By: Haley J. The Bat ©

Summary: Kalina is kidnapped in the dead of the night by Dorien Hutt. Dorien is intent on protecting her life, but he won’t say why. These two strangers are forced to hide together as war breaks out in Econah. What does Kalina need protection from and why?

* * * * *

Kalina’s back protested as she lied backwards on the grassy clearing by the creek they’d stopped at earlier. She longed for her bed with it’s feather mattress and seasonal blankets. It almost seemed like her life with her aunt, uncle, and cousin was a distant dream. Harsher reality held her in its embrace as she waited for Dorien to both announce they could go into town and tell her more about her mysterious part in the unfolding plot.

She shifted on the hard ground, seeking a more comfortable position. The night was laced with a cruel breeze that had her shivering. She and Dorien had washed the rest of their clothing as soon as their spares were dry. Because their normal clothing was drying on a nearby rock, she was forced to wear her thin nightgown with no undergarments on underneath.

She finally sat up, too frustrated to sleep anymore. Dorien had said they only had to stay in the forest another night or two. She wondered if she could last that long. With another weary sigh, she got up and went to the shore. There were a few bushes separating the clearing she’d been trying to sleep in. She picked a berry from one of the bushes, but she dropped it when she felt its poison. She made a mental note to tell Dorien not eat the berries. They couldn’t afford getting sick in the middle of the forest.

She yawned and walked to the very edge of the creek. She knelt to dip some water, but movement flashed in her peripheral vision. She snapped her head up, prepared to fight, but relaxed visibly when she saw it was only Dorien. He was in the center of the creek about ten feet away, washing himself.

Kalina sat back on her feet and blatantly watched him. His mask was gone, as was all of his black attire. His skin was the ivory color associated with elves. He was rubbing his arms down with water, a pensive look on his cool features.

What a beautiful face, Kalina mused. Why does he hide it? Is he an outcast? Has he been shunned from society? The possibilities were endless, and yet . . . Kalina trusted him. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be here with him, acquiescent to his commands.

Kalina shuffled her feet, and a rock plunked into the water. The sound was discreet; nevertheless, Dorien’s Elfish hearing picked up on it, and she was called to his attention.

Dorien stopped his ministrations and narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

Kalina was one who never shied from the truth. “I was admiring you,” she admitted with a shrug. “You shouldn’t hide behind your mask - you are very handsome.”

Dorien gaped at her for a second. Then he regained his composure enough to scowl. “Yeah? What do you know?”

“Not much, thanks to you,” she couldn’t resist jabbing at his lack of information.

“If you tell me I’m handsome again, you’ll know even less,” Dorien practically snarled.

Kalina raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t anticipated this reaction from him. She stood up calmly from her crouching position and crossed her arms, huddling her body for extended heat. “Don’t you have a blanket? I’m freezing!”

“Can’t help you there.” He stared at her impatiently, tapping his hand against his opposite forearm.

“What?” she asked defiantly.

“Do you think you could give me some privacy here, Kalina?”

She felt stupid as she turned her back. “Oh! Um, yes. Right.” She ducked between the bushes and sat down on the earth of their clearing again.

Several long moments later, Dorien came into the clearing and sat next to her. He was wearing his mask again, but she heard his teeth chattering gently. She sighed and moved to sit directly in front of him. “Take your tunic off.”

“Excuse me?” he croaked.

“I’m going to regulate your body temperature,” she explained. “I need to touch you skin-to-skin.”

“Isn’t my hand enough?” he asked gruffly.

“No. Go on. Don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy,” he muttered as he raised his arms and took the garment off.

She placed both hands on his chest, one on his heartbeat and the other on the right side of his chest. She closed her eyes and focused on his physical presence. A glow encased her hands, and she felt her own blood warming from the bond.

Dorien removed her hands gently. He grabbed his tunic and put it back on. Though his mask covered his face, Kalina could sense that she had unnerved him. She decided it would be best to keep quiet and wait for him to say something.

Dorien stood up and went to the horse. He patted the beast’s neck and mumbled something in its ears. It neighed softly. He seemed to have gotten an answer, because he turned around, suddenly self-assured again. “We should get some sleep.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes. Sleep.”

* * * * *

Dorien woke to feel the sun’s rays through the thick foliage of the forest. He smelled something delicious and turned over on his side. Kalina was stirring something in a pan over a small fire she’d built. He was surprised she’d managed to do it without waking him up, but then, Kalina’s footsteps were as quiet as an Elf’s.

“It’s called Oglecrist,” she said. Though her back was to him, she must have sensed him coming awake. “It’s a sweet mixture of different plants and berries. It’s one of my favorite dishes.”

He sat up and rubbed his eyes wearily. “You didn’t use the berries over on that bush, right? They’re poisonous.”

