“I think there is a city up ahead. There are lights. Possibly gates.” She strained her eyes in the darkness to try and make out details of the area. It was impossible to see anything else.
Outside one of the creatures laughed. It was staring at her, seeming to find humor in her attempts to decipher the surroundings. Aiva thought to scold it, though the effort would be futile. There was no way to know if it would even understand the words she spoke. If the Feh Noq were at all reasonable, then they would have to listen to their pleas to explain why entrance into Palinon had been necessary. Perhaps they would even be willing to help in tracking the pirates.
The closer they came to the dancing lights; it became more obvious that they approached some form of civilization. A massive wall was built around the outer border, heavy gates barring access to anyone other than the citizens which dwelled there. Guards were positioned on either side of the doors, pulling them open to grant the creatures entrance with their prisoners. Commands were called out between them, the dialogue meaning nothing to Aiva’s ears. She no longer doubted what these beasts were. Only the Feh Noq would have designed something of this nature in the middle of the barren desert. With the sun now having set, it was prime time for their people to be awake, making an escape less likely if removed from the restraints.
Several of the creatures climbed the sides of the cage, releasing a curtain from overhead to drape over the bars, blocking Aiva from seeing more. A protective measure, no doubt. If the Feh Noq recognized their prisoners to be Vor’shai, they would have knowledge of the energy wielded by their people. It would be hazardous to allow them inside the gates with clear aim of other citizens.
Left in the darkness, Aiva longed to know how the others fared. Questions built in her head that she didn’t dare unleash upon Callum, knowing that he would be disinclined to answer. Their predicament was strained enough without adding more tension if Callum continued to behave in his current manner. It was one thing to be angry with her, but there would be time to fight about their problems when they weren’t locked in a strange cage surrounded by a race of people they knew nothing about.
Beside her, she could hear Callum attempt to stand, struggling with the limited motion granted by the shackles. In reaching his feet, the box they were confined in came to a sudden halt, his body unbalanced, falling hard to the ground with an uncomfortable thud. Aiva considered checking on his safety, realizing it was pointless. He wouldn’t be injured enough by a simple fall to merit speaking to him.
In a burst of torchlight, the back of the cage opened to reveal the creatures standing outside. Two of them held what looked to be long, metal hooks, reaching in to wrap around the chains of the fetters clasped at Aiva’s ankles, pulling her harshly along the floor onto the ground. Unable to use her hands to break the fall, her breath was forced from her body upon impact, a grunt of pain the only sound she dared make. They were dragging her along the sand. Away from the cage. She couldn’t be sure if she wanted to know where they were taking her. It frightened her to think of being locked up somewhere, alone, left with no one at all in this strange place.
It took the strength of both creatures to drag Aiva, paying no heed to whether or not she was injured along the way. They continued through an open doorway, her body connecting hard against the stone steps leading into the structure. From what Aiva could see, it appeared a prison, lined on all sides of a long hall with heavy, steel bars. Inside one of the cells she heard a voice calling out to her. Kaemin. He was alive. It was a relief, although minimal. There was no telling what their condition would be soon enough. His voice disappeared quickly, the creatures hastening their pace to get Aiva away from him. She was being taken somewhere else. Deeper into the compound; coming to pause at a large iron door at the end of the hall.
Hinges creaked as the door opened; Aiva’s body being gripped by several oddly shaped hands, the palms and fingertips blackened like absorbent pads along the surface. She was being taken inside. A sudden flash of light erupted in Aiva’s vision, an excruciating pain shooting through her head. All at once everything went dark, her body falling limp as the sounds around her faded into nothingness.
She had no way to know how long she was unconscious. When her eyes finally opened, she was immediately aware of a pounding sensation in her temples. What had they done to her? And where was she? Looking around the room, she recognized it to be a cell of some kind. Callum was on the ground not far away, eyes closed, a large knot visible on the side of his head. She feared at first that he might be dead, his body motionless. Peering through the shadows, she crawled forward along the floor, unable to reach him with her hands. Manacles bound her, a short length of chain granting minimal movement. Lying on her stomach she stared at Callum, watching him intently. After a while she noticed in relief a faint rise and fall of his chest. He was breathing. Shallowly, but enough.
Sitting up she tried to take in the details of their prison. A single sconce burned faintly near the door. The walls were stone. Partially dug into the ground. The only source of air came from two tiny window-like openings cut into the wall just below the ceiling, neither one large enough to slip anything through which might act to assist those kept within. It smelled terrible. Like sweat and decay. Aiva shuddered to think of the prisoners who had been held in the shackles before her. Had they ever gotten away? Or had they perished in this black, miserable hole without anyone even knowing where they were?
Anxious to get Callum’s attention, Aiva shifted on the floor to better her leverage. She couldn’t reach him with her hands, but with some effort, she might be able to make contact with him by using her legs. They gave only a slightly longer reach, though it was sufficient. Nudging him with her toes, she tried to wake him. He gave no reaction at first, her attempts becoming more persistent. She needed him to open his eyes. They wouldn’t be able to find a way out of there if he didn’t come around soon.
