After the Fire (After the Fire: Book the First) by J.L. Murray Read Free Book Online Page A

chasing. Was that a dark creature?” said
Eleni. “I've never seen anything like it.”
    “ Strago ,”
said Fin. “I'm afraid that was from the West. Not a dark
creature, but a dangerous one all the same. I used to come across
them occasionally back home, but I haven't seen one since the fire. I
think they were all hiding underground. The one that attacked you
tried to get me first, just over that ridge. It found
me...distasteful, I suppose. I chased it here. I don't know what I
would have done if I caught up to it, but I was sure I'd think of
something.” He smiled, his features softening. Eleni liked to
look at him. She was fascinated by the way he spoke to her without
cringing. She could never tire of anyone smiling at her. She found
herself smiling back, though the expression felt strange.
    “Your
name,” said Fin, looking at her. “It's not Daci, you
know.”
    Eleni
nodded. “My mother told me. It is from the South. From her
homeland. She struggled with the women of the village when I was
born. They wanted me to have a Daci name. My mother refused, she said
they treated us like outsiders, so she would name me anything she
pleased.” Eleni frowned, her eyes losing focus.
    “You
miss her,” said Fin.
    “Yes,”
said Eleni. “She was very kind. She used to come to see me
after they forced me out of the village. She would comb my hair every
day and tell me I was...” Eleni looked away, her voice
trailing.
    “Tell
you that you were what?” said Fin. “Special? Amazing?
Beautiful?”
    Eleni
smiled. “ Capable of great things, ” she said.
    “How
do you know she's still in there?” said Fin, pointing to the
village with a piece of grass he'd been nibbling.
    “Are
you cold?” said Eleni. “I could start a fire.”
    “Don't
change the subject.”
    Eleni
looked at him. The raven had gotten bored and flown nearby and was
digging at something in the ground with its beak. “I do not
know,” said Eleni. “I only hope.”
    “Good
answer,” said Fin. “Hope is a powerful thing. I don't
envy your predicament.” He looked down at his boots and
furrowed his brow. “What if someone could get her out, to bring
her to safety? What if she's not who you think she is, and she could
survive the winter? Survive anything, really.”
    “I
do not want to speak of this any more,” said Eleni. “She
is a woman, and she will not survive. You would say anything to get
me to go with you.”
    “That's
not true,” he said quietly. “I wouldn't lie to you.”
    “My
mother used to tell me to never trust the words of a man who wants
something. That advice has always served me well with the Daci men,
and it will serve me well with you.”
    “You
can't live like this, Eleni,” Fin said, his voice so low it was
almost a whisper. “No one should live like this, let alone you.
You're better than this. You deserve to be worshiped.”
    Eleni
stood up. “I do not wish to be worshiped,” she said
coolly. “I wish to be treated like a normal woman.”
    “Eleni,”
said Fin. “You will never be normal. You were born to be
extraordinary.”
    “You
know nothing about me,” she said. “I must hunt now.”
    “It's
only just sunset,” said Fin. “Stay a little longer. I'm
sorry.”
    Eleni
turned away. “I have to go.”
    “Eleni,”
Fin was up and touching her shoulder. She looked at him. Most were
afraid to touch her. Like they would catch whatever made her unique.
“Sometimes...” said Fin, seeming to be having a hard time
finding the words. “Sometimes we can't control the way
things happen.”
    “What
are you trying to say?” she said angrily. “Are you going
to try to force me to go?”
    Fin
smiled. “As if I could.”
    “It
would be very difficult,” she agreed.
    “I
hope you will come with me willingly. That you'll change your mind.”
    “How
long will you wait?” said Eleni. “A night? A fortnight?”
    “Yes,”
said Fin.
    “A
winter?” said Eleni. She nodded at the look on his face. “You
see?