“No. I know they’re poisonous. I can hold a leaf in the palm of my hand and learn everything about that tree. Where it came from. What it’s been through.”

Dorien’s heart clenched as he remembered the few times she’d touched him. “Can you do that with people?” he asked nervously.

She shook her head, causing her braid to toss along her back. “No.” Then she added, “Not yet, at least.”

He walked over to the fire and crouched across from her. “What do you mean?”

She looked up and met his gaze through the eye slits of his mask. “Take your mask off, Dorien.”

He was thrown off for a moment, something he dearly loathed. “What? Why?”

“Because I wish to see whom I’m talking with.”

“I don’t want you to see me,” he admitted. He’d been hiding himself for so long that unveiling himself before this girl would mean something he didn’t want to ponder on.

“Why do you hide?” She looked down and stirred the slowly heating concoction. “Is it because you’re . . . shunned?”

He clenched his jaw. “Not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Then why are you hiding both yourself and the truth from me?” she demanded.

Dorien put his head in his hands. She would lead him in circles until he gave in. Though she seemed so naïve and feminine at first, there was an undeniably strong backbone in this girl.

He wanted desperately to take his mask off in that moment. He wanted to be everything he’d eschewed in his life. Kalina had treated him with nothing but respect. Shouldn’t he return it? Were his reasons plausible? What would happen? His mind was bewildered at all of the questions brewing.

Kalina had waited a few minutes as he went over his disputing thoughts. She looked down suddenly, starting to stir again. “It’s ready.” Her voice was nearly imperceptible.

He looked down at the bubbling soup then back up at her averted gaze. She was giving him a chance to back out without another argument between them. He could act like nothing happened and ignore her questions again . . . or he could show her his trust and take the mask off.

Suddenly the mask wasn’t just an inanimate object. It seemed to be metaphorical. Taking the mask off would show that he trusted and respected Kalina, that he thought of her as an equal who was worthy. It was all that stood between them. If he could take the mask off, they would become friends.

But if he did that, he wasn’t sure what might happen to the man he’d worked so hard and so long to become.

He stood up. “I’ll get us bowls.”

* * * * *

Kalina sat on the edge of the water, her bare feet skimming its surface. She thoughtfully studied the glimmering pebbles that decorated the bottom of the clear water, suddenly feeling very alone and frightened. A lump rose in her throat as she remembered the lost comfort of home. She had always been safe wrapped in the love of her family. Alone in the woods with a stranger left her cold and yearning for home.

She trembled slightly, ready to reach a breaking point that the past few days had been leading up to. She straightened her shoulders, defiant towards the threat of tears. She was strong; she would not break.

Kalina sensed him come to stand behind her, and he didn’t attempt to cloak his presence from her. He stayed silent; Kalina could feel the weight of it pressing into her. She didn’t speak either, leaving this up to him.

She dimly suspected that the mere fact he came to stand with her spoke wonders without him saying a word. She desperately wanted to open herself up and read his feelings, but if his reactions to her healing powers and him so far were anything to go by, he wasn’t comfortable with her using it on him.

Her perception of time told that they stood in silence for over half an hour. Then Dorien left quietly.

Kalina let out a weary sigh and sat for awhile longer. When she was tired of watching the rocks, she got up and dusted the riding pants off. She stepped back into the clearing and went to Dorien’s horse. She ran a finger across the bridge of his snout, and he neighed very softly.

“You’re good with him. He likes you.”

Kalina started at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t expected him to speak. “Thanks,” she mumbled. Her usual perceptiveness missed the implications of his words, and she didn’t think to wonder if he had been talking about the horse or himself.

Her need to talk and share with Dorien had diminished last night. His refusal to take off the mask had hurt, and she didn’t think she could deal with his stubbornness anymore.

“I’m sorry.”

She kept her back to him. “There’s no reason to be sorry. What have you done?” Her words were false, but she didn’t care.

“You’re right,” Dorien said, anger leaking in his voice. “Be prepared to leave tomorrow morning.” Then his presence was gone.

Kalina slumped her shoulders. She felt emotionally drained, but the feeling seemed petty and foolish when she remembered why she was there in the first place. “Dorien! Dorien, wait!”

There was a shuffling in the brush Dorien had disappeared in, and then he stood before her sullenly. “What?”

“I . . .” Kalina faltered. Why did she call to him when she had nothing to say? “I’m sorry. You needn’t be sorry; it’s me . . . I . . . I expected . . .”

Dorien scrutinized her; once done, he lifted a weary hand to rub his forehead. “I’m going to get something for dinner. Don’t wander off.”

Kalina exhaled deeply when he was gone. “You really need some lessons in communicating,” she whispered.