Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,101

Dorl and pulled the blanket around her neck. She wasn’t cold. Their lovemaking saw to that, but it wouldn’t take long for the crisp night to turn their sweat into ice. Responding to her, Dorl helped by wrapping his free arm around her back and gently caressing her shoulder. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the moment. Tomorrow could wait. It was much too late to worry about their destiny. All that mattered now was her time with Dorl.

The love they shared was undiscovered by either. She’d grown up in a rigidly structured world with no room for romance. Cashi Dam had tried to insist on his devotion, but it was misguided. The tribal leader of Teng let his desire turn to lust and eventually wound up with his death at the hands of a Gnaal. Dorl was unlike anyone she’d ever met. Rough on the outside, Dorl Theed bore the softest heart. He gave in wholly to her, willingly. The comfort she took from this was unmatched. It made her job easier and enhanced her life to the point where she could see abandoning the sword for children and a home.

Rekka propped up on an elbow and stared down into his soft eyes. Whatever fear she harbored melted as he stared back. Smiling, she traced a finger down between his chest muscles and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head slightly. Her dark hair whisked against his exposed flesh. “Nothing. I’m trying to imagine what the day after tomorrow will be like.”

Dorl was no fool. He couldn’t imagine what tomorrow was going to bring, much less whatever fallout happened later. Truthfully he didn’t expect to live past the attack. A gnawing specter had been hounding him since their run-in with the Harpies in Fedro. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and get lost in the warmth of her embrace.

“Can’t we just have tonight?” he asked.

Her smile faded, leaving only the slightest trace. “I want to give you so much more, Dorl Theed. Through you I have found a new sense of being.”

“How do you mean? I’m nothing special,” he protested.

“You are, though you don’t realize it. I don’t want to be the guardian of Trennaron any longer. I don’t want to serve anyone other than myself. Dorl, I want to live. With you.”

His heart skipped. Impossible futures raced through his mind. His young life had seemed aimless until Rekka entered it. She quickly became a fixed point for him to focus on as he trudged through misadventures and the endless string of daily hardships. To hear her words now, at this most terrible moment imaginable, meant more to Dorl than he’d ever be able to express.

“I never thought of settling down with anyone before,” he admitted. “I’ve been travelling around with Nothol for so long I don’t recall another life. Don’t get me wrong, Rekka, I’m flattered you’d want to stick around with me.”

“But?” Rekka’s eyes narrowed. She withdrew her loving finger and tried not to glare down on him.

Dorl swallowed the lump rising through his throat. He hadn’t intended on aggravating her but sometimes the tongue fails to express what the mind or heart feels. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. My only reservation to sticking with you is that I can’t provide you the life you deserve. Nothing more.”

Rekka tilted her head back and laughed. The sound was joyful, relieved. “Dorl Theed, you soft-hearted fool.”

The corners of his mouth turned down in disappointment. “Like I said, I never thought about settling down with anyone before.”

She brought her face close to his, their lips almost touching. “Will you think about it now?”

Dorl reached up and kissed her passionately.

Daylight faded; it was a gradual progression of colors from bright blue to dark purple. Birds chirped as they soared over the rebel camp. The mild brown bark from a dozen different types of trees looked like a carefully mended blanket. Groge was continually amazed with life in the lowlands. It was so unlike the harsh conditions of Venheim, high atop the jagged mountain peaks. So much life and variations kept him grounded. Young by Giant standards, Groge gained experience none of his peers could ever dream of.

Reluctantly he pulled his gaze away from the world. Groge never asked to become the one person capable of bringing about the end of the dark gods’ threat and it wore on him heavily. All he wanted was to become a great forge master like Joden. That dream seemed further away daily.