Jonen slowly realized she did not appear to actually live there. Traditional elven decorations, vials of curious liquids, and stacks of book littered the home. Nothing that suggested a woman even occupied space there. Besides the one small room, there was nothing that could be mistaken for hers.
“Is that normal for thralls?” He whispered, “Her entire space is so… small.”
He shuffled to the table and sat quickly. Questions swam in his mind. Where did she spend her time? Where did she keep her things?
His mother’s home was filled with his late father’s trinkets, his brother’s instruments, and his own knick-knacks from childhood. Looking at the bleak, nearly office-like interior filled him with dread.
“As long as she can remember,” He paused, “Like this? How can anyone live like this?”
Jonen ate slowly and looked from the window. Some of the bodies were disrobed and placed into the trench. He looked around to find the stack of Travel Knight’s tunics and pants in a box near the front door. He grabbed one and smelled the same fresh soap he had on his tunics. Why had she washed all these clothes? Where did the armor go?
He answer his own question when he saw solid chucks of metal in a different box. Jonen felt bad rummaging through the packed boxes, but he had to know where Isaan might go next. He used the sturdy staff to keep the weight off his ankle as he searched the house. He couldn’t find anything in the boxes and sat at the desk to examine the scattered papers. Unfortunately, they were not in a language he recognized. As the sunset, he sat back at the table and pulled a nearby blanket for his lap. The weight only slight agitated him as he tried to relax.
Jonen watched as fluffy snowflakes fell from the darkening sky against the window. The snow sparkled under the starlight. His eyes fluttered as he thought of the never-ending winters in Vanora. Perhaps, if he was just dreaming, he would wake up back home.
When the door swung open and Mira kicked muck from her boots, he opened his eyes. She shook her cloak from the light dusting of snow and placed it on a hook on the door. One of her hands held ropes attached to rabbits and herbs. The other hand had his shield.
“Some of the filigree scratched away and the gemstone in the middle is cracked,” She set it against the closed door, “But I found it.”
Jonen jumped to his feet. The pain by his ankle striking the ground caused him to topple over and curse loudly. Mira barked in laughter as she reached down to help him back into the chair.
He nervously chuckled, “Sorry. That shield just means a lot to me.”
“I understand,” Mira nodded and grabbed a chain from under her shirt, “I hope to one day thank my mother for this.”
Lilac lightening cracked beneath the dark surface of the stone. He examined it closely before noticing how close it rested to her cleavage. He blushed and quickly looked away.
Jonen tried to change the subject. “Would you like help skinning those?”
“No, I don’t need you falling over again,” She shook her head, “I will make some tea then prepare them for our journey.”
“What are you going to eat, then?” His brow furrowed with concern.
“That was my dinner for tonight,” She pointed to the empty plate, “I will eat tomorrow.”
“You could have told me. I would’ve saved some for you.”
Mira held up a hand to silence him, “I will be fine. Would you like any tea to warm yourself before bed?”
He nodded and she disappeared behind a wall to the kitchen. Jonen’s mind wandered to the time he spent with Shayleigh. Their dream would have been here: the two of them in a remote area, a large plot of land, and a warm meal before bed. Only that dreamed involved an entirely different woman and significantly fewer bodies outside of the door.
As Mira brought the cups and pot to the table, she moved a nearby footrest to sit on while she prepared their tea. She closed her eyes, and her hands glowed softly. She concentrated on the water and inhaled. Mira imagined the heat of her body flowing through her, into her hands, then into the water to boil it.
Jonen felt the heat coming from her hands as the dull glow warmed the pot. When a low whistle chimed, her eyes opened, and she poured steaming water into the two cups. He watched silently as she tied bags of cloth with herbs and placed one in each cup.
“You’re touched, then?” He looked to her.
“I have magic abilities, yes,” Mira corrected him.
“Why don’t you leave then?” He motioned to the room around them, “This cannot be a great life.”
She bounced the teabags in the cups, “I cannot disobey my master. If I do, my branding will harm me. If I attempt to attack him, it will kill me.”
She then pointed to the thin, whispy lines squirming under the skin on her neck.
“Why don’t you break your contract?”
“I did not make the contract,” She held up a finger to stop his interruption, “My master and father are the only ones that know the terms. I am not allowed to ask.”
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“How did he get anyone in Zrud to approve that type of branding?” He shook his head, “That should be illegal.”
“It may have not been done in Zrud. We lived in other continents before,” She shrugged, “It was before my memories. Perhaps Saceida or Agrowl?”
“You say that so casually,” Jonen frowned.
“Saceida and Agrowl regularly practice in enthrallments. Historically, orcs raided small villages to brand the inhabitants and sell them,” She stated matter-of-factly, “Zrud treats thralls as servants with special circumstances, I gathered.”
“They are illegal in Vanora,” He sighed.
“I know,” She pulled the tea bags out of the cup and took a sip of one, “Tea is done.”
“Isaan must be a wicked man,” He mumbled under his breath.
Mira ignored the statement. She could not agree or disagree. Jonen sipped his tea slowly and watched her. She rubbed her temples to ease a headache. The headaches after using magic subsided quickly and only happened when she hadn’t eaten. Outside of the wraith’s form, magic exhaustion and her own weariness were closely related.
“Let me know when you intend to sleep tonight,” She stood and walked to the door, “I will be quiet in my preparations. Your shield took longer to find than I originally though, so I am behind.”
“Can I help?”
“Not likely,” She shook her head, “Most tasks involve standing.”
“Nothing at all I can help with from the table?” He looked at the tea bags and remembered the herbs she brought in, “I can… make tea bags?”
