Shielded

by KayLynn Flanders

  “Is the bag special?” he asked.

  My throat tightened. Had they gone through it? Did they recognize a Hálendian uniform when they saw one?

  I shrugged, trying to backtrack for reacting so strongly about my sword. “It was given to me by a friend.” The bag was Turian, so he could make of that what he would.

  He tilted his head toward Luc, still snoring softly. “You’ll have to ask Luc how it fares as a pillow.” He smiled and flicked my braid, which rested on my shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen hair this fair—it’s the color of ripe wheat.” He paused and looked me in the eyes. “Where are you from?”

  I pushed my nervousness, fighting to get to the surface, deep inside and hoped he wouldn’t read the whole story in my eyes. With my hair and skin and accent so different from the Turians’, lying would only raise more suspicion. “I’m…from the north,” I stated, for that much was true. I racked my mind for a new topic and blurted out the first question I thought of. “If you aren’t a healer, what are you?”

  Luc snorted in his sleep, and Teren hesitated. Not for long, but the hesitation was there. “We are in the prince’s guard.”

  Wariness crept into me. Something wasn’t right about his response. My mind raced. I would need to tread a thin line between honesty and deception, but this man could get me into the palace if he really was in the prince’s guard. If he was lying, however, I needed to be very careful what I exposed. I could land in the dungeon. Or worse.

  “When we were fighting, you ducked out of the way of its magic like you could see it,” I said. “Is that what you meant by ‘shimmering waves’?” Someone shifted on a creaky bed in the room beyond ours, then quieted.

  Teren lowered his voice further. “I’ve never seen magic before. I mean, I’ve never been anywhere magic has been used, so I didn’t know I could ‘see’ it.” He pulled at a stray thread on his trousers.

  He glanced at the ring on my hand, which rested on my stomach. Instead of asking about it, he said, “Do you know what those things were?”

  I chose my words carefully. “I’ve only had to fight one other. ‘Shadowmen’ is my own name for them; I don’t actually know what they are.”

  Teren pushed his hand through his tangled dark hair. “Men made of shadow that fight with poisoned blades and use magic.”

  The beginning of a smile bloomed on my lips. “They are definitely the deadliest shadows I’ve ever encountered.”

  He grinned back and lay down. “Are you still traveling to Turiana? Or are you on your way home?”

  A heaviness fell over me at the thought of home. And a little bit at the thought of leaving these two men behind. Teren and I both carried secrets. Too many secrets. And there was a war between our people, but we had fought the shadowmen like we’d trained together for years.

  “I— Yes. I’m still traveling to Turiana.” I’d stay with them to the healer’s, and then I’d sneak away and find my own way to the palace. I wasn’t sure it was the right move—I didn’t have the head for strategy that Ren did.

  Teren rested his hands behind his head. “Then let us accompany you. With the shadowmen out there, we’ll stand more of a chance as a group.”

  “But we’re going to the healer first, right?” I asked as the fuzzy haze of sleep started to creep in.

  He paused—a beat too long. “Healer first.”

  My eyes were heavy with exhaustion. I should have stayed wary of this stranger next to me, but even with all the secrets between us, I felt something I hadn’t truly felt in weeks: safe.

  My eyes were shutting without my permission and my mind was full of wool. “I’m sorry for stealing your horse,” I said, though I hadn’t meant to.

  He chuckled. “I’m glad you did,” he whispered, and I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.

  “Why can’t I stay awake?” I mumbled, letting my body sink into the blankets.

  “It’s the wintergrain root.” His voice was soft as he nestled down, too. “You need sleep to help your body heal. Don’t fight it.”

  “I’m not fighting it,” I slurred.

  Teren’s chuckle rumbled in his chest, his warmth beside me again. I shifted closer to him as I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, unable to resist.

  * * *

  The light filtering through the rough burlap covering the cottage’s only window was still purple when I woke.

