by Todd, E. L.
Zyle stared at her, unsure how to tell her what he needed to say. She met his gaze, and he saw the concern creep into her features. He knew she was worried about his unusual behavior. Zyle gathered his thoughts before he tried to speak, wanting to say it in just the right way, but he couldn’t think of the right words. For the first time, he was speechless. So instead, he grabbed her face and kissed her.
Her lips were initially immobile, but she responded to his movement and kissed him in return. He lowered her body to the couch and leaned over her, cupping her face with his hand while he expressed his emotions through his embrace. She ran her hands through his hair and returned his kiss with the same longing. Suddenly, she pushed him away.
“Get off of me,” she said. “Stop it.”
Zyle pulled away from her and took a step back. She didn’t look at him. She felt her lips with her fingertips and she could still taste the flavor of his lips on her tongue. She fixed her hair and rose from the chair, crossing the room with her arms across her chest. Zyle knew exactly what she was feeling; guilt. “Accacia, he would want you to be happy,” he said. “I know you love me. So let yourself be happy.”
Accacia began to cry. “Stop it,” she said as she held up her hand. “I can’t—I don’t.”
Zyle dropped his gaze. She shouldered her pack and belted her sword to her hip then walked towards the entrance. Zyle stood in her way. “Please don’t go, Accacia.” He begged. “I won’t touch you again. Just don’t leave.”
Accacia didn’t look at him. “Get out of my way.”
“Were I go, you go. Remember? If you walk out this door, I’m just going to follow you.”
“So be it,” she said as she walked around him.
She walked down the staircase with Zyle close behind. He kept a distance of a few feet to give her space. He knew she needed it. He didn’t understand why she took her sword with her. What did she need it for?
Accacia entered the marketplace and Zyle noticed none of the men were staring at her. It was true. She was his partner. He wondered if she would notice. Accacia marched through the marketplace, which was crowded with people, so it was difficult for her to maneuver through the throng. Sometimes she had to stop altogether. Accacia saw a man walk towards her and she immediately felt annoyed. She didn’t have the patience for this. The man passed her without speaking to her. Accacia looked around and realized the heated gazes of the men had disappeared. She couldn’t feel their coursing desire through their stares.
She stopped and turned around. Accacia stared at Zyle and he returned her look. Zyle knew Accacia understood the meaning of the event by her features alone. Her lips were closed tight into a line and her eyes were expanded, larger than usual. Her breathing grew deep and shallow as the revelation flooded her mind. Accacia held up her hand to him, tears pouring from her eyes. “No.”
Zyle closed his eyes. This was not the reaction he wanted.
“I didn’t consent to this!” Her shouts attracted the Asquithians passing by. They looked at her in confusion, wondering why she was yelling at the Forestry Ambassador in the public marketplace. Zyle knew the news would travel to Roxian and he would have to deal with her wrath. She would be furious when she found out about their marital commitment.
Zyle stepped towards her. “Accacia—”
She turned around and ran through the streets, dashing as fast as she could. Zyle had to sprint to keep up with her. He had no idea where she was going.
She sprinted down the forest path with tears streaming down her face. They blurred her vision and she collided with other Asquithians on the road, knocking them to the ground. She didn’t stop. Zyle followed close behind her, but she was too fast. He couldn’t catch her. Zyle knew she was heading to the exit of Canu, towards the grassland of the island. Zyle knew losing her wasn’t an option. She could survive out there alone for months until he finally found her.
Accacia ran past the line of trees and dashed across the grassland. She was running in the opposite direction she initially came from when she first arrived to this land. She didn’t stop her run or even slow to a jog. She sprinted like it was the last thing she would ever do.
Aleco’s face formed in her mind and the tears spilled from her eyes. She loved him. She knew she did. She betrayed him by kissing Zyle and she felt nauseated by her own actions. The thought of him with another woman made her want to vomit. She not only kissed Zyle, but she was married to him—or at least the equivalent to it. Accacia was disgusted with herself.
