Page 17 of Legends of Sorcery
He shook his head adamantly and kept shoveling.
The sun had passed its peak of day and Arion shed his shirt to cool his skin in the heat of the day. His stomach growled in protest long after the lunch hour as he continued to dig when Zallon finally arrived.
Arion continued to ignore them all and press on until he heard a gasp and looked up meeting big blue eyes staring at his bare chest.
Zallon picked up the disposed shirt and threw it at Arion distracting him from the feelings that were bubbling up within him. New feelings that he didn’t fully understand.
The King and four more guards accompanied them, he stopped at the hole and observed the situation. “Valaria,” he scolded.
“Yes father?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from Arion and trying to calm her racing heart. She had thought he was cute in a geeky kind of way. Never could she have suspected the rippling muscles glistening with sweat in the sunlight as he worked. How had he hidden that body under the baggy tunic he most often wore?
“I would like for you to please stay back. This isn’t a place for a princess.”
“As you’ve mentioned every few minutes since we left the Hall of Magic,” she said, definitely earning herself a stern look. No one spoke to the King in that way. She bit her lip and tried to reign in her frustrations.
“He’s right,” Arion said as he pulled his tunic over his head transforming back into the gangly looking boy she knew instead of the man-body he was hiding behind it. She wasn’t sure she could ever look at him the same again.
Valaria glared at him, hurt that Arion would side with her father. “I’m old enough to take over as queen of Gavalon, then I’m old enough to deal with this situation,” she said not certain if she was referring to the dead unicorn or the new feelings she had for the man before her.
Arion jumped out of the hole he had dug and took her by the arm. “Come on, let’s go for a walk while they do what they need to.”
The King nodded in thanks to him. Arion didn’t let go of her arm despite her protests until they were safely away from the scene.
Any fleeting feelings she may have imagined having for him were quickly diffused by the way he manhandled her. “Let me go,” she demanded. Much to her surprise, he obeyed. “Why did you do that? You think you’re the only one around here that has something to prove?”
“I wasn’t trying to prove anything, Valaria. That scene is so horrific it makes grown men throw up. I don’t want you dealing with the nightmares that will come from this for everyone in witness.” He knew that included himself. Closing his eyes only seemed to make the image grow stronger. It was something he would never forget.
She sighed sensing his sincerity. “It’s really that bad?”
He sat down on a large rock. “Worse than you can possibly imagine. Someone out there, in this kingdom, killed a unicorn in cold blood. That’s bad enough, but then he sawed off its alicorn and mutilated its body, cutting up its chest and removing its heart. I don’t want you to have to see that, Valaria.”
Her stubborn heart softened, and she hugged him. “I’m sorry you had to see it,” she whispered.
He nodded against her chest, still feeling overly emotional and fighting his desire to take comfort in her arms. No one had ever held him the way she was, and it generated all sorts of new emotions he had never experienced before and didn’t think he was equipped to deal with after the sadness of the day.
Garron cleared his throat as he came into view of Valaria and Arion embracing.
“Hey man. How are you holding up?” Arion asked him in no hurry to break away from Valaria.
To his disappointment she pulled away from him and straightened but stayed close enough for their bodies to touch.
“I’m okay,” Garron said honestly. “I was worried about you. I think everyone is. You’ve been digging for hours.”
Arion fisted his hands allowing the sharp pain to shoot up his arms. He wasn’t about to admit the bloodied broken blisters covering his palms and fingertips. The pain helped to keep him grounded and his emotions in check.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “We should look around the area for any more fallen unicorns while they investigate. I have a few more vials on me still.”
“Yeah, sure,” Garron said. It was clear he was worried about his friend.
Valaria stood and looked back towards the clearing they had come from.
Arion was unable to stop himself as he reached out and took her hand. She stared down at their conjoined hands before looking up into his eyes. He shook his head, his eyes begging her not to return there.
She sighed in resolution and nodded. She had only known Arion a few days, but she had seen strength and goodness within him. She couldn’t explain why, but she trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone in her entire life. If it meant that much to him, she would trust he only had her best intentions in mind.
She gave him a squeeze of compliance and reluctantly let go of his hand to turn and follow Garron. They walked around in silence until they found another fallen unicorn.
Valaria was the first to spot her. She dropped to her knees and lovingly stroked the beast. “Arion, her breathing is very labored. She’s not doing well,” she said fighting back tears.