  A cold ache throbbed in my middle, but it was localized around the wound. The rest of me was warm. I moved to try to get a better look around the cottage and saw Luc asleep on the ground, but the arm around me tightened. My back was pressed against Teren’s hard chest. Heat rose in my cheeks. I pulled away enough to turn on my side and face him, but that only made it worse.

  “Waitdon’t…Whattimeisit?” Teren’s face was inches from mine, his eyes still shut. He’d shifted even closer to me in his sleep, and I could feel his breath moving the strands of my hair. I lifted his arm from my waist. He stirred again, this time opening his eyes. I ran a hand over my hair to make sure my braid was still tight. His eyes followed the movement, smiling and blinking like he was about to fall asleep again.

  “Wake up.” I whispered, nudging his chest with my hand and becoming very aware of the muscles underneath. I snatched my hand back.

  “Teren!” I hissed, trying not to wake Luc.

  He blinked again, this time rubbing his eyes. We both sat up and scooted away from each other. “I…What? Sorry. Are you in pain? What can I get you?” He passed his hands over his eyes and hair. One side of his hair stuck straight up, and I couldn’t help but stare at it, a smile creeping onto my face.

  He fidgeted under my scrutiny and reached for the water. He cupped some in his hands, scrubbed it over his face, and then pushed his wet hands through his hair, making it stand on end in dark waves. My skin blazed, but I couldn’t stop looking.

  When he caught me, my blush reached the tips of my ears. His mouth curved up, with laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. His bottom teeth were a little crooked; it made me like his smile even more.

  Luc coughed loudly and rolled over with a groan, and whatever moment we were sharing ended abruptly.

  Teren nudged his friend with his foot. “What’s the matter, old man—can’t take a night on the floor?”

  Luc stood and stretched, his back popping with the motion. “I’m going to wash up. Outside.” He glanced at Teren as he walked by.

  “I think I’ll join him,” Teren said, baring his teeth in an attempt at a smile. He rubbed the top of his leg. “Check the bandaging on your wound, and see if we need to rewrap it.”

  When they’d ducked out the low door, I untied the yellow scarf and ran my fingers through my hair, rebraiding it and wrapping the scarf back around it. Then I lifted the hem of my blouse. The bandage itself was mostly red. I breathed through my nose deeply once, then pulled the scrap of blanket away from the cut. It was only white around the edges, no green tinge anywhere. But a trickle of blood oozed out. I tore another strip off the tattered blanket and added it around the saturated one.

  Teren and Luc stepped back into the cottage, and I yanked my blouse down, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from wincing.

  “How is it feeling?” Teren whispered, casting a glance at Luc.

  “It’s good. Better today.” I tucked my blouse into my skirt and slipped my feet into my boots, keeping my eyes down as I replied. I didn’t want to waste more time sleeping off wintergrain root, and I definitely didn’t want him sewing me shut. The sooner we got to a healer, the sooner I could get my bearings and get to the palace.

  “If we’re leaving before the farmer wakes up, I’d suggest we hurry,” Luc whispered.

  They helped me fold the blankets into a pile by the cold hearth, Luc muttering about niceties the whole time. They grabbed their vests and swords, and I slung my bag over my sh
oulder.

  “Let’s go,” I whispered. The icy ache was already branching out again.

  * * *

  “Are you doing okay?” Teren ducked his head toward mine so I could hear him over the pounding hooves and wind. I nodded, not sure he’d hear me if I answered out loud. Not sure he’d believe me.

  We had been riding for a couple of hours, and my hips and legs ached as they readjusted to being on a horse and sharing a saddle.

  We rode past more boscos and endless fields. The land here seemed older, softer. Like the elements had smoothed out the rough edges I was used to in Hálendi. Tall, skinny trees or low stone walls marked the boundaries between farms, and square cottages in stands of trees dotted the fields.

  When we weren’t passing through farmland, the long grass reached the belly of our horse, and enormous flowers dotted the countryside in bright reds, yellows, and blues. The only flowers that grew in the wilderness of Hálendi were small, hardy enough to survive the harsh winters and short summers.

