Being August, the ride through the Tusaine Mountains was relatively simple, but Zoe took her time, riding during the day to enjoy the scenery, and stopping often to pacify Nightshade, who did not appreciate the rocky roads in the slightest.
Midmorning on the fourth day of traveling brought her across the border into the northern country of Galla. On the sixth afternoon, after pausing for lunch among the golden and orange forests, she began to follow the small system of rivers that existed in the mountain-filled country, knowing they would eventually lead her to the capital, Cria. Zoe had no real idea of what she planned to do once she reached Cria - it had just seemed like a good destination when she left. She carried with her enough money to keep her fed for about a month, maybe a little less, after she found somewhere to live. But still, Zoe wanted to work, and prostitution was not an option. Could she be a bar wench? Did she have enough skill and patience? She wondered to herself silently. Or maybe she could work in a different type of store, one that sold books or horse feed. She was fair at math, and with a bit of paper and a pencil, she would be fine at a job like that. She hoped.
On the seventh day of traveling she arrived in Cria. She had hoped to arrive almost two full days earlier, but by a bad guess she followed the single branch of river that lead no where other than into a different section of the Tusaine Mountain range, and so was forced to double back and lose time in the process. Zoe couldn't be happier to arrive in the bustling city. She had been traveling for almost a full month, having left in mid-July and it now being the second week of August. As she rode through Cria, creating a mental map of the city for herself, she noted with satisfaction that not one notice of her disappearance was present. She checked into the cheapest inn she could find, the Snake's Lair, a dimly lit, mysterious smelling place. The owner of the inn spoke with a heavy accent that Zoe couldn't identify, although she suspected it was either Carthaki or Tyran. He had jet black hair and pale eyes, like Zoe did herself. Zoe had never met anyone with the same looks as she did, and could not hold back asking the man's origin.
"Sir, I can see you're not Gallan, but may I ask your nationality?" She inquired as they walked up a flight of stairs to her room. She man smiled kindly,
"But of course. I am a Tyran-Carthaki blend, one of the most naturally beautiful. Like yourself, I see." Zoe smiled, and the man took this as the invitation to continue, despite the fact they had reached the room where Zoe would be staying.
"My name is Ashlar Kedar." He said, placing an accent on the D. She shook his extended hand,
"Iris Callasri. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr.Kedar." Zoe gave him a kind smile, and in return he gave her the keys to her room.
"Stay as long as you - we are a very nice inn, although we do not receive a great amount of visitors. Food is served 24 hours a day for your convenience." Mr.Kedar told her. With one more kind smile, he was gone. Zoe laid down on the bed, not bothering to remove even her shoes, and fell asleep quickly.
When Zoe awoke, it was dusk, around 8 or 9 at night. She got up from the bed and surveyed herself in a mirror for the first time in a month, the last inn not providing one for her. Her hair was still jet black, showing no roots. Of course, Zoe knew it wouldn't. Her hair never grew once it reached shoulder length - she didn't understand it, but she was very thankful for it. Her black eyebrows made the dark circles under her eyes seem even darker, and cast shadows over her pale pupils. She was rumbled and dirty, and desperately missing her clothing made from silks and velvets, not the coarse material she was wearing. Zoe stripped and treated herself to a long, hot bath, scrubbing herself from head to toe. She dressed in a short, strappy light purple top she had sewn herself, and a black silk skirt - the one expensive item of clothing she had brought with her. It was her favourite skirt in the entire world. She did her hair up with a black leather clip, applied light make-up, and headed down for dinner.
She dined by herself in a quiet corner, although she couldn't help but notice an incredibly attractive, older man watching her through a good portion of it. He had dark hair and pale eyes, like many of the people in this inn seemed to posses. He was tall, almost 6 feet 5 inches, and well built. He was dressed in all black, embroidered in silver. The man looked well-off, but not rich, and certainly not noble. Zoe was very intrigued. She finished dinner and sat, watching the stars as they twinkled into existence in the royal blue sky. At one point, soon after she had finished, the man stood up and sat across from her at her table. She looked directly at him, slightly nonplused.
