Dragon Hunted - author extra
Dragon Hunted author extra
Ashe grabbed his saddle and dragged it over, using it as a chair to sit in front of Eddie, a tree stump between them.
"You're going to destroy your gear, you keep treating it that way," Eddie said dryly, glancing up at him before laying an arrow aside and picking up another to check the fletching.
"Repairing it will give me something to do." Ashe pulled out his knife, peering at the edge. Around them, others were doing similar things, the entire mercenary crew honing weapons and killing time until nightfall. They had hours to waste. Ashe loved his job, but the waiting would kill him. Luckily, he was pretty good at thinking up things to do.
"Give me your hand," he said, holding his own out.
Eddie glanced up at him, snorted, and went back to examining her arrows. "Dream on, elf-boy."
Eddie was on to him. Eddie was always on to him. Ashe gave her his most endearing smile. "I promise I won't hurt you. It's a great trick."
"Do it to yourself, and then I'll consider it. I'll dismiss it in the end, but I'll consider it first," she shot back.
"I wouldn't hurt--" He paused, distracted as the medic wandered past. "He's so short for a human."
"Oh gods," Eddie muttered. "Not this again."
Ashe ignored her. "But graceful, you know? Like he knows how to move well."
Katsu had returned to his small supply wagon, glancing through pots and bags. Ashe guessed he was preparing for any injuries they might incur that night, but doubted Katsu would say so. People who asked him questions go the shortest answers possibly. Usually they involved annoyance.
"I should find a reason to talk to him."
"Like you haven't tried," Eddie said dryly.
Ashe sighed. It was true. "Why do you think he's so solitary?"
"Probably because if he wasn't, annoying elves wouldn't leave him alone."
Ashe pondered that, then discarded it with a shake of his head. Beads rattled against each other, tied into his braids. "I don't think that's it."
Eddie snorted.
Now Katsu was crushing something into a powder, corded muscles flexing under the lengths of cloth he wore wrapped around his lower arms. His brow furrowed in concentration and dappled sunlight played across golden skin.
"Ashe!"
He whipped his head back around to focus on Eddie. "What?"
"You're about to start drooling." She grinned at him, setting aside her arrows. "Okay. Come on. Show me this fabulous knife trick."
Ashe grinned and spread his four-fingered hand out on the tree stump, flashed his knife so the sunlight ran down the blade like liquid silver, and said, "Watch closely." The point came down between his thumb and forefinger. He picked it up and stabbed again, between pinky and ring, then ring and fore, moving faster with each pass. When Eddie looked properly impressed, he channeled magic into his arms, feeling it burst like champagne bubbles, and sped up. Faster than a human could go, faster than most elves could go, until the magic boiled almost painfully under his skin and he flicked the knife into the air, lifting both hands to show them off.
Not a nick on any of his fingers. Eddie nodded, duly impressed, as the knife descended. Ashe let his magic fizzle out, snatching the knife before it landed.
Pain sliced through his hand, and he opened it instinctively. The blade clattered to the tree stump. Ashe looked at his palm in surprise; blood ran from a long cut.
"All that," Eddie began to laugh, "and you couldn't catch it? Oh, Ashe..."
He dangled his hand so blood wouldn't run onto his clothes or saddle. Adrenaline and magic kept the throbbing at bay. He gave Eddie a sheepish smile. "It was great while it lasted. Admit it."
She nodded, picking her arrows back up. "While it lasted. And, hey, at least now you have a reason to go see your handsome medic."
Ashe perked up, twisting to look at Katsu. "Oh," he said quietly. "Yeah!" With Eddie's laughter echoing behind him, he hopped up and headed toward Katsu.