Chapter 1

1.1: To Catch a Thief

The famous Sarreshi markets were alive with bustle and noise as Sara deftly wound her way through the crowds. She was careful to keep her cowl pulled well forward, even in the heat of the midday sun. Street after stone-paved street was lined with shops and stalls, the proprietors crying their goods to the countless droves that passed. Everywhere she looked, gold glinted and silver shone, whether it be on display in a smith’s shop, or on the neck or fingers of a finely dressed woman or man.

Fashions from every corner of the land covered bodies as varied; short and tall, stout and slender, dark and fair, all milled together with one of two goals in mind: spending gold or making gold. Women in full-length form-fitting dresses so sheer you could see right through them walked alongside men who wore the same material in loose, flowing pants and shirts in shades of pale blue or green or yellow, or a combination of colours. Those last would be from Beringarde, or at least had adopted the fashions of the city. Beneath their transparent clothing they often had one or both nipples pierced with either ring or bolt, depending on their preference, women and men alike.

Where the Beringardians wore sheer yet all-covering fashions, the Rendari favoured the reverse; opaque garments that covered as little as possible. Well, those that had the bodies for it did. Sara saw women wearing tight halters that slung round the neck and covered the breasts but left the midriff bare, and pants that looked as if someone had taken a tight pair of breeches and cut them off at the upper thigh, leaving the legs bare entirely, and in some cases a portion of their bottom. She made mental notes of these designs; they would be fun to try on sometime, if she could find them or make them. Perhaps Rayna could help her with that. A flutter of excitement tickled her belly when she thought of showing them to Aran one day.

Hopefully one day soon, Aran, she told herself as she stepped aside to let a broad-shouldered man through. Bare to the waist but for a yellow sash across his chest, he carried a wide-bladed curved sword at his hip as if he knew how to use it. Hard eyes passed over Sara, but she kept her face down. It was best to stay clear of the Sarreshi Peacekeepers. They had a reputation for suspicious natures, and for swift and brutal violence with little provocation. She did not worry about looking guilty; a woman hiding her face in this city would excite no comment, for many who came here did not wish to be seen.

Beside the Beringardians and the Rendari were the more conservative preferences of the Maralonians, wearing wide-skirted dresses in dark colours that only sometimes showed a hint of bosom above a neckline, and deep bonnets that covered their faces. The men wore sharp jackets with pointed tails in the back that hung over their trousers, and crisp leather shoes of polished black that glinted in the sunlight. Tall, circular hats graced their heads, and they often carried walking canes, though few appeared to need them.

Of all the different cultures in the crowds, the ones least seen were those from the Dawnguard cities of the north. The part of the world most tightly under Herald control. The few men from there that were here today were all clean-shaven and they wore heavy robes of white or colours so pale they might as well be. The women on the other hand wore the same in darker colours, and even covered their faces with thick veils so that only their eyes showed. Sara wondered if the Heralds knew what would happen if they continued to suppress their peoples’ desires and expressions for much longer. Wars had been fought over less. Revolution was more likely by the year.

She suppressed a grimace as the crowd parted slightly to give her a view of a nearby stall behind which three women stood. One Human, one Elf - Eryn’elda, by the look of her - and one Dwarf, all collared and naked, their collars linked by thick chain to a stout post nearby. There was no question as to what was being sold at this stall. Men stood around, all shouting and waving coin purses at the proprietor, a short, fat man with greedy eyes that glinted as the bids went higher.

Fighting the urge to help the poor women, Sara made herself move on, though she couldn’t help hating herself for it. There were bigger things happening than the lives of three slaves could account for, may she be damned for it. If I can, she told herself silently. I’ll come back for you. How she would fulfil that promise was beyond her, but she made it anyway.

It was when she passed a narrow side-street much like any other that she stopped dead. She had just sensed a vala! Someone bumped into her from behind and uttered an angry curse. Murmuring an apology, she stepped aside, pressing herself against the front of a shop displaying bolts of silk. The rotund woman inside eyed her sharply and crossed arms under a bosom far too large for the bodice of the clinging dress she wore.

