A frank discussion
He smiled back, he could not refuse her. "You are welcome."
She pulled her knees up to her chest, drawing the cloak around her legs, she shivered slightly. There was a chill in the air. "That was my second time sending a message. I was not sure how to do it. I did...do not know your name...so I had to remember other things about you to make sure I was sending it to the right person..." her voice trailed off and she looked behind her subconsciously, as if checking to see if she had been overheard.
"You did a good job," he said simply, then "Blake....my name is Blake."
She leaned forward and held out her hand, "Freya".
He took her hand, it was ice cold. She withdrew it quickly, very quickly, another shiver invading her body. "You are frozen. Let me see if I can make a fire." He could make fire by summoning it but there was no wood to keep it burning here. "I can go and get some wood ," he rose to his feet.
"There is no need, this is a hot spring. I can go in and warm up. I did that last night and it worked well. Will you turn your back?"
He was still thinking about getting firewood, and looking at her dumbly, it was a moment before he registered what she was saying. He stumbled over his words, "Oh, I....yes, of course....yes." He was thankful his back was to her as his neck and ears flushed red.
He heard a soft splash, "You can turn around now".
He turned slowly. Nervous, like a boy again, on his first day of school. "I am sorry to be so....brazen, but I need to get warm straight away. One night sleeping on that cold rock slab was enough for me."
He sat down again, not wanting to see her body through the water. The light was getting stronger now, the day starting.
She swam about the pool for a while, no words passing between them. He watched her from the corner of his eye. It was hard not to, she was as graceful out of water as she was in. She was mesmerising.
She motioned that he should turn around again and after she was fully clothed she said, "I need your help." He turned to look at her, hair wet and tied back off her face in a bun. Her cheeks were rosy from the swim and she looked beautiful. He was in big trouble now.
Looking down at his feet he said, "You need to tell me why you ran, how you ended up here."
She told him about the message on the wind, he had figured out she knew how to read messages when he had received one from her so that was no surprise. She told him how she had fled to the East, making the mistake that led her to this spot. She explained that she could not take off without running some distance and that although she did not know he was able to fly, she guessed at it and that he might be able to get her out of her predicament. She said she was very sorry to ask him for help, but she had thought of no other way out.
He continued to look down at his feet. He would help her of course but he needed some guarantee she would not run from him again. He needed her to stay with him, and he had several reasons for that now.
It was a risk offering her an ultimatum, but he felt he did not have any other choice. "I can get you out of here. You will need to hold onto me, but I can fly some distance with two. We will need to jump off that small ledge over the river." He paused. This was tricky. "I will ask something of you in return."
She visibly bristled. He had used the wrong words. She thought he was going to ask something indecent of her. Quickly he added, "I need to find the man who hurt you. As I said when we last met, I believe he will try to find you. If I can remain with you I can protect you and my employer will be pleased when I capture him."
"You have made two assumptions." Her voice was very quiet, but he could trace some anger in it. "You assume that I wish to be protected, and you assume you are his equal or better." She looked him directly in the eye, a challenge. "What makes you assume either of these facts to be true?"
"I don't make assumptions. I hope you want my protection, and I know I can beat him. But I won't leave this place without your assurance." He stood up, getting ready to go. He hoped if she did not think about it too much she would say yes. Rushing her thought process would be his best chance now. "It may rain, we should get out of here before it does. It would flood quickly. What do you say? Do I have your word?"
"You have a plan, a place to go? I need to know that if you are to use me like bait to lure the shark, that it is well thought out. I don't want to end up dead."
He felt as if she had hit him square in the stomach. "I take no pleasure from this situation Freya. This man is a monster, and he will attack again. And I am sorry to say this, he will come after you. With me by your side you have more of a chance than if you were alone."
She nodded in resignation. "We will need to set some ground rules. I will also need some privacy at times. Please don't touch me unless you have to. He has put a curse on me, that when a man comes near or touches me I feel very ill."
"That bastard," he muttered.
"Yes that is my name for him as well. He wants me to always be reminded of him Blake, even if I am not with him I am still reminded I am his. As soon as I can figure out how to break that spell....." she choked back a tear. "You know it is that part that upsets me more than anything. My freedom, my liberty is my only possession. When that is taken away, life feels quite hollow."
He moved forward instinctively to comfort her and stopped halfway in the space between them. "See, you cannot even hold me when I most need it. I am deprived from the touch of a normal man, I am to know only his depravity." She broke into soft sobs now.
He knew something that could help. When he was a small child he was sent off to a boarding school. In the many long months away from his mother he grew homesick. It was during this time he discovered he could send her a kiss or a hug, and she could send one back, and it felt almost real. He could try that with Freya, give her some comfort. But he was rushing things, moving with his emotions and not the practicality of the situation. And he also must be careful of betraying too much about his extra talents. Not unless it was necessary to do so.
"I am sorry," was all he could say, and with her eyes still closed she nodded.
Small sobs wracked her body for some time. When this stopped and she did open her eyes the bright sunlight of the day had flooded the ravine. They were still standing apart in the same positions but something seemed different. How long had they been standing there?
She picked up her satchel and they moved to the ledge. She slid around to face him so that her back was to the raging river. Then she silently grasped him round the neck, circling one leg in his. He noticed her face go a shade of grey before he fell forward and flew out of the opening and down the ravine.
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