Ch 6: Finger Snap
Ana surfaced slowly, as the deeply sleeping often do. It took a moment to realize that the bolt slicing through her eyelids was actually sunlight, and a pretty benign and weak beam at that. Sighing contently, she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand while the other was flung out across the sheets as she slowly started the fire between her ears. Blinking with a slothful reflection, Ana propped herself up on her elbows just as the door slid soundlessly open, admitting Felix in all his cloaked splendor.
If the sight of a tall, gorgeous man with Black Irish coloring wearing a long, flowing black coat didn't wake a woman up, then she didn't have a pulse. Abruptly, Ana's mouth started to water, and she softly cleared her throat, trying to distract herself from her hungry assessment of the lines and angles of Felix's physique. Hell, why be coy? She was pretty shamelessly checking out her savior, and if she didn't curb that behavior soon, things would get pretty awkward between the two of them just when they needed to start gliding along smoothly.
He had heard the small sound she made, and glanced over from his handful of supplies he was spreading on the small desk to flash her a small, distracted smile that almost knocked her flat. "Good, you're awake," he said in a soft, low voice. Awake? She was thrumming like a damn plucked string, wondering glumly how a man could be so damn pretty while maintaining his utter masculinity? Some things in life just weren't fair.
Managing a lame, "Yeah," Ana feigned sleepiness as an excuse for her mediocre response. Forcing a yawn she didn't quite feel, Ana took the time to bring her system back under control and her balance back to equilibrium. She felt change in the air, and the fact that Felix was wearing his travelling cloak signaled that they would soon be on the move. It was time to have her wits about her.
"Are we leaving today?" Ana murmured, sweeping the blankets aside as she swung her feet to the cold planks. Her toes curled briefly in protest to the chill, but Ana rose and hurried over to her small stack of Earth clothes, crouching down on the far side of the tall chair in front of the fire.
"We'll be out of Luxton as soon as we're ready," Felix responded. "I still have a few things to get in order, which will give you time to pack up." His tone was distracted and a little cool as he sorted through the bundles of what Ana assumed was food and supplies. Watching the graceful deliberation of Felix's long-fingered hands for a moment, Ana ruthlessly returned her attention to her possessions.
Pawing through her clothes for her small roll of socks, Ana froze as she helplessly watched her father's letter drift free, swaying over the floor like an autumn leaf coyly dancing in a smooth breeze until it settled on the floorboards, well in Felix's line of sight. Glancing again over at the man by the desk, Ana'a stomach lurched as he slowly started to turn her way, leading with his shoulders, his fingers rippling over the objects on the desk in a final mental tally. NO! her brain screamed. Ana wasn't ready for Felix to know about the letter—she had yet to come to terms with it herself, and wasn't prepared to share the burden and divulge herself of that heavy secret quite yet.
As graceful as a dancer, Ana launched to her feet, twisted mid-air, and plopped on her butt with her feet splayed, the roll of her socks clenched in her hand—the letter completely hidden under her butt. The streak of erratic movement had drawn Felix's attention finally, and he lifted a brow inquisitively. Ana threw him a bright smile as she shoved her icy feet into her socks. His gaze flicked to her pile of disturbed clothing, and a small frown dug a furrow between his soaring brows.
"Let me get a pack for your things. I'll be back in a moment," he said before gliding out like a hawk on sable wings. Holding her breath until the door clicked close, Ana loosed the torrent of air as her shoulders slumped in relief. Bracing a hand on the floor behind her, Ana arched her back, slipping the letter out from under her rear. Smoothing it thoughtfully, she folded it carefully before tucking it into her jeans pocket.
Taking to her feet, Ana started to finger-comb her sleep-wrecked hair when she noticed the brush on the small table next to the chair. It looked to be made of bone, intricately scrolled in a strange version of Celtic knots along the back. Grateful for the tool, she tamed her hair back into a high ponytail, again whispering a silent prayer of thanks for the hair-tie that had survived the trip with her. Adjusting her clothes as best she could, Ana was just loosening the laces on her boots when Felix entered the room.
"Here," he muttered shortly, and Ana looked up to see a brown coat and a hat faintly resembling a page boy's cap, also a non-descript shade of brown. Hanging from his other hand was a small pack. Ana offered him a smile and thanks as she accepted his gifts, but his mouth stayed immobile and his eyes distant. Frowning at his back, Ana turned back to her shoes, packing her bag once done. After donning her coat and tucking her hair up into the hat, Ana tossed a look at the cracked mirror. She looked like a skinny boy, totally unremarkable and forgettable. It was perfect, as far as disguises went, and utterly depressing. To look like a male youth was not the effect Ana was shooting for, but it was the most likely to get her out of Luxton alive. So she swallowed the bitterness in her throat and turned to Felix.
"What's the plan?" she asked brightly, slinging her pack over her shoulder. He glanced up from his own impossibly small pack. Ana didn't like how hard his eyes seemed, but didn't comment, nor did she say anything when he flicked a finger at the small candle flickering over by the bed. She took note of how the flame was extinguished without a sound, and felt her mouth thin.
