They headed on their way and crossing the woods, and Kael quickly realized she hadn't been exaggerating when she had told him the woods were thick. In some parts, they even had trouble making their way and more than a few times, Kael considered using his fire to make themselves a way. But he wasn’t sure how Rhiannon would react to that.
She had proven to be a fearless woman. Her being there with him was clear evidence of that, but perhaps watching him torching the woods would be a bit too much.
At some point, he remembered the larger weapon he had retrieved from the escape pod. One of its functions was becoming a long laser blade. That made things a lot easier for them.
She used the time to show her world to him, naming all the animals, plants and trees they came across with. They even had a few laughs when he accidentally hit a beehive, sending the furious insects into a frantic pursuit that ended up with them jumping into the nearby river to avoid them.
“We don’t have insects like those back home,” he said, when they were finally able to leave the water.
“They were only protecting their hive. Their babies and all their food are kept inside them,” she explained, still smiling.
“They seem to be interesting creatures,” he said, smiling back.
“They are.” She told him all she knew about the bees and their hives while they continued their path through the woods.
By midday, they stopped in a small clearing, and she took out a few sandwiches she had prepared and some water she had brought in a leather container. Rhiannon and Kael shared the simple meal mostly in silence. They didn’t stay long since she wanted to reach the mountain foothills that same day.
“How come you know this route?” he asked her curiously.
“I’ve come here several times with my cousins. My aunt Eileen has three sons, and we spent our entire childhood playing together. When we were old enough, our parents allowed us to come to the mountains looking for gold,” she explained. “That was before the arrival of the demons, of course. Now, no one ventures out of the village. People are too afraid of them,” she added.
“They’ve altered your lives.”
“Yes, they have killed our men and abducted our women, and no matter how many of them we kill, there’s always more the following day,” she added, oozing all the pain and rage she felt through each word.
“Why do you think they abduct the women?” he asked, intrigued.
“We have no idea. We assume the demons kill them at some point since no one has returned, but we have no way to know it for sure,” she replied, with sorrow. “A few of my friends were abducted in the past years.”
“It must be terrible for their families.”
“Yes, it is. You struggle between two possibilities, that they’re dead, or that they’re facing a destiny worse than death. You don’t know what to believe in.”
“It’s a terrible situation, indeed.”
By the end of the day, they had reached a small cave where she used to camp with her cousins. They put down the bags they had been carrying and went looking for water and firewood.
They prepared a simple meal with what they had brought, deciding to hunt on their way up the mountains. It was too late to go hunting, and Kael could tell she was tired.
Despite her protests, he went looking for some tree branches to make a more comfortable bed for her. He could sleep anywhere, and he didn’t need more than a couple of hours of sleep to fully restore his energies, but she was just human, and she needed more rest.
After they ate, he convinced her to get as much sleep as she could. They were safe there, and his senses were always on alert so he would know if they were in danger.
“Are you sure? We could take turns watching,” she suggested, with a slight frown.
“I’m sure. Get some rest, you need it.”
She sighed and nodded.
A few moments later, she was sound asleep on the bed he had prepared for her.
She looked so beautiful in her sleep, he had trouble keeping himself away from her. He wanted to take her in his arms and make love to her all night long, getting lost in the raw desire he felt for her.
But though she seemed to feel attracted to him, she hadn't given him any sign she wanted to act on that attraction. He leaned back against the rock walls of the cave and closed his eyes, allowing images of her under the waterfall rush through his mind. He knew he was torturing himself, but he couldn’t help it.
His desire for her seemed to grow with every second he spent next to her, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.
It was a long night, but he enjoyed protecting her in her sleep. When the sun came up in the sky, she finally woke up and after eating some bread and cheese, they started their way up the mountains. The trail they were following was narrow and dangerous, and after a couple of hours walking he gave up. She was going to kill him with a heart attack.
She had slipped a few times, and only a higher power had saved her life taking away a few years of his.
“What is it?” she asked, surprised.
“This trail is too dangerous,” he grumbled, dropping the bags he was carrying.
“I guess nature has been claiming it back. I don’t think anyone has used it in years,” she tried to explain. “But I’m sure we can still use it. I promise I’ll be more careful.”
“No.” His refusal was firm. “I’m not risking our lives like this.”
“But, we’ve come this far,” she protested.