"Hello." She said simply.
"Hello." He replied. His accent was the same as Mr.Kedar's had been, although it was not as thick, easier to understand.
"May I ask why you're sitting at my table?" She questioned. He grinned, revealing straight, white teeth. His teeth shone that much whiter against his medium complexion.
"I am talking to a lovely woman. May I ask why you are all alone?"
"I'm a traveler. I'm always alone." She told him, looking him straight in the eye. He grinned.
"You should not be. My name is Dante Kedar." He said, extending his hand over the table. She accepted it, and to her surprise, he took her hand and brushed it gently with his lips. She turned slightly pink.
"You are Ashlar Kedar's son?" She questioned, trying to ignore her blush. He smirked slightly, but did not say anything about it.
"Yes, I am his son. The eldest." He informed her. She smiled and looked down slightly for the first time, suddenly shy around this obviously older and very charming man. Dante startled her when he reached across the table and caressed her cheek with a callused finger. She looked up, greeted with his smiling face.
"You're a very beautiful, charismatic woman.." He trailed off and laughed softly, "I do not even know your name.."
"Iris." She told him, almost too quickly, in hopes he would continue his original thought. He smiled again,
"You are a very beautiful, charismatic woman, Iris. Come with me? I would love to show you Cria.." Zoe's stomach did a backflip. Should she accept? He could be an awful man in truth, and do something awful to her if she went alone with him. Or he could be how he presented himself, charming and wonderful, dark and mysterious, not to mention absolutely *gorgeous.*
"I.."
"You will say yes? Please, Iris?" He moved his hand over hers gently, and all ability to form sentences seem to disappear from Zoe's mind. All she could do was smile and say,
"Yes Dante, I will."
Her evening with Dante was, in a single word, magical. He lead her all through Cria, showing her hidden oddities and alleyway shortcuts to everything. Around 2 in the morning, it had started to rain - the kind of end of the summer rain that often fell in August and September. Although it was a cool evening, the rain was warm, and Dante had taken her dancing in the park during it, holding her close and brushing rebel hairs out her full-moon eyes. The spontaneous date ended in thorough kissing in the park, and Zoe walked back to the inn hand-in-hand with him. He walked her up to her room.
"You're a very special woman, Iris." He told her with a smile, stroking her cheek gently. She smiled and kissed him gently,
"Thank you, Dante. For tonight." She turned and unlocked her door.
"Iris, wait. Meet me again tomorrow night? In the park?" He grinned mischievously at her, and she laughed softly,
"When?"
"At dusk. By the bench and the willow tree." He told her in a soft voice. She smiled,
"I'll be there." She replied in a similar tone, and closed the door behind her. Dante leaned back against the wall of the inn. He knew it shouldn't be possible, that people would call him silly, but he was in love with Iris. Very much in love. After spending only several hours with this one girl, he was more in love with her than he had ever been with anyone in the 28 years of his life. Still, there was something nagging in the back of his mind. The place where the knowledge of the catch was supposed to be. He cursed the catch of life, the one thing that always held people who were so close to perfection away from attaining it. Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe this girl doesn't come with a catch. Maybe I'll get my wish, maybe they'll be perfection. If only for a little while, please, gods, let there be perfection. His thoughts continued on the same trail as he walked to the other end of the inn and up a flight of stairs to his loft, and fell asleep, dreaming of his magical night with Iris.
Zoe couldn't believe she had met Dante. Furthermore, she couldn't believe he hadn't realized she was 14, barely an adult. And even further than that, she had stayed out until 5am with the man! Zoe couldn't do anything except laugh, until she was sprawled on the bed holding her sides and gasping for breath. Goddess! She thought to herself. He's perfect. I know I promised Ashton no boys.. but I also promised Ashton that I wouldn't run away. And what does he know about all men being scum, anyway? Just because that's the way he views his gender doesn't make his views automatically true. And he's perfect, absolutely perfect. But..he's older. In his 20s, maybe even 30s. I'm only 14.. he's not going to want me when he finds out my true age. She thought to herself, slightly panicked. Zoe sat up, and then stood up, heading for the door,
"I can't let things get too serious. They need to end now." She said outloud, and headed for the third floor. She walked up right to the foot of his bed in the loft.