"As we leave town, we'll draw the Arsalans on our trail. From there, we move as fast as we can south. I know somewhere safe where we can regroup while we decide how to get you home." After his succinct summary, Felix swung his pack onto his back, opening the door cautiously. After determining that the halls were deserted, he stepped out, jerking his head to indicate to Ana that she was to follow him. "Head down the stairs to your left. Wait for me out back," he whispered quietly before swirling down the steep staircase to their right. Taking a deep breath, Ana tread as carefully as she could manage down the back stairs, emerging in the small courtyard that opened into the stables. The air was laced strongly with the scent of horses and all they entailed, the straggly bushes and few withered, determined flowers decorating the small square of earth. Ana leaned back against the brick wall, propping up her left foot while scooting her hat forward on her lowered head. She hoped that the image she projected was one of a disinterested youth just passing through. Inside, Ana's heart thudded like a drum in her throat. She hadn't been waiting long when she heard the click of boots quickly striding towards her.
"Come on," Felix commanded in a tone that bordered on brusque as he rounded the building's corner. Unfolding herself from the wall quickly, Ana trailed in his wake. Tugging her hat lower reflexively, Ana carefully scanned the streets as they broke from the cover of the alleys and strode down the main street. With the exception of an occasional twitch of home-spun curtains hanging in the cottages' windows, everything was still. The sun was struggling through a thick net of clouds, and as Felix drew up the hood of his cloak, Ana hugged her coat tighter, stuffing her already chilled hands into her pockets. She was fully aware that the most difficult part of their escape had yet to come, and the thought did nothing to warm her.
When Felix had coolly explained their escape plan earlier, Ana had initially balked. Why in heaven's name would they willingly draw the Arsalans' onto their trail? They were clearly keen on killing Felix, yet he intended to invite their attention to their escape. Her thoughts had quickly rammed into the source of his reasoning as she had slunk down the inn's back stairs. The fear and blood had been pounding so loud in her head, she had barely been able to hear, but Ana still remembered the Arsalans' threat against the village Felix had called Luxton. If she and Felix disappeared without a trace, Luxton would be burned to the group, possibly condemning every one of its citizens with it.
Glancing at the small, hardy structures that guarded the street with the weary patience of old men, Ana was surprised at the tears that stung her eyes as she envisioned bright, voracious flames lapping at the age-darkened beams. Screams accompanying the vision cut through her head, and Ana's jaw clicked together as she willed the entirely too vivid image back. Under no circumstances would her fear be the cause of such a massacre. Ana determinedly picked up her pace until she was abreast with Felix, not noticing the mildly surprised and dismayed glance he covertly tossed her way. The sooner the two of them got the hell out of Luxton, the safer the small town would be.
The streets were deserted—Ana assumed that the people were either out working their fields and tending to their livestock or tucked warmly inside their small cottages. It wasn't much of a surprise; the cold air was only getting colder, and Ana was soon grateful for the hard pace Felix was setting. She had assumed he was as much a stranger to the town as she was, considering he was staying at the tavern, but Felix picked his path with ease and confidence. The man clearly knew where he was going.
They soon left the faint sprawl of civilization and slipped into the shadows of the forest. It was colder under the shade of the pines, and a little more threatening for it than it had appeared yesterday. Yet even here, life shimmered and endured.
A brindled squirrel tramping along a branch froze at their approach, then chattered and scolded the trespassers with the pointed irritation of a mother. A strange bird high above their heads, appearing to be a cross between a hawk and an owl, adjusted long black wings with a flap, revealing their strikingly snowy undersides. He clicked his mildly curved beak in warning, then bent his head to groom his blue-speckled chest. A giant elk with silver dapples over his rump bounded by, followed by his doe sporting a sprinkling of spots over the bridge of her nose that looked like freckles and their twin fawns, both wearing faint stripes that reminded Ana of tigers. A small gecko the color of hellfire rippled across a rock into a weak beam of sun before his skin fluttered and he completely disappeared. Ana blinked, and recognized that the tricks of the chameleon in her world had traveled to this plane as well.
"So how are we going to attract the Arsalans' attention?" Ana murmured quietly, instinctively hesitant to break the breathing silence of the forest. Felix didn't slow his pace for the explanation; if anything, his stride lengthened. Somewhere deep in Ana's heart, a quiet part of her consciousness still sleeping from repression, became aware of Felix's heightened heart rate, the muscle contractions in his eyes as his pupils dilated. Consciously, Ana knew nothing of this awareness; deep inside, she could feel the rush of the hunter start to sink into Felix's blood.
"Arsalans are cavalry men—as you saw yesterday, they depend on their horses like you or I depend on air. We'll just remove them of their precious animals while reminding them of our presence. They'll be busy chasing after their horses, which will gain us a lead, meanwhile infuriating them enough to distract them from Luxton." Ana remembered how he had affected the Arsalans' horses yesterday. If it worked, why change it? She just hoped none of the men were fast enough to palm their shiny silver pistols before she and Felix established a comfortable, or at least survivable, distance.
