Armies of the Dragon (Book 2 after Warriors of the Dragon)

The Maid

            Sephira was glad the knock on the door woke her because she found her and Craven tangled in each other's arms with his face close to hers. She let out a Duvendis hiss as she sat up in the bed and Rauka appeared in the opening to the bed chamber looking slightly disheveled.

"Stay here or get up and hide. It's probably just the maid." Sephira told Craven who grunted in confirmation. She straightened her tunic and hair and strode to the door with Rauka behind her. She was glad the door to her chambers was more impassable than the rickety door to the last one. She unbolted it and opened the heavy door slowly to find Gia standing there. She curtsied before she stuttered out an invitation to get Sephira and her guards dinner.

"Come in. I have a question for you." Sephira commanded, trying not to let her upright manner be too frightening to the skittish little maid as to make her too nervous to speak clearly. Gia obliged readily, closing the door with pale shaking hands behind herself.

"What is it, General?" she asked with a voice so high it sounded like a squeak.

"Have you seen my crystal?" Sephira asked, in a calm voice as she faced away from the maid purposefully hoping it would make her answer her question more coherently. Sephira couldn't help the irritation that rose in her as the maid tried to answer and couldn't spit out where the crystal was.

"Can you find my crystal and bring it up here with our food?" Sephira asked, spinning to see that Gia looked overly distressed about the concept of finding Sephira's crystal. "Did someone take it from you?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Gia cringed, closing her eyes for a moment like she was waiting for Sephira to lop off her head in a blind rage.

"It must've fallen out of your pocket when I was washing your tunic and one of the other maids took it! I'm sorry! I didn't know it was yours!" Gia had been reduced to tears now and Sephira was quickly losing her patience.

"Which maid? Does she still have it?" Sephira asked, trying to slow down the questions so she didn't totally overwhelm the girl.

"I think she sold it." Gia sobbed in hopelessness.

"Is there somewhere I could purchase another... or purchase it back?" Sephira asked, looking at Rauka to see if she thought it was a risky idea. Rauka had a hesitant look in her eyes, but didn't seem overly worried.

"There might be a place..." Gia answered, trying to swallow her sob.

"Is it open this late?" Sephira asked, recalling that humans' stores almost always closed at sundown and the sunset was beginning to tinge the balcony orange.

"Yes..." Gia said, with her eyes looking down as if she was hesitant to show it to Sephira or scared to go there herself.

"Stay here. Sit on the couch and wipe your tears." Sephira ordered Gia as she slipped back into the bed room. She put her finger over her lips as Craven's half-open eyes landed on her. He started to get up when she started putting her armor and weapons back on over her tunic.

"What is it?" he whispered in the furthest corner of the room away from the thick curtain over the entrance.

"The maid says my crystal was taken and sold by one of the other maids. She's going to show me a place I might be able to purchase a new one. You can come if you're up for it." Sephira told him quietly.

"Yeah, I'll come." He answered, kissing her against his better judgment.

"Stop it! The maid's out there." She breathed after she kissed him back like an idiot. He smirked at the longing look on her face, and they let go of each other to finish getting ready. "Just wait a few minutes and then meet us at the stables so she's not suspicious about you being in my bed." She told Craven before slipping back out to see the maid still sitting on the couch with her hands clutched nervously in her lap.