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Chapter 3
The shadows grew long overhead as Clara made her way deeper into the woods. She wondered if Lukas was watching her, following her again.
"I can hear you," she lied boldly to the empty air, hoping to spur him from his cover if he was indeed following her. She paused for a moment, waiting. When she heard nothing other than the sounds of the forest and saw no sign of him she continued on her way.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again," she grumbled to herself. "He's probably fled by now anyway. No doubt I'm wasting my time." Yet she kept walking.
Clara screamed as a pair of hands grabbed her behind, and one of the hands swiftly moved to cover her mouth.
"Quiet, you little ninny, it's only me," Lukas hissed in her ear. Clara attempted to shove away from him and voice her anger at being surprised in such a way, but Lukas held her firm and would not budge. Despite her hot feelings of animosity toward him for startling and holding her against her will, she was aware of just how close to him she was, one of his arms circling her waist and pinning her arms down as he held her tight against him. She could feel his firm body against her back and recalled how it had felt the night before when she'd leaned into him, exploring his torso and chest. Clara blushed at the thought, and was slightly relieved that because of the way the Maharian was holding her, he couldn't see her face.
"Now listen," said Lukas, in a low, murmuring voice right against her ear. "I will let you go, but you have to promise to be quiet. Do you promise?" Clara nodded. "Good girl." Lukas removed his hand from her mouth and slackened his hold on her waist, though he did not release her completely. Clara fought the urge to turn and shout at him, and maybe give him a slap. There must be a reason he requested silence. Perhaps a bear was foraging up ahead, or a wolf pack. Though they much preferred the deer of the forest over humans, it was best not to take chances.
"What is it?" she whispered, making no attempt to run. It was strange that she should feel safer with an enemy soldier than a simple forest creature, she mused. Lukas leaned down to answer her, putting his mouth next to her ear so that his scruff of a beard brushed against her sensitive neck, and Clara fought back a shiver.
"Further in, there are Lotharisian soldiers. I don't think they're looking for me, they don't move like trackers. I think they're just passing through. If I'm not mistaken, it's shorter to cut through the woods rather than go around, isn't it?"
"Yes," Clara nodded, "Though most don't. Most believe these woods are haunted." No two villagers could agree on just which ghosts haunted it, but the general consensus held that were spirits of some kind.
"You don't?" Though she couldn't see it, Clara could feel his broad grin behind her. She snorted.
"Of course not. These are just regular woods, no matter what the old wives' tales say. The worst thing I've encountered here is you." She darted a poisonous look at him over her shoulder, but she only half meant it. Somehow she was warming to his teasing.
"Ouch, Red," he said mockingly. "You've cut me to the heart. I thought we really had a connection." Clara rolled her eyes, but still made no move away from him. "We should probably move further out, just in case," said Lukas, releasing her. Clara felt a slight twinge of disappointment. "I'm sure that in winter, despite the haunted rumors, the villagers will come at least a little into the forest to gather firewood." He looked at her for confirmation, and she nodded. "Then we'll head to the outskirts where there are already signs of people passing through. No point in taking chances." He offered Clara his arm and she accepted, and they quietly picked their way back to the entrance.
I'm helping a Maharian to hide from soldiers. Does this make me a traitor?
The need for quiet meant that they were not talking and gave Clara ample opportunity to mull this over. Her actions could be construed as that of any Healer and her patient, Healers always took it upon themselves to see that those they healed had time to rest and were not taxed with anything too strenuous which might trigger a relapse or re-open a wound. It was a form of protection, not too dissimilar to what she was doing now. She wasn't even doing that much now, to be frank. Oh, she supposed a normal citizen would have been yelling at the top of their lungs for the Lotharisian soldiers to come and capture the Maharian, but it wasn't as if she was offering Lukas shelter. She was merely following her patient as he carefully put some distance between them and the Lotharisian soldiers.
The war was such a waste, anyway. Why should it matter whether she helped a Lotharisian or a Maharian? They were more alike than different. The Maharians tended toward a duskier complexion, but no one cared about such things. A Lotharisian farmer who spent his days in the sun was just as bronze. They spoke the same language, though of course the Maharians had that slight, lilting accent. Still, they were perfectly understandable. She did not know what gods the Maharians worshipped, if any, but there was so much variety in Lotharis already on that subject that it hardly seemed to matter.
She'd heard rumors that the Maharian mountains were full of gold and precious gems that King Roderick desired, but lumps of cold metal and stone seemed a poor trade for the lives of the men of Lotharis. It was only rumor though, who would ever know if it was true? Well, actually -
"Lukas," she said, keeping her voice low, "What's Maharia like?" She turned to watch his face, counting on him to steer them around trees and other obstacles as she held tight to his arm. He seemed surprised, and then pleased, to be asked.
"It's a lot like here, actually," he said. "The poor struggle while the rich prosper, and countless lives are lost in a meaningless war. Our king is just as bloodthirsty as your King Roderick. It's beautiful though. Those who have never lived in the valley of a mountain can never appreciate the beauty and the awe it inspires. Imagine having a snow-capped giant, beautiful and potentially deadly rising above the landscape, visible for leagues and leagues. They don't look as big in the distance, but as you get closer you realize just how enormous they are. I lived below Mt. Kilien, the largest mountain in all of Maharia as a boy. I still miss it." His tone turned wistful, and Clara had the strangest urge to embrace him and kiss him, to offer him comfort and banish the trace of home-sickness. "I've heard the Lotharisian coastline is just as awe-inspiring though."
"It is quite a sight," Clara agreed. "I've only been there once but I shall never forget the ocean. It's so endless, so vast... A person could get lost just staring into its depths." Lukas turned and met her gaze, and Clara felt as if they'd somehow made a connection, something deeper and purer than the heated kisses they'd shared.
"I should like to see it someday," said Lukas.