Swallowing the nerves that skated along her spine and filtered into her throat, Ana instinctively shifted closer to Felix. When he mirrored her shift to maintain the distance between them, Ana's eyes narrowed as her hands curled into fists in her pockets. After a calming breath, Ana reined back her irritation and, deep down, the hurt at his obvious rejection. She had no idea what had changed between the two of them since yesterday, but Ana would be damned if the sun rose again before she found out what exactly Felix had a problem with. If he was tired of her tagging along, so be it. But he wouldn't freeze her out—it was under-handed, and all too familiar a tactic.
Ana could see a clearing starting to take form through the trees, bare deciduous aspens threading their ashen bones through the pine needles and scaly branches of the black evergreens that smelled of Scotland. Forcefully batting back her negative emotions, Ana settled her stomach and started to bring more of her weight to her toes. Silently following Felix closer to the clearing, Ana squinted against the cold as forms shuffling in the small den began to take shape.
Two of the men were awake, hauling water from the trickle of water to the west back to the banked fire in the center of the clearing. The others were still asleep, curled in their bed rolls. The pair that were awake looked exhausted, their attention and guards edging into the gray area of initial activation. In short, it was perfect timing. Silently kneeling next to Felix next to a thick hedge of bushes, she watched with interested eyes as he slipped three sheets of brown paper from the voluminous folds of his cloak. Laying them on the ground next to one another, he smoothed his hands over them, taking a deep breath through his nose. Ana watched, fascinated, as Felix's hair slowly lifted on a silent breeze, his eyes intent and blazing bright. His long fingers traced small, intricate patterns on each of the pieces of paper, the lines briefly glowing orange. Suddenly, as if they had been electrocuted, the papers each folded themselves up into some strange origami shapes with frenzied clicks and shuffles. They finished, standing at the ready, their pincers restlessly waving with their thin legs splayed. Faintly resembling crabs, Ana watched with wide eyes as Felix removed a small vial from the depths of his cloak.
Uncorking it with a faint pop, he blew gently over the neck of the clear crystal before pouring a single drop on each of the paper crabs. At the touch of the clear, jelly-like liquid, each little creature shivered, and then scuttled away through the bushes.
Gesturing subtly to follow him, Felix led Ana to a stand of aspens, slipping silently through the foliage, turning to watch the little brown creatures dart in and out of the undergrowth to the melody of the clacking branches above. They wove their way over to the log where the horses were tied, many snoozing with a back leg cocked. It wasn't long before the little minions started sawing at the horses' tethers. A few started awake, but they just shuffled restlessly and dropped back into a doze.
Ana tracked the brown crabs' movements with hunter eyes, who went about their task with ninja-like stealth. It was only a matter of minutes until all the horses stood utterly loose. A small ripple shuddered down Ana's spine as the final thread of the last tether snapped, and the little crabs came racing back to Felix's feet. Squatting down, he tapped each of the paper creatures once. The magicked workers busily unfolded themselves until they were once again only three sheets of brown paper, the lines glowing a faint blue before they too died. Slipping the papers back into his cloak, Felix stepped out of the shade of the aspen grove, striding fully into the view of the Arsalans' camp. After a split-second decision, Ana raced after him. They were together, and his claim on the Arsalans' attention would be all the more credible if they actually saw her.
Stopping just on the other side of the hedges that formed a partial perimeter around the grove, Felix rolled his bottom lip back between his teeth and loosed a whistle that made Ana's eyes water. Distantly, she enviously wished for the skill, and watched with a pinch of humor over Felix's tall left shoulder as a dozen men shot awake, groggy, disoriented, and comical—but for the fact that Ana knew good and well that they wielded guns, and were fair shots. The horses also jolted awake, but they either weren't spooked by a whistle, or something was holding them calm and still.
"Gentlemen!" Felix called, waiting until the last pair of foggy, squinting eyes focused on him before bending into a grand bow. "In response to the challenge issued yesterday, I have come to inform you I accept your venture. I must warn you, though, I already have a headstart." His tone didn't change, but Ana saw out of the corner of her eye his right hand raise, his fingers curled into the position characteristic of a snap. "And so, gentlemen," Felix paused dramatically, and his snap, clean and clear, echoed like lightning across the clearing. "The hunt has begun."
Ana sensed the moment crystallize, drawing and bounding beyond itself. Every breath was held, every eye cemented to the cloaked figure with the upraised arm at the edge of the clearing, the echo of the snap still resonating from his hand. Ever so quietly, Ana exhaled her held breath, and the ice freezing the second shattered. To the melody of horses' screaming, all hell broke loose.
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Sorry this took so long!! I've been weathering some pretty strong right jabs from life, and creativity was the last thing I could do. But I figured that this poor chapter needed finishing. It's shorter than I had intended, but it felt right to stop here for now. This'll allow me to delve really deeply into Felix, his attitude, and the reasons behind it. I enjoy writing Ana's magical talent's awakening; it's slow, especially right now. But it'll start accelerating, and will skyrocket when they get to their destination. All in good time. Right now, the magician has again proven himself both a talented mage and a drama queen—just like his dad!! Gosh, it makes me so happy when I realize that my intentions worked. Hope you like it!!