Magician's Witch

Tented Proposals

Sometime near dawn, Eilis fell into a fitful sleep. For the first time in what seemed ages, she dreamed of her home in Connecticut. Dawn was there, sitting in Eilis' tiny living room in her apartment above the garage. She had that look on her face, the look she always had when she was searching the future for clues. Eilis tried to call her cousin back to the present, but no matter how loud she shouted, Dawn would not hear her. What was she searching for, she wondered? Was she still seeking a way to bring Eilis home? Or was she looking for something else?

Her dream shifted away from that far-away place. She then dreamed of Erik, of lying in his arms. It felt so real, she lamented when she felt herself being pulled out of dream world. When she finally woke, she had a strange sense that her dream had followed her into reality, playing with her head. She felt Erik's arm draped over her waist, and she felt his presence against her back, warm and secure. She sighed, reluctantly willing the dream to return to where it belonged, turning over to face the other way.

Eilis yelped loudly, waking the rest of the group with her astonished cry.

"Erik!"

Erik sat up next to her, his glamoured face smiling. "Miss me," he asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Eilis stared at him, not quite trusting that he was actually sitting on the floor next to her. She leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. He responded in kind, pulling her closer.

Eilis pulled away after a moment, shoving at his shoulder. "You wretch. You gave me no indication you were coming."

Erik's eyes were apologetic. He fingered her hair. "I am sorry, mon cœur. I did not know I was coming here until yesterday morning. And I wanted to surprise you. Forgive me."

Eilis felt all the hostility melt away. She huffed. She couldn't stay mad at him, not for this. She pulled him to her again, locking her lips on his. She felt his need for her in the way he held her, the way his lips moved with hers, the hunger that burned in her skin, thirsting to be satiated.

Somebody cleared their throat behind them. Eilis ignored them. She too felt that hunger and did not feel assuaged.

"Ahem," Laleh said louder.

Eilis smiled and pulled away. "Serves you right for surprising me like that," she scolded Erik.

Erik grinned. "I have learned my lesson." Then he frowned, cupping her chin. "You are much too thin."

Eilis sighed. "Yes, well, that tends to happen when your stomach decides to revolt after every meal. But for the last few days, it hasn't happened as often, so hopefully the worst is behind me."

"How did you sneak in here past all of us," Dara demanded of Erik.

"I walked through the wall," Erik retorted, still examining Eilis. To his eyes, she looked worn, exhausted.

"You need to rest."

Eilis rolled her eyes. "That is all everyone seems to want me to do. But there is too much to get done. I can't just sit on the sidelines while everyone else breaks their backs. I don't want to be accused of not pulling my own weight."

"Oh, thank you for being here, Erik," Bakhita said from across the room. "Please talk some sense into her. We've tried everything but tying her to the chair and making her sit there."

Eilis shot a nasty look at Bakhita who shrugged as she put her bedroll away. To get out of the line of fire, she left to fetch water from the barrel.

Everyone else got up and began their tasks for the day. Dara and Milad put their bedrolls away, splashed some water on their faces, then went out to check on Dancer. Dancer kept wandering off, taking advantage of the incomplete fence. The fence for the paddock was nearly finished, only needing the gate to enclose the space. The chicken coop was already in operation, having taken less time to complete.