Sara mumbled something she hoped sounded friendly as she absently fingered the silks, waiting for that vala to show itself again. Had she not been so focused, she would not have felt the very lightest of brushes against her coin purse, tied to her belt beneath her cloak. In a flash, she seized the thief’s wrist and spun, bringing her face-to-face with a boy. Dark eyes wide, he seemed shocked that she’d caught him. Their eyes met in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, and Sara felt her lips curving in a smile. Not a boy, she realised suddenly. A young man about her own age. Good-looking, with a strong jaw and bold cheekbones and deep brown eyes that she had no doubt many young girls had fallen for. Dressed in fine flowing silks in the Beringardian fashion, he appeared well-to-do, probably because he was such a successful pickpocket.

Neither he nor she spoke a word for long moments. He opened his mouth to say something, but commotion in the street drew his eyes that way. “Out of the way!” Gruff voices shouted, and Sara saw two Peacekeepers shoving their way roughly through the crowd, headed in their direction.

The handsome thief pulled at Sara’s grip, but she held him easily, even with her vala almost fully suppressed. His eyes widened further when he felt her strength. “You have to let me go!” He hissed. Sara shot a glance at the street; the Peacekeepers were getting closer. In a few seconds, she and her new friend would be in clear sight. Thinking quickly, she spun and made for the nearest side-street, dragging the light-fingered arohim with her. He had no choice but to follow. That, or be dragged.

What to do? She thought frantically. I can’t leave him here, but I can’t take him with me. She didn’t know exactly how she knew, but somehow, she was certain that if she brought company along on this journey, everything would end in disaster. Pushing through the crowed as quickly as she dared, she broke into a less crowded, narrower street and from there turned again as soon as she saw the nearest alleyway. A woman dragging a man along by the wrist got them a few odd looks as well as some suggestive comments, but she ignored them. The alleyway was an access lane that ran behind a long row of shops and was largely empty save for stacks of crates and wooden boxes and piles of refuse. Sara pushed the arohim-thief up against a brick wall where they would be hidden from the sight of anyone passing by the alley. She pinned him there, pressing his arms back against the wall.

“Do you know what you are?” She asked him as she pressed herself close. She needed to stay out of sight, too. He was taller than she thought, and she could feel his fit body beneath his thin clothing.

“I am a man, last time I checked,” he said wryly, his firm lips curving in a smile that slipped as he pushed against her, trying to free himself. “How are you doing that?”

Letting one of his arms go, she caught his chin between her fingers and held him fast. “You need to stop fooling around,” she growled. “You are in danger.”

His brow drew down into a frown. “Because you won’t let me go!” His words were muffled from her grip on his jaw. “If they catch me, they’ll cut my hands off!”

“Then you should have chosen a different occupation,” Sara said. “I’ll ask you again, and this time don’t play the goat! Do you know what you are?”

He met her hard stare for a few moments, then finally dropped his act. “No. It started a couple of years ago. It was getting me into trouble until I learned to hide it. Are you like me, too? Is that how you’re so strong?”

Sara watched him for a few moments, thinking about what to do with him. The shouts from the street were getting louder; it sounded like more Peacekeepers had joined the search. She nodded as she released his chin. “I am like you. What is your name?”

“Mikel,” he replied, then smiled again. Sara felt a flutter from her vala as Mikel used his limited control to try and charm her. She was sure it had worked on countless women and girls; even a crude control of the vala could do that, but she brushed aside his attempt and countered with her own, careful not to use too much. Mikel gasped as he felt her power wash over him. Eyes losing focus, he sagged as his legs went to jelly, forcing her to hold him upright. “You are like me!” He muttered as he shook his head to clear it, then smiled down at her. It was a different smile, this time. Less arrogant and more genuine, and perhaps a little sad. “I thought I was alone,” he said softly. He brushed her cheek, and Sara felt her heart skip a beat. He was very handsome, and her vala yearned to entwine with his, singing a counter rhythm to his quieter, but persistent song.

“You are not,” she told him firmly. “Not anymore.” Finally knowing what she needed to do, she kissed him. It was the same as with Ayla; the long tunnel, the apparently infinite emptiness surrounding a single, small spark. It happened faster this time. Mikel was further along than Ayla, and he was most definitely not a virgin. He was stronger, too. Much stronger. Sara got a shock when she found the boundaries of his ability. He had as much potential as she herself did.

