Lowering his hand to his lap, Callum said nothing. Aiva chided herself for the harshness of her tone. Her own confusion was hindering her ability to think clearly. Lashing out at Callum wasn’t going to help. He’d been the focus of her hatred for so long that it was easy to blame him. But she didn’t want to hurt him right now.
Nervously she slid away from Callum to replace the distance which had been between them. Turning her back on him, she curled her legs into her chest, head leaning against the canopy. “Do not worry about it,” she said quietly, closing her eyes to try and force the image of Callum’s melancholy expression from her mind. “You should not allow the wound to remain exposed. Before we set out in the morning, I insist you let me bandage it properly. If you do not, it will become infected, and the men need you healthy.”
Still Callum said nothing. Aiva wanted to look at him. To see some indication of what was going through his head. Pride wouldn’t allow her to. It was better if she didn’t know. He had a way of breaking her heart without even trying. She feared at that moment he might take full advantage of her weakness and shatter it beyond repair, leaving her helpless to his charm. No. She couldn’t bear to see his eyes. She needed to keep her wits about her in order to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Good night, Callum,” she whispered. If he responded, the sound was drowned out by another roar of thunder outside, causing Aiva to jump reflexively, tightening her arms around her legs. Just close your eyes, she urged herself. Everything will be better in the morning. She only wished she could believe it.
When Aiva awoke, the dim light of morning had only just begun to brighten the sky outside the wagon. The rain had stopped. All around them was a sense of calm. Peace. At her feet she could still hear the steady breathing of Gadiel’s sleeping form. Slowly turning over, she saw Callum, seated with his back against the wall, chin tucked to his chest at an awkward angle, asleep. She winced to think of the discomfort he would feel upon waking in that position. Not that he would ever admit to it. He was sure to suffer in silence, the same as he had in regards to the injury on his hand.
Reminded of the wound, she turned her own palm over, a grimace contorting her features to see the redness which covered her skin. The surface appeared to have been burned, stinging with even the slightest movement of her fingers. It was nothing in comparison to Callum’s injury, but enough to make her wonder how it happened. She must have made a mistake. A miscalculation in directing the energy. It had been spoken of during her lessons, but never had she witnessed such an occurrence before. She would have to find the supplies necessary to tend her injury as well as Callum’s when he opened his eyes.
Careful not to disturb the slumbering men, Aiva slowly rose to her feet, ducking down to avoid bumping the ceiling, stepping over Gadiel’s legs to reach the line of supplies between her and the entrance. It hurt to move, the pain in her shoulder reminding her of the still healing muscles and ligaments around the joint. Fighting through the discomfort, she crawled to the other side of the crates, slipping through the flap and out into the cool morning air. She would enjoy the weather while it lasted. Come afternoon, they would be back to the oppressive heat of the desert.
Moving to the horses, she dug through the bags draped on their backs, easily locating the medical supplies. Rolls of gauze and towels. Disinfectant ointment prepared by the Tanispan herbalists. She retrieved the items along with a small jug of water, turning to make her way back to the wagon, halted in her movement at the sight of Callum standing behind her. Startled, she fumbled to keep hold of the supplies, unable to contain a grimace as the gauze pressed against the burned skin of her palm. Noticing Callum’s watchful eyes upon her, she quickly moved her arm behind her back to conceal the injury from view. “You scared me to death. What are you doing sneaking around out here?”
“I heard you leave,” he replied softly, his hand rubbing at the side of his neck. “It was time for me to wake anyway. We should be moving soon.”
“Not until we get your hand cleaned up,” Aiva argued. She reached for Callum’s left arm, staring in disbelief to see him move it away from her. “What are you doing?”
“The last time I let you near my hand, you injured yourself. My wound is superficial. Do not worry about it.”
“It is not superficial. And if you are worried about the men seeing you accept my help, don’t be. Everyone is asleep. We can have it cleaned and bandaged before they become aware I even touched you.”
Callum’s shoulders bowed forward as he exhaled a deep breath, scanning the area around them. She could sense him giving in. Not that she expected him to deny her for long. She could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. “Fine,” he mumbled. “But do not attempt further healing of it. Had I known what would happen from your efforts last night, I never would have let you touch me.”
She smiled to herself, victorious. Taking Callum’s arm, she led him to a sparse patch of grass near the side of the road, motioning for him to sit. He did as she instructed, settling himself on the dew dampened ground. Kneeling in front of him, Aiva turned his palm over, pouring water onto the wound to cleanse it of the dirt which had already begun to settle inside the torn skin. It looked significantly better than she remembered, though not to the extent she would have liked. It remained a deep, almost crimson red, the rope having torn through much of the surface. Callum watched her with mild fascination as she worked, her hands gently applying the ointment before wrapping the wound in gauze, completing the bandage with expert care. Satisfied, she looked up at Callum, nodding to him in approval. “See? Was that really so bad?”
“I suppose not,” he murmured, inspecting the wrappings with a scrutinizing gaze. “You are quite skilled at field medicine.”