“We’re not going back, we’ll just have to find a better way to get to our destiny.”
“There isn’t any,” she assured him.
“Yes, there is. I was a bit reluctant about using it, but now there is no choice.”
“You’re talking with riddles. Explain yourself,” she asked, a bit impatient.
“Where are we supposed to get to today?” he asked, instead of answering her question.
“To the top of this mountain, up there,” she explained, pointing at a spot several hundred feet from where they were.
“Is there a place where we can set up camp?”
“Yes, there’s a cave, similar to the one we used last night.”
“Very well,” he took a deep breath and looked at her. “This might startle you a bit, so I’m asking you to trust me on this,” he said, locking his eyes on hers. “Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes, of course, but what are you talking about?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
“I’ll fly us up there,” he explained, displaying his wings.
She let out a small cry and covered her mouth to muffle her astonishment.
“I’m sure you know by now I’m not a demon. The fact that I can fly doesn’t turn me into one, it’s just who I am, a drogon,” Kael explained, not sure what to think of the expression in Rhiannon’s eyes.
She slowly removed her hand from her mouth. “A drogon?” she mumbled.
“Yes, a drogon. We can fly and do a lot of things that would surprise you. I hadn't planned to show you this part of me so soon, but I’m not risking your life just to keep it a secret.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?” she was finally able to ask.
“I didn’t want to scare you or for you to think I’m a demon.”
“You don’t look like one of them. They are horrible creatures, with a little brain in their heads,” she said, in a convinced tone. “I have no idea what you are, but I’m sure you’re not a demon.”
He chuckled, nodding. “Very well. I can’t take everything on the same trip, so I’ll fly you up and then, I’ll come back for our stuff,” he explained.
“That sounds good.”
He shifted in front of her, in a controlled way, without assuming his full drogon form. His leathery wings opened up, some scales appeared down his neck, and his claws grew a few inches.
She stared at him during the whole process, her mouth slightly open, as if she was having trouble to believe what she was seeing.
“Are you ready?” he asked her with a faint smile.
“Yes, whenever you are,” she mumbled, taking a deep breath.
“Wrap your arms around my neck and relax. I won’t let you fall,” he assured her.
She nodded and did as he told her. He grasped her by the waist and moved his wings, taking them up.
Rhiannon let out a small cry, startled by the sudden move. Feeling his hands on her waist wasn’t doing much to settle her heart rate either and having him so close her chest was practically glued to his made it even worse. Her hands felt the soft scales on his nape, and she was unable to stop her fingers from trailing along them. She wanted to pull him closer to her, and only a last thread of common sense stopped her.
For the first few moments of their flight, she kept her eyes tightly closed, but soon her curiosity soon overpowered her fear, and she opened her eyes. Looking at the world from the air was like nothing she had experienced before.
It took them less than half an hour to get to the top of the mountain. If they had walked there, it would have taken them the whole day, since the trail was narrow and winding.
Once at the top, Kael landed slowly and only released her when he was sure she was firm on the ground.
“Are you alright?” he asked, with a smile.
“Oh, yes, that was amazing. You must feel so free each time you fly,” she said, with an amazed look on her face.
“Yes, I do, nothing compares to it,” he agreed, looking around. “Where’s the cave you mentioned?”
She turned around and showed him a small entrance not far from where they were standing. “It’s over there.”
“I’ll go check it and then I’ll go get our stuff,” he said. “Wait here for me.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, we have no idea what’s inside that cave. It’s not like the one we used last night. There could be wild animals living inside it,” he warned her.
She opened her mouth to protest but closed it again without saying a word. He was right. They had no idea what might be hiding in the cave. “I’ll wait here,”
“Thank you, I knew you were a sensible woman,” he teased her, and she scowled.
“Don’t make me change my mind,” she warned him as he walked away.
He disappeared into the cave, and Rhiannon paced the ground outside, waiting for him, nervous. He came back only a few seconds later, smiling.
“There are no signs of any animal. Stay inside while I go get our stuff,” he asked, displaying his wings.
“It’s amazing the way you make them appear and disappear,” she sighed, with awe.
“It happens naturally,” he explained, smiling. “I won’t be late.”
She nodded and watched him disappear before she headed to the cave. The place hadn't changed much over the past years, and she smiled when she found the remains of the fire they had lit the last time they had been there.