BOUND (#1 in The Crystor Series)

by C.K. Bryant

Chapter Twelve

  Octavion tossed the memory stones into the hot coals to cleanse them of the scouts’ memories, then turned to check on his sister. She’d thrashed around for most of the night, mumbling Shandira’s name and asking for their father. Octavion had hoped her nightmares would cease over time. For the most part they had, but the encounter with Shandira’s scouts had brought them back tenfold. He’d never seen her like this. He swore under his breath and stood to get another log for the fire.

  “Kira?” Lydia whispered.

  The sound of Kira’s name made his heart clench. It was his fault she’d endured so much pain healing Lydia. As grateful as he was to have his sister alive and well, he wasn’t sure he could make that choice again. Not if it meant Kira dying in the process. Without her knowing it, she’d managed to soften a little piece of his calloused heart.

  Octavion looked over his shoulder to see if Lydia had woken, but found her eyes closed and her body still. He hesitated for a moment, then continued to the pile of neatly stacked firewood and selected two logs off the top. He paused as the memories he’d plucked from the scouts came flooding back. The image of his older sister, Shandira, had haunted his dreams as well.

  Shandira was the oldest of the three royal children—in her nineteenth year when he’d last seen her—but was by far the strongest and most beautiful of his two sisters. There’d been a time in their youth when she’d been Octavion’s favorite. While Lydia preferred wearing fancy dresses and attending to her studies, Shandira was more like Octavion. She looked forward to days when most of the castle staff was dismissed from their duties so she could wear boy’s attire and have Octavion teach her to fight. She was a strong opponent and knew how to use her weapons like a seasoned warrior. It had never crossed his mind that she might use those skills against him.

  “No!” Lydia’s arms flew up to protect her face—yet she still slept.

  Octavion tossed the logs on the fire and went to her. Perhaps hearing her native tongue would help calm her. He knelt by her side and gently stroked her forehead as she relaxed. “Moorishta, nara sei,” he said. “Young one, be still.”

  Lydia drew in a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. “Father?”

  “No, it is me.”

  She rubbed her face with her hands and looked around the clearing. “Wow, for a minute I thought I was home. That was weird . . . but good,” she added.

  Octavion smiled. “How are you feeling this morning?” He helped her sit and handed her the leather bag filled with water.

  “Not sure. My head is still fuzzy, but I seem to be a little stronger.” She pulled out the cork and took a long draw from the bag. “I think I should get up and walk around today. I need to get my strength back.”

  “I agree. Perhaps Altaria can help with that.”

  Lydia grinned. “Exactly what I was thinking. She got me into this mess. She can get me out, right?” Her cheerful disposition faded when she glanced over at Octavion’s empty shelter. “Kira’s gonna be mad.”

  “She has a kind heart and will forgive you. We both know she needed time to let things settle, and it is not safe for her to be here right now. With a dark moon approaching . . . we had no choice.” He’d already gone against his heart and risked her life once. No way would he risk it again, especially at his own hand.

  “I know you’re right—it just won’t make it any easier for me to explain. Did she wake at all?”

  Octavion stood and offered Lydia his hand. “She stirred when I placed her in your car, but I am not sure she will remember.”

  Lydia was halfway up when she stopped and sank back to the ground. “Car? You drove my car?”

  Octavion smirked. “How else was I supposed to get her home? Taking the scouts to the other side of the county completely drained me. I had to wait half the night just to take her as far as the bridge.”

  “But . . . you can’t drive.”

  “I taught you how to drive, did I not?”

  Lydia stood, this time with a little help from her brother.

  “No, you taught me how not to drive, remember? You said cars were too slow for you.”

  Octavion gave a wave of his hand, dismissing the subject. “Kira arrived safely, and your vehicle is tucked away where no one will bother it.”

  “Good.” Lydia turned and warmed her hands near the fire. The memory stones glowed bright white with the heat of the coals. “And the scouts—did they give you any trouble?”

  “Just the blonde. His mind is like the jaws of a lion. He would not let go of seeing your face change to Altaria’s. I finally had to rid him of some of his childhood memories. He will be lucky if he remembers his name. And I am sure the physicians will poke and prod the albino for days. He was not a Royal, so his blood shouldn’t be too different, but I am sure they will find some abnormality in it. Whatever her scouts get, it won’t be near what they deserved.”

  “Do you think they are far enough away? What if she finds us?”

  Octavion picked up a long, thin branch and stirred the fire, knocking the memory stones into the cooler gray ash. He poked at them for a moment, then picked them up with his bare hands. They felt cool to the touch. “I couldn’t find any memories of them reporting their position, so we are safe for now. I’ve already begun gathering our things as a precaution. By the time she figures it out, we will be gone.”

  Lydia spun around to face him and grabbed the stick from his hand, throwing it to the ground. “I’m not leaving.”

  “Lydia, it is no longer safe . . .”

  “No, Octavion. I’m not moving again. If we leave, it will be to go back to Xantara. Let her come—we will fight.” The sudden burst of adrenaline sapped most of her energy, and she grabbed his arm to steady herself.

  Octavion took her around the waist and guided her back to her shelter. “Perhaps you need to rest more. We will discuss this when you are stronger.”

  Lydia pushed him away, using the shelter for support. “There’s nothing to discuss.”

  A low rumbling growl settled in his chest, but he didn’t dare argue with her. He’d done that too many times to count. Truth was, he didn’t want to leave either. It meant leaving Kira behind. Something he wasn’t ready to do, not after dreaming to be near her for so long.

  Chapter Thirteen