by W.J. May
He hit the side of his head so hard that the ear-horn popped right out.
The rest of the dwarves stared down at it, but said nothing. Katerina stared up at her abductors, but had no idea where to start. Should she just make up a family? Should she say that they’d all died? What province should she say they hailed from?
…shouldn’t someone pick up that poor man’s ear-horn?
“Actually,” she began hesitantly, “I lost my family. Just a few weeks ago. My village supported me for as long as they could, and when that stopped I set out on my own.”
A profound silence followed this remark. She couldn’t tell whether it was a good or a bad thing. Resisting the urge to over-embellish with details, as was her custom, she lowered her eyes to the ground, praying for someone to venture onto the street and see her there.
Not that I should expect any help…
“You lost your family, eh?” The tallest of the dwarves stepped forward, a man with a ginger beard that trailed all the way down to the street. “And how did that conveniently ill-timed tragedy come about?”
Katerina was almost offended. If she really had lost her family, that would have been an incredibly insensitive thing to say. Then again, she supposed the whole ‘kidnap with the intent to ransom’ thing was insensitive enough.
“They died in a fire,” she murmured in a low voice, hoping like hell the tears in her eyes would be misconstrued as grief. “It destroyed our entire farm. I was away at a friend’s. By the time I got back in the morning, everything was gone.”
The dwarf’s eyes flashed knowingly as he took a step forward, leaving his ring of companions behind. Up close, it was even easier to see that dwarves were clearly built for the mining that had made them so famous in the time before the rebellion, that had made them so valuable to the crown. That is, until the crown felt threatened like it always did and decided to decimate their entire race. The little fellow might have been small, but he was nothing but pure muscle.
And right now, all of it was directed straight at Katerina.
“A fire,” he repeated softly, staring deep into her eyes. “And it destroyed your entire farm.”
She’d thought it was a good excuse at the time, but suddenly it couldn’t sound less believable. Her face flushed as he came even closer, towering over her as she huddled on the street.
“Pray tell, good lady…where was this farm?”
Game over.
A sudden chill swept over the princess as she realized she was out of cards. Yes, she’d studied the different provinces as a child back at the castle, but she couldn’t remember any of their names let alone which ones were cities versus agricultural centers.
What was worse, she suspected the ginger dwarf knew it all along.
“It was…” She cringed as his eyes flashed with rage. “It was near…”
There was a ghastly profanity as the dwarf raised his hand once more.
Katerina braced for the impact, but just before he could strike several things happened at once.
A streak of light flashed through the darkness. The dwarf fell backwards with a gasp of surprise. And Katerina was lifted to her feet, a strong arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She pulled in a silent breath, staring up at a familiar head of dark hair as a surge of relief warmed her body. But just as quickly as it had come, that relief melted away into the cold night.
“Dylan?”
The arm disappeared. Along with the warmth that came with it.
“Craston?”
The dwarf who’d been about to strike her let out a burst of laughter as Dylan took a step away from Katerina, staring in surprise. One by one, the rest of the deadly gang relaxed their positions, bustling cheerfully forward to shake his hand.
“It’s been ages!” The ginger dwarf clapped him cheerfully on the shoulder. Well, he tried. It ended up being more in the center of his back. “Not since that smuggling operation in Kail! You know, the one where you so graciously decided to distract the magistrate’s daughter.”
The tops of Dylan’s cheeks flushed pink as he gave the man a playful shove. “I thought we agreed never to talk about that again.”
Katerina stared between them in complete dismay. One second, her rescue had seemed almost inevitable. But now? She’d be surprised if they didn’t all decide to go out for drinks!
No, no, no! Don’t LIKE him! FIGHT him!
The dwarf straightened the back of Dylan’s coat, and she closed her eyes with a grimace.
“Well, what brings you up to these parts?” Dylan finally had the sense to ask, bending down at the same time to return the stray ear-horn. “What’re you doing here?”
Yeah, anyone remember me?! The girl in the process of being kidnapped?!
“We were just about to ransom this foreigner,” the dwarf replied cheerfully. “And you?”
For the first time, Dylan glanced over his shoulder at Katerina. She was still standing exactly where he’d left her. Arms folded tightly across her thin nightgown. Their eyes met ever so briefly before he turned back to the dwarves—a portrait of ease.
“Actually, I was about to do the same myself.”
He…what?! Is he serious?! Not only is he refusing to help me, he’s going to ransom me instead?!
Her first instinct was to smack him upside the back of the head. Her second instinct was to kick him once he’d fallen. But something about the look they’d shared made her hold back. There was something more going on beneath the surface. She wouldn’t call him an enemy just yet.
“You were?” The ginger dwarf was equal parts surprised and dismayed. “But I thought you were still up north doing—”
“I was,” Dylan cut him off quickly. “But that’s when I ran into our little friend over here. I saw she came from a wealthy family and was setting out on her own, so I followed her down south.”