Her mouth twerked to either side before she agreed. She brought over a piece of cloth, a pair of scissors, and several dried leafy herbs. He pulled the cloth apart to realize it was an old, ratty shirt. Jonen looked up to see any response from her, but her stoic face showed nothing as their eyes met.
“I can sew my own pants too,” He winked playfully.
Mira didn’t respond as she walked towards her room. He made small teabags as he watched her curiously. She placed the box of sewing supplies next to him with a new pair of pants beneath it.
“This should be your size, or close enough.”
“Who wore these before me?”
“I… cleaned them.”
Jonen hesitantly pulled them towards himself, “Thanks?”
“Change whenever you want. It does not bother me,” She bowed her head.
“I’ll wait until I’m alone.”
Mira busied herself gathering items from around the house to pack into boxes by the door. He couldn’t tell if she intentionally snuck around the house, but her light footwork made her appearance surprising on several occasions.
Jonen looked her over often as she moved about. Her womanly form caught his eyes more than a few times and he tried to look away before she noticed. She was conventionally attractive by human standards, despite the scars. The loose blouse and snug pants accented her well.
Mira could feel his eyes traveling over her and wondered if keeping him alive was a bad idea. She worried he may plot something against her and raised her guard. Should he try and attack, she could defend herself easily.
As he enjoyed the feminine way she walked, he put his hand over his face to try and stop staring at the woman. Being with Shayleigh again must have unraveled a lot of feelings Jonen pushed aside. The next few times his eyes traveled over Mira her gaze turned icy towards him. Jonen then consciously he pressed a finger against his stomach wound to immediately think of something else if he caught himself looking.
Mira placed a slice of meat on a cast iron skillet. She started a flame beneath it. The sizzle of meat and herbs in the other room made Jonen’s stomach growl again. He took in the delicious smells from the kitchen and his ears perked when he heard her humming. After a few similar verses, he couldn’t help but ask.
“What are you humming?”
“Bird calls,” She called, “Specifically, the morning fire bird.”
“I haven’t heard of that one,” He chuckled.
“They’re more common in Agrowl,” She paused and whistled the call, “My master owned one. It makes a call for each person it meets. If they meet others of their kind, it can become your name.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” He whistled along, “This one is a pretty tune. Whose name is this?”
“Mine,” Mira blushed as she brought in a plate of food and placed it in front of him, “The birds are… pretty.”
The word felt foreign in her mouth. She smiled softly as she said it aloud again. His heart broke at the thought but didn’t ask if she had never heard that before. She returned to place a meal of bread and butter on the other side of the table. Mira sat in front of it and waited for him to start eating.
“Is that…?” He pointed to her plate.
“I will have a light meal, yes,” She nodded.
Jonen relaxed at her earlier frigid demeanor thawing. A comfortable traveling partner would make the next few days of his life easier. He knew he would already be pained by his continuously throbbing wounds. He didn’t want an icy woman coldly responding to him added to the rest of his discomfort.
He ate and noticed she would only take a bite of food if he did, and she finished her meal before him. They both sat there awkwardly as she watched him. He was much taller than her and it was difficult to drag him inside of the cottage when he was unconscious. His hair was longer than when they first met, but still much shorter on the sides. Mira did not remember the piercing in his ear the first night they met, but it did not look fresh to her.
His deep, blue eyes watched her examine him closely. Jonen tried to remain calm, as the woman had already seen much more of his skin than he was generally comfortable than showing without enough alcohol to give him a good buzz. He bit his lip as he tried not to turn red under her gaze. Her soft, honey eyes spoke of a kindness he could relate to.
“Are you warm?” Mira tilted her head.
“Why do you… oh, no,” He tsked and rubbed the back of his head nervously, “I just… I don’t normally get stared at.”
“You were examining me,” She straightened her head, “Is that not common for your people? I did not understand if there was a cultural significance.”
“oh… OH,” Jonen took a deep breath, “No, it’s not like a ‘half-elf’ thing.”
She looked at him questioningly.
“I mean, there isn’t like a group of half-elves running an area and coming up with their own culture,” He chuckled softly at the thought, “We generally take after what group raises us. No. I was just…. Staring.”
She continued to stoically look at him to explain.
“I don’t know why I’m here, how I’m alive, or who you are, really,” He put his hands on the table, “You’re just a woman that took care of me when I almost died. I’m not sure why. I’m trying to figure it out.”
“That makes sense,” She nodded and seemed to understand, “I thought you may be looking for weapons.”
Jonen blinked, “Is that the first thing you think of?”
“Yes,” She took their plates, “I assess the dangers and make decisions from there.”
“And what was your assessment about me?”
“If I needed to, I could leave you and you would no longer be my problem,” She smiled playfully, “I must go back outside to finish my tasks. Do you need anything?”
“Where should I sleep?” He tried not to look at the comfortable bed behind her.
“My bed is where you woke up,” She shook her head, “Master does not allow anyone but his sexual guest to stay in his bed with him.”
Jonen blinked and wasn’t sure how to respond besides, “Okay.”
“Call if you need me,” She threw her cloak back over her shoulders and opened the door, “I should be in ear shot until you’re asleep.”
Mira closed the door behind her, and Jonen walked back to her room. The wooden plank was moved away from the mattress and a plethora of blankets covered the hay. It was not the most comfortable thing Jonen slept on, but it worked fine. Under the cozy blankets, his eyes began to sneak close as he drifted into sleep. He placed everything onto the floor near the bed and decided to give in to his exhaustion.