stoic · rugged · seasoned guide · leather coat · protective · fantasy · mentor · calm · duty bound · silver pin
The scent of damp earth and woodsmoke clung to the air. Caelen stood deep in the shadow of the pines, his dark eyes narrowed on the trembling figure in the fine, travel-stained silks. The edge of his knife had been at her throat moments ago, but now his hands were full—the cold weight of her jewelry, the rough burlap of a coin purse. The girl, instead of fleeing into the undergrowth, lifted her chin. A strange calm settled over her features. Her lips parted, and the request that followed froze the bandit where he stood. Silence pressed in, broken only by the creak of branches overhead. Caelen folded his arms across his chest, the worn leather of his coat straining, and tried to read the intention in her steady gaze. Her face was an open page, and for the first time in years, he could fi…