Her feet carried her for leagues, never slowing despite her overwhelming exhaustion. Her fear and anger fueled her forward. She didn’t glance behind her to see if Zyle was following her. It didn’t matter if he was.
Zyle saw her lithe body sprinting up ahead. “Accacia!” he yelled. “Accacia!” he repeated. She either hadn’t heard him or chose not to. She kept running from him. He had no idea where he was going. He would have to follow her until she grew too tired and collapsed. Zyle would have to carry her home.
Accacia finally saw the beach up ahead, and she urged her legs to carry her faster. She saw her boat pulled to shore, exactly where she left it. The sand of the beach slowed her progression, but she forced herself to maintain her pace. She threw her pack into the boat and pushed the hull out to sea. The waves pushed against her as she pulled the rowboat further away from shore and the ocean water rose to her waist.
Zyle rounded the corner and saw her take the boat out into the waves. The water was up to her neck. “Stop this now!”
He sprinted into the water and was almost upon her. She carried on like she didn’t notice him there. She was determined to leave these shores and get back to where she belonged; with Aleco. She never should have left. She should have stayed and fought alongside him, not run away like a coward. Accacia hated herself. She made the worst mistake of her life.
Zyle grabbed the boat and pulled it back towards the shore.
Accacia flashed him a look of anger. “LET GO!”
“Accacia, stop this now,” he said. “You would die alone at sea. You don’t know what you are doing.”
“IT IS MY CHOICE TO MAKE!”
Zyle pulled the boat to the sand, dragging it up the beach. Accacia walked out of the water and charged him. She shoved him as hard as she could and he fell backwards to the ground. He got to his feet and grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides, but Accacia evaded his hold then punched him in the face. Zyle took the hit then charged her waist, flipping her over his shoulder. He carried her back out to sea.
Zyle dropped her into the waves and she slipped under the water. When she came up for air, her anger had dimmed slightly. “Accacia listen to me—”
“I love him, Zyle. Not you. Him.” She pushed him back and Zyle raised his hands in the air. “I love Aleco. It doesn’t matter that we aren’t together anymore. Whether we are on the same landmass or not, I only want him. If I can’t have him, then I don’t want anyone else.” She wiped her tears away then ran her fingers through her hair. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. She spent the entire year with Zyle and now they were married. She cared about Zyle and loved being with him, but she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this to Aleco. “He was the first man that I could trust, the first person that made me feel safe. He was the first man I made love to.” Zyle met her gaze but his eyes clouded with pain. She hated hurting him, but she couldn’t accept this. “I don’t want you, Zyle. It’s Aleco. It will always be him. I may have feelings for you, but it’s nothing in comparison to what I feel for him. Nothing will ever happen between us. I don’t want you.”
Zyle closed his eyes then took a deep breath. He dropped his hands to his sides and stepped closer to her. “Accacia, I know you still love him and that’s fine with me. I still love Cassandra.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. She didn’t try to twist away. “I think about her every day. That will never change.” Accacia wiped the wet hair from her face, but she didn’t try to punch him again. He was making
progress. “But I love you too, Accacia. And I know that you love me.” Zyle held his hand up to silence her upcoming protests. “You can keep lying to me if you want, but it doesn’t change anything. Society has recognized us as partners because they know we love each other. You can lie to me, but you can’t lie to yourself.” Zyle moved closer to her. The level of the water was above her waist. “The only reason why I kissed you was because I knew beyond any doubt that you loved me in return. But do not lie to me and say that you don’t love me. It is obvious in every way. Since the moment you met me, you trusted me. You threw your sword away, knowing I would never hurt you. This past year, I’ve become your best friend. You sleep with me every night and you dream about marrying me. I understand your resistance, but you can’t deny your feelings for me. You are in love with me, Accacia. You can stop it. It’s out of your control. And I am worthy of your love. I will take care of you. I know you, Accacia.” She met his gaze, but the anxiety was still etched on her face. “We can take his slow. Our relationship doesn’t have to change until you are ready for it to change. I will wait as long you want. Nothing physical will happen between us until you want it to happen—you have my word.”
