Macha's Journey

He kissed the tip of her nose. "I didn"t go to sleep." Today he wanted to send her back to Ma.r.s.eille on one of the hippogryphs they obtained. Although sleep was a rare commodity, seeing Macha was even rarer.

He did not want to miss a single moment of being with her. Throughout the night he was content watching her sleep and feeling the warmth of her skin next to his. The years seemed like an eternity for him and sometimes he thought he was forgetting the man he had become while with her.

Pushing him on his back, she climbed up onto his chest. "You should have slept. It"s not like I"m going anywhere," she said tenderly. She put her hands on his forehead and skimmed the tips of her fingers over his eyes. "Go to sleep, I"ll wake you if anyone comes."

This suggestion caused his lips flattened out. Tyr reached up and caught her hand, giving it a small squeeze. "I"m fine." He paused, knowing the next words would be difficult for him to say. He drew in a deep breath before continuing, "Today I want you to fly back to Ma.r.s.eille."

Macha"s face tightened. She had been so happy to be with Tyr again and it hurt hearing him tell her to leave. Her voice cracked when she replied, "No. I want to help." His request caused her to become defensive and she pushed off of his chest to sit down on the cot.

Tyr sat up and leaned on one arm. His dark tossled hair hid the beauty mark below his eye. He wore a serious expression on his face and explained, "I wish you could stay with me, but it"s too dangerous. I almost died this past month. How can I concentrate if I"m worried about you?" As he spoke, his green eyes pleaded with her to understand.

This was a similar conversation they had before he left for the war. Macha brought her knees up to hug them. "I"ve trained hard these past three years. I don"t have to go out with you. Let me stay here and help around the base. At least I could see you when you get back between missions."

Now that she was here, she wanted to stay. It would be torturous to return to Ma.r.s.eille without him. The nights felt cold and lonely and she missed the strength and security his presence lent her. Running the guild and his family businesses left her feeling empty since she could not even be around him. All they did was remind her of the man she could not be with.

The words she spoke sounded so enticing. There was nothing more he wanted than to see her from time to time, even if it was for one hour a month. She was the only person he would open up to without airs. The years spent away from her, made him feel like an empty husk of a man.

Tyr"s conviction began to waiver when he saw the tears form in the corner of her eyes. Whenever she sat with her knees up, she looked so small and helpless. In an effort to convince himself to send her away, he pressed on, "But you could still be in danger here."

His voice quavered with emotion. Macha instantly picked up on his uncertainty and wrapped her hands around his waist. With the most pathetic expression she could muster, she stated, "But I could be attacked going back to Ma.r.s.eille all by myself... Remember the manticore?" After saying this she gave him a little squeeze.

Tyr"s eyebrows drew together, and he touched his finger to his lips. His mind raced, and he kissed the top of her head. It was dangerous for her to travel alone.

Not wanting to lose her advantage, she continued, "At least here I"m surrounded by people and the creatures in the Outer-Reaches won"t harm me." Now she nuzzled her face against his chest. "Don"t send me away. I miss you so much. I don"t want to go." Macha knew she was being shameless. If she really tried, Tyr would not refuse her. Unlike before the war, she was already here. It would be too difficult for him to send her away now.

Giving his argument one last effort he began, "Macha..."

Alarmed at his stubbornness, she interrupted him, "I"ve never traveled in the Outer-Reaches by myself. What if I get lost? Also, I"ve never ridden on a hippogryph by myself. If I get dismounted, I can"t save myself from the fall. You never taught me how to use magic like that before." Now she was grasping at straws.

Tyr forgot that Macha had never learned how to ride a hippogryph. It was something he learned while growing up, so he took it for granted. The way hippogryphs moved was different from her cheetah. There was also the problem of keeping it level while in flight. He then remembered that the landing required a lot of training to master.

He gave a deep sigh while hugging her tightly. "All right, but you will not leave the base. Do you understand? I won"t have you going off into the forest to fight." He pulled her back to search her eyes, wanting to make sure she understood the seriousness of the situation.

A rain of kisses showered his neck and face as she pushed him down onto the cot. Macha gave him a tight squeeze and promised, "I swear I won"t leave. Thank you!"

The joy that she exuded caused Tyr to grin. Her happiness always brightened up the darkness he felt in his heart. Although he still felt uneasy, for now, he was content with her smile. Not wanting to seem like a pushover, he explained, "I only agreed because I worry about you hurting yourself while using the hippogryph." He also realized she still had not trained her magical stamina and hippogryphs used quite a bit of magic to keep summoned.

While he wanted to make love with her again, he realized the others would come back soon. Instead, he gave her a deep and thorough kiss. Every fiber in his being needed her to understand how much he cared for her.

After their lips parted, he touched the tip of his nose to hers. His voice was soft but clear, "I love you." It had been too long since he said those three words. Raising his hand, he caressed her cheek. The gentle curve of her face warmed his soul. Despite wanting to say more, the sound of the door opening stopped him.

Macha"s eyes became wide. She felt like a teenager whose parents came home while she was having s.e.x with her secret boyfriend. Her heart raced as she grabbed her clothes and began dressing. She thanked the stars that there were sheets of fabric dividing each cot.

Krystof"s cheerful voice sang throughout the room, "Knock, knock!"

Before Tyr stood up to walk into the walkway, he gave Macha a quick kiss. "What do you want?" he asked when he moved the part.i.tion to the aisle.

A few people began giggling because they knew what Krystof was going to say. They had joked about it last night when one member from Carnelian k.u.mas mentioned that Captain Tyr was having a good time in their cabin.

"Captain!" Krystof said while standing at attention, "There were reports of a disturbance comin" from this bunker last night." He stood straight and acted like he was reporting a real problem.

Tyr raised an eyebrow, unamused. His eyes shone cold and unaffectionate when he ordered, "Since you seem to be informed of the situation, clean the barracks and see if you can find any evidence." If his friend wanted to be a joker, he could play along.

Krystof shook his furiously head, "No, I was just..."

"Macha, come. Let"s get breakfast while Krystof does a sweep of the room." He laid her hand on his arm and led her to the mess hall.

The sound of protests filled the air. Krystof turned around and pointed an accusatory finger at Valentina and Dailen. "You guys better help! I only did it cause ya dared me." Luna warned him not to do it, but he had too many drinks to care at the time. After he was sober, he realized it was probably a bad idea, but he would not go back on the dare.

After breakfast, Tyr took Macha to meet with Rana. He needed to get her permission to allow Macha to reside in the base.

Rana"s grey eyes sized up the small woman. She crossed her arms and leaned against a desk. She did not expect Tyr to return from his mission and the spy had been an added surprise. "You want to know if she can stay? That is fine. While you are here, you can help distribute supplies or work in the infirmary. No? You are so small, I do not know what else you can do."

Hearing the insult annoyed Macha. She knew she was short for this world, but it did not make her useless. Despite her displeasure, she swallowed her words. Instead, she smiled sweetly, "I"ll work hard. Thank you."

After getting the information on where to report and who to talk to, she left. She wished she could have been with Tyr longer, but Rana wanted to talk with him about attacking the enemy"s main base.