  Riding with Teren at my back, his arms cradling me, simultaneously eased the pain and made my heart beat faster. He didn’t seem affected at all—leaning down to point out deer in a field or a hawk circling above us. I had to remind myself several times an hour that I didn’t know who he was or, more importantly, what it was he was lying about. I knew Luc didn’t trust me, but Teren’s feelings were harder to guess.

  “Let’s water the horses,” Luc shouted from ahead of us as he reined in his stallion near a river and a grove of trees with vibrant green leaves and tiny white flowers.

  Teren dismounted, then waited as I slid off the saddle, holding my skirt down as I went. Between riding for so long and the icy ache spreading into my limbs, I fell into him as soon as my feet hit the ground. His arms encircled me, holding me up, for exactly three heartbeats.

  I pulled away when I could stand on my own and hobbled to the stream by Luc. I all but collapsed on the bank, cupping my hands to the clear water, drinking it down, and letting the liquid coat my throat and stomach. Luc splashed his face and neck, but Teren dunked his whole head in the stream and shook out his hair, spraying water everywhere. I laughed and splashed him back, shivering, the ice inside swirling together with the heat from the sun.

  Teren jerked to the side to avoid the water and locked eyes with me. A slow, appreciative smile tipped his lips up.

  He was even more handsome when he smiled like that. Too handsome. My gaze dropped to the water, and I filled my hands, drinking as much as I could.

  Luc cleared his throat. “We should…relieve ourselves.” He nodded toward the grove. “So we don’t have to stop again.”

  I was too tired to even blush as Teren nodded and headed into the trees. Luc stood watch, tense and ready for some animal to jump out, but there were only the birds chirping happily above. I waited on the bank with Luc and wondered how I’d extricate myself from their company once we’d gotten to the healer’s.

  The sun, fully risen now, was scorching me despite the skirt and light blouse Irena had lent me. My fur-lined boots didn’t help anything, and I felt a bruise forming where my sword had bounced at my hip all day. I wiped the sweat from my brow and assessed the filthy state of my clothing. A shadow passed over me.

  “Here,” Luc grunted while holding out his hand. I grasped it and pulled myself up, trying to hide the stiffness in my back and hips and shoulders and side.

  I nodded in thanks. I wasn’t sure what to make of Luc. His hands were weathered, and his brown eyes lit with intelligence. He was loyal and protective, yet he also held some kind of authority over Teren, though it had its limits. Like an older brother. Like Ren. I sighed.

  Luc broke the awkward silence. “Teren said you’d fought the shadowmen before.”

  I glanced to where Teren had entered the trees. “Just once.”

  “Do you know why your wound was poisoned and mine wasn’t?” His stance was relaxed, but his eyes held a glint of suspicion.

  My brow furrowed for a moment. “You were wounded?” I looked him over, and he shifted under my gaze.

  “It was just a scratch,” he responded, lifting the loose sleeve of his shirt to show me a shallow gash on his forearm.

  My mind raced through the possibilities. “I assumed it was an effect of their black blades.” Luc’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, so I turned the question back to him. “Do you know why I was poisoned?”

  “No.” His response was short, and he took a step away, but only one. “I don’t trust you, but thank you. For fighting with us against them.”

  My lips quirked into a half smile, and I touched a fist to my opposite shoulder with a nod before realizing that wasn’t done here.

  Luc noticed, but instead of commenting on it, he held my elbow and led me to a fallen tree so I could sit in the shade. “You look like you’re about to fall over,” he grumbled. “And you need a hat.” He gestured vaguely to his face, and I realized my skin must be bright red from exposure to the sun.

  I winced as I put a cold hand to my tender cheeks. “My hat is back in Teano.”

  He only grunted. “What part of Hálendi are you from?”

  I rubbed the spot on my forehead where a headache was blossoming and shivered again. “Who says I’m from Hálendi?”

  He scoffed. “My eyes say so, that’s who.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “You don’t trust me, and you haven’t given me a reason to trust you, so you’ll forgive me if I keep my past private.”

