A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 8

The cabin was in complete darkness when Talon and Shada returned. He immediately went to the small table in the center of the room and lit a bulky oil lamp. The soft light threw long, dancing shadows along the walls.

"Are you cold?" he asked Shada. As soon as the sun had disappeared behind the huge mountain range in the distance, the temperature had dropped considerably.

"A little maybe, but it's not too bad," she mumbled, suddenly uncomfortable with meeting his eyes. Although they had spent many evenings together over the past months, this one was different. The very air between them seemed to sizzle with things left unspoken.

"I'll light a fire," Talon offered and moved over to the huge fireplace against one wall. Although it was big enough to hold the entire trunk of a tree, he just piled a few logs of moderate size in the center of it. Before long, a radiant, glowing fire leaped up through the big chimney. Its warmth soon spread through the small room.

Shada walked to the table and began to sort through the basket of foods that Enee had given them. She laid out a big round loaf of coarse bread on the table, then added some rather oddly colored cheese. There was an assortment of raw vegetables and a large bowl of some type of stew that contained something that Shada privately termed as 'mystery meat'.

When she looked up, she could see Talon behind the half wall that separated a part of the hut from the main living area. He was so tall, the wall only reached as high as his chest.

"What's back there?" Shada asked curiously. She had meant to take a peek behind there herself but had never gotten around to it.

Talon glanced at her over the top of the wall and then walked out to join her at the table.

She looked up at him inquiringly and he shrugged. "A bed. A big one."

"Oh," she managed, feeling warmth flood into the tips of her ears. She made herself busy again rearranging the food on the table. "There's stew," she told him. "But don't ask me what kind, and it's cold."

"Hand it to me," Talon suggested, "and I'll put it by the fire. It should heat up there quickly."

She handed him the bowl of stew and he retreated back to the fireplace. He pulled a round stool over by the fire then sat down, placing the bowl of stew on the hearth. His back was to Shada but he was conscious of every sound she made and watched her elongated shadow as it flickered on the wall.

The fire suddenly crackled and a glowing ember flew out, landing on the hearth near his foot. He crushed it under his boot and turned to find Shada standing beside him. She handed him a hunk of cheese and some of the coarse bread.

"You must be starved," she commented, sitting down on another chair opposite him.

He nodded and took pieces of the cheese and bread and popped them into his mouth. He chewed for a moment and then swallowed. "I am hungry," he murmured, watching her take a small bite of the cheese. "Been hungry for some time now."

Shada's head was down, but she looked at him from the top of her eyes. For some reason, she felt he wasn't really talking about the food, but what else could he be, she wondered.

He glanced down at the hearth. "The stew's hot."

Shada handed him a small bowl and a spoon that she had brought with her from the table. "Just give me a few spoonfuls and you take the rest. I'm not all that hungry," she said.

Why did she feel that there was a dual meaning to each statement of the conversation?

Talon ladled several spoonfuls of stew into her bowl and handed it to her. "You should eat more," he told her. "It wouldn't hurt you to gain a pound or two."

She twisted her mouth mockingly at that comment, but didn't say anything. She took the bowl from him and watched as he wrapped a small cloth around the warm bowl from the hearth. He lifted it into his lap and spooned some of the rich stew into his mouth.

Neither said much while they ate, but both were very conscious of the other. Shada studied Talon's face as the fire reflected on it, washing it in varying shades of gold and red. She noticed that he had recently trimmed his beard down to a small goatee on his chin, and his hair had been cut until it nestled against his shirt collar, considerably shorter than he normally wore it. It looked neater and made his face appear younger than it had before. But she had always liked Talon's looks, finding his dark hair and blue eyes quite attractive in a man.

He reached for a water bottle on the floor beside his chair and took a long drink from it. Shada watched in fascination as the muscles in his throat worked as he swallowed. She found it oddly alluring and forced herself to look away.

She stood suddenly and grimaced when her spoon fell from her grasp, clattering noisily on the hearth. She and Talon both reached for it at the same time and his fingers closed over hers. She jerked her hand back as if she had just thrust it into the fire itself.

Talon glanced at her curiously and handed her the spoon. Wordlessly, she took it and they stared at each other for a moment.

"Are you still hungry?" she asked and then wished she had never said it because a strange light began to burn brilliantly in his eyes.

"I'm always hungry," he said softly.

Shada swallowed and took a step backward. "Th..there's some more bread and cheese," she stammered.

