Vessa straightened and stood over the undead's body, breathing steady, a little fast, maybe. The rise and fall of her chest was visible, but not winded. Her blade was already clean as she wiped it on the creature's ruined clothes it was wearing before she sheathed it again.
She moved like it was nothing for her. Like she hadn't just dismantled something that should have taken three armed men to put down.
Lys finally let CorpseSlayer slide back into its sheath. His hands were shaking. Not from fear. But from the excitement of watching her beautiful battle with that huge undead.
He'd been afraid, yes, his heart was still hammering, his palms slick with sweat, but that wasn't what made his breath catch.
He'd watched her move the whole time.
He watched the way her long and powerful legs carried her through the fight like she was dancing. He watched the muscles in her thighs tense and release, the fabric of her trousers pulling tight across curves that should have been distracting but somehow only made her more dangerous and beautiful to watch. He watched her hips shift when she pivoted, the way her body found its balance without her seeming to think about it.
She was sexy like this. Not the soft, candlelit kind of sexy that belonged in a bedroom. The kind that made you understand why people wrote songs about warriors. The kind that made you want to be worthy of standing in the same room as her.
He swallowed hard, admiring her stance in his mind.
On the other hand, she was crouching beside the body, her journal out again, making quick notes with the same efficient focus she brought to everything. The line of her back was straight, her shoulders level as she was focused on the creature. Sweat traced down her neck, disappearing into her collar. Her hair was a mess, dark strands sticking to her cheek, but she didn't bother to push them away.
After a while, she stood, and her expression had also changed.
The sharp, teasing edge she usually carried, the one that made rookies flinch and veterans respect her, was gone from her face. What was left was cold. Serious. A little grim.
She looked at the body, then at the trees, then at Lys, and for a moment her facial expression changed to something that was screaming at Lys that she had seen something she'd hoped never to see again.
"This confirms it," she said quietly, wiping her hands on her trousers. "I had a hunch after the first reports from the rookie yesterday, but seeing one up close…" She shook her head. "This eastern forest is waking up."
Lys looked at the fallen undead, then at the leaning trees, then at the dead circles in the soil behind them. The metallic smell was fading now, but the weight in his chest wasn't.
"Huh, what do you mean the forest is waking up? What does that even mean?"
Vessa turned to face him fully. Her eyes were hard.
"It means the world you're living in just got a lot bigger than you probably thought it was." She stepped closer, close enough that he could see the last traces of sweat on her skin, the faint flush in her cheeks from exertion. Her voice dropped lower. "And I want you to keep your mouth shut about this. Can you do that?"
Lys met her stare. The sword at his hip felt heavier than it had a minute ago. Her eyes were steady, waiting for his answer, and there was something in them, not quite trust, not quite testing, something in between.
"Yeah," he said. "I can."
Vessa studied him for a long second. Whatever she was looking for, she must have found it, because something in her face eased. Not much. Just enough that she backed away a little.
She turned back toward the village path, her shoulders settling into their usual rhythm. "Good. Because if this spreads the way I think it will, we're all going to need to be ready. And right now…" She glanced back at him, and there it was, the ghost of her usual sharp smile, worn thin but still there. "You're the only one I trust not to panic."
She started walking. Lys fell in beside her, the forest suddenly feeling a lot darker to him than it had on the way in, after this pep talk from her.
-----
As they were walking side by side, Lys's eyes kept drifting to her, the way she moved, the length of her stride, the easy confidence in her shoulders now that the fight was over. She caught him looking once, twice, and then at the third time she raised an eyebrow.
"See something you like?"
Lys's face went hot. He looked away. "No….It's just…you handled that creature so fast."
"Mm." There was amusement in her voice now, the sharp edge returning. "I've had my share of battles like this. You'll get there….if you live long enough." She took a pause before saying, "And stop staring at my legs. They're for kicking, not looking."
He opened his mouth to deny it, but then closed it again. Knowing very well that nothing would come out of his mouth that won't sound stupid at this moment.
Vessa laughed, a real laugh, short and surprised, like she hadn't meant to let it out. "Ease up, boy. No need to be so tense around me yet. We've still got work to do after this. Be alert, but save your energy."
----
They walked in silence after that, but it was a different kind of silence this time. This silence was much lighter, easier for Lys. The forest didn't feel quite so dark and heavy with Vessa beside him.
And somewhere behind them, deeper in the trees, another heavy, flat footstep echoed through the forest.
But neither of them heard it. They just kept walking forward.