Into Taleria

Chapter Twenty Two

Aduil stilled, then turned to follow the sound. A faint snuffle, a susurration and—there. Something stirred in the moonlit grass, slowly sweeping the tall, willowy blades aside in a sinuous line. Carefully, quietly, he drew his sword. They should have left the Urut far behind, but there were other small creatures, just as deadly, who made these plains their home.

He inched forward on silent feet as the creature crept closer, closer until... a squeaking bark echoed in the night as a Caracsel popped its furry head above the summer-green grass.

Aduil sighed and sheathed his sword. The long-eared rodent could be a vicious garden pest but posed little threat here. Still, he shooed it on its way, sternly cautioning it to keep its peace and stay clear of the camp.

He was not certain how much the creature grasped; while some elves possessed the ability to converse freely with all creatures of the land, Aduil had not been so blessed. Still, with some effort, he could at times make himself understood—and as the course of fortune flowed, this appeared to be one of those times. The Caracsel turned and, after casting a glance back at the meddlesome elf with an annoyed flick of its ears, vanished back into the sward, the grass gently swaying as it toddled away. Aduil rolled his eyes and resumed his patrol of the lands surrounding the camp.

Perhaps he was being overcautious. Most elves he knew, when having drawn the night watch, would simply choose a site with a far-reaching view, extend their senses and wait for the warming of the day. It was a sound strategy, and one he often employed—for a portion of his watch, in any event—yet he had found that on this journey, he could not bring himself to do the same.

He had been on edge from the first night, once Kate had found her rest, and he could not say quite why. It was hardly the first time he had been away from the Meadowood, nor was it the first time the safety of a slumbering camp had been placed in his care.

It was, however, the first time such a camp had held one so dear.

Perhaps that was it, then, for Kate was dear to him and only grew more so with each passing day. Each smile, each laugh, each time her eyes lit with the joy of discovery, brought with it such a bright warmth, his heart seemed to swell with it as he stepped deeper and deeper into love.

Even the exasperating way she had refused to simply take a moment to listen when she had thought she had been in the right had not been nearly so irritating as it should have been, as it would have been had it come from any other.

Never had he felt the like before, and he found he could at last fathom his brother's choice to follow his heart's desires over all wisdom, for he too would face any danger, invite any wrath if only it meant Kate would be happy, and safe.

Even if that meant safe away from him.

That was a thought he tried not to dwell upon, though it seemed he could scarcely avoid it. The moment of their parting drew nearer by the day, ever reaching to loom over them, deep and dark as a cloudbank in a winter storm. Yet, what was he to do? He could not ask her to stay. For all she spoke of a love for his land, she had made her stance on that quite clear. She wished to return home to her mother, and as much as the thought twisted at his heart, he could not fault her for it. There was very little he would not do to meet his own mother once more.

No, he could not ask her live out the rest of her days in Taleria when it would only hurt her heart, ever aching for home, for family.

Yet...

Yet perhaps it need not—

A strangled cry shattered the stillness of the night, spurring Aduil into motion even as he registered the sound. He dodged trees and vaulted over a fallen log, heart pounding in time with his steps as he raced toward the fearful cries. He drew his blade as he ran, with a silent vow that whatever dared harm his Kate would not live to regret it.