Free Light of Epertase 01: Legends Reborn by Douglas R. Brown

a flash, something definitely moved. His straps cracked themselves against the rocky river bank in a display of dominance.
    Stop drawing attention, he screamed in his head. Amazingly, the straps lowered calmly onto the rocks. If Rasi didn’t know better, he might think his appendages had understood him. He knew their first instinct was to attack, yet they relaxed. Maybe, he wondered, their years of hunting with him as their host had taught them a bit of trust in his skills. Perhaps they finally realized that his way, in the end, gave them ample opportunity to kill. Or maybe they simply had the same plan. No matter the cause, Rasi told himself it was progress.
    He crouched to hide himself. Could Elijah’s soldiers have found him after all this time? Did Alina tell them where he was? He left the cotee on the rocks as he crawled toward the cave.
    The intruder shuffled back into the dusk light briefly before disappearing into the mouth of his cave. That one fleeting glimpse of the intruder’s face caused him to forget how to breathe.
    She came back?
    His feet moved faster than he ever thought they could. Within ten horse-lengths, he froze with a terrible realization.
    A trap!
    He backed from the trail into the dark shadows of brush and rock, angry for allowing his emotions to best him. Where are the soldiers? How could he have been so sloppy?
    “Rasi,” her voice echoed from inside.
    Her voice was as melodious as he remembered. It had to be a trap.
    “Rasi?” she shouted again, this time from deeper within the cave. “Are you here? It is I, Alina.”
    Rasi didn’t know how to respond. He barely knew her, yet something about her seemed safe. He eyed the terrain for as far as he could see. Nothing appeared out of place; most importantly, nothing led him to believe he had been set up. Besides, if she had brought soldiers, surely they wouldn’t let her get so far in front of them. Not with a hated criminal such as himself. His mind argued with his heart. He knew not to fall for such an obvious ploy, but he also needed to see her more than he needed food or water or even life. With a grit of his teeth, his heart won.
    Alina? He peeked into the cave. The flicker of his almost doused fire bounced across the soft silk of her exposed cheek. The soaking blanket draped over her head for cover dropped to the floor.
    She looked at him with unsure excitement.
    He wanted to smile but expected to be pounced on from behind and that fear brought him sadness unlike any he had felt in many years.
    His face must have reflected his sadness because she asked, “Rasi, what troubles you?”
    Rasi braced for the swarm of guards. When they come, he had already decided, he wouldn’t fight them. Her face alone was worth his hanging.
    Why did you come back? After what I did for you, why would you lead them to me?
    “What do you mean? Rasi, no.” Her shoulders dropped; her face wore concern. She scooped her wet blanket into her arms and ran toward him. He stumbled back a step. His straps rose above, uneasily.
    “Rasi, I’d never.” She stopped before she reached him with her eyes on his straps. He stared at the ground. One by one his straps lowered, as if sensing that the threat had passed. She wrapped the blanket around his chest and pulled him against her soft body.
    This couldn’t be real. He felt her breathing on his chest and it sent a chill up his neck. Against his every instinct, for a reason he still couldn’t explain, he trusted her completely. Maybe because she smelled like angels must.
    You shouldn’t have come, he whispered in his mind.
    “I had to see you again. You saved me. I’ll never forget that. I wasn’t followed, I assure you. My father believes I’ve turned in for the night.”
    She whispered, “They say you killed a girl. I don’t believe it.”
    Rasi turned away. I’ve killed a lot of people.
    Her silence told him that his words startled her. He turned back and stared into her green eyes. I would never hurt