By the time she broke the kiss, Mikel’s vala was like the sun compared to the single candle flame it had been moments ago. Breaking the kiss, she pulled back a little. His face was a mask of rapture; eyes shining, tanned cheeks flushed, mouth agape. She seized his face in her hands gently but firmly. “Mikel, you need to go,” she told him. “You need to be as far from people as you can get.”

“What did you do?” He asked her breathily. “I can feel everything!” As he spoke, his vala exploded outward, a bubble that grew until she thought it might cover the entire city.

Shit. What have I done? “Mikel!” She slapped him hard. “Close it down! Suppress it!” Coming back to himself a little, he appeared to concentrate, and soon enough his vala retracted, though the damage had already been done. There wasn’t a person inside of a mile who hadn’t felt that. “You need to run!” She urged, pulling him off the wall and out into alleyway. She gave him a good shove to get him started.

“Where?” He asked. It was a good question; she hadn’t thought that far ahead. So far, she’d been acting on pure instinct.

“The Sorral Plain,” she said quickly. Go to the border of the Emerin Forest and do there what you just did now, with your power. Someone will meet you there.” Shouts came again, and this time Sara thought they were from the side street connecting to the alley.

“You still haven’t told me what I am,” Mikel said, not moving. “What we are.”

Sara took a deep breath. “We are arohim! Now go!” She knew her eyes must be blazing as Mikel finally turned and began to run. She thought she heard him whisper, ‘arohim,’ under his breath. To her eyes, he glowed with a bright light as he ran, and with his new strength, he flashed out of sight faster than she expected.

“Time for me to disappear, too,” Sara said to herself as she pulled her cowl forward and hurried from the alley in the opposite direction from Mikel. She hadn’t expected him to be so strong. Had she done the right thing, awakening him like that? Using the back lanes, she wound her way through the warrens off the main avenues of Sarresh until she was far away. That pulling sensation was back in her gut, yanking her east again.

1.2: To Belong

The long column of ninety-thousand Dwarves snaked its way through the foothills of the Amarion Peaks, winding around the steepest inclines but always trending in a northerly direction. Under the partly shrouded midday sun, Elaina rode near the head of the column a short distance behind Burin and his retinue. The air was full of the sound of hooves and boots on stone, the clinking of plate and chain armour, the creaking of wagon wheels and saddles. The last few days had been much the same as today; break camp before dawn, ride all day, camp for the night and repeat. The army was making good time, and already the foothills were becoming flatter as the mountains were left behind. Yesterday, two full legions had broken off from the main force, headed for the Chapel in the Emerin Forest.

Noah rode beside Elaina, dressed in his usual tanned hunting leathers, his grey gelding as rangy as he himself. He hadn’t said much since leaving the city, but then Noah was not one for long conversations. His emotions were available to her through the melda; calm and focused, though something stirred beneath. “Something troubles you,” she said quietly. Reluctantly, he nodded.

“I am having difficulty becoming used to your presence inside my head at all times, Elaina Fairborn,” he said almost formally, without taking his eyes off the surrounding land. He had changed since becoming her meldin, acting much like a bodyguard and becoming almost formal in his manner, which included speaking as properly as he knew how, quite something for a country man. She found it endearing that he was taking it so seriously, and despite her telling him to relax several times, he hadn’t quite managed it, yet. “So much time spent avoiding people, and now I have you with me wherever I go.” He didn’t sound displeased; he was just stating a fact.

“Would you like me to release you?” She asked him, only half-serious. She could sense how he felt about her; strong affection almost powerful enough to be called love flowed through from his end of the melda, mingled with a pulsing desire that had her excited about taking him to bed. She was surprised he hadn’t suggested it, yet; he had to know from being able to read her own feelings that she was attracted to him. Still, she hadn’t pressed the matter or even suggested it herself; he would come to her when he was ready.

He eyed her briefly before resuming his study of a scraggly stand of pine perched on a nearby hill off to his left. “I think not. I find I rather enjoy the benefits of our joining. I feel ... Invigorated.”

Elaina smiled at him, but he didn’t see it with his eyes scanning the landscape. It felt good to have another meldin, and one she could have close to her with Aran off Aros-knew-where. She looked behind her and to her right, where Aran’s horse walked, the black stallion’s reins tied to Willow’s saddle. Having Strider close was like having a part of Aran nearby, even though she could feel him inside her, however faintly at this distance.