“Faustine is a strict teacher. She does not accept anything less than perfect,” Aiva chuckled. Her laughter trailed off at the sensation of Callum taking her hand, turning it over before she could stop him. In the dim morning light, the redness of her skin was more noticeable. She winced at the sight of it, averting her eyes from Callum’s guilty stare. “It is nothing,” she whispered. “I will clean it while the men gather their things. In a few days it will not even be noticeable.”
“I have never seen the energy create such an injury before.”
Aiva tugged her hand away, not wanting to feel the touch of his skin any longer. “I wasn’t exactly Faustine’s prized pupil. It is possible I made an error.”
“Faustine taught you the healing techniques? I thought only the girls who stayed within her home received tutelage in such arts.”
Aiva rolled her eyes, irritated by Callum’s seeming ignorance. Did he think she wasn’t good enough to be taken in as one of Faustine’s students? She was the Princess. Her bloodline alone was enough to grant her a position among Faustine’s most prestigious pupils. “For a Captain, you aren’t always so bright, are you?” she huffed. “Although it was not my desire to go, I was forced to spend a few years under Faustine’s care. Why does it surprise you that she would have me?”
“You were in Faustine’s care – ” Callum laughed miserably at some secret only he was privy to. Turning from Aiva, he covered his mouth, trying to muffle the sound to avoid waking the others. “That… that explains a great deal.”
Aiva peered at him quizzically. Agitated. He was behaving oddly. She was beginning to wonder if the journey was affecting his mental state. “What does it explain, exactly?”
Spinning back around, he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, dejected. “Had I known you were going to be in Faustine’s company, I might have utilized more care in sending my letters. She never would have allowed you to correspond with me.”
“Are you suggesting Faustine kept these supposed letters from me?”
“Communication with a young man is considered improper for a lady of your age at the time. It is the only thing which makes sense.”
Bewildered by the possibility, Aiva shook her head. She didn’t want to believe Faustine would do somethin
g so underhanded. It was more likely Callum was merely attempting to conceal the fact that he had abandoned her by placing the blame on someone else. The sound of his continued laughter did nothing to calm her rising anger, struggling to keep from shouting at him in frustration. “Well, I’m glad you find this humorous,” she snapped. She didn’t know what else to say. Nothing felt appropriate.
“I find no humor in it at all, really.”
“Then why do you laugh?” she scoffed. “Do you think Faustine would dare interfere with correspondence directed to a member of the royal family? The thought alone is preposterous. My mother would have made sure I received word from you, had you actually written.”
“Believe what you will, Aiva. There is nothing I can do to change your mind. At least it eases my own, to a degree. I will look into it more when we return to Tanispa. Not that it will matter then,” the smile on his face faded, replaced by an expression of absolute misery. “It may be too late, but I would feel better knowing that you could at least read the words I wrote. To know that I was thinking about you.”
“I am not a fool,” Aiva stated calmly, stepping away from Callum to return the supplies to the horses. She wasn’t going to let his pathetic excuses sway her anger. There were no letters; therefore she had no reason to feel sympathy for him. Though she couldn’t deny his acting was rather impressive. Had she not known better, she might have believed him to truly be suffering. “You should wake the others,” she announced, anxious to change the subject. The effort it took to bear Callum’s company was becoming tiresome. Without a second glance, she turned away, moving toward the wagon with determined strides. She was done with him for now. There would be time for her to endure more of his lies once they had Shaelyn safely back in Tanispa.
Overhead the sun burned brightly. The closer they came to Palinon, the less life existed in the landscape, preventing Gadiel from utilizing the energy to successfully uncover a steady track. They continued blindly, assuming the enemy to be heading toward the southern desert; hoping it was the right course, though it mattered little. Callum knew they would have to reach Luquarr one way or another. The only option for their troops to get there was through Palinon where Edric would be waiting.
Paused on the road, Aiva watched while Callum and Gadiel looked over their map, occasionally gesturing in a direction before returning to their conversation. Their words were difficult to make out yet from what she could hear, it sounded as if the Palinoen border was getting close. If they kept up their current speed, they would be there before nightfall.
“I shouldn’t admit this, but I’m a little nervous about crossing into that territory,” Kaemin stated, coming to stand near the horses where Aiva had positioned herself. Grateful for his company, she cast a slight smile in his direction, nodding in agreement.
“From what I gather, we will not be able to travel during the evening hours once we pass into the Palinoen desert. That will set us back.”
“Not as much as chancing the dark would,” he chuckled, the sound strained in his attempts to remain lighthearted. “The Feh Noq are nocturnal. If we keep to the roads by day and lay low at night, we might be able to pass through their country without notice.”
Curious at the thought of seeing the desert creatures, Aiva shifted her gaze away from Callum and Gadiel, focusing her attention on Kaemin. “Have you any idea what they will look like? Do you think they are anywhere near as dangerous as people claim?”
“Very much so,” Kaemin nodded. “Where appearances are concerned, I really don’t know what to expect. But I have heard enough about their culture to know they are not a people to be trifled with. I have even heard stories of travelers being kidnapped and sacrificed to their strange deity.”