"Thanks," he mumbled, his blue eyes never leaving hers. "That would be nice."

She went over to the table and starting slicing him some more of the cheese. When she turned to go back to the fireplace, she was startled to find that he had been standing behind her. They were very close together and Shada could smell the slight woodsy scent from the fire that clung to him. She took a long, shuddering breath and handed him the bread and cheese.

He took them from her and smiled gently. "I think we should go to bed," he said calmly.

Shada's head came up so quickly, the braid of hair hanging down her back swung onto her shoulder. "What did you say?" she demanded. Surely, he wasn't going to suggest that they...!

"I said I think we should go to bed," he repeated. "It's been a long and eventful day, and I suspect tomorrow will be the same. We need to rest."

Shada couldn't think of a thing to say, and she just stood there, her mouth parted slightly.

Talon pressed his lips tightly together as if he were trying to suppress a smile. He decided to let her off the hook. "I'll sleep on the bench. You can take the bed."

Shada's eyes narrowed dangerously as she realized he had been playing with her. "I'll take the bench. You sleep in the bed," she told him haughtily.

He took a bite of his bread and cheese and calmly chewed it. "No, I don't think so."

Shada moved uncomfortably. "Look, Talon, you take the bed. I'm used to roughing it."

"I'm not unfamiliar with it myself, Shada," he told her succinctly. "It's best this way."

She opened her mouth to argue with him again, but he held up his hand. "No, Shada. You take the bed. That's an order, and I don't want to hear anymore about it."

"An order?" she repeated in surprise. Talon hadn't given her a direct order for months. Over the time they had been together, their working relationship had evolved into an almost partnership-like situation where solutions to problems in the business were discussed, brainstormed and solved on an equal basis. Even Talon's employees had noticed the shared responsibility between them and had accorded her the respect that her position demanded.

They stared at each other for a moment and then Shada stalked off to the little bedroom behind the half-wall. Talon heard her moving about, knowing she was getting ready for bed.

He sighed and called out softly, "Shada?"

There was a pause and then she said, "Yes?"

"Are you feeling alright? No aches or pains?"

"I'm fine," she said shortly.

"Remember you must let me know if you feel the slightest bit differently," he reminded her. There was no answer from behind the wall, so he said simply, "Goodnight, Shada."

There was another pause, and for an awful moment, Talon thought she wasn't going to say anything. But finally, he heard her say, "Goodnight," in a soft, gentle voice.

He went over and sat down in front of the fireplace again, appreciating the warmth that emitted from it. He stared into the iridescent flames for some time, seemingly lost in thought before a yawn overtook him and he considered going to bed.

Then it hit him. He had forgotten to get blankets to spread out on the bench. He had seen a small stack of them resting on a chair near the bed when he had gone into the partitioned room. But by now, Shada had to be asleep and he really didn't want to wake her for something he should have remembered in the first place.

He went over to the bench and stretched out on it with all his clothes on. He spent about fifteen minutes trying to relax enough to drop off to sleep, but without much success. Talon was a person who never wore much to bed in the first place and found his clothes very constricting.

With a heavy sigh, he sat up and glanced over at the bed, which he could partially see from his perch on the bench.

Shada was apparently deeply asleep, as she hadn't moved in quite some time. He wondered if he could ease into the bedroom without waking her to grab a couple of the blankets. He walked quietly to the wall and looked over it. Shada was asleep, her dark hair spread out across the pillow. She was lying on her back, her head turned slightly away from him. He stood for a moment just looking at her, a myriad of emotions flowing through him. He loved this woman; he knew that now. Probably more than his own life. He now believed that he'd been in love with her for quite some time and just hadn't realized it. The past twenty months, since she had become his second-in-command, had been the happiest of his life, and he didn't know what he'd do if she ever decided to leave him.

He stepped away from the half-wall, running his fingers through his thick, dark hair. There wasn't any point for him to stand there gaping at her like some lovesick kid. If he were any sort of a man, he'd just tell her how he felt. And have her run away so fast that you'd never see her again, came a distant voice in his head. He knew that voice of reason was right. He had to give her time, time to realize for herself what they could have together if she would only give it a chance.

Determinedly, he walked around the wall, albeit as quietly as he could. He really didn't want to wake her. She was sleeping so soundly.

He gathered two blankets from the stack on the chair and was starting to tiptoe out of the small room when Shada sat up in the bed. "Talon?" she asked incredulously.

