Marin's Fire

Chapter 20

The next morning Marin and Hobard awoke as the sun stretched its fingers over the eastern horizon. Streaks of bright orange and hot pink smeared up from behind the black silhouettes of trees. The two men were stiff and covered in dew.

Despite his sore back and aching muscles, Marin was glad to see his father. He hadn't realized how much he missed him over the past few weeks until now.

"Good morning," Hobard said, followed by a cough.

"Are you ok?"

"Just the damp spring air. Summer nights are better for sleeping outside." Hobard cleared his throat again.

"Well, hopefully by tonight I'll be allowed to sleep back on my cot."

"Yes, we should go see Abbot Osbert immediately." Hobard tried to stand up, but with a grunt he returned to sitting.

"Here, take my hand," said Marin, getting to his feet. "And maybe we should try to get a morning meal first. After yesterday, I'm famished."

His father took his hand and slowly made his way to a standing position. "I don't know if you'll be allowed in the dining hall," he admitted. "But I can surely bring you something to eat."

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

Hobard gave his son a pat on the upper arm. "We'll get this squared away. It may take some time, but it will get worked out."

Marin wasn't so sure, but he didn't argue. His stomach gnawed at his insides and he desperately had to relieve himself.

After Hobard walked through the gates, Marin walked around the periphery of the stone wall that surrounded the compound. He found a small grove of trees and stood where no one would have a clear view of him. He undid the ties that held up his trousers and lowered them slightly from his waist. With his robes still covering his backside, he leaned his torso back and with his right hand manipulated the hot stream so it landed in the dirt just beyond his boots. It was a trick he'd figured out as a teenager, and one he had perfected in the years since.

"Marin?" He heard Tilly's voice call out.

Finished with his business, Marin pulled up and retied his trousers. "I'm over here," he called back.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"All done."

"How did you sleep?" She stepped around the bend to meet him.

"Fine. Considering." He stepped closer to her and inhaled deeply. "But, I missed being next to you."

"Shh," she scolded, her brows furrowed. But she still stepped closer to him, their stomachs nearly touching, their fingertips brushing against each other. "We can't risk anything until your place in the medics is re-secured."

"I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand it, having to be apart from you," he whispered, causing a flush of pink to bloom on her cheeks.

There was a moment of stillness. All that existed was the warmth between their bodies. The sparks caused by each light touch of fingers. Breaths being exhaled by one and inhaled by the other. It took all of Marin's strength not to close the space between them, to kiss her, to press her against the wall. His mind flashed with everything he desperately wanted to do, but could not. As lust clawed at him, his breath came in shallow pants and his pulse beat wildly. He bit his lip, hoping to slow his heart.

"I need you," he pleaded in the lowest of whispers.

Tilly leaned forward, her mouth pressing close to his ear, causing a flood of heat to fill Marin's chest. "You must wait," she teased, and then stepped back, moistening her lips seductively, and then smiled. As her eyes crinkled, her features softened. "I brought you a bucket of water so you could wash your face. It's back by the gate."