Missy Jane - Born of Stone

It took a second or two for Astrid to calm her fears, but then she lowered her arms and looked up into his scowling face. He was such a fierce specimen she didn’t know whether or not to believe him. However, in her time at the castle she’d never seen any of the Masters actually hurt anyone.

Orestes raised a brow, obviously awaiting her agreement. She nodded and he took a deep breath. “Good.”

With that, he proceeded through the dining room and into the foyer.

Astrid had never been anywhere in the castle but the kitchen and dining room. As Orestes climbed the massive staircase, she couldn’t help but look around in awe. Large, beautifully woven tapestries lined the walls, depicting knights in battle with all manner of vile creatures.

“Do you like them?”

His deep voice didn’t startle her this time and she thought it would be rude not to answer. She had to clear her throat twice.

“They’re beautiful.”

He raised his head and looked around as if noticing the tapestries for the first time. They had bypassed the second landing and made it to the third before he moved away from the stairs to walk down a long hallway. Wooden doors lined both sides of the hall, each intricately carved in various designs. Astrid barely had the chance to look around before Orestes pushed open a door and strode inside. The room was pitch black, but he seemed to have no trouble navigating his way through as he walked deeper inside. Astrid gasped and clung to his shirt when he leaned down and gently placed her on a soft surface.

“If you don’t let go, I can’t light the fire.”

Amusement was unmistakable in his voice and Astrid released his shirt in annoyance. She sat up on what she assumed was his bed while his shadowed form moved away from her and back toward the door.

“Is this your room?” she asked.

He closed the door and she tried to ignore her spark of fear at hearing the lock turn. She would never have expected to find herself lying in one of the Master’s beds, locked in his room for some unknown purpose. Whether he truly meant to tend to her wounds she didn’t know, but running seemed impossible now.

He moved silently around the room and she couldn’t see even a hint of him. Then a hiss sounded a few feet away and she had to close her eyes against the abrupt glow of flame. He stood, a dark silhouette against the bright flames in his large stone fireplace.

“Yes, this is my room. Do you like it?”

His voice seemed deeper, more intimate, as he slowly made his way back to her. She swallowed and looked up, but the light behind him left his face in shadows and hid his expression.

“Um, yes. Yes it’s, uh…very nice.”

He chuckled and turned away from her, removing the long, dark leather coat he seemed to prefer. She realized why when he slipped it off his broad shoulders, revealing multiple weapons. Astrid was about to pull her legs into a more comfortable position when she noticed the dirt caked on them. Shame burned through her, heating her cheeks as she quickly moved to the side of the bed and slipped off.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Orestes was suddenly at her side. For such a large man, he moved quickly and almost silently. Astrid gasped and took a step back from him.

“My feet. They’re too dirty for your nice bed.”

Annoyance flashed across his expression but at least it wasn’t anger. Astrid realized she was growing comfortable in his presence—a dangerous habit to be sure. Still, when he ran a hand down his face and wariness filled his gaze, she couldn’t help but feel better.

“I’ll return shortly,” he said, before stalking out of the room.

She looked at the closed door in indecision. He obviously expected her to stay put and hadn’t threatened her in any way thus far. Should she await his return? Doubts filled her and she shivered as cold from the stone floor raced up her legs. The warm glow of the fire called to her and Astrid went willingly. As she crossed the vast space from his bed to fireplace, she noticed Orestes’s room was much larger than she had realized. Additional large tapestries lined the walls and various furs covered most of the floor.

His massive bed could easily sleep six people, even with the large man in the middle. That image sent a surge of jealousy racing through her and she shook her head at her ridiculousness. The Masters belonged to no women, especially human women. It was said they left the realm to bed the race of warrior women in Keva when the mood took them. The journey to the neighboring realm went from a ten-day journey to a matter of hours once the gargoyles spread their wings. Astrid shuddered at the thought. She’d only seen a gargoyle in flight once and it had been an awesome sight. It still amazed her how their wings disappeared when they took human form.

Aside from his bed, the only other furniture in the room was a wardrobe and desk. There was also a large chest at the foot of his bed, big enough for a human to fit inside. Astrid frowned and looked away from it. Her eyes landed on a desk piled high with books. She’d heard a servant mention a library somewhere in the castle. Astrid had taught herself to read simple words over the years and longed to own just one book. She’d secretly hoped she would be assigned to dust the library so she could at least look at them. Faced with the bounty on Orestes’s desk, she couldn’t help but wander over and stare in fascination at the stack. It reached her chin and hid, a closer inspection revealed, a similar stack behind it. She reached a shaky hand to touch the top book when Orestes’s voice sounded in her ear.

“You know how to read?”

She screamed and leapt away, hitting her hip against the desk hard enough to send both stacks of books tumbling down.

“Oh no.”

Astrid was nearly in tears over the mess she’d made and threw herself on the floor, grabbing books and stacking them as quickly as she could in an effort to clean the mess. She felt more than heard Orestes bend down beside her, but rather than help, he gently grabbed her wrists.

“Stop, lady. Don’t fret over this.”

Her head snapped up and she tried to pull from his grasp. He released her and she moved back, falling on her bottom in her effort to get out of his reach.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I’m so sorry.”

“Please, just stop.” He released a breath and swiped the books out of his way, crawling toward her while she continued to slide back. She reached the wall and shut her eyes, throwing her arms over her head.

“No. Don’t do that again. How can I convince you that I mean you no harm?”

The exasperation in his voice finally penetrated her fear and Astrid lowered her arms slowly. He was sitting back on his legs, a whisper away, staring down at her with concern. When he realized she was watching, he reached out and gently moved her arms down.

“What is your name?”

She swallowed her fear and answered in a whisper, “Astrid.”

His eyebrows shot up and a sudden grin made him even more handsome. “Astrid? How about that? Tell me, my little star, how did you come to be in my home?”

She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. What should she tell him about the hardships of her life? Would he really care? He frowned at her hesitation before sighing and leaning back. She closed her still-gaping mouth while he stood and reached for her.

“Come. I’ve arranged a bath for you.”

That got her attention. “Bath?”

Obviously sensing her excitement, he smiled and led her from his room. “Yes, a warm bath. Then I’ll put a healing ointment on that wound. No sense doing that until you’re clean.”

Shame filled her as she considered how she looked. Whispers about Keva told of large, beautiful women with fair skin and golden hair. Astrid knew she was a plain, little, mousy-looking thing. Small and insignificant. She’d never expected to catch the eye of a man, much less a Master. Orestes must think she was a mess, smelly and dirty. A bath would take care of the worst of her appearance, though she couldn’t help the scars and her stature. With a sigh of resignation, she went willingly through a door across the hall from his room.