He knew she couldn't believe he was actually in the bedroom with her and he turned quickly. "It's not what you think, Shada. I was just getting some blankets."

She stared at him for a moment, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "All right," she said softly. Then she grabbed one of the numerous pillows at the head of the bed and held it in his direction. "Don't you need one of these too?"

He tried not to notice that she wore only a thin undershirt with a low-scooped neck and tiny straps that hugged her shoulders. Even in the dim light from the big fireplace, he could tell that she didn't have on anything underneath it.

He stepped toward her and took the pillow from her. And then he couldn't help himself; his eyes devoured her. He had always thought she was too thin, but her tall body was perfectly proportioned, her small, but exquisitely shaped breasts straining against the thin, taut shirt.

He stepped away, clearing his throat abruptly, and fighting against the brief tightening he felt in his groin.

He thought he mumbled "Thanks" but he wasn't sure as he bolted out of there as fast as he could, walking to the fireplace and dropping into the chair that she had been in earlier.

He put the blankets and pillow on the floor, and with his elbows resting on his knees, he leaned his head into his hands.

Shada watched him go then laid down in the bed again, this time turning so she faced the center of the bed. The bed was huge, big enough to sleep five adults comfortably, and she felt a bit guilty about not sharing it with Talon. But she couldn't help it, at least not at this point in time. Something was different about Talon. Something in him had changed since he had arrived on this planet. It was as if he had come to some sort of decision, about what Shada had no idea, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it might very well impact them both for the rest of their lives.

A sound from the fireplace area caught her attention and she lifted her head to look. She stiffened sharply, her mouth falling slightly open.

Talon was undressing before the fire, obviously preparing to sleep on the bench. He had taken off his full, loose shirt and was running a damp cloth across his chest. The firelight flickered and glowed against his tanned skin, highlighting the well-defined muscles of his abdomen.

Shada blinked, unable to tear her eyes away. She had never seen Talon without a shirt. He was a tall, slender man who wore his clothes superbly, but she had never realized that he had kept himself in such great shape. The muscles of his shoulders rippled like liquid durasteel as he reached for a towel lying on the back of his chair. He rubbed it along his arms and down over his abdomen, ruffling the coat of delicate hair that peppered the expanse of his broad chest, starting at his shoulders in a wide triangle that disappeared in a point into his trousers.

Shada's mouth went dry, and she couldn't stop herself from wondering what it would feel like to be pressed against that chest, to feel that hair against her breasts as those strong arms held her tightly against him.

With a muffled gasp, she flipped over on her back, staring with wide eyes at the huge wooden beams in the ceiling. What the hell are you doing, Shada D'ukal, she chastised herself. Have you lost your mind? This is your life here, a life that you consider comfortable and worthwhile. If you crawl into bed with Talon it would ruin everything, everything you have worked two long years to build, all for a few minutes of pleasure.

A distant memory flooded into her mind and she whispered hoarsely, "No...No!"

When she was in her late teens and a fairly new member of the Mistryl, a group of her sister Shadow Guards had talked her into visiting a diviner. The Ryn woman had a reputation for being incredibly accurate in her forecast of people's individual futures and fortunes.

Although she had thought it all a bunch of hokey nonsense, Shada went along with the group. She did it mainly to spend some time with her new sisters and get to know them better, especially the real-life sister duo of Manda and Karoly D'ulin. Manda had been selected to be Shada's squad commander, and Karoly, although a few years younger, was closer in age to Shada than any of the others in their commando unit.

The Ryn were an exotic race who traveled about the galaxy from planet to planet. Not viewed favorably by many of the other species, they earned their livings in any way they could. Singing, dancing, and telling fortunes were quick ways to earn credits, and the Ryn were excellent performers. A small group of them had settled on Emberlene, although the planet offered little in the way of earning credits in their usual talents. A few of the Ryn had become first-class carpenters and were doing well in supporting their group. They seemed settled on the planet and were treated with a modicum of respect they didn't normally receive in other places in the galaxy.

Shada hung back as the others had all ventured one by one into the Ryn's small room. The others had come out giggling and laughing about their time with the Ryn diviner, sharing what she had told them with all the others.

When everyone had gone in but Shada, they all turned on her expectantly. She shook her head. "Why don't we just go? You've had enough fun for the night," she told them good-naturedly.

"Oh, no," Manda laughed. "We all went in and you're going too."

