The Unknown Thief

Part 12

Chapter 12

Nathaniel stood there in shock as she ran from him.  She had admitted to liking him.  Hope flared in his chest before she pushed it down with a roll of his eyes.  Of course, the woman liked him.  Why else would she attempt to keep him alive while all others had given her a simple solution to her predicament?

“Hurt her and you’ll regret it.”

He looked over at the old woman, who he now knew as Cora.  She was the one who had gotten them into this mess, but she was warning him of hurting their precious Abe?  If Cora had kept her attention somewhere else besides on Aubrey’s affairs, none of this would have happened.  He would not have the chance to hurt the woman.  He shook his head.  “I never planned on hurting her.  I know that you can see it, but I could never do anything to hurt her.  Do you not understand that?  She is different from others.  She has this inner light; I could not be the one to put it out.”

“There are others who will wish to do what you cannot.  Remember, Nathaniel, looks can be deceiving.”

He stared at Cora as she told him this.  It sounded like a warning, something he should keep in mind in his journey.  His eyes flickered towards Aubrey.  A large smile was on her face, but it was not really her face.  It was one that she hid behind.  What would happen if Nathaniel found a way to expose her true form to everyone?  Would they do as she thought and treat her differently?  Or would they still see her as Abe, the one with a dragon who helped them as much as she could?

He turned his attention back to Cora, only to realize the woman was no longer in sight.  Shrugging, he made his way towards the laughing duo, Aubrey and Alin.  Nathaniel would have laughed at how well their names sounded together, but he did not want to laugh, he wanted to pull her away from the man, whose hand was on her arm.  He wanted to push Alin away, but he couldn’t.  He could not do anything but stand there and watch the two joke with one another. 

Stopping a dozen feet away from the two, he stood there and watched.  They were remarkably alike.  Her long, straight, black hair flowed down to her waist, but Alin had her beat when it came to darkness.  The man’s hair was so dark that it had a tint of blue when he moved a certain way.  The brown eyes that were so common with gypsies seemed to bypass Alin.  His eyes were a dark blue color, but Aubrey kept the brown of the gypsies.  One of Alin’s hands reached out and wrapped around Aubrey’s shoulders.  The urge to pull her away hit him once more, but this time, something happened.  Instead of her staying where she was, she flew back towards him.  Before she could slam into him, she turned and threw her hand out. 

His back hit the ground, the air whooshing from his stomach, and light exploded behind his eyes.  Footsteps crunched by his ear.  Her brown eyes came into view, worry etched into them.  “Are you well?”

“You threw me a long way,” he mumbled attempting to find the fire from the camp.  Finally, he spotted it, a small little fire, where he knew it was large in reality.

She dropped down to the ground beside him.  Brushing a piece of hair from his face, she sent him a guilty smile.  “You took me by surprise is all.”

“Yes, well, you had the same effect on me.”

“You should not use your magic on someone like me,” she mumbled with slight anger in her voice.  “What would have happened if I did not hold back at the last second?  How was I to know that it was you?”

“You are right,” he whispered, but she did not listen.

“You could have died.  I could have killed you.  Your family would have come after me.  I would be dead.  Then, my father would have to kill your family, causing a war between the two most powerful families.  It would have been a disaster.”