Accacia turned around and looked across the ocean. She knew Aleco was out there somewhere—dead or alive—she would never know. She didn’t know what to do. She did have feelings for Zyle, that was obvious, but she couldn’t assuage the guilt she held. If she actively loved Zyle, she would really be moving on from Aleco—forgetting him, allowing him to fade to a happy memory, one that wouldn’t cause her any pain, exactly what she wanted.
Zyle circled his arms around her waist and pressed his chest against her back. She didn’t object to the closeness. He leaned over and rested his head in the crook of her neck.
Zyle brought his lips to her ear. “You deserve to be happy, Accacia.”
Paso Robles
29
Aleco hid in the shadow of the fortress wall of Paso Robles. The newly built structure was said to protect the city from attack and ensure the survival of its inhabitants, but Aleco knew its true purpose. To keep the slaves within the city, unable to escape. The city was surrounded by a stretching plain with adequate soil for farming, reaching to a wild forest a league away that contained large trees and sufficient cover. Aleco hid the horses within these woods.
The Nature Priest studied the outside structure for many hours, watching the various gates around the city. The entrances were closed most of the time. They only opened when the empty wagons approached the gates of the city to be loaded with fresh goods and weapons for delivery across the Continent. Aleco marveled at the number of the carts. There were hundreds. He knew all the profits were going to one man; Drake.
Aleco withdrew a long rope from his pack and stared at the height of the wall, which reached twenty feet into the sky towards the celestial bodies above. Aleco felt the fall breeze glide through his strands of blonde hair and sensed the heat of the wind. Summer was fading, but the warmth with still present. He looked at the stars of the sky and marveled at their glowing beauty. He wondered if Accacia was looking at the same ones. Aleco forced his lover from his mind, concentrating on the task before him. He had to get Penelope out of the city undetected then ferried to Orgoom Forest. For the first time, Aleco was worried that his capabilities wouldn’t be enough. He never rescued a pregnant woman before.
He threw the hook attached to the rope, which was smooth as silk, over the city wall and felt it grasp a hold on the other side. Aleco tugged it with the weight of his body, but the rope didn’t break. He hoped it was strong enough. The Chief Nature Priest scaled the slippery wall with remarkable speed. Reaching the top of the structure, he returned his rope into his pack and looked out onto the city. The only illumination was the flickering torches posted outside the wooden buildings within the town. It lit the walkways of the streets where soldiers patrolled the buildings. He stared at the movement within the city, now a living prison, and wondered where Penelope was confined. Aleco wasn’t concerned that he wouldn’t recognize a woman he’s never met. He doubted there were any other pregnant women in the city—at least he hoped there weren’t.
Penelope couldn’t get to sleep. The scorching pain of her back was too unbearable, and she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the agony. The soldiers kept Lydia and Penelope together, to their relief, and assigned them farming responsibilities. The children were also forced to do the back-breaking work, much to Lydia’s despair.
Penelope hugged the two children within her arms as Lydia placed a cool cloth upon her forehead, trying to dim the heat of her body. Penelope’s pregnancy made her tasks almost impossible to do. Her stomach was so big she could hardly move. Every time she bent her back to harvest the potatoes from the tilled earth, she thought she would never come up again. Lydia helped as much as she could, but when the soldiers watched them, Lydia was unable to come to her aid. The soldiers shoved Penelope to the ground more than once and told her to quicken her pace. When Lydia helped her to her feet, they whipped Lydia’s bare back right in front of her two children. The women had been there only a few months, but it felt like an eternity.
Penelope patted Lydia’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would have done without you these past months.”