Shada grimaced, but pushed away from the wall she had been leaning on. She couldn't very well contradict her commanding officer, although she really didn't have any desire to visit the fortune-telling Ryn.

She had to push aside some long, colorful hanging beads to enter the room, and her nose was immediately assaulted with a strange odor that was emitted by something burning in a tiny bowl on a table in the center of the room.

The Ryn was an older woman and she sat in a chair at the table, her long tail curled around its legs. She waved Shada over to the chair opposite of her.

Shada took the chair cautiously, not willing to look at the Ryn.

The older woman smiled, her eyes traveling over Shada's face. "Ahhh...lovely. And what might your name be, pretty one?"

Shada shot her a look, but then murmured, "It's Shada."

"Shada," the woman repeated. "A name as beautiful as its owner." Then she startled Shada by asking, "And why did you come here?"

Shada blinked in surprise and then murmured sullenly, "For my fortune, what else?"

"That's what you must tell me, pretty one," the Ryn returned, smiling gently.

"I didn't want to come," Shada blurted out, surprising herself.

The Ryn's smile widened, and Shada knew that she had known that Shada hadn't wanted to be there.

Shada shifted a little in the chair. "I came because my unit wanted to," she explained resentfully.

"And they forced you into here?" the Ryn asked.

Shada nodded.

The Ryn leaned forward and clasped her hands together on the table. "We don't have to do this if you'd rather not."

"No," Shada returned flatly. "They'll ask me about it. You might as well as go ahead and do it."

The Ryn nodded. "Only if you're sure."

Then she reached across the table. "May I see your right hand, please?"

Shada sighed and moved her hand to the center of the table. The Ryn took it carefully, turning it so she could see the palm. Gently, she ran her fingers across it, following the fine network of delicate lines. "A long life you will lead," she said softly, "although not uneventful. You will see many things that will make you sad, but you will come out of them."

She rubbed softly across Shada's palm. "And you will have great happiness at the end of it all."

Shada cocked an eyebrow, interested in spite of herself. "Will I be an Eleven one day?" The Council of the Eleven were the leaders of the Mistryl Shadow Guards and ultimately, the leaders of the planet of Emberlene.

The Ryn smiled wistfully. "I will have to consult the cards for such a prophecy. You do not mind?"

Shada thought it over and finally decided she may as well do it. "No, go ahead."

The Ryn took a deck of large cards from the side of the table and began to deal them out one by one, laying the faces up. "No," she said very softly. "You will never be one of the Eleven."

Shada fought down a tinge of disappointment. "But it's what I have always wanted, what I have worked all my life for."

The Ryn shook her head sorrowfully. "Your life will take another turn. You will not always be a Shadow Guard."

A harsh laugh erupted from Shada. "Now, I know you're a fake. I have devoted my life to the Mistryl Shadow Guards. I will never leave them."

A frown had creased the Ryn's rubbery face at Shada's remarks, but then she gave a slight smile. "You will forget them," she told Shada.

"Forget them?" Shada argued vehemently. "I can never forget them." The Ryn might have a sterling reputation as a diviner, but Shada was beginning to believe she was a fool.

"You will not remember them when you are writhing with pleasure under your man," the fortune-teller laughed, losing a little patience with her new customer. "And he will be the most important thing in your life as you will be in his."

"Man?" Shada retorted derisively. "No man will ever be more important to me than the Guards."

"You will see...you will see."

A sudden, loud snap from the crackling fire brought Shada back to the present, but the memory of that time so long ago was as sharp and clear as if it had happened the day before. Shada hadn't wanted to tell her fellow Guards what the Ryn had told her, but they had wormed it out of her anyway. And of course, they had teased her unmercifully for weeks afterward.

Every time she came into the barracks, she was greeted with something like, "Been writhing with pleasure lately, Shada? or Where's this man of yours, Shada? We want to meet him!" And then the whole barracks would erupt into laughter.

She had been immensely relieved when they had finally forgotten about it and the teasing had stopped.

She hadn't thought about the visit to the Ryn in years, but the sight of Talon's near-nude frame in the firelight had brought it all storming back.

Cautiously, she lifted her head again, but Talon was sitting on the bench, his long, naked legs spread out before him. They were as muscular and well-formed as his chest, and as Shada watched, he slung them up on the bench and pulled a blanket over himself.

She lay back down, her mind frothing with a hundred different things, all of them, she told herself, strictly forbidden!

On to Chapter 9