(( Sneak Peek at Chapter IV: The Golden Afternoon. Hungry for more? Read the whole story here. ))
Faebelle in Chapter IV: The Golden Afternoon
This pond set off the beaten path of the forest was beautiful. Birds sang their afternoon song as a brief waterfall trickled melodically into the water. If her mind could stop wandering to that awful nightmare she suffered last night, she might even be able to enjoy this. Tilting her head back into the sparkling water to rinse it clean, she heard something moving carefully through the brush as if trying not to call attention to itself. Taking a deep breath, Faebelle submerged herself completely down under the water.
Looking up through the shimmering pool, she saw a shadow stalk the bank of the water as a large bear emerged from the over brush. Snaggled fangs hung low from it’s gangled mouth as it sniffed over the surface. The opaque surface of the water must have concealed her as far down as she was, Faebelle supposed as the bear never looked her way directly. Uttering a low, grunt the bear turned back towards the forest. Faebelle was sure she caught a glimpse of an odd rune amongst it’s nappy fur.
Breaking through the surface of the glassy water, Faebelle gasped for dear life. She must have been submerged longer than she figured as that first breath of air felt like soothing relief on her aching lungs. A bear this close to camp can’t be a good thing. Especially with D’amoura sleeping nearby. She hated to leave the tranquility and beauty of the pool so she took her time paddling to the shallow banks. Just as her toes touched down into the gravel of the shallow part, the forest rustled once more.
This time there was no mistaking that something came for her as Villaed burst through into the clearing. Somewhat abashed being found completely naked before the man, she shifted a step deeper into the water, her cheeks flushing a bright red. “Villaed! How dare you intrude upon a lady’s bath!” She found herself stating abruptly in that tone that almost made her sound regal. “We’ve no time. We have to move now.” He issued more as a command than a statement.
In spite of the fact she seemed obviously put off by him looking at her naked, his gaze remained fixated on the water. Furrowing her brow ready to scold him within an inch of himself, he leaned close with a growing look of concern. She might have told him what for right then and there if something else hadn’t caught her eye. Looking into the water, a faint glow seemed to be coming from the water. Without time to fully comprehend it all, his arms were around her and he was lifting her up and out of the warmth and comfort of her bath. Water sluiced down her body as he set her on the shore. Smacking her hands against him as if to get him away, she found herself stopping to examine him. Despite being fully nude in his arms, his eyes were returned to the water. Something evil lurked below.