“The feeling is mutual, Your Highness.” Penelope confessed her identity to Lydia, but Lydia already expected it based upon the expensive clothes she had been wearing when their paths crossed.
Penelope smiled. “Please call me, Penny. That is what my husband refers to me as.”
“If you insist,” she said. “I am certain he will come for you eventually. He sounds like a wonderful man.”
Penny nodded. “The best,” she said. She felt the baby kick in her swollen belly and she cringed through the pain. The child’s movement was becoming more frequent the longer she carried the baby. She knew the end was very near.
Lydia patted her distended belly. “He knows his father is coming.”
Penelope stared at Lydia and watched her rub her stomach gently. They were housed in the barracks for the women, found in the corner of the city. Every woman was awarded their own cot and one drawer to house their belongings, even though no one had any. Their sleeping quarters had a purple flap to act as a ceiling, so they were forced to sleep outside. Penelope feared the coming winter. She didn’t know if her baby could survive the snow. “You think it’s going to be a boy?”
“No,” she said. “I know he is.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I just know,” Lydia said. “I can tell by the size of your belly. Only a man would need that much room.”
Penelope laughed at her words. “Were you larger with Vance than you were with Sadie?”
Lydia shook her head. “I am not their mother,” she said. She stared at Sadie and Vance, who were sleeping in Penelope’s arms. She smiled at them. “But I am as good as.”
“Were they orphans?”
“No,” she said. “Their father is my brother—his wife passed away. He works around the Continent to provide us with money for support. In return, I take care of them.”
“Does he know what has befallen you?”
“No,” she said with a sad voice. “I sincerely hope he figures it out. I can’t stand my children spending their entire lives as slaves.”
Penelope grabbed her hand. “My husband will take you away as well—I promise you. We will escape eventually.”
“I hope you’re right, m’lady,”
Penelope smiled. “It’s Penny.”
Lydia laughed. “Of course, it is.”
Penelope saw a hooded figure enter the pavilion of the tent and walk into the barracks. She couldn’t distinguish his face or see the dimensions of his body, but she knew he wasn’t a guard. She felt frightened. All the women were asleep in their cots, exhausted from the long day. They worked from sunrise to sunset, spanning twelve hours with a fifteen minute break. The man walked closer and blocked the
moonlight filtering from the thin canopy above. He stopped when he saw Penelope. He stared for a full minute before he knelt at her feet. Lydia flinched when she saw the shadow move into the room and toward them. She shielded the sleeping children with her body.
The man held his hands in the air, indicating his peaceful intentions. “Please do not yell or scream,” he whispered. “I mean you no harm.” Penelope felt her heart quicken and her chest rise with the sharp intake of breath. Her hand absentmindedly covered her abdomen, protecting her child from the stranger. She saw the swords and daggers along his waist and turned away from him slightly, protecting her stomach with her back. Lydia covered her children with her hands, hoping he would kill her and spare the children if he decided to attack them. She closed her eyes and waited for him to leave. The man turned to Penelope. “Are you Penelope? Are you the wife of Art, the former Duke of Roslyn?”
Penny narrowed her eyes at him. Her words came out as a shaky whisper. “Yes—yes, I am.”
The man nodded and looked around the room, checking to see if everyone was still asleep. “I am here to rescue you,” he said. “Artremian has sent me.” Aleco turned his gaze onto Lydia, who opened her eyes and stared at him, looking at him for the first time. He recognized her immediately from Accacia’s memories—Devry’s sister. He looked down at the children sleeping in Penelope’s arms, the same ones Accacia had been so fond of. “I am here to rescue you—all of you.”
Penelope felt the tears in her eyes. She released her hold on the children and hugged him. “Thank you so much,” she said through her tears. “You have no idea what a nightmare this has been.” He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. He felt just as uncomfortable when Accacia hugged him from for the first time, but now he felt uncomfortable for another reason—he hated touching anyone besides Accacia.