Rojuun Page 9
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Liselle stared at him in shock as he rode off. His story made her think a life of an adventure wasn’t so wonderful.
Tears welled up once more. “No!” She hit her thigh. It was ineffective. Sobs racked her body as she sat on her horse, not knowing what to do.
It took a while for the tears to subside. When they did, she looked around. Tathan was nowhere to be seen. Clouds were thickening in the sky. The smell of rain soon to come was sharp. “How could he just leave me here?!”
Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her anger.
She gripped the reins and moved forward, slowly at first, then into a gallop. The horse she rode was small, but strong. The packhorse followed easily. Liselle leaned forward and the horses ran even faster. It felt good to ride hard with air rushing past her face and her braid thumping up and down on her back.
She slowed after a while. Her anger had subsided and she just wanted to find Tathan. Looking at the ground, she saw the hoof prints he had left. She followed them, putting her jacket on and lifting the hood up over her head when it began to rain.
Tathan was waiting underneath a large stone overhang at the side of a hill. He had even put a rabbit on a spit over a small fire.
Liselle guided her horses into an open area next to his horses before dismounting and handing the reins to him. She listened to the rain coming down harder. Lightning brightened the sky. Thunder rolled down from the mountains. Gusts whipped loose strands of hair about her face. She breathed in deeply as Tathan finished with the horses.
“This is a nice place to camp.” There would be a great deal more to say, but it was a start.
“I found it when I was younger.” He paused. “I’m sorry I left you. You have every right to be mad.”
“That’s good, because I am mad. You left me out there by myself.” The ride had given her time to calm down.
He stared at the fire. “I wanted to give you the opportunity to leave in a different direction should you not want to travel with a killer.”
“Don’t be condescending, Tathan! I want to travel with you.” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “What I don’t want is for you to be a killer!”
He moved his gaze to her. The expression in his eyes was solemn. “You saw how I fought those warriors. I learned to fight like that in the guild and other places. There were a few guilds in the city and they were always fighting. The one I was in was destroyed by a rival guild.”
Liselle put her hands on her hips. “You weren’t kidding about getting into a lot of trouble, Cousin.”
“I know, right?” He chuckled. “I escaped the city and went to one that was worse. Dralin in the country of Altordan is a crazy place of magic and wizards.” Tathan motioned for her to sit. “In Dralin, I took a few small jobs before working for a wizard as his bodyguard. Eventually I left and rambled wherever my feet took me.”
“It sounds as though you’ve had an amazing, but dangerous life, Cousin.”
“Yeah.” He handed her a plate of rabbit with roots and bread.
Liselle picked at the food. “You said you were a killer. Does that mean you kill people for fun? Do you enjoy it?”
He looked at her in shock. “Enjoy it? . . .”
“Yes. Do you kill because you like killing?” she asked.
“I . . . No. No, no, no.” He shook his head. “I don’t enjoy it. I’m good at it. I do what I feel is needed.” Tathan looked at her intently. “I promise you I do not kill for fun. I don’t like killing.”
“Do you like thieving?”
Lightning struck nearby, illuminating the camp in eerie light. She felt a drop of rain splatter into their shelter and hit the side of her face.
“I . . . well, yes.” His fingers fidgeted with his plate. “It’s challenging and fun.”
“You are odd, Cousin, but you’ve been honest with me about everything. I just don’t understand you.”
“You’re the only family I have left, Liselle. I’m being brutally honest with you, even though I know you may hate me and leave. I would rather you hate me now than find out later and hate me then.” He hung his head in dejection.
She came over and hugged him. “I don’t hate you, Cousin. We need each other right now and I’ll figure out how to deal with the rest.”
He returned the hug and they held onto each other for strength. It rained for the rest of the evening and into the night. The occasional lightning and distant thunder was oddly comforting.