Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter 13

Forbidden Fruit

            
 
T
he light of the sun faded into the horizon when the moon lifted into the sky above the temple gardens.  Raiven was using her spare time to practice spell work by bringing dead plants back to life.  Though she usually enjoyed quiet evenings in her garden, tonight was different.  From behind the hanging branches, she could feel his eyes watching her. 

              As much as she wanted to ignore him, she could not overlook the greedy stare that invaded her privacy.  She was not expecting his company tonight and therefore, she did not dress appropriately for her unwelcomed guest, and regretted wearing a flowing nightgown with a silk robe over it.  She tried to continue her spells, but as she was distracted by his unsettling stare, one of the plants she was trying to revive, shriveled up.  “Oh no!” she whispered to herself.

              The general stepped out into the open, and walked up behind her.  “I am sure you can figure out a way to fix it.  You are a talented woman after all.”

              Raiven pulled her robe tight around her body in an attempt to cover herself.  “What do you want Kenshiro?”

              “Good evening to you too.”

              She rolled her eyes before turning around to face him.  He scanned her body up and down.  “You certainly have grown into your wardrobe quite well.”

              His words made her cringe in disgust.  “Trust me.  I wore it for my comfort, not your pleasure.”

              He chuckled.  “Raiven, how can you expect me to ignore such beauty?  It would not be right.  I am your cousin, chief guardian, and the one who protects you night and day.  I promised your parents I would watch over you for all my life.  No one cares about you more than I do, and the way I see it, nobody deserves to enjoy your exquisite body more than me.” 

              “I am well aware of the security you have provided to me, but you should not look upon me in such a manner.  I will be forever grateful for your guardianship, but you are my
cousin
.”

              “Do you feel it is inappropriate for me to see you that way because we are family?  Raiven, that only means we have a stronger connection to each other.  It is not uncommon for relatives to have romantic relationships, especially those of high stature, like us.” 

              He moved in closer to her, brushing his fingertips against her cheek.  “You have developed into a gorgeous young woman.  You should take it as a compliment when I look at you this way.”

Raiven pushed his hand away from her face, and for a second his grin turned into a snarl, before he regained his composure.  It was apparent he was beginning to lose patience with her attitude.

“Kenshiro, I appreciate the admiration, but I have other things I must focus on, like my duties to the temple.  I do not have the time to be vain enough to worry about the beauty Vesalys has blessed me with, and you should not either.  Has the position of General become boring to you so quickly that you must preoccupy yourself with my looks?”

              “No, it has not, but I have been thinking about you more because one day soon I must take a wife.  I thought since you are of age and I have vowed to watch over you, I could better perform these duties as your husband.”

              Her jaw dropped and she could not believe what he was suggesting.

              “Do not look at me like that, dear cousin.  Who else is more worthy of you than myself?”  He stuck out his chest with pride.  “Are you not lonely behind these temple walls, always trying to run away?  I can help you feel free.”  He held her shoulders and spoke into her ear.  “I can help give you release.”

              Sickened by his comment, she whimpered as his lips brushed against her ear.  She tried to pull away from his grip, but he held to her shoulders and massaged them as he continued to speak.

              “Please, do not be so quick to turn me down.  All I ask is that you consider me as an option when the time comes for courtship.  Just think about the possibilities.”  Kenshiro, appearing enraptured by his own fantasies, gazed out into the night sky as if he could see their future unfolding amongst the stars. 

              “Soon I will be Warden of Havencrest, and with you by my side, running the temple, we will be unstoppable.  You will eventually become the High Priestess and I will follow you to Cleary Court.  Both of us are destined to rise through the ranks and our bloodline will stay pure.  After we are gone, a legacy will be left in our wake.  Generations to follow shall remember us in the history books when they write of our great accomplishments.” 

              “Kenshiro, I see you as my cousin and nothing more.  I am sorry to have to say this, but you are making me uncomfortable.  Please let me go.”

              He released her from his grip and gave her a cold stare.  “I see.  You just need some time to think about everything I have shared with you to appreciate what it is I am offering.  Remember, I am a strong warrior with no equal and am the worthiest of courting you.  Surely, you will see the logic in my offer once you mull it over.” 

Without replying, Raiven gave him a small bow as if to dismiss him.  He pursed his lips, bowed in return, and then stormed off.

She sat on the grass and twisted up her face in frustration before collapsing backwards, sprawling out on the ground.  “Vesalys, shine your light on my heart.  How can I love him when my heart belongs to another?  What should I do?”

She stared up at the glittering stars as she awaited an answer, but all she could hear was the fish in the pond splashing around.  Raiven placed her hands over her face and exhaled with a groan of frustration. 

“Vesalys, what should I do?” she whispered, and then dragged her hands down her face to reveal familiar icy blue eyes staring down at her.

“Hmmm, I do not know about Vesalys, but if you ask me you should stick with your heart.”  He shrugged and sat next to her.  “Not to mention, your cousin is repulsive.  You deserve better.”

              She turned on her side, propped herself up on her elbow and beamed at him.  Raiven was no longer surprised by his sudden appearances because they had been meeting regularly since the first night he snuck into the garden.  Their time together had given them the chance to grow closer and get to know one another.