With a groan he finally began to stir. Flinching away from her foot he sat up sharply, his hands immediately reaching to clutch at his head. “Why are you kicking me?” he grumbled.
“Callum, we need to get out of here,” she stated, tugging insistently on her chains. “We need to think of something.”
“What would you have me do, Aiva?” he asked irritably. A dull thud echoed around them as his head fell back against the stone, eyes gazing dismally at the ceiling. “Am I supposed to just magically have all the answers? Wave my hands and suddenly have us free as if this never happened?”
“Well, I was going to suggest we work together to determine a plan of action, but if you think you’re capable of magically whisking us out of here then by all means, be my guest,” Aiva snapped. She was tired of his agitation. Her patience was wearing thin given their current situation and the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was his anger over something that was unimportant. Not wanting to stay near him, she climbed to her feet, relaxing the tautness of her restraints.
“Yes, let me just pull out my magic wand and – oh, wait. I must have dropped it.” Callum rolled his eyes, rising to his feet unsteadily. “Maybe you can call them back in here and talk them to death with that irritating voice of yours.”
“You bastard!” she gasped, appalled by his insult. “How dare you!”
“Oh, I dare. It isn’t like there is anyone else to overhear me say it now.”
“I see. Tell me how you really feel, Callum. Go ahead. Let it all out. Because now certainly seems like the best time for this conversation.”
“Why not?” he asked, disconsolate. “If they were going to lock me away, they could have at least spared me your company. I never realized the Feh Noq practiced torture.”
“And you think your voice is so pleasant to be trapped in here with?”
“My voice speaks more sense than yours tends to.”
“Sense?” Aiva shouted, unable to contain her growing anger. Ever since Callum returned to Tanispa, she had felt a storm brewing between them. Never had she expected it to come
upon them at a time like this. Somehow it felt good to unleash her heated emotions without having to worry about anyone else witnessing it. “You call this sense? At least I was attempting to formulate a means of escape. You are the one ranting nonsense about magic and wands.”
Lowering his gaze Callum locked eyes with Aiva, taking a step away from the wall toward her. “Yes. You were so brilliant in your attempts to concoct a plan. Looking to someone else to do your thinking for you. It seems to be a common trend.”
“I am perfectly capable of doing my own thinking, thank you very much.”
“Really? Because if Lord Dacian were here, maybe you would prefer to ask him what his opinion was of this predicament.”
“And if Ireni were here, maybe the two of you could just tear off each other’s clothes. I’m sure you’re just dying to kiss her again.”
“You know nothing of what you speak!” Callum shouted, his umber eyes flashing almost red from his temper.
Aiva refused to back down, meeting his hardened gaze without hesitation. “I know enough!”
“If you think that, then you are a sorry excuse for a queen!”
Rage took over Aiva’s movements, causing her to lash outward, the only thing holding her back from striking Callum being that of the sturdy chains which secured her to the wall. He advanced on her as well, both of them grimacing under the strain, barely out of reach of the other. She wanted to slap him. He had no right to say such things to her! And to think she’d been willing to give him a chance. “If I’m such a horrible person, then why did you even bother saving my life on that bridge?”
Callum’s expression contorted into a look of pure agony, fists clenched in a final attempt to close the gap between them. “Because despite everything you have done, and all the reasons I keep giving myself for why I should hold nothing but contempt toward you, I cannot find a way to make myself stop loving you!”
Defeated, he slumped to the ground in a rattle of chains, knees pulled into his chest, face buried in his hands. Aiva stared at him in disbelief. He loved her? That couldn’t be possible.
Mouth agape, she couldn’t think of anything to say in response. Further insult would be cruel. Her anger was beginning to wane, leaving her drained, dropping to her knees. This certainly complicated matters. Even more than she realized. “You love me?” The question fell from her lips against her better judgment. Quiet. Hesitant.
“Just – don’t,” Callum shook his head, the pain obvious in his voice despite not being able to see his face. “Not right now.”
“No. Why can you not answer now? Are you saying you love me?”
“Did it sound as if that was what I said?”
“It did.”
“Then consider that your answer.”
Looking away, Aiva nibbled her lip, thoughtful, unsure of what to say. Her heart swelled at the thought. There were still so many questions! So many things left unexplained.
Silently, she let her gaze shift toward the door. While she hated to admit it, she knew there was no escaping their current restraints. They would be trapped until someone came to fetch them again, though she wasn’t sure when that time might be. As long as they were confined there together, it seemed a perfect opportunity for her to ask Callum for the answers she’d been trying to obtain for so long. She would just have to be careful how she approached it. He wouldn’t be very forthcoming with his responses if he felt her inquiries to be attacks.
“Callum,” she started, swallowing hard. Afraid of how he would react to what she was about to say. Not that it mattered. They had already proven they were in no position to physically touch one another in a violent fashion and shouting could only last for so long. “Though I’m not certain how you determined the source of the information divulged to me, I can assure you that I know Dacian’s claims about you were false.”
Callum’s body rocked slightly under a quiet laugh, keeping his head lowered. “I had no confirmation on the source, but I consider myself intelligent enough to figure such things out. He was the only one who stood to gain in telling that story. All things considered, he made it quite obvious.”