“You are thinking about him again,” Noah said suddenly. “You do that often, but mostly when you look at his horse.” Elaina was beginning to realise there was very little that Noah missed. It’s probably what made him such a good hunter.

“It is difficult not to,” she replied honestly. “He and I are linked together very strongly. We are part of the same whole.”

“That should trouble me,” the bearded man mused as if to himself. “Though I find it does not. Is a man not supposed to feel jealousy when his woman loves another man also?” He frowned at his horse’s mane as if sifting through complex feelings.

Elaina tried to lighten the mood. “So,” she began slyly. “I am your woman now? When did this happen?”

Noah looked up, then, and Elaina almost started back at the hot light in his gaze. “Are you not? I feel your heart when you look at me. It is difficult to bear, sometimes.”

Happy that they were finally talking about this, Elaina asked him a gentle question. “Then why do you not come to me at night? I would happily take you in.”

Noah’s cheeks flushed above his beard. She knew he’d thought about it; she could feel his desire, veiled by self-discipline but growing stronger by the day. “I am not...” he said stiffly. “Experienced at such things. I did not wish to disappoint you.” If he was blushing before, he was scarlet now. Elaina felt her own cheeks heating in mirror of her meldin’s emotions.

She nudged Willow up to Noah’s grey and touched his arm. “There is only one good way to gain experience,” she whispered in a smoky voice. “And I promise to make it most enjoyable. For both of us.” She dipped into her vala and gave him a small jolt of pleasure that made him inhale sharply. “Just a taste of what’s to come,” she said, enunciating the last word deliberately. If he didn’t come to her tonight, the man was made of stone, and that was that. Who ever heard of meldir that didn’t make love? She supposed it was possible, but why would meldir not want to be together in all ways possible? The idea was foreign to her.

Noah looked at her again, and this time the undisguised lust in his gaze set a small fire in her belly. That’s more like it, she thought with a satisfied smile. She wagered that tonight he would come at her like a charging bull, and she would welcome him with open arms and enjoy the ride.

“Now that that’s settled,” she said, changing tack. “You still have not told me what troubles you.” To her surprise, he suddenly laughed out loud.

“You are as predictable as a Sarreshi merchant,” he said with amusement, meaning that she was not predictable at all. Sarreshi merchants would go right when you thought left, and up when you thought down, each time just when you believed you had them figured out. “But cleverer, I think.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Yes, I am troubled. It has been some time since I’ve visited my family. I should go see them soon. Make sure they are safe.”

“Where are they?” Elaina asked. If it was close enough, she would go there with him, as long as it didn’t pull her too far away from her other responsibilities.

“They are a day’s ride from Vesovar,” Noah replied. “My mother and father, and my younger sisters have a farm in the Hills of Gaela.” The Hills of Gaela was just north of Vesovar.

“While the army is resupplying at Vesovar,” Elaina said comfortingly. “I will ride with you. We’ll check on your family and be back before the army is ready to leave.” Noah shot her a grateful smile, and she felt some of the tension leave him. “You were worried that being bound to me would keep you from them, weren’t you?”

He nodded. “It had crossed my mind, yes.”

“Fear not, Noah Stoneman,” she said warmly. “I will never keep you from those you love, nor will I ever force you to do anything you do not want.”

“Thank you, Elaina,” he replied. “That means much.” They rode on for a time in silence. Elaina was called up to speak to Burin about this and that for a time before she returned to her usual place in the column. In the afternoon, Noah rode off by himself for an hour or two, and when he came back, he had three fat rabbits hanging from his saddle.

“Dinner,” he said when he saw her eyeing them. “I’ve seen how much you eat; I wanted to be prepared.” At camp after the first day’s marching, Noah’s eyes had nearly fallen out of his head when he’d seen how much food Elaina had devoured.

“You didn’t get any for yourself?” She asked him blandly, then laughed when she saw his surprised look. He grinned when he got the joke.

“Maybe next time I’ll bring back a deer or two,” he suggested. “That should at least keep you going until midday.”

“Watch it,” she warned him playfully. “Remarking on a woman’s appetite is a good way to lose a limb.”

