Page 62 of A Fractured Song

Marieke bit her lip, a feature Zev forced his eyes not to flick to. “I do not,” she said, her tone hard to read.

He knelt on one knee, scooping her slight form into his arms before standing. He relished the warmth of her nestled against him as he strode further from the edge, across the road that ran parallel to the canyon. He recognized the area. It wasn’t too much further until the turn off that led southward toward his family’s farm.

“Speaking of asking permission,” Marieke’s soft voice surprised him, “I’m sorry I didn’t back there. When I used magic to enhance your attack on the elf.”

Zev glanced down at her in interest. “That’s what it was, then. And here I thought all those hay bales I lift had paid off.”

Marieke chuckled weakly. “Sorry to disappoint. It’s a little trick I learned from a friend who’s trained in combat song. Normally, though, I imagine the members of a team would have blanket permission from each other to use magic on one another in that way.” She looked up at him uncertainly. “Are you angry I did it without checking?”

Zev smiled as he came to a stop under a stand of trees, his grip on her tightening for a moment before he lowered her to the ground. “I’m not.”

“Are you sure?” Now standing, Marieke didn’t immediately step back, her face turned up to him as she stood still within the loose circle of his arms. “I didn’t mean to force you to interact with magic if you didn’t want to.”

“Marieke.” Zev gave a slightly strained chuckle. “Interacting with magic is the only reason I’m in one piece and freely standing back on Aeltan soil rather than being an elf’s captive or worse. We may not be in a combat team, but you canconsider yourself to haveblanket permissionfrom me to use magic to enhance anything I’m already choosing to do.”

“That’s good to know,” she said softly. “Because I think we make an amazing team.”

Zev drew in a long breath and dropped his arms at last, trying to get enough air to clear his head from the intoxicating nature of her nearness. She wobbled a little, and he quickly put one hand back on her shoulder to steady her.

“Well, let’s put our best team effort into figuring out how to get you back to my farm,” he said. He flashed her a grin. “Much as I’d like to impress with my strength and romantic demeanor, I can’t actually carry you all the way home.” There was a hint of regret hiding under the humor in his voice.

Marieke’s eyes flicked to his at the wordromantic, and color crept up her cheeks, but she kept her tone light.

“It’s a shame,” she said. “Trina’s rubbed off on me, and I was entertaining daydreams of you carrying me off into the sunset.”

Zev’s laugh became deeper and more natural. “She really was precocious, wasn’t she?”

Marieke’s smile was also more relaxed, the strain of their near miss dissipating, although her form still sagged with weariness. “Just promise you won’t run off with her when she’s old enough to achieve her dream of leaving the canyon, and inevitably hunts you down.”

Zev laughed again. “I think that much I can safely promise you.”

Marieke drew a breath as she looked around her. “So your plan is to go back to your farm?”

Zev shrugged. “It’s close, and it’s safe. Where else would we go?”

Marieke once again worried her lip. “Would I be welcome at your home?”

“Of course,” said Zev quickly. “I’m inviting you to come, aren’t I?”

“Zev.” She met his eyes with a touch of impatience. “I’m not talking about you, and you know it. Will your family be comfortable with you bringing me there?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” he said, forcing a cheerful tone. “Because that’s where we’re going.” He turned his back to her. “Come on. I can carry you on my back a fair way.”

“What?” Marieke sounded aghast, and he swiveled around to see her staring at him in horror. “You’re not carrying me like a rucksack.”

“Look at you,” Zev challenged. “You can barely stay standing on your own. There’s no way you can walk all the way.”

“Of course I can,” Marieke said stubbornly. She shifted away from his anchoring hold to prove it. Unfortunately for her argument, she took only half a dozen steps before she had to stop and lean against a tree, a hand to her brow in a way that suggested her head was spinning from the minimal exertion.

“Not so much,” Zev said. “Unless you’ve got any better ideas, you’ll have to swallow your pride and let me give you a ride on my back, Marieke.”

“Why don’t you just give me a shoulder ride, like a small child?” Marieke said, her outrage making his lips twitch.

“I saidbetterideas, Marieke. That would be harder for me, not easier.”

“Zev…” The warning growl in Marieke’s voice was more endearing than threatening, but happily the promised squabble was cut short by the sound of hooves.

Zev stepped out into the road, flagging down the approaching wagon with an authoritative gesture. He didn’t recognize the driver, who pulled his horse to a stop as he drew alongside the pair.

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