At which point my farm burned to the ground, taking my imaginary family along with it.
The dwarf’s eyes flickered between them. First once. Then twice.
“Well…that’s a real shame.”
The words sent chills down Katerina’s spine, and Dylan quickly lowered his gaze.
“I know,” he said apologetically, his eyes flickering surreptitiously around the little circle. “I almost feel bad insisting. But times are hard.”
The obvious deference aside, Katerina noticed he slipped into a slightly different accent when he was talking to them. Something that sounded more like their own.
If only it would work.
The dwarf he’d been speaking with frowned deeply, the lines crinkling up the side of his face. While he clearly had the superior numbers, and could most likely win if it came to a fight, he and Dylan obviously had a history. Possibly even a distant friendship.
Katerina held her breath, and unless she was mistaken she could have sworn Dylan’s hand drifted ever so casually to the blade by his side.
But a moment later the frown disappeared, and the dwarf’s face melted into a friendly smile.
“They most certainly are.” He again clapped Dylan on the back, inadvertently buckling the young man’s knees. “We’ll leave you to it. Sorry about the prior claim.”
Prior claim?! Like I’m some kind of property! First come, first serve!
“That’s quite all right,” Dylan said graciously, taking Katerina by the arm and pulling her back to his side. At a glance, the motion looked very rough indeed, but in reality he couldn’t have been more delicate. “Say hi to Bruella for me.”
The dwarf nodded in acknowledgement then, one by one, the entire gang disappeared into the night, waving farewell as they went.
Katerina and Dylan stared after them for a long time. A very long time. Neither one could think what to do. Neither one could think what to say. Then, finally, Katerina asked a question.
“Who’s Bruella?”
Dylan glanced down at her in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten she was there. “His wife.”
There were a million thing
s to say. A million questions she wanted answered. But at that moment, she couldn’t seem to do anything but nod.
“Oh.”
They lapsed into silence again, staring out at the cold night. It wasn’t until she suddenly shivered that Dylan glanced down at her, his eyes sweeping up and down her thin nightgown. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Katerina beat him to the punch.
“So what are you doing here?” she repeated the dwarf’s question, casting him a sly glance from the corner of her eye. “Unless you really did come to ransom me.”
His lips twitched up in the hint of a smile. It was gone before she could see it. “I changed my mind. Decided to come back.” It looked like there were several more things he wanted to say, but he shut down instead, suddenly brisk. “And it’s a good thing I did. It looks like you can’t go more than a few hours without getting into trouble.”
Those warm sentiments melted away, and she glared in disbelief. “Are you serious? You actually think this was my fault—”
“Come on, we’ll get a different room for the night. Set out in the morning.”
He walked off before she could stop him, heading in the opposite direction of the tavern. At this rate, it was for the best. They’d probably demand that she pay to replace the broken door. She picked up her cloak that one of the men must have grabbed and was about to follow, when she saw a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. It had fallen out of his pocket when he charged into the fight. He hadn’t noticed it himself.
She cast a quick glance up the street, making sure he wasn’t looking, before she scooped it up—reading it in the flickering light of the moon.
I remember a little boy who once needed some help himself…
Katerina’s lips parted in surprise, then curved up into the faintest smile as she stared after him in the dark. It seemed the fairies might have been right after all…
Chapter 6
Katerina stood in the village square the next morning with a significantly brighter outlook on life. After what had felt like an endless night, the world was bathed in sunlight. The dawn had chased away the shadows. The dawn, or something like it…
“Good morning!” Dylan strode across the damp cobblestones, looking her up and down as he put on his jacket. “Here, I got you a dress. Keep walking around in that nightgown, and people are going to start asking me how much you charge by the hour.”
Katerina’s smile faded as a wad of fabric flew into her face. She was able to catch it just before it hit the ground. Just in time to see him duck into a bakery and out of sight.
How is it possible to be so grateful and so infuriated at the same time?
Fortunately, the anger faded as she held up the dress, watching it sway back and forth in the morning breeze. It was…pretty. She didn’t know how else to say it. Not pretty like her dresses from the castle, but pretty in a simple kind of way. Although it was in the same basic style as the other dresses she saw in the village, this one had avoided the muddy earth tones entirely. It was a robin’s-egg blue. Almost the exact same color as the sky.
A little smile crept up her face as her fingers played with white ribbon lacing up the side. If you had asked her three days ago, she wouldn’t have been caught dead in it. But now? She didn’t know if she had ever been more touched by a simple act of kindness.
“Don’t tell me it’s not your size.”
Katerina looked up with a start as Dylan swept back into the cobblestone square. He was holding a loaf of bread in one hand, and two apples in the other.
“No,” she said quickly. “No, it’s actually—”
“Because there were only two hanging up on the laundress’ clothesline, and the other could have stuffed at least four of you inside.”
There was brief pause. Then Katerina’s mouth fell open in shock. “Did you…steal this dress?”