“I hunt darkspawn for a living,” he returned blithely. “I am accustomed to dangerous situations.”

“I’ll show you a dangerous situation,” she shot back. “If those rabbits aren’t enough, I may have to eat you, too.”

Without a pause, Noah replied smoothly, “If I’m going to be eaten by anyone, Elaina arohim, I would want it to be you.” The words escaping his mouth were a surprise; this was a new side of him she had not seen before.

“Noah Stoneman,” she exclaimed. “Is that charm I hear rolling off your tongue?” In answer, he cleared his throat and went back to his study of the surrounding hills. He was coming out of his shell slowly, but she wouldn’t push him any further today. Tomorrow, however, was another matter. As for tonight, well, that would be most enjoyable indeed.

Noah squatted before the small cook-fire he’d made near his and Elaina’s tents on the outskirts of the sprawling Dwarven camp. If he looked up, he would be able to see the glow of a hundred more just like it dotting the surrounding hills. The early evening was cool, and he warmed his hands over the flames, frowning into them as if the fire could burn away his troubled thoughts.

Elaina had just left for her tent after eating with him. She’d thanked him for the rabbit, then kissed him on the cheek. Tingles had run through his entire body, making him want to feel her lips on his mouth, his neck, everywhere. Noah didn’t know much about women, and he knew even less about this link between him and her, but the look she had given him before leaving the fire had left little question in his mind as to what she wanted, even if they hadn’t talked about it earlier in the day.

Idly, he poked the fire with a stick, wondering why he wasn’t doing what any red-blooded man would do and go to her right now. He was inexperienced, sure, but he’d still lain with women before, and knew well enough how it all worked. None of those women had been like Elaina, though. She was like perfection put into a breathing body, the finest sculpture of a master artisan at the peak of their skill. Every curve, every movement, her eyes and hair and face. And she wanted him; Noah, a man who preferred to spend most of his time alone in the mountains with no company but the birds and animals. Birds and animals were simple; they either liked you or didn’t. They didn’t pretend or lie or betray. Not that he thought Elaina would betray him; she was the best thing to come along in his life in a long time. What would his family think when they met her? His mother and father? Edda and Orra, his little sisters? He chuckled at imagining their faces when he introduced them to Elaina Fairborn, Paladin of Aros. Surely, their simple Noah could not have captured the heart of such a fine woman! He knew they didn’t really think of him as simple, but it was hard not to believe it, at times.

As happened often these past few days, his thoughts drifted to what Elaina looked like without clothes on and he felt his reluctance crumbling by the second. Sighing, he threw the stick on the fire and stood, realising he’d made up his mind. He moved towards her small tent, a peaked white shape in the darkness a little taller than himself and wide enough to sleep two comfortably. His pulse quickened with each step. Clearing his throat, he made to announce himself, but stopped when the flap was pulled aside in invitation. Of course, she would have felt him coming.

Ducking inside, his mouth went dry when he saw her waiting for him. It was dark in the tent, but there was enough firelight penetrating the canvas for him to see she was naked, and more beautiful than he could have imagined. His eyes drank her in like a man dying of thirst at a pool of cool water. She was fit, yet deliciously curved. Her hips were round, her thighs shapely, her breasts two magnificent, proud mountains on her chest that would overflow his hands if he held them. Her belly was flat, her waist narrow, and there was no hair between her legs. Noah had never seen a woman bare, down there, but it quickened his heart further to behold.

She was pressing herself against him, then, her lips seeking his as she began to unbutton his vest. Her pace was slow, unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world. His hands found the silky warm skin of her waist, and she sighed when he touched her, as if she’d been waiting for it. This felt ... right. Being with her, now, he felt as if he belonged somewhere for the first time in a long time. His last coherent thought before he lost himself in Elaina was that that had been his problem all along; he’d never belonged anywhere. Until now.

Sometime later - he had no idea how long it had been - Noah lay on his back with his head resting on laced fingers, staring up at the peaked roof of the tent. He knew there was a big, stupid grin on his face, but he didn’t care, and he didn’t try and suppress it. He doubted he could, even if he tried. Beside him, Elaina stretched languidly, arching her back and pushing those tremendous breasts upward. Even in the near-darkness her form was exquisite, and despite just having made love to her three times without stopping - a feat he had not known he was capable of - he felt life stirring in his loins when he looked.