              “It took all my strength to not leap out of the bushes and attack him.  I am not one to get jealous easily, but it is hard seeing another man pine over you, especially Kenshiro.  Hearing him speak that way makes my stomach turn.”

              She grabbed his wrist and pulled him next to her.  “There is no need to be jealous, Sytravious.  He is my cousin, and my feelings for him do not extend beyond that.  Please do not worry yourself over him.”  Raiven smiled and pressed his hand to her cheek.  The feel of his rough palm caressing her face was a welcomed touch on her blushing skin.

              He gave her a half-hearted smile in return and said, “As you wish, my dear priestess, though I am afraid tonight your cousin is not the sole cause of my stress.  Honestly, I came here because my mind is a mess and I thought seeing your face would make everything better.”

              “There is no need to flatter me, just tell me what is it that is bothering you?”

              “What if everything you have been told up until now was a lie?  All the lessons you have been taught and all the stories of Vesalys, false.  How would you feel?”

              “That is ridiculous; of course it is not a lie.  I use the gifts she has blessed me with every day when I heal the injured, protect the weak---”

              “But
what if
you found out you were being deceived and that your magic came from somewhere other than Vesalys’ blessings.  How would you feel?”

              “Sytravious…”  Her voice faded into silence.  She was perplexed by his inquiry and did not know how to reply.

              “Never mind, forget I asked.  It was a theoretical question and I wanted your perspective.  I did not mean to disconcert you, my priestess.”

              “Do not brush it off, I want to help.  Where is this all coming from?”  Raiven started to worry when she could tell how hesitant he was to answer. 

              “All my life I have been raised and trained a certain way.  I went along with it because I thought it could lead up to something important, but now I am not so sure I want to pursue that course in my life anymore.”

              She sighed and clasped his hand in an effort to comfort him.  “I suppose if I came to the realization that everything I was taught was for nothing, I would be forced to reevaluate what I want from life and consider what is important to me.  If you do not want to be a blacksmith anymore because it is not everything you thought it would be, you can always learn a new trade, one you are passionate about.”

              He scoffed at her remark and muttered, “Yeah,
blacksmith
.” 

              It was possible she could have misheard him, but before she could dwell on the comment his voice cut into her confusion. 

              “Raiven, it is easier said than done.  Why do things have to be this way?  There are always people who think they know what is best for me, but it is all for their own selfish objectives.  You should understand better than anyone I know!  You were raised in the temple, told what is right and wrong, how to think and feel, but do you really know anything besides what has been instilled in you?”

              Sytravious seemed as if he could no longer contain his emotions regarding the matter.  He stood up and threw his arms up in exasperation.  “You and I, we meet here at night so that no one will find out, but why do we have to hide our feelings for each other if it is what makes us happy?  Because others believe it is wrong for us to be together?  Why should their opinions matter in our lives?”

              “What are you saying, Sytravious?”

              “I am saying I am tired of hiding who I am and how I feel.  I want to leave this place and take you with me.  We can travel far away and go south, past the mountains, where nobody will bother us.”

              “I get it, you are upset.  I know how exhausting it is to hide who you really are, and as much as I hate certain aspects of being a priestess, I love helping my people.  I do not want to abandon them if they need me.  Everything I sacrifice is because Vesalys has asked me to by blessing me with the tools to aid them.  Moreover, even if I did decide to go along with your plan, what you are proposing is pointless.  Are you not aware of the great sand storm that prevents anyone from passing through to the south?  No one has ever made it through, and I am sure you know that.  So unless you would like to go to die together, there is no purpose in making that trip.”

              As soon as the words left her mouth, she was ashamed of herself.  “I am sorry.  I should not have been so quick to disregard your aspirations.” 

              Sytravious did not respond.

              “I really do apologize for my rudeness,” she reiterated. 

              He continued to glare in the direction of the half-moon that lit up the night.

              Raiven got up and held him in an embrace.  “I am concerned, share with me what is going on inside that head of yours.”

              “You are the Priestess of Havencrest, destined to one day be the High Priestess of Valcrest and I am just a…”  He held his breath for a moment before proceeding.  “Just a blacksmith.”

              “Sytravious, what your occupation is does not matter to me. 
Who
you are is what I cherish.  You are so much more than a blacksmith to me.”  She placed her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. 

              “Now, I do not know what has sparked this crisis with your inner self, but delve down into the core of who you genuinely are and the path will become clear.  You have to follow your heart, despite what others may say.”

              She remained fixated on his expressionless face as she tried to decipher his mood.  “Sytravious, please know I am here whenever you need someone to confide in.  I will always liste---” 

              Without warning, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips until she pulled back and with bated breath asked, “What are you doing?”  The sudden warmth that flourished from the depths of her body took her aback. 

              “If you will not run away with me, then please, for just a few moments, can we forget who and where we are?  Can we just pretend it is only you and I in this world and that nothing else matters?”

              Still reeling from the kiss, her mind could not form the words she wanted say, so she nodded.  At the sign of her approval, he resumed their kiss.  Raiven closed her eyes, wanting to appreciate every new sensation she was experiencing.  His nose pressed against hers, and the stubble around his mouth rubbed against her soft skin.  When his fingers stroked her hair, she was overcome with passion and broke away from the kiss to inhale a deep breath of cool evening air.  Her body temperature was rising.  Her heart felt as if it was about to jump out of her chest at any moment.