"Dante." She said firmly, in a loud tone. Dante grunted, and opened his eyes slowly,
"Iris?" He asked groggily. He noticed her tense stance, and he sat up, looking concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked, reaching out and touching her hand gently. She jerked away.
"No. Dante, I'm 14 years old." She said, a hint of remorse in her voice. Dante's eyes widened. This beautiful woman - no, girl - that stood before him, with her curved body and dark hair, striking eyes and full red lips, was 14. Only 14, barely an adult.
"I thought you were at least 20.." He murmured softly. The comment wasn't directed at her, but she heard it. Zoe sighed,
"I'm sorry, but I didn't get the chance. I'll leave you now. I'm sorry things couldn't work out." She turned and began to walk out. Dante sprung out of bed and grabbed her wrist.
"No, Iris, don't leave. Please, we can make this work. Okay, so there's 14 years between us.." He fumbled for the rights words, and Zoe looked like she desperately wanted to remove herself from the situation.
"Think about Veralidaine and the mage Numair, two hundred years ago! There love was just like ours, but the age gap didn't stop them, and look, they became famous!" His tone was one of pleading, something odd for a 28 year old man who was obviously secure and confident about himself and his life. She balked at him,
"Veralidaine and Numair?! He was a black robed mage, she possessed wild magic! They visited the Realm of the Gods, they battled immortals and emperors and rode on dragons! This is nothing like them!" She exclaimed, exasperated.
"Okay, so we haven't done any of that.. but the age! That's the only part that's relevant! He was my age, maybe older, and she wasn't much older than you when they got involved! It worked for them, Iris.." He continued to plead, and Zoe stared at him strangely. Removing her wrist from his fingers, she sat down on his bed.
"Why do you like me, Dante? I'm a child. You know nothing about me or my past. I could be an assassin, for all you know!" He smirked,
"So could I." Zoe opened and closed her mouth a few times.
"You're an assassin?" He nodded.
"Yes."
"Oh. Answer my question." She commanded, finally. Dante looked her straight in the eyes,
"I like you because you are Iris. Because of your gorgeous body, and your beautiful personality, and the magic that surrounds you." She blushed and looked down,
"I'm not Gifted.." He laughed softly, and Zoe looked back up at him.
"Not that kind of magic, Iris." She looked back down, embarrassed at her naiveté. He sat down on the bed next to her, taking her hand gently.
"You're young, I know. But it's more than like, Iris. It's crazy and not even supposed to be possible, but after only one night with you, I've fallen in love with you, Iris." She gasped and looked up at him,
"You have not." He laughed,
"I have. No one can control a person's emotions, they do as they see fit. And my emotions have decided that I love you. I know you don't love me, it's okay, I accept that. But I feel we should give something as special and magical and unique as what our relationship will evolve into a try."
"I'm so young.."
"I realize you're young, and that you are naive about the ways of men and women and love. But I truly want to make it work. I think we can." He kissed her softly. She opened her mouth to say yes when an awful realization struck her. Dante didn't love her. Dante loved Iris - the trusting, laughing person she was as Iris. If things were ever to progress to.. higher levels.. she would have to tell him the truth, and the relationship would be over. She felt too strongly for Dante to let him live in her lie.
"Dante.." She said, sighing. She took a breath to confess everything, but he placed a large, warm hand over her mouth.
"Tell me you'll give us a chance. It may not work out, but damnit, I'm not going to walk away from something like this without even giving it a try." He took his hand away from her mouth, looking hopeful. Zoe couldn't tell him the truth, no matter how much he needed to hear it. She could only smile timidly at him.
"Okay, Dante. We can try." He enveloped her in his large, muscled arms and kissed her.