“I fail to see what he stood to gain.”
“Oh, don’t play modest, Aiva,” he sighed. “You know he wanted you for himself. He was willing to do anything to get me out of the way, even if it meant stretching the truth. You have presented some very wild accusations. To this point, I have been uncertain if they were created by your overactive imagination, or if it has all been Dacian’s doing.”
Wringing her hands, she exhaled, embarrassed. She hated to admit her mistakes, but now was not the time for pride. “A little of both, perhaps,” she replied quietly. “He laid out the foundation and my mind may have taken that a bit further than intended. But you made no claims to deny it when I attempted to confront you. What was I to think?”
“I told you at the time that it was not appropriate to discuss. The details are complicated and were not anything I felt comfortable sharing with you in front of the entire court. I answered how I thought was truthful. I had no idea you would take it as implication of anything so intimate. Had I known, I might have chosen my words more carefully.”
“Then share it with me now. I want to know the truth.”
Callum inhaled. He held his breath, letting the air linger in his lungs before slowly, deliberately releasing it again. “I need a moment to compose myself. If you will grant me such.”
“I will.” She felt foolish responding. There wasn’t much choice if she wanted him to talk. And she did. If he was bold enough to claim love for her, then she wanted to know the truth behind what he did in Siscal. She had a right to know. It only seemed fair. Her confusion lay in how he could possibly think he felt so strongly for her. If there had been anything between him and Ireni, it didn’t make sense that he believed his feelings for Aiva to be even remotely close to love. In Ireni’s arms he would not have had time to think of her. A girl he hadn’t seen in over a decade.
It pained her to consider. She didn’t like the thought of Callum with anyone else. Although it could be considered selfish, Aiva viewed herself as being far more suitable for a man like him. She hesitated to accept the possibility that Ireni could have any qualities which were superior to her.
He was being too quiet. She’d given him more than a moment. Her curiosity would make her explode if he didn’t say something soon. Drawing in a breath she started to speak, releasing it again, no words forming on her lips. What exactly was she going to say? None of the questions in her head at the moment were remotely acceptable. They were centered around her own pride. Her own desire to know whether or not Ireni was superior. “Is she pretty?”
Callum lifted his head, his expression revealing his confusion at the strange question. “I beg your pardon?”
“Ireni,” Aiva replied, hesitating over the name. “Is she pretty?”
“Why does that matter?” he asked, searching her face through the dim light of the room. “You sound as though you are jealous.”
“Maybe I am.”
“Why would you be jealous?”
“That does not answer my question,” Aiva sighed. “I simply want to know if she is pretty. I could not see her from the distance between us on the bridge. Dacian told me she was attractive. I want to know if that is true.”
“If by attractive he meant tolerable, and one of only a few women on the ship, then yes. I guess she was,” he held Aiva’s gaze. The topic was uncomfortable for him. She could tell by the way his eyes occasionally drifted away from hers, as if unwilling to look at her while thinking of Ireni. “Aiva, I don’t know if this is the right way to explain. The circumstances make it difficult. Maybe this is not the time.”
“We may not have another time, Callum.”
Her words hung heavy on the air. She hated to say them out loud. Her conversations with Kaemin floated through her mind, reminding her of all the things he said. It was easy enough to pretend everything would be fine when their biggest conc
ern was the desert. Now, shackled in a prison of the Feh Noq, unsure of whether or not they would be spared whatever punishment might be called upon them, it hit her. The reality of how limited their time might be. Although she didn’t think it possible, Callum’s expression fell even further, his eyes revealing absolute despair.
“Fine,” he whispered. “But I need to start from a point that I am comfortable with. Please, try not to ask too many questions. Appearances have nothing to do with anything I am about to say.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about her in that way…”
“No, I – well, I don’t understand, but I might.” Callum pondered. “If I had heard about you and Dacian without knowledge of his physical attributes, I possibly would have been curious to know.” Clasping his hands together, he stared down at his entwined fingers. He paused before continuing, thinking hard. Aiva watched him, nervous, not sure if she really wanted to know what he was about to say, while unwilling to let him hide from telling the truth. “I need to explain some things about me from before I left for my training. Humor me, please.”
Nodding her head, she urged him on. Her heart fluttered. Was he going to tell her about the thoughts he had in the courtyard that day? She’d been desperate to know what was going through his mind ever since their lips had touched. But she couldn’t direct the conversation. He requested to discuss things in his own way. She had to let him come to it on his own.
“Our parents made a huge mistake in allowing me to associate with you the way they did,” he started. “Neither of us was old enough to be in the company of the other. Up until the day I left, you were really the only girl I knew. And frankly, the only one I wanted to know. Edric was old enough to suspect. He knew the way I felt about you. I hesitated to discuss it with him openly, though. No brother wants to hear someone talk about their sister in that manner. And considering who your parents are, I thought you far out of my league. Not to mention young. Had I lingered in Tanispa, eventually you and I would have been separated, regardless. There would have come a time when even our parents would have recognized the inappropriateness of our friendship.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Page 29