“Who are you?” he asked, sensing he was dealing with more power than he originally thought. She noticed the change in attitude and decided to leverage his reduced aggressiveness. She let go of the water and allowed some branches to retreat, which was a major relieve for them both. She took a deep breath to steady her own voice before talking
“I am Brianna of Hawthorne, and I would appreciate if you cease to attack me for no apparent reason” She felt drained and still scared but was glad her voice didn’t tremble.
“If you let me go, I promise not to harm you.” He hoped to sound in charge but felt there was little he could do to injure her at that point, after the power demonstration from her behalf. She didn’t seem to notice the discrepancy of power between them and for that he was glad. The tree retreated completely and soon he was back on the ground, stretching muscles that were numb after being crushed for that long.
“I’m sorry” she said, seeing she caused him harm beyond need. He tilted his head in confusion and she pointed to his bruised arms, that contained no more than a few red marks. It didn’t take him long to figure she was not accustomed to fighting, nor the idea of harming an opponent. That was interesting.
Brianna was staring at him, trying to read something out of the man’s eyes. She was good at reading people, but the man had a stern look that could only be read as a mild discomfort. She was curious, for she thought he would be angry at her for restraining him and perhaps mad about her threat to use water to block his attempt on starting a fire.
“What is your name?” It was only fair to ask him since she had already introduced herself.
“I am Nathaniel. Why did you bring me here?”
“Because you passed out on the forest the night I had to burn the new wood”
“You had to burn? You started the wildfire?” She nodded. It made sense it was not all him. The fire didn’t have his signature when he came to think about it. At the time he was too worried to understand, but he was somewhat glad that it was not all his doing. “Did you also conjure the rain?”
“I didn’t conjure it, I called for her and she came.” She dismissed the oddly way he phrased that and asked the question that really bothered her. “What happened to you there? I heard you scream and thought you were burnt, but you were… fine. What are you?”
He scoffed, thinking about the ludicrous idea of a phoenix getting burnt. Then again, she had no idea who he was and perhaps would think the truth was even less likely. He thought no harm would come from telling her at least half the truth. She was staring at him like she knew his soul and despite his deceiving abilities, he couldn’t shake the idea that she would see right past him if the chose to lie.
“I am a phoenix, master of fire and made by it. I heard the earth’s calling and came to help, but when I ignited to burn the wood, you came and did your whole show. The water you called for was raw, which I noticed a bit too late. You know how it goes; raw water plus inner fire equals comatose state until you pumped me up with fire again. Now that brings me to the real question: why would a sorceress tend to the earth and then bring me back without even knowing me?”
Brianna had never met a phoenix, but she read about them and that actually explained a lot. But now she owned him an explanation as well. “I’m not a sorceress, I’m a witch. I tend to the earth as I tend to all elements and I brought you back because you asked”
Because I asked? he thought as they stared at each other. She wanted something from him, she must have. But then again, she sounded more honest than anyone he had ever met. Not naïve though. They usually came together, honesty and innocence, but apparently not in her. Nate’s mind was a hundred miles per hour trying to figure out what to do next.
He was not used to this sort of situation and knew far less about her than he felt comfortable with. If he was to continue in this village – at least he hoped he was still in the village - he had to gather more information. Perhaps learning about her and reporting back to the Council would please them. They are always searching for powerful beans, either for recruitment or for threat disposal.
The witch saw something flicker behind his eyes that could only be read as excitement. He was also uncomfortable, and she didn’t blame him. If she woke up in a similar situation, she would probably flee at the first opportunity. However, the idea of him leaving so soon saddened her.
She wanted to learn more about him and felt bad for having caused him to pass out. Not that she could have done anything different, but still. Perhaps he only needed a little hospitality from her behalf.
“You must be hungry. If you want, I can prepare something for you and take you back to the village after we eat. It is not far, but it might be hard for you to find your way back alone.”
The opportunity she dangled in front of him was far too tempting to deny. The extra time with the witch would be the perfect way to find out more about her and it was not even his idea. Sure, it was a risk to accept apparent kindness from a complete stranger, especially one who already proved to be more powerful than him, but then again he didn’t get his job by playing safe.
