The Catalyst

Chapter 55

They had to make one final stop before reaching Quickrivers, so in the evening Noah led the way to Clearwater. After leaving their horses at a harbor inn, they went for a walk as the sun was setting over the Dryanic Ocean. They watched from a small jetty as thick, stormy clouds shared the space with a blazing dark orange sky.

Surrounding them was the bustle of merchandise being unloaded from ships, the clanging of masts and sails, as well as fishmongers shouting their wares. A smoked fish aroma wafting from a nearby stand made Noah's stomach rumble.

"You were right," Kili said, her hair dancing in the wind. "This place is beautiful."

"I'd like to travel someday," he said. "Board one of those ships, maybe pay for the trip by helping out the crew. You could come with me. We could go to Nimis, or maybe Azuria. We don't look like Fellerans, so they might let us live, you know."

She grinned. "Why don't we go right now?"

He laughed. "I don't think any respectable ship captain would agree to depart at night."

"Then we go with a non-respectable one. They're much more fun, I hear."

Noah looked at the infinite waves as the last rays of sunset outlined the horizon, and his heart started to race. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Not really," she said softly.

"Okay," he decided. "As soon as I make sure my friends are gonna be all right, then we'll go. I promise."

"Deal." But when he looked at her, doubt shadowed her eyes. It was gone quickly though. "Let's go eat!" She threw her arm around his waist. "I'm a starved wolf."

Noah's very last silver got them a basket of fried sea foods, which they ate on their way back to the inn.

Their room had a double bed rather than two cots, and, finally, no one else would share the space and fill it with the world's loudest snoring. Come to think of it, maybe that was why Dharkan had left? Maybe everything was all right, and he'd just figured he'd give them some alone time. Except, well, that didn't sound like Dharkan at all.

After Kili had locked the door, she pulled him closer, rose to her tiptoes and kissed him, throwing her arms around his neck. Noah stopped thinking about anything else as he kissed back, his hands sliding past her cloak to hold her waist. He brought her to the nearest wall so she could lean against it. One of her hands played in his hair, and the other traveled down his back. She inhaled sharply when he brushed his tongue against hers. Then Noah left a trail of kisses from her lips to her neck.

"I've never done this before," he whispered in her ear. She seemed to shiver.

"I know. I was there, remember?"

He pulled back slightly so he could look into her dark grey eyes. "This is never going to stop being weird, is it?"

She kissed him fiercely, almost bruisingly, and he moaned through it and pressed his hips against hers. Then she said, "We just need to decide we don't care."

"I don't care," he breathed. When his hands blindly tried to unlace her corset, she twisted away so she could yank off her cloak. She turned around, hands flat against the wall, tossing him a playful glance.

"What are you waiting for?"

His trembling fingers pulled at the strings until they were loose enough that she could get free from the dress. Turning back around, she tugged at the hem of his shirt and he got the hint, taking it off in a blur. One after the other, clothes were thrown to the floor in messy piles, until there was nothing but skin against skin.