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“Can you hear them, boy?” I said. “Can you hear him laughing?”
I strained to hear something but the noise didn’t repeat itself. The arjath’s ears flapped like he wanted to fly.
“Go on then,” I said. “Take me to him. Go on.”
The big beautiful beast leaned forward. I eased all pressure off the reins and let him lead me. He broke through a thick copse of leaves and stepped out into the sun on the other side.
I was wrong. The arjath hadn’t been listening for Cleb. He’d been listening for the next best thing.
Their arjaths.
Of course. They spent most of their time in the stables together. It was only natural he was more interested in knowing where they were than the young Titan or human female I was looking for.
The arjaths weren’t tied up. They were perfectly happy grazing on a small patch of nearby grass.
Bianca and Cleb were down in the shallow brook. The water flowed quickly but it was not deep. At the bottom, I spied tiny fish swimming about their feet. Cleb held his breath and dived beneath the surface for them. He exploded from the surface with a huge grin on his lips. He came up empty-handed but he didn’t seem to mind. The fun was in the trying.
Behind him stood the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever set eyes on. Her hair hung in a thick braid over one shoulder. She smiled absentmindedly as she watched Cleb diving for fish. Her smile was magic. It was easy to get swept away in it. Her costume left her arms, stomach, and legs bare.
My imagination didn’t do her justice.
Her curves and the gorgeous lines of her body that I’d imagined the night before were on full display.
Only now they were real and much more attractive for that fact.
“Meeeehh!” my arjath said, breaking the spell.
Bianca snapped to attention and reached for Cleb. She raised a hand to shield her eyes. I would look like a silhouette against the sun from her position.
“It’s only me!” I said. “I’ll be right down!”
Something rustled behind the forest canopy. I never saw what it was. Neither did the arjath, but that didn’t stop him from bucking.
He rose up on his hind legs, knocking me off balance. I fell from the saddle and hit the ground. The steep angle forced me toward the miniature cliff that descended into the brook below. I threw my legs out to dig my heels in the soft soil. I was half a roll too late as the momentum took me forward and I pitched over the side.
I fell face-first into the brook. The impact stung my face and made a wet meaty slap noise. I floundered up onto my feet, the water spilling from my mouth. I wiped the water from my hair and face. My suit was drenched, ruined.
The look on Cleb’s face was one of pure horror. He’d seen how angry I could get—not at him but with workers when things didn’t go to plan. And me falling face-first into a shallow brook was certainly not part of a plan I would ever develop.
While he might have looked upon me with absolute and total horror, Bianca wore a completely different expression. She pressed her lips together and her shoulders jackhammered up and down. Finally, unable to contain it any longer, she burst out laughing.
Cleb turned to look at her, to convince her not to laugh, but the image of me falling headfirst in the water had her wrapping her arms around her waist and her eyes screwed up. She tried to speak but it came out a high-pitched whine.
Cleb looked at me. I looked back at him.
I threw my head back and burst into laughter right alongside her. It was a deep booming sound I’d long since forgotten. I spoke in hushed whispers in my office and nothing ever happened there that produced a rib splitting explosion of laughter like this.
Cleb dared to smile before grinning and joining in with the joke. It wasn’t that funny, but we all needed a good laugh.
I wiped the tears from my eyes. Then I felt something squirming in my pants.
I reached into my pocket and extracted the fish that’d gotten itself trapped in my underwear. It was slippery and I struggled to keep hold of it.
“I think I’ve got a little present for you!” I said.
I hurled the fish onto the riverbank. Cleb’s eyes widened and he followed it out of the water. He dived for the flapping fish.
As the laughter died down, Bianca looked over at me. She had a greater effect on me with those eyes and lips than a thousand daydreams ever could.