“You are too kind. Thank you, Brianna.”
He watched her cook for a while, but got a bit confused by her ways. She was obviously powerful, and by now he was positive she had domain over all the four elements. However, she cooked as a peasant. She got water from a bucket she clearly got from the river, and he noticed a fireplace bellow beside the stone oven, which meant she didn’t even use air to stoke the fire. When she got the flint to start the fire, he couldn’t help himself.“Are you really going to use that?” He pointed towards the stone. Her confused expression made his eyes roll and he ignited the wood inside the fireplace with a small hand gesture.
The day after his awakening, Nathaniel made the quick walk towards the witch’s cottage to begin training. They meet by her door and she swiftly took him through the woods, into the clearing she described the day before. The spot was perfect for training and the man noticed how comfortable she was in the nature.“Where do we start, Nathaniel?”“I was the one to make the offer so it’s only fair I start teaching. Perhaps you can show me what you can do.”
Bree regained consciousness before she opened her eyes, which allowed her to enjoy the feeling of being taken care of a bit longer. The gentle strokes on her hair and cooling sensation on her neck took her to a blissful state and when she opened her eyes, she met a pair of hazel ones that gazed her with such intensity she found it impossible to look away. Nathaniel froze when her eyes fluttered. He wanted to stay there, but he was not known for his self-restrain when it came to matters of the flesh and escalating things with the witch would only compromise his endgame. He opted for a harsh approach instead.
About a month into their training, Nathaniel was finding the nights exceedingly long and the days spent by Brianna’s side way too short. As he made his way to the clearing, he reminisced the day they practiced way after dark. At dawn, he asked her to start a fire pit for practice purposes, but in truth he just didn’t want to leave. In return, she asked him to kill the fire with water from the river and though the water started to move, it was not enough to perform the task. The woman held one of his hands and he felt a surge of power coursing through him, allowing him to call for the water and lower the flames. The memory almost put a smile to his face, but he frowned, shook his head and kept his morning path towards her.
That night, Brianna laid in bed lost in thought. She did not plan for any of that to happen and was puzzled by the consequences of her acts. The construction of a rational train of thought was constantly broken by flashes of his hands on her body, the softness of his hair, and then the agonizing detachment of their lips. She shook her head trying to focus. There was something there, just bellow the surface. It needed to be thought through and brought out.She was a master of the elements and her purpose was to answer their callings and tend to their needs, not the callings of men. Mankind had a way of satisfying their needs without her and she had no business messing with the natural flow of th
His kisses trailed down her neck and she tilted her head invitingly. He groaned at the movement and she felt his manhood swell against her skin. Her knees weakened and she felt his grip on her tighten, but Bree decided the gravity was not helping her stay vertical. She called for the wind and it wrapped around them like a cloak, lifting them gently and placing them back on the ground on a horizontal position. She made sure to end up on top of him and backed out just enough to see his eyes widen in surprise.Her heart was racing, and she felt daring, so she went down to kiss him again but not missing the chance to lightly brush her nipples against hi
That night, Nathaniel was having a hard time falling asleep. He kept reminiscing the surreal time they shared, not only on that moment but even after, during their training session. He had been with his fair share of ladies before, and even a sorceress that knew all sorts of potions to make things interesting, yet he had never been that fulfilled. There was just something about her and the way she surrendered to him so utterly and completely. He had noticed her honesty before, how she had never lied to him or even told him half-truths, but now he was beginning to notice her genuineness was not restricted to her words. There was not a single thing she did that was not authentic. Her body translated a kind of truth that was ancient and unmistakable, as if she were physically incapable of a dishonest reaction.
“Bree, I…” whatever explanation he was hoping to provide was cut short by the massive root that emerged from the ground and trapped him against the wall. The situation was awfully familiar, except now the branches were twice as large and she had done it without a single hint of effort. At least the training was paying off. Nate noticed she controlled the roots to such extent that he could not move a single muscle from the neck down but was left completely unharmed. He almost smiled from the thought that she was mad, but not enough to hurt him. “I will ask you some questions and you better believe I know you enough to tell w