“That was wonderful!” She sighed happily, turning on her side to face him, her head propped on one hand. His gaze dropped lower, to the valley of her waist and up over the swell of her hip. “I feel like it’s been forever, plus nothing beats the first time with a new meldin.” She shuffled closer and stroked his chest, sending fresh thrills through him. If this was what being a meldin was like, Noah didn’t think he would ever want to get out of bed.

“It truly was,” he agreed as she slid a smooth thigh over to rest atop his. Her skin made silk feel like grit. A concerning thought penetrated his euphoria, however. “You say your other man, this Aran, will not be concerned with our relationship? I would dislike very much for him to try and remove my head from my body in a jealous rage.”

Elaina chuckled throatily. “I have told you, my mountain man, that that is not how we arohim work. While our hearts are connected, he and I do not belong to each other. Not in the sense you mean. It may take some time for you to understand, but you will see the right of it. I very much look forward to introducing you to him, one day. He will likely embrace you as a brother would; he knows you saved my life.”

Noah grunted, but there was no real effort in it; he was feeling too good inside. A sudden thought did make him ask, “How would he know this? He has been gone since before that day on the stairs.”

Elaina lightly pinched his nipple, making him grunt again, though with amusement rather than pain. “We have our ways of communicating beyond the conventional, my love. I will reveal all to you, in time, I promise.”

Hurried boot steps approaching the tent made his ears prick up, then, right at the same time Elaina sat up straight. “Something is happening,” she said softly, just as a man’s voice came from outside the tent.

“Elaina arohim,” a Dwarf said politely but quickly. “Your presence is requested urgently in the King’s tent.” Noah sat up and began looking for his clothes. It would seem his time together with Elaina was at an end, for now. At least for tonight.

Elaina hadn’t moved further, yet. “What is it, Lombi?” She asked. If the Dwarf outside was surprised that Elaina knew who he was just by his voice, he said nothing about it. The Dwarves had readily accepted that she had strange powers they didn’t understand.

“Scouts have returned from Vesovar with pressing news,” Lombi replied hurriedly. “That is all I know. If you please, Elaina arohim, I must be on to other tasks now.” He rushed off, his footsteps fading away.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good,” Elaina muttered as she left her blankets and began to dress. Noah felt a pang of disappointment. “You may remain here, of course,” she told him as she wiggled into her breeches. “I will return when I can.”

He shook his head, surprising himself. He had not disobeyed her directly since their melding. “I will accompany you and remain as close as I can, I think. I fear ill news has been delivered, and on such a night I would watch your back, if it is all the same to you.” He wasn’t asking; merely making a statement.

He could feel her eyeing him in the darkness as she dressed, and he was unsure as to how she felt about his directness. He sensed a change in the tangle of sensations that was her, resting in the back of his mind, though he still wasn’t very good at deciphering them. A long moment stretched out, until finally, he saw her nod. “Good idea. Burin trusts you, so he should have no issues with your presence. I like having you close, Noah meldin.” After a moment, she added, “You will make an excellent arondur, I think.” She didn’t give him a chance to ask what that was as she finished pulling on her shirt and a stout coat before belting her heavy mace to her waist. She then slipped out to where her boots lay just outside. Noah dashed to his own tent quickly to gather his bow and quiver and rejoined her for the short journey to the centre of camp.

Atop the tallest hill in the camp, the king’s tent was a low-roofed, sprawling circle big enough to park a dozen wagons inside with room to spare. It sat like a large mound of snow in the night, shining dully in the light from the half-moon in the sky. A double ring of guards stood around it, lances all held at the same precise angle, slanted across chests. The armoured Dwarves in front of the tent entrance stepped aside when they saw Elaina and Noah approaching, giving them space to pass through. Another guard held the heavy tent flap aside for them, offering Elaina a respectful nod as she entered. She had quickly developed an almost legendary reputation among the Dwarves for saving Burin’s life. Elaina had heard stories ranging from her stopping an assassin trying to kill the king in his bath, to defeating a powerful sorcerer who had Burin under his control, but none she’d heard whispered around the camp had the real truth of it.