42: Of hunters and mountain goats

Of hunters and mountain goats

She momentarily lost her concentration, wincing when the bridge of her nose was kissed by the very first snow of that winter. 

Many more snowflakes fluttered high over her head after that first bold one. Falling from the sunless sky, the snow crystals landing on her coat lingered a few seconds more, but the ones touching the ground on the eastern side of Lanark's Forest melted immediately.

She closed her eyes practicing a childhood ritual of making a wish whenever the gates between heavens and earth were opened like this. May my soul and Kannen's soar over these lands together as one. 

"Adelaide," 

Her father uttered her name with concern.

She opened her eyes, a melancholic gleam inside of them.

"I will be right back, father"

Walking purposefully, she headed where her father's lands ended and the ones hijacked by the von Conradies started, passing Andreas on her way there with a small nod that he politely returned.

She sensed both, her father's heated gaze on her back and the man dragging his silent feet right behind her, she came to a halt near a big tree that innocently yet conveniently hid half of her body from curious eyes.

She needed all the coverage she could manage for this.

"What do you think you are doing?" Adela snapped when he stopped and looked down at her.

He crossed his arms against his broad chest, his eyes looking straight ahead for a second.

"Hunting,"

She slightly leaned behind, covering her face completely from their audience, "I meant your eyes!" she whispered.

He frowned, perplexed by what she was saying, "What about them?"

Adjusting her posture once more, she searched his honest face for a moment too long then frowned right back at him.

"They were a bit… red for a moment,"

She half expected Egon to laugh at her, but the stupefied expression on his face was a form of confirmation.

Her face softened, "I do not think it is something others should see right now,"

Nor ever. But she diplomatically left those two words out and kept them for herself.

"Are you telling me that you saw my eyes change… Like this?"

His question allowed her to anticipate the change, but seeing it up close was once again, shocking. It was a shift in his dark brown eyes—his pupils decreased in size, and a ruby-colored ring encircled them. His ability to simply blink them back to normal was no less amazing to her.

Egon observed Adela's eyes as intensely as she observed his. He seemed deeply bothered as he ran a hand through his wet black hair and then rubbed his face harshly. His bronze skin took a reddish tint when he spoke after that.

"No need to worry about your precious knights, their eyes cannot see the abomination,"

Abomination? Egon was breath-taking—a sight to behold. But he was right about something else, none of her companions was fixated on him, none watched his every move, nobody observed him like she did.

"…Only you can see me for what I am," he clarified, misleading her instead.

She gulped; the forbidden knowledge was too tempting.

"What are you?"

He stared blankly at her, "A beast,"

"A beast?" She repeated in a bewildered tone. The gap between her brows narrowed.

What is a beast? Apart from an adjective of self-loathing, she was unable to categorize the word under any of the monsters she heard or studied about.

"More importantly, we must discuss what happened in my room,"

She could not afford to talk about that right now, not when she was trying to save him.

She looked away, "We will discuss that if and when I want to,"

"...I have recently learned that noblewomen bear much resemblance to mountain goats,"

Adela flushed beet red, "I beg your pardon?!"

To her utter mortification, he looked very serious.

"I grew up watching them maneuvering harsh climates, unhindered by strong winds or snow, they move along steep slopes and climb safely in perfect balance because of their cloven hooves... Stubborn as hell, just like you..."

She had never heard him make such a long and excited speech. But it was hard not to take the comparison as an insult.

"They are fascinating," he concluded. 

Once again, the extremity of her heart's reaction to his words was unacceptable. She fought against the exposing tempo, too afraid of his other unknown superpowers.

If by a miracle she could dream of having anything to do with Egon before, she could not now. Not after what he did to her Kannen.

She steeled herself, "I am not a goat, Egon. I am a featherless falcon that can never fly again,"

He glared, "I am not sorry for putting him out of his misery,"

"Aren't you sorry for stealing him away from me then?"

"Stealing… Is that so? Should I gather that you no longer seek an amicable settlement of the dispute between our families?"

"Whatever for?" Her eyes lingered on his outfit, "The hunter will always win,"

His eyes darkened, "Yes, and don't you ever forget that. I will always take that which is mine, Adelaide, by force, if necessary," he threatened. 

"...If only you took care of that which you come to possess,"

"I do," he snapped.

"My father's land ended up poisoned, and my friend ended up dead,"

She argued as calmly as she could, finally ready to share her reflections with him.

"...Before Kannen, I never knew loss... I would have been a hypocrite to claim that I knew of your pain. But having tasted that sorrow now, I feel entitled of judging it,"

He waited patiently for her to finish, but unlike his face, his body radiated anxiety.

"This endless thirst for vengeance...I refuse to be a part of it... and I pity the likes of you,"

She turned her head to the other side, "I have to go,"

He leaned forward forcing her to lean back and hiding both of them behind the wide tree.

"Not like this... don't go like this,"

She placed a hand over her throbbing stomach, this was goodbye. 

"Should I stay so you could find another way to hurt me?... Will you find closure after that?"

"Adela..."0

She shook her head to minimize the effect his deep voice had on her.

"You are choosing captivity, a willing prisoner of somebody else's past... I hope you are happy with your choice,"

She went around the tree and then walked away from him.

"This conversation is not over," he said before she went too far, "Next time we meet, remember that it was your fault for not finishing what you have started,"

Farewell, Egon. She hurried back to her father's land where she belonged. 

pqdm.com