Leoht (BloodRunes: Book 3) (13 page)

*

Layna couldn’t tell if it was tears running
down her face anymore or simply the rain beating down on her. She
hadn’t bothered to move out of its torrent and she was soaked to
the bone, and now shivering uncontrollably. She tried to create a
spell to warm herself, but a sudden burst of lighting and the
consequent tremendous crack of thunder distracted her and she only
managed to burn her finger.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep
breaths. Why was Gryffon getting to her like this? She knew the
answer, though she had denied it for some time. Since he had risked
his life to give her back hers, she couldn’t pretend her feelings
didn’t exist anymore, that she really only thought of him as a
friend, and the fact that he wasn’t returning them were killing
her.

The rain stopped beating down on her and she
looked up, momentarily confused as all she could see was a large
swath of white above her. It moved as Aileen adjusted the umbrella
so that she could sit down next to her and Layna stared straight
ahead.

After a moment, Aileen broke the silence.
“Are you alright, dear?”

Layna sighed, “Sorry about that, I don’t know
why I got so worked up.”

“I do,” Aileen said softly, craning her neck
around so she could see Layna’s eyes which were still stubbornly
staring straight forwards.

Layna flicked her gaze towards her, seeing
the woman’s eyes full of concern, and turned her own towards the
ground. She picked at a dead leaf.

“The two of you are in love.”

Layna almost laughed, instead her breath
coming out in a derisive snort. “Oh really, he loves me and that’s
why he’s so anxious to spend all that time with Lady Aria, and why
when our lives are at risk he jumps to save her, and he’ll go and
kiss me one day and give me the cold shoulder the next. Why he
won’t let me help him with his life-sucker, he just shuts me out
like I’m a stranger. And, and-” she ran out of more examples,
burying her face in her hand.

She felt Aileen’s hand on her shoulder. “He
loves you,” Aileen said with a certainty that Layna didn’t share.
“I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, there’s no denying
it. You really think he would want to be with Aria? Her definition
of adventure is skipping a sewing lesson to go shopping. And she is
content with that. Do you really think that Gryffon, the man that
gave up everything to create a new fake identity as a spy in a
foreign country would be content with that kind of life?”

Layna gave this some thought, “I suppose not,
but why is he paying her so much attention and why did he rush to
her aid instead of mine?”

Aileen gave her an admonishing look. “It
seems to me that she was the one throwing herself at him, Gryffon
is simply too polite to rebuke her too harshly, especially when I
overheard her telling him that she had been assured, by you, that
the two of you were ‘just friends’.” Layna blushed furiously, how
could she have been so stupid? She may have pushed away the man of
her dreams in order to avoid an uncomfortable conversation? Aileen
wasn’t finished, “And as far as him rescuing Aria, from what the
two of you have said, you had already begun the spell to stop it,
so he helped the person who needed it.”

“I had them both under the shield as well,”
she murmured bitterly.

“But how could Gryffon know that? He helps
people, it’s his nature, you can hardly fault him for that.” She
paused for a moment. “And, I’d say he’s slightly intimidated by the
Three in your head and the leaps ahead you’ve made using your power
with their help.”

“It’s not like I’m a different person, I
just…” Layna did not know how to explain it.

“No one knows what it’s like unless they
experience it,” Aileen said, almost knowingly, “but he’s a man, and
they like to feel that they’re at least a little needed, even those
who admire independence in a woman like Gryffon does. That’s
probably why he reacted so violently to the life-sucker acting up
again too. He’s already feeling insecure and then you go and throw
in a bunch of pain. He needs to lick his wounds in private, without
feeling any more vulnerable in front of you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Layna stated, “There’s
nothing vulnerable about Gryffon. He stood up to that horrible
woman’s torture while she put that thing on him and joked about it
when I found him. He’s not afraid of anything, can do anything, and
is stronger talent-wise and personally than anyone I have never
met!”

