06-25-2009, 04:05 AM
2)
Still, Daniel decided to play it cautiously and kept low, waving Robin to stay back.
âWhat do you...â
âShhâ he shushed again, this time more forcefully. With a defiant scowl, Robin stood straight and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Daniel knew that look. He knew it all too well. Even if they made it out of the fortress, he knew he was a dead man.
Turning his attention back to the empty chamber, he stepped forward. It was difficult for him wearing the heavy armor and vestments of a castle guard. He was unaccustomed to the weight, and the sound of the metal on metal grated on his ears as he tried to see and hear where the blur he caught a glimmer of vanished.
He expected that Robin was doing no better as she had been trapped within the steel and wool of a guardâs vestments for longer still. True, it was her idea to disguise themselves if they were seen in the fortress. But it was also her plan to steal away into the fortress from the beginning. And he still had no idea what it was that Robin was looking for.
I never expected any of this, he thought. Traps, beasts, magic. And her family secret? That was... Daniel squinted even harder, trying to use the Sight to see anything moving in the dark. Nothing more than telltale patterns from a couple of insects flying in the air. One chasing the other in some sort of dance. They flitted around and spiraled as if they sought to mesmerize the young elfling. ...that was worth the kiss.
Daniel glanced back to check on Robin. She was right where he left her, but grinning from ear to ear. Her lips were puckered up teasingly while she massages her jaw with a gloved hand.
Hi, Danny. Almost childlike did her voice sing inside his head.
Angry as she was with Daniel, she had tightened the grip in her right hand, pressing the silver band under the glove into her flesh. As it tingled, she was startled by his confession as if it was suddenly whispered into her ear.
But now, Robin could see his face grew flushed, and the anger in his eyes told her that he was furious. â Iâm sorryâ, she apologized. â I only caught that last part by accident.â
âUh, huhâ, he muttered back, then turned away.
âI didnât mean to,â she admonished herself. Damn this ring, she thought. The heirloom she wore was becoming more trouble than it was worth she felt. âI canât right now, but I promise to take it off when we get away from here.â
Daniel froze in place.
Robin didnât need the ring to sense that she confused Daniel to no end and she could have sworn that his lightly pointed ears started to stick straight up. Seeing that they were both flustered and apprehensive, she soon had the opinion that she should have mentioned the ring from the beginning.
Still, Daniel decided to play it cautiously and kept low, waving Robin to stay back.
âWhat do you...â
âShhâ he shushed again, this time more forcefully. With a defiant scowl, Robin stood straight and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Daniel knew that look. He knew it all too well. Even if they made it out of the fortress, he knew he was a dead man.
Turning his attention back to the empty chamber, he stepped forward. It was difficult for him wearing the heavy armor and vestments of a castle guard. He was unaccustomed to the weight, and the sound of the metal on metal grated on his ears as he tried to see and hear where the blur he caught a glimmer of vanished.
He expected that Robin was doing no better as she had been trapped within the steel and wool of a guardâs vestments for longer still. True, it was her idea to disguise themselves if they were seen in the fortress. But it was also her plan to steal away into the fortress from the beginning. And he still had no idea what it was that Robin was looking for.
I never expected any of this, he thought. Traps, beasts, magic. And her family secret? That was... Daniel squinted even harder, trying to use the Sight to see anything moving in the dark. Nothing more than telltale patterns from a couple of insects flying in the air. One chasing the other in some sort of dance. They flitted around and spiraled as if they sought to mesmerize the young elfling. ...that was worth the kiss.
Daniel glanced back to check on Robin. She was right where he left her, but grinning from ear to ear. Her lips were puckered up teasingly while she massages her jaw with a gloved hand.
Hi, Danny. Almost childlike did her voice sing inside his head.
Angry as she was with Daniel, she had tightened the grip in her right hand, pressing the silver band under the glove into her flesh. As it tingled, she was startled by his confession as if it was suddenly whispered into her ear.
But now, Robin could see his face grew flushed, and the anger in his eyes told her that he was furious. â Iâm sorryâ, she apologized. â I only caught that last part by accident.â
âUh, huhâ, he muttered back, then turned away.
âI didnât mean to,â she admonished herself. Damn this ring, she thought. The heirloom she wore was becoming more trouble than it was worth she felt. âI canât right now, but I promise to take it off when we get away from here.â
Daniel froze in place.
Robin didnât need the ring to sense that she confused Daniel to no end and she could have sworn that his lightly pointed ears started to stick straight up. Seeing that they were both flustered and apprehensive, she soon had the opinion that she should have mentioned the ring from the beginning.