The Gem of Meruna by Elexis Bell

Author:Elexis Bell [Bell, Elexis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elexis Bell
Published: 2021-01-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“Well, she’s certainly dirtier this time,” the rogue thought, chuckling.

He couldn’t imagine what could have happened to make such a change in just two days’ time. Her hands and face were clean, but the rest of her looked like she’d rolled in the mud.

The rogue had had little to do for the past two days but think of the girl in the clearing. She flooded his imagination, and he couldn’t drain his overflowing mind. Not that he wanted to. She was far more pleasant to think about than rogue Chalkies and repairs he needed to make on his home.

He had set out to find more food, or at least, that’s what he told himself. He was really just curious about her. He hoped to see her again but refused to admit that to himself.

“I don’t even know her name, and she probably went a long way, by now. There’s no reason to torture myself,” he told himself for what felt like the hundredth time.

When he did find her, he had no idea what to do. He’d been denying his desire to see her so steadfastly that he neglected to make any plans as to his behavior if he did find this mysterious Leey.

And yet, here she was, walking beside the river.

He panicked. Ducking behind a tree, heart hammering, he hoped she hadn’t seen him. Some small part of him hoped she had, but only because he hoped she might know what to do.

If he was wrong about her intentions, she might try to kill him. She appeared sweet and innocent, but how could he know for certain?

Telling himself he had some unknown higher purpose in doing so, he followed her, falling back far enough to avoid alerting her to his presence. But she didn’t seem to be waiting for an attack. In fact, she seemed rather oblivious to her surroundings, completely lost in her thoughts.

He slid through the bushes, watching her make her way downstream. If she followed the river, she’d pass right by his house in a couple of weeks. The valley he called home was only a short walk from the river.

Perhaps she would see the valley. Perhaps she would see his house, and come to talk with him. Maybe she’d see the Stags and hurt them. Or hurt him.

The possibilities warred in his mind, and he had no idea whether to hope for a companion or to consider her a potential enemy. He’d never encountered anyone from the village. With no baseline to judge from, he had no choice but to wait and see.

The sun sank slowly in the sky. Its light bounced off Meruna, coming away with a soft purple tint. As dusk settled around them, the girl built a small shelter against a large tree slightly inland from the river. She propped fallen branches up and threw leaves over top of them.

He watched. He admired her ability and the way the muscles of her arms flexed beneath her soft skin as she lifted branches.

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