God, I really started to hate fairy.
My feet hurt and my arms seemed to be long enough to slide on the ground while I walked.
Or climbed.
Or tumbled down the small path between the never ending line of huge rocks.
The powerdrain of shifting three people was bigger than I had expected. Add the fact that I didn't get much sleep lately and well, I was just tired. At least I told that to myself because otherwise I would have had to admit that my fitness level still sucked despite the regular trainings with Pritkin and the nearly constant running and fighting of the last weeks.
As it was, we had merely just arrived in fairy an hour ago and I was already dirty, cold and hungry. We had chosen to reactivate the portal in Wales that Pritkins younger version and I had used hundreds of years ago. The look on his face when I had told him about the menu his younger self had provided for me had been prizeless. Thinking of it I still had to smile.
During the last few hundreds of years the area had changed and Pritkin had needed three days to locate the rivulet running through a welsh forest, to find the inoperative portal within the rivulet and to reactivate it. We had hoped that the area around the portal in fairy would be abandoned in our time and so far we hadn't been disappointed.
Far and wide the only things I could see were rocks and stones and more rocks. Those damn rocks were covered with sharp edges and spikes everywhere and the muscles in my arms were burning while I struggled to keep up with the mages.
Or to keep myself upright without swaying.
Did I mention that it was raining?
It wasn't the first time that I thought it might have been a bad idea after all. Not that everyone who knew about it hadn't already told me so. But for lack of better ideas, well, it seemed to be our only chance.
The plan had sounded simple. Go into fairy and catch the paperweight - which contained my father's soul and could really destroy the world - behind Tonys back while he was busy and distracted by the upcoming war.
The realization was another matter. I hadn't expected it to be easy, because in my life nothing was ever easy. But I gotta admit, that I expected the hard parts of our plan coming when we would get closer to Tony's operation base.
„There's a small cave down here. Looks empty, but we'll check" Caleb shouted, pointing on a black hole in the mountain. He was in front of our little crew and already a few feet beneath my current position. Pritkin intently scanned the surroundings while Tremaine followed Caleb into the cave and out of sight.
As if they were swallowed by a huge gaping maw, my brain added helpfully.
And then I cut myself on the sharp rock. Again. Damn it.
While I cursed inventively Pritkin passed me to easily jump down the rock in front of us. And then turned around to help me. On the slippery stone path I was honestly grateful for it. Otherwise there was a certain possibility that I would have landed face first.
I reached down with my hand but at the look on his face I stopped. Most of his hair was covered by the hood of his - actually former Caleb's - leathercoat. He had his back towards the cave to make sure that only I could see his face. His emerald green eyes, emphasized by the dark hood, burned into mine and his lips twisted slightly.
Knowing.
Promising.
I swallowed.
He grabbed me with both hands just above my hip and pushed them slowly up underneath my jacket and my shirt so he could touch bare skin. Despite the weather his hands were pleasantly warm. He just stayed like that and closed his eyes for a moment before his thumbs started gently caressing the skin above my waistband. Open again his eyes never left mine.
I wanted to say something, but with him so close and the noticeable attraction between us I couldn't concentrate. The soft touch of his hands on my skin was enough to make my heart jump.
Then he grinned. His grip tightened and he lifted me up as if I weighed nothing. I had a sudden image of „Dirty Dancing" in my head just a second before I had a sudden feeling of falling down.
Everything happened so fast that I hadn't even time to scream.
Pritkin cought me shortly before I would have added a few more cuts to my already abused back and put me on the ground. I was still having an internal debate if I should slap him or kiss him for his teasing me like that, but forgot about it, when I saw his face.
Pritkin just stood there and stared at me, his hands still holding me. His eyes were wide open as if in shock or utter disbelief and he looked a little pale. Adrenaline kicked in and I wildly turned my head, being sure that there was something horrible behind me and found -
nothing.
And a lot of rock.
I turned back to him expecting to find blood seeping out somewhere and quickly scanned him for obvious injuries. Thankfully I couldn't find any.
Pritkin must have gotten his shit together in the meantime. Or at least most of it. His hands were still under my arms and his fingers dug into my back where he had caught me. I wasn't entirely sure but they seemed to be slightly trembling.
Considering how fast war mages usually recovered from almost anything, that wasn't reassuring. Considering how fast Pritkin usually recovered it wasn't reassuring at all.
I breathed to fight the upcoming panic and to calm down myself. He blinked and his expression changed into a slightly bewildered version of war mage neutral.
„Pritkin, what the hell?" I finally asked, his face only inches from mine.
„I - I'm not sure. I-" he let me go and took a step back.
„I thought I heard something," he looked at the rocks behind me thoughtfully. „But it must have been a mistake. "
„Pritkin, what is it? You didn't have that look on your face when a huge dragon was about to fry us."
„It's... nothing. I guess I maybe pushed my senses to much. They are slightly different since...you brought me back. There's still a bit of a learning curve..."
And then Tremaine saved him. "All clear, sir."
„Good, we'll spent the night here" coming from Pritkin.
"The night, sir?"
"You heard me", Pritkin growled. Patience had never really been his greatest strength.
„It looks like we could use the cave as cover and even light a fire." That was Caleb probably trying to ease the atmosphere. „Barbecue time Ladies" he announced with a big grin on his face.