Deliverer - An Enchantress Novel Book 3

Chapter 5

Sidney sat at the top of the waterfall watching the flaming orb slowly sink below the tree line; the top edges of the vast forest set alight with hues of red and orange. Shadows had already reached the rock crevice beyond the pool far beneath her. She climbed down to join Dainton as he crawled from his hide.

Finally, she got to see him in his full glory. Taller than her 6ft, judging by how far his head soared above the rock pile, his leanness made him look taller still. Deep brown hair hung in limp straggles below his collar and framed his face. If you can call a man pretty without it sounding feminine, that's how she saw him - delicate perhaps would be more apt. His nose was straight and drew the gaze to his cool blue/green eyes framed by perfect long lashes that many women have strived for with the use of eyeliner and mascara. High cheekbones, although partially hidden behind several weeks of beard growth, were a little more prominent than they would normally have been had he been eating properly. His dark denims and plain, once-white T-shirt hung loose on his frame, adding to his lean appearance. Filthy and blood stained, the T-shirt sported a perfect hole to the middle of his chest, front and back, where the arrow had pierced it.

Dainton watched her descend the rock face with the nimble ability of a seasoned climber - dropping to ledges and swinging for hand and toe grips. He was in awe of her. The first thing he'd noticed about her that morning was her flame-red hair. He'd seen it at its most magnificent when she'd brought the deer for him to feed from. Lit from behind by the sun, her head looked like it was surrounded by fire. Her body, a vision of loveliness clad in a long cotton sweater that just about covered her modesty, and when it was wet, it became see-through so everything was revealed to him; she might as well have stood before him naked. What man wouldn't notice the athletic lines and flawless length of leg when presented with such a vision? He already knew she would be close to his height because she had fit perfectly to his body when they lay curled together in the crevice. Her compassion astounded him, she could easily have let him die, and he would have had she left the wooden arrow in his chest. Instead she removed it, and fed him from her own vein giving some of her much needed life-force to help him heal.

An angel, he thought. My angel of mercy.

"I can assure you, I'm no angel." Sidney told him as she came to stand by his side. She was right about him being taller, he stood over her by a good three or four inches.

He smiled slightly, embarrassed. "Sorry I forgot; I'll have to try to guard my thoughts."

"No worries. I'm flattered really. Given the image of my head on fire you could have considered me a demon."

Much too beautiful for a demon. His thoughts made her smile.

Suddenly shy, she turned to gather the blood from the pool and stuffed it into a bag along with her spare clothes then tossed it over her shoulder. "We best get moving. I can hear the faint echo of the boy's thoughts heading this way."

They headed north-west toward the village Dainton thought the others of her world were being held prisoner. The worried and nervous thoughts he was broadcasting were getting on her nerves. Always the same thing: as soon as they saw him, they would surely kill him this time. She caught a flash of memory: a house, his home, broken doors and windows; people he considered friends coming at him with knives and stakes.

"I need to teach you how to shield your mind. You're invading mine so much I can hardly think at the moment." She caught the slight movement of his hair as he nodded. "We'll stop here then."

He frowned. "Here, in the middle of the road?"

"No." She sighed, shaking her head in disbelief at his gullibility. "The fallen tree behind me will do. I don't fancy picking the pieces of you off the road when a car or bus comes tearing round the corner."