Dylan glanced over his shoulder then took her by the wrist, pulling her gently in the direction of the forest that bordered the little town. “Of course I stole it. You didn’t think I actually went out and bought you a dress, did you?” His eyes twinkled at the mere thought, but he picked up the pace as they headed past the local café. “On that note, we’d better get going. Don’t want whoever owns it to come running out and see you carrying it away.”
Katerina’s eyes widened at the thought and she quickly stuffed it under her cloak. Feeling more and more like a petty criminal as she and Dylan hurried down the misty street. Feeling more and more adventurous at the same time…
* * *
There was no better time for slipping away undetected than in the early morning. Katerina quickly understood why Dylan had insisted they get up so early. There were few enough people out and about that they were able to make good time on the main roads. Only the occasional farmer or miner lifted a distracted hand as they passed by, their minds already focused on a long day’s work.
They walked for about an hour without saying a word, and quickly left any stragglers from the village behind them. It wasn’t long before they were completely alone. The roads got narrower. The trees got thicker. About ten minutes after that, Dylan gestured to a secluded grove.
“Why don’t you get changed? You have to be cold.”
Katerina was cold. She was freezing, in fact. But she hadn’t dared say a single word. She knew the task Dylan was taking on by helping her. And even if he didn’t fully understand it, she knew the risk. It was hard enough being a fugitive nowadays without half the royal army after you. The last thing she wanted to do was make his life any harder by slowing them down.
“Thanks,” she said quietly, feeling suddenly shy. “That would be great.”
Without another word she scampered up into the trees, leaving him behind on the dusty road. Her eyes peered curiously through the gaps in the branches as she quickly peeled off her silky nightgown and slipped the dress over her head instead. She didn’t know why she was so shy. For that matter, she didn’t know why they were being so quiet. They had shared a room last night—completely alone. A fact that would have made Katerina’s royal handlers faint dead away. It was intimate, scary, and very real. And while it could have been incredibly awkward on all counts, it somehow felt as natural as could be.
“Try to get some sleep,” he’d advised as he pulled a chair over to the door. “We’ll have to set out early tomorrow morning. You’ll want all the rest you can get.”
Katerina’s eyes had flickered to the bed before returning to the chair. He was already settling down, propping up his feet on the nearby dresser, his entire body angled to the door.
“What about you?” she asked quietly, feeling guilty without really knowing the reason why.
She’d had guards before. She’d had people fight for her, chaperone her, stay awake all night to protect her. Why did she feel guilty making this stranger do it now?
Dylan glanced over his shoulder before giving her a swift smile. “I’m fine right here.”
In a hard-backed chair? One hand on the armrest, the other on a blade?
Katerina didn’t say a word of protest, didn’t question his plan. But she did get silently out of bed, padding across the wooden floor to lay a soft hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “For what you did today. For deciding to come back.”
His body had stiffened at the touch, but he didn’t turn around. Not for a second. He kept his eyes fixed squarely on the door. Never deviating from his mission. “Get some sleep, princess. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
And that was it. That had been all they said. Not until he’d hurled a stolen dress into her face and implied she looked like a prostitute had they spoken again.
Nevertheless, Katerina slept better that night than she had since she’d left the castle. Maybe even before. Secure in the fact that, as long as he was with her, no harm could come. Lulled into the deepest of slumbers by the quiet rhythm of his breath.
But all of that silent solidarity seemed to vanish the longer they we
re on the road. Maybe it was because of the strange circumstance of their meeting. Maybe it was because they were finally out on the road, exposed and hunted, trying to outrun the darkness that closed in behind.
We need a fresh start. A real introduction. Heck, he doesn’t even know my name.
Dylan seemed to be thinking the same thing. The second she walked back out of the trees, her blue dress swishing lightly over the dew-tipped grass, he walked forward with a genuine smile.
“Much better. And now, princess, we can do things properly.” Without a word of warning, he offered out his hand. “Dylan Aires. Patron saint of runaways. At your service.”
Katerina froze, blinking in surprise. She supposed that in all the time she’d had to think about it, she probably should have come up with some sort of name. But after everything that had happened, she’d given it no more thought than that fateful moment down at the bar.
In the end, she went with a half-truth. A childhood nickname that had faded over time.
“Kat.” She took his hand, shaking hesitantly. “Patron saint of nothing. Nice to meet you.”
His eyes twinkled as he echoed the words. “Nice to meet you.”
She thought that was it, but the introduction didn’t end there. Instead of merely shaking her hand, Dylan pulled her in for a sudden embrace. She froze perfectly still as they came together, his hands lingering on her jacket, his face brushing up against her hair.
Truth be told, she really didn’t know what to make of it. The man was distant to the point of being cold one moment, and was wrapping his arms around her the next. Sure enough, before she could figure out what was happening, he took a sudden step back, looking almost bored, as if the strange moment had never even happened.
“Well, now that that’s settled, we can work out the terms to this little arrangement.”