Aileen raised an eyebrow. “And you won’t tell
me you love this man?”

Layna remained stoically silent. If she said
it out loud it would open her up to rejection. But if she
didn’t…

“I’m afraid there’s more at stake than just
your feelings,” Aileen said. She looked up at the sky, which was
beginning to clear, and pointed upwards, “This storm was caused by
you. Having the Three inside you has unlocked your full potential,
and while they are guiding you, you can handle it, but when they
are not…” She let her hand run over the sopping landscape around
them, “your powers create a whirlwind in the magic around you,
causing disturbances. So far, I’ve witnessed it manifest as weather
changes, but who knows what else it could do. The power plays off
emotions, and with yours in turmoil, so is all that is around
you.”

“So I have to control my emotions or I’ll
cause thunderstorms?” Layna asked skeptically.

“It’s more complicated than that, I’m afraid.
I’ve been observing you, and I believe it is more tightly connected
to Gryffon than just your love for him. While, yes, the turmoil the
two of you are causing one another by not simply telling the other
how you feel is affecting your emotions and therefore your powers,
it is more than that. Gryffon has always been there for you since
you discovered your talent. I think you have come to rely upon him
as a grounding for your power because of your love. Perhaps because
you discovered your talent so late, or because of the immense
strength of it, you didn’t ground within yourself like most people
do. Instead, you turned outward, to him. If the two of you cannot
overcome your stubbornness and simply confess your feelings, not
only will your heart be broken, but your power will never be whole
either.” Aileen lifted her eyebrows high and turned one side of her
mouth down.

“That can’t be right,” Layna said, “my power
can’t be affected by Gryffon loving me or not.”

“There’s no question that he loves you, my
dear, it is only that neither of you have allowed yourselves a
chance to let it come out into the open.”

“I really don’t think he does,” Layna said
softly, her voice cracking. And she didn’t, how could she? He had
been engaged to Lady Aria, a beautiful, noble, and very nice
person. Someone he had grown up with. Maybe he’d outgrown his
adventuring ways and now wanted to settle down. Maybe his feelings
for her were stronger than his need for adventure. How could she
even hold a candle to the history they had?

Aileen wouldn’t relent. “Do you love
him?”

Tears were pouring freely down her face once
more. “Of course I do,” she sobbed, “with all my heart.”

“Then you have to tell him.”

*

Gryffon kicked a clump of mud and growled as
the spray came up and hit him in the face. The rain had stopped,
but his glum mood continued. The pain in his chest was still
burning, but less intense now than before. Had Jezebel finally
figured it out and was now just toying with him, letting him know
that she could end him anytime she wanted? He shuddered to think of
it.

His thoughts turned back towards the scene
he’d just caused in front of everyone and he sighed. He hadn’t
meant to snap at Layna like that, but he didn’t want her to see him
in pain. He just wanted to deal with it himself. He felt humiliated
that he might just double over in agony whenever that witch wanted
to give him a taste of it. But Layna didn’t deserve that kind of
treatment. He could hear the pain in her voice when she yelled
after him, and he regretted his own remarks about Lady Aria. He
just couldn’t grasp why she couldn’t understand that there was
nothing between them. Sure, they had grown up together and even
once been engaged, but that was the past. They were nothing more
than friends now. Which is what Layna had told Aria that the two of
them were, so why did she care anyway.

A voice deep down within him argued,
you
know that she cares more for you than just as friends, why are you
letting your foolish pride get in the way? You are only further
alienating her. She just feels insecure because of your past with
Lady Aria
. Gryffon couldn’t argue with the voice of reason. He
might not understand why Layna was refusing to see the truth to the
situation with Aria, but he was smart enough to see why it might
cause her some doubt. And Aria
had
rather been throwing
herself at him, and in his own hurt state he had not discouraged
it. He felt guilty as he thought about the amount of time Aria had
maneuvered so that they could spend together, she had been rather
attentive.