  Luc was about to reply when my senses snapped alert. The birds had quieted and grass rustled next to his leg. I pulled the knife from my boot and threw it in one smooth motion.

  Luc jumped away and drew his sword with a yell.

  “Stop,” he commanded, the blade pointed at my neck. I raised my arms away from my body.

  “Easy,” I murmured. “Look where it landed.”

  He squinted at me but glanced down. His head jerked back when he saw my knife in a long green snake, and he lowered his sword to his side.

  I slowly approached and kicked it to make sure the animal was dead.

  “How did you…” Luc was breathing hard, blinking at the bright-yellow belly of the snake, which had been a foot from his leg. With bright colors like that, it had to be poisonous.

  “Instinct,” I said with a shrug as I pulled my knife out of the snake and wiped the blade on the grass, then tucked it back into my boot.

  He blew out the air in his lungs in a gust and sheathed his sword. We both turned as Teren returned from the bosco. Luc gestured for me to go next, and I tried to keep my gait smooth as I searched for a private spot.

  After finding relief behind a large rock, I lifted my blouse. The bandage was now soaked with blood and sweat. I couldn’t decide if I felt more cold or hot as nausea roiled through my stomach. I dabbed at the sweat on my forehead and tugged my blouse away from my sticky skin as I picked my way back to the meadow. I hoped we were almost to the healer—I didn’t know how much longer I’d last on horseback.

  “I don’t think she was lying,” I overheard Teren say by the horses.

  I stopped out of sight and held my breath, straining to hear anything else.

  “I heard what she said about the shadowmen last night,” Luc said, and my jaw snapped shut.

  He’d been awake while Teren and I spoke? That sneaky little—

  “You have to admit she didn’t tell you the entire truth. She didn’t tell you why their magic didn’t affect her. Didn’t tell you who she was visiting in Turiana. She’s lying to get us to trust her.”

  “Or she’s telling enough truth to let us know she’s on our side.”

  Someone adjusted the reins of a horse, and Luc answered so quietly I could barely hear him. He didn’t sound angry or upset, just cautious. Worried. “Her sword is ancient, she’s got a Hálendian uniform in her bag, and
her kingdom just declared war on ours.”

  My hand wrapped around Ren’s book in my pocket, and I leaned against the tree hiding me, its rough bark scraping against my cheek. I could run now, but I wouldn’t get far—not in my current state.

  “But the bag is Turian, and her uniform is old and patched.” My heart lightened the tiniest bit, but then Teren continued. “I’m not saying we should trust her implicitly, but she did kill those shadowmen. And maybe she knows something about Jennesara.”

  I breathed out slowly. He’d said my name with…disdain. Lorenz and Irena didn’t have a problem with a foreigner on the throne, but maybe the palace did.

  “What if she saw something, Luc? What if she has proof, or knows—”

  A branch snapped loudly somewhere behind me, and they fell silent. I cursed under my breath, then rustled the bush next to me before walking into view.

  Luc passed by on his way to the trees and stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Thank you,” he said begrudgingly. “For the snake.”

  I shrugged, not sure I trusted myself to answer without snapping at him. He was right to be suspicious, but I was tired.

  He held on. “You’re bleeding.”

  I looked down at the darkened spot of blood on my blouse. I sighed and shaded my eyes from the bright sunlight behind him.

  “I can make it to the healer.” My mouth stretched in an ironic smile. “I don’t think riding a horse at a canter is helping, but I’ll manage.” His brow furrowed in what looked like concern. I gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You just worry about the long grass.”

  He snorted in response and stalked off with a smile. The change in his face was drastic—the light in his eyes intensified, and he was actually pleasant without the scowl.

  I untied my bag from Teren’s horse and collapsed onto the ground nearby, rummaging for whatever food I had left from Irena. I didn’t feel like eating, but I needed to keep up my strength. The last time I didn’t eat, the Wild had nearly swallowed me whole. Wretched Wild.