Black Sea [English Edition]

CHAPTER 9

Amlach had an astonishing run of luck. For the following two days, it rained again. No other storms swept us away, but the rainfall was copious enough to gather water in the grooves we had created in the tree trunk.

We dived to fish every time I saw a shoal of edible fish even raw. The human was a decent fisherman and quickly learned to fillet a fish by observing me. However, when he swallowed the pulp, his face would contort into nauseating grimaces that made me smile a little.

On the third day, in the burning midday sun, Amlach suddenly stopped rowing. The top of his body swung slightly, and he leaned forward, propping himself with one hand on the tree. I watched with concern as his bent back rose and fell with each breath.

He needed water. A lot of water.

"Hold on," I told him, rowing with more energy.

We were almost there. I could smell the scent of grass, flowers, plants, and freshwater in the salty breeze.

Indeed, almost an hour later, the outlines of the archipelago took shape about thirty miles away.

"I see the islands," I exclaimed.

"Awesome," Amlach replied flatly. With a cough and a whimper, he prepared to lower the oar back into the sea.

"Don't," I stopped him. "You'd just slow me down."

"You know what, Elf?" He laid back on the trunk, the branch-oar resting on his abdomen. "You're such a bitch."

Spirits, I hated his vulgar language. "I'm saving your life, you idiot," I growled straight off.

He chuckled-a vibrant and warm and sensual laugh-obviously satisfied that he was able to make me lose my temper.

When we arrived at the archipelago, and the branches and roots of our tree scraped the sandy seabed, we jumped down and reached the shore.

I had never seen a beach, because the Elven Kingdom was characterized only by rocky coastlines with sheer walls. Not like the Kingdom of Men, which had gulfs with golden beaches in the north. Here, instead, the sand was so clear that it looked almost white, and I felt a pleasant tickling sensation under my feet.

It was beautiful.

I wanted to lie down and rub my cheek on the sand grains, but a sudden and agitated grip on my elbow snapped me back to reality.

"There," Amlach said, nodding to a stream of freshwater flowing into the beach.

I walked beside him, unstable on his legs, careful not to cut myself with the white shells scattered here and there.

The water gushed out from a low crack between two high rocks. Amlach fell to his knees beside the stream and dipped his face in it, trying to drink as much as he could. I knelt on the other side and drank from my cupped hands.

The first sip was so painful that I squeezed my eyes shut. I tried to drink slowly, my parched throat craving more water, my cracked lips burning so much. When I no longer had the impression that every sip was like a rock going down my trachea, I washed my face with a sigh.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Amlach do the same and tilt his head with a blissful face, his eyelids closed. Drops of water fell down his temples, on the sides of his nose with a slight dimple on the tip, on his beard, and along his neck.

I looked at the latter, the way the bulging tendons under the skin-not at all as smooth as mine-converged into the jugular notch.

"You done?"

I tried to hide my flinch, my stomach tightening at the simple sound of his deep and mellow voice.

"Let's go into the forest to find a deeper spot in the river where we can wash ourselves," I said with a stern voice, getting up. "Then we'll take care of the food."

He stood up, too. "What if we don't find anything?"

I turned to the other mushroom-shaped islets. "I'll search on the other islands. Or I'll fish in the lagoon, near the coral reef."

"Fish. Again . . ." Amlach grumbled behind me as we went deep into the wood.

I let a smile slip away; after all, he couldn't see my face. "But now you can cook it."

"It's still fish, Elf," he replied in a mocking tone.

I glared at him over my shoulder, and he winked at me with a smirk.

We proceeded silently up through the forest, in parallel to the small river, our stink attracting every kind of flying insect that wanted to feast on our sweaty skin.

I loved walking barefoot among the beech trees surrounding Aegel, but this undergrowth was more viscous and insidious, such that several times I risked injuring myself over the rocks half-hidden by thick carpets of moss.

At some point, the sound of roaring water overwhelmed the chorus of birds rustling in the tall, dense tree branches. Shortly after we came across a small waterfall with a pool of blue-green water at its base.

Amlach got rid of his knife and rope and threw himself in before I had time to make sure it was not infested with leeches or anything. The water only reached his hips as he went toward the waterfall.

"No snakes, Elf." He tilted his head toward me with a little smile of defiance. "You can come over."

I narrowed my eyes with hostility, then laid down the sheath of my weapon and followed him. The muddy bottom of the pond seemed to suck my feet up to my ankles as I reached the waterfall.

Although I was already soaked, I gasped when the cold splash of water hit me. Then I gave myself up to a moan of pure appreciation.

Finally, the sea salt patina slipped away from my limbs, clothes, and hair. I ran my fingers through my braids, loosening them and enjoying the feeling of water splashing on my cheeks.

When I took a step back to catch my breath, I found Amlach staring at me with a murderous look.

As if he wanted to grab my head and slam it against the rock wall behind the waterfall.

My warrior-like body stiffened, ready for the fight.

But then his gaze fell on my curves, and the darkness pervading it changed shape, becoming more scorching, more intense.

More yearning.

It was then that I realized that the rush of the water jet was molding my white tunic to my body, turning it into a second skin. The fabric was thick enough not to be transparent, but the shape of my breasts was perfectly delineated.

It was like I was naked.

And every ounce of my being wanted him to come closer. Wanted his body against mine again, as it had been throughout the storm. Wanted to feel his breath on my lips again.

Nevertheless, the moment Amlach made to bridge the little distance between us, I came back to my senses and dived into the pond. I climbed out and remained still on the bank, dripping and stiff as a board, my chest rising and falling at a steady pace.

Amlach's gaze was like a spiral of fire that tightened around me, calling me back to him.

But I didn't turn back.

I grabbed my knife and went hunting.