He should apologize to Layna, he wanted to go
back to the way they were before. The long talks out riding in the
woods and the laughter they used to share. It had been a long time
since they had been able to spend any quality time together.
Perhaps on the trip to Gelendan he would try and rekindle that
connection. Maybe if he steeled his courage for a kiss, she
wouldn’t pull away…

“Gryffon?” he heard her call his name softly
behind him and he turned, ready to make his apology. “Gryffon,
there’s something I need to tell you,” she paused and his heart
leapt to his throat.
Please say it
, he silently pleaded. She
wrung her hands and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “I’ve just been
talking to Aileen and -”

“Yes?”

“Well, she thinks that my control over the
power is connected to you, that you became my way of grounding,”
she paused and Gryffon blinked once, then twice at her. What
exactly was she saying? This wasn’t what he was expecting. “That
when we’re angry with one another that my power tends to be erratic
and creates disturbances around me…”

Gryffon took this in slowly. She hadn’t come
to apologize or tell him that she - he cut the thought short. What
had he been thinking? She was here because she needed him. She
needed him to control her precious power. How stupid could he have
been, thinking that she might actually care about him.

“And she thinks it’s because I, I - ”

Gryffon cut her off harshly, “So you’re here
because you
need
me? You won’t be as talented if I’m not
around to help you deal with your emotions by grounding you?” He
did feel a certain satisfaction at that. Well, good. He was glad
that she would be forced to have him around. Served her right.

Layna looked taken-aback and she opened her
mouth as if she was going to say something more.

“Don’t bother making any excuses. I see how
it is, you just need me to help ‘ground’ you so you and your
god-pals can save everybody. Well, lucky for you I care about the
future of this world so I’ll tag along and play nice, but don’t
expect a whole lot.” He turned on his heel and didn’t bother to
look back. “Come on, we should get out of here.”

*

Gryffon’s words stung and Layna stood frozen
to the spot, speechless, as he stalked off once again. She had been
about to tell him that she loved him, and he had cut her off,
effectively indicating that he was there only because he cared
about the fate of the world, not about her. She felt tears welling
up once again, but bit her lip until it drew blood to stave them
off. Her throat was already sore. She wouldn’t cry any more tears
over Gryffon. He’d made his intentions clear.

She felt the presence of the Three return
just then and she was filled with a calm. Concerned emotions flowed
through her from all three of them, but she shook them aside.
-
Can you tell me how to get rid of a life-sucker?
- she asked
them silently, avoiding their questioning thoughts.

-
Yes
,
- answered
Naoise, -
but why?
-

-
Gryffon has one
,- she said and could
tell they picked up on the bitterness in her thoughts surrounding
him and she once again felt concern swirling around in her head.
She ignored it. -
Since he’ll be traveling with us and all, I’d
like to get rid of it so he doesn’t up and die on us
.- She
would have choked up on this last part had she been saying it out
loud, and as it was she had a hard time fighting back a new wave of
tears threatening to drown her eyes.

-
He will need to confront the
one who put it on him. If they agree to take it off the process is
a simple spell
.- He paused and Layna waited for the other
option, for she highly doubted that Jezebel would just agree to
take it off him. He seemed to understand the implication of her
silence. -
Otherwise, he will have to wound her
enough that he can use her blood to remove the bond. This will not
be an easy task as creating a wound that will bleed will also be
one that will drain his strength to heal her body. The wound should
be in the same place as his rune, and he will need to use her blood
to retrace the rune over the one that is burned into his
flesh.
-
He then implanted a spell onto her
consciousness.
-
Once he has done this, he’ll
use this spell. The process will not be pleasant
.
-

-
Thank you
.-

Layna felt a little better knowing that there
was a way to remove it. Maybe getting rid of it would at least make
him more tolerable to be around. Having him get all moody because
he was feeling vulnerable was likely to make her snap at him after
this little display. Her throat tightened again and she shook the
feeling aside.