Through her peripheral vision, Aiva noticed Callum motioning them forward again, pressing onward into the desert. Falling into step beside Kaemin, Aiva folded her arms across her chest, staring ahead into the distance. “With my luck, it would be me who got us all taken hostage by them. I have a tendency to screw things up for everyone else.”
Kaemin frowned to hear the dejection in her tone. “Are you still beating yourself up over the bridge incident yesterday?”
“I’m beating myself up over a lot of things, but yes – the bridge does continue to be at the forefront of my mind,” she sighed. “Kaemin, I nearly got Callum killed. I almost got myself killed. I know I have been less than pleased with Callum of late, but I don’t want to see him injured… Or dead.”
“It was a pretty heroic rescue on his part, though.” He started to laugh, the humor fading almost as quickly as it had come. It was difficult to find comedy in something so frightening. “The man is incredible. Most of us can only hope to be anything like him some day. It’s why we all expect he’ll be granted the position of General when his father chooses to retire. No one would think it special treatment. He has proven himself well-deserving of the prestige.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better about nearly causing his death.”
“Right – I meant to say something about that,” Kaemin quietly chuckled to himself. “If it makes you feel any better, no one blames you for it. We all know how important Shae is to you. To all of us. You, however, have more of an attachment. Attachments make us more emotional and on the battlefield, emotions tend to cause mistakes. Lapses in strategic thought. It’s part of the reason why everyone was concerned about you being here with the Captain. To his credit, he hasn’t shown much distraction. I don’t know how he does it. If Calie were here, I would be an absolute wreck. He must have a lot of faith in you to handle yourself.”
Aiva smiled in spite of herself to picture Calie in the desert. It was a funny thought. Any of the girls in Tanispa would be completely out of place there. Much the same as Aiva felt herself. “Calie would hate it here,” she chortled. “Can you just see it? All the sand and sweat. I can hardly stand it. What I wouldn’t give for a warm bath and a nice clean dress.”
“The pants fit you well,” he grinned. “Can’t say I have ever seen you in such attire before.”
“Nor will you ever see me in it again once this is over. Something tells me my current fashion would do little in catching me a new husband. Not very lady-like,” she let her words trail off, casting her gaze down to the ground. It was uncomfortable to talk about seeking the affection of a man when Callum was so close to her. She prayed silently that he hadn’t overheard the comment. “That is irrelevant,” she added distractedly. “I never thought I would say it, but I think I miss the stiff corsets and frilly skirts.”
With every step forward they took, Aiva became increasingly aware of Gadiel and Callum slowing their pace until they were almost in line with her and Kaemin. The two men looked somewhat uneasy, though managing to smile through the uncertainty.
“Well, there it is,” Gadiel motioned to the land in front of them. “Are you both ready to cross into the great unknown?”
Kaemin glanced over to Gadiel, the surprise clearly noticeable on his features. “We are nearly to Palinon? I suspected us to be close, but not quite so.”
“We have made impeccable time. My only concern lies in what we will find once we pass over the border,” Callum nodded. “In all my father’s years of service, he has been to many different lands, but never has he set foot on Palinoen soil. I’m not sure how I should feel about seeing it myself.”
“You could be afraid; like the rest of us,” Kaemin simpered.
Callum chuckled, shaking his head in disagreement. “I am not allowed to be afraid. It’s in the contract once becoming Captain.”
“And what of the Princess?” Gadiel smirked. “Is she afraid of the desert?”
“Our Princess is fearless. She will tear the Feh Noq to pieces if they cross our path,” Callum replied, not giving Aiva a chance to speak. “Those which she cannot take down physically, she will verbally abuse into submission. We could then claim their land as our own.”
“You are a prince now, you know,” Gadiel nodded to Callum
. “The two of you could rule the south while the King and Queen maintain the north. Just think. Your own kingdom of sand.”
Callum’s expression fell. “I am no prince. Someone else will have to rule over this forsaken landscape.”
“Perhaps we could choose a different topic,” Aiva cut in, no longer comfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. She hated knowing that others were aware of their personal issues, though she knew it was her own fault. It had been her mouth which provided the information to their friends. “You were asking my opinion of the desert,” she forced a smile, her attention directed toward Gadiel. “I cannot say I am afraid of it. Curious, perhaps. Maybe a bit uneasy. But that could simply be the heat.”
“Yes, the heat is atrocious,” Kaemin laughed uneasily. “It is ruining my complexion. Poor Calie will not recognize me when I return to Tanispa.”
“A little color is not so bad. I am rather enjoying mine,” Aiva held out her hands, admiring the unusually rich bronze tone of her skin. “If only my outfit was more accommodating for such. Right now I imagine I have the most unattractive tan lines.”
Snickering to himself, Gadiel started to speak, pausing to move teasingly out of Callum’s reach before letting his words form. “If you would like to even them out, I do not think the men would be opposed to you wearing fewer garments.”
“That is tempting,” she nodded in false agreement, continuing with the joke, her expression straight, lacking indication of the humor hidden within her words. “It would be a bit distracting, don’t you think? After all, I am the only female the troops have seen in over a week now.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Page 24