An Ebony's Weavings (Alternate Universe) Story
Chapter Three
by: Yuuki Miyaka
She was leaving. Rayek scowled down at his notebook, marking with graceful strokes the numbers necessary. She was leaving. He shifted his gaze to the crumpled papers that littered the floor near the wastecan. She was leaving. Those same strong fingers that had written the numbers in a flowing script now broke the pencil he held in two. She was leaving, and there was nothing he could say to stop her.
It was a damnfool move as far as he was concerned. The humans that had hurt her had been dealt with, and her bruises were little more than fading sallow shapes on her skin. But it was the principle of the matter, the fact that she was *not* safe outside of his home.
He flung one half of the pencil against the far wall, barely satisfied with the sharp sound of wood hitting the glass of a mirror. The mirror remained intact, and the pencil piece fell to the floor. She was leaving.
Why did it matter so much to him? Even as the question flitted through his mind he pushed it away. It mattered because she was an elf. No other justification was needed or wanted. She was a Wolfrider, a barbarian. That precluded the thought of any real caring, of any . . . What was he thinking?! With a grimace he rose, pacing. Clearly the years alone, with only Ekuar for company, had gotten to him. Why else would he be thinking such thoughts?
Especially about someone who was leaving . . . .
It had been six months since she'd left. Six months without a word. Somehow she'd managed to disappear completely, leaving Ekuar's contacts confused and clueless. Rayek was not precisely surprised by this, knowing the Wolfriders' tendency for insidious tricks. Certainly the black-haired huntress had a slippery nature. Still, he felt annoyed by the disappearance, the frustration apparent in his ever-increasing temper. Though Ekuar never bore the brunt of it, Rayek could see the knowledge in the stone-shaper's kind, brown eyes.
She'd gotten to him somehow. That was the only real explanation for it. Every time he thought about her, he could remember the frailty of her initial night, the way he'd shuddered every time he looked at her, yet unable to take his eyes off of her for a moment. She'd been so vulnerable, so delicate, and yet . . . those bruises had been mute testimony to her sheer strength of will.
Maybe that was it, he thought. He could respect willpower and ambition, even in the most coarse of barbarians. And she had shown herself to be at least moderately civilized. With a wry chuckle, he looked back down at the paper in his hand.
The knock came a moment later, and Rayek bid the door to open using his powers. He gaped, for a moment, at the sight of Ekuar standing in front of two forms, one human and one elf. Bidding them entry, he watched as Ekuar directed the human to lay the unconscious elf in his arms down on the softest leather couch, then asked the same man to go get bandages. Drifting over to the couch in question, Rayek was surprised to find the object of his recent musings laying before him, looking even more frail than before.
The bruises were back, making her look like a calico cat. Bright purples and greens coupled with the vivid reds of abrasions and gashes, the patchwork colors accented by small patches of rust where blood had dried. Her clothing was useless, hiding little below the waist and nothing above. It was clear what her attackers had borne in mind after beating her. Pained amber eyes caught worried brown ones, the first set asking a question. A small shake of the head was answer enough. No, the humans had not achieved their final goal before she'd been found. A hand stained with a permanent tan brushed over her forehead, the gesture tender and gentle enough to answer any doubts Ekuar might have harbored about bringing her back.
"Clean her up and get her wounds set. Contact Leetah or Mender as soon as either returns to the lands. And then find out who did this to her. I want them punished." The orders were snapped out, but Ekuar took no offense, as Rayek knew he wouldn't. This pale-skinned little beauty had captured both their hearts during her first stay. And they would protect her with their lives, if need be.
With their lives . . .