When the excitement was over, Ky realized the six warriors had stopped to watch. “Did you see that?” one of the men whispered.
“He’s fast,” X-avor said.
“But one man taking that many wolves, and live? He should be dead,” another man said, who had his blades in his hands ready to fight. His wild hair, like the sky, was charcoal. His eyes were dark, almost ebony, and in the shadow of the caves, he looked fierce.
“It’s the Star, Noxis. She’s made him invincible,” X-avor said with envy. The warriors stared at her. Their faces were shadowed, concealing their thoughts. Ky could only imagine they were coveting his extraordinary transformation. “No one can deny his status now. No one will try to take his army, because they’d surely die.”
“I told you to run,” Cobaaron bellowed, running at full speed toward them.
The men promptly followed orders, and hurried for the gap in the cave. Cobaaron rolled a rock over the exit after they entered the long thin tunnel to keep any beasts from following. The passageway was narrow, and so dark it was impossible to see a foot ahead even with Ky’s dim glow. They slowed their pace from a brisk walk, to barely inching along, because the slender tunnel was getting increasingly cramped. The palanquin was a tight fit. The long poles kept hitting the walls and ceiling. Finally, she had the wits about her to glow, so the men could see where they were going.
The only time she knew she illuminated was during emotional moments. She tried to get upset, which wasn’t hard to do, because just then the palanquin took a big bump and her water jug bounced, splashing cold water and drenched her. She started to glow, but the moment she did, she regretted it.
Her light brightened the tunnel, and she screamed when she saw gray fleshy skeletons crawling all over the walls and ceiling with unnaturally jerky haste. They craved her light, and dropped onto the top of the palanquin. The fabric immediately caved, and the living skeletons began crushing her. “Douse your light,” one of the warriors yelled over her scream.
“Ky, stop shining!” Cobaaron shouted.
Ky screamed louder, and pinched her eyes shut, too terrified to look at the gray sunken faces of the skeletons that were scratching and clawing at her. She felt the weight of more and more falling onto her. The palanquin dropped with a clatter. The skeletons were painfully yanking anything they grasped. They tore her clothes, and wrenched out clumps of her hair.
“Douse your light! I can’t reach you! There are too many,” Cobaaron bellowed.
“We have to leave her or we all die,” a warrior howled. “They’ll crush us to death.”
“Pull them off,” Cobaaron roared.
“There are too many.”
“Try,” Cobaaron commanded.
Ky screeched when she felt a firm hand grasp her wrist, and then heave her from the palanquin. She was lifted, and thrown over a broad shoulder. She could smell him; it was Cobaaron. She opened her eyes a moment for assurance. She shrieked, seeing many skeletons crushing themselves. She heard bones snapping as Cobaaron ran. He was so fast he soon outran danger. They left the men behind within seconds.
Ky was unable to stop glowing. A few skeletons dropped on them, but it didn’t slow him down; he plowed passed them and yanked them off as he sprinted.
Ky closed her eyes, concentrating on calming her nerves. She didn’t want to see the nightmarish creatures, and maybe then she would stop glowing.
“We’re almost there,” she was relieved to hear Cobaaron say.
Her emotion changed, and her light dimmed to its normal faint shimmer. The tunnel was dim once again, but he didn’t stop running.
She could still hear his feet pounding the ground, but not the skeletons crushing. Cobaaron slowed as they descended a steep hill. When he reached the depth of the slope, she heard nothing except for the grinding gravel under his feet and their breathing. He set her down on the solid stone floor. Her back was to the wall of the cave.
“You don’t do anything unless I say so. If you were a man, I’d have killed you back there for putting my men at risk. They could all be dead. You better hope they’re not, Ky!” he growled and then out of pure frustration and anger slammed his fist into the rock as he cursed. “Don’t move from this spot! I have to help my men, if they are still alive. Don’t shine, don’t move, don’t talk, and don’t breathe heavily! You wait!”
“You can’t leave me here,” Ky begged, as she seized his arm, fearing the worst once he left. When Ky felt the rush of emotion from the union, he immediately wrenched himself free of her grasp. “I’m not safe; that is, I don’t feel safe without you. Please don’t leave me! I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Please, Cobaaron, don’t leave me here alone!”
She read his thoughts, wondering if her pleading was persuading him to stay. He liked the sound of her saying his name, and resisting it forced an inward struggle to want to be alone with her, and the need to help his men. In the end, he didn’t want to show weakness over a woman, and pivoted before he ran for his men. “Cobaaron, please,” she pleaded, knowing he liked the sound of her beseeching. Nevertheless, he sprinted up the slope.
Ky was alone. Cobaaron’s footsteps slowly muffled the farther he ran. She tried not to breathe loudly, or think of how terrifying it was to be alone in the dark while beasts like trolls, hairless wolves, and living skeletons lurked. She was upset with him for leaving her, but he was fixing the problem she created. He could have at least locked her in a cave.
A few minutes passed, while Ky shivered in fear. She was sweating a silver glitter from her skin. She didn’t dare wipe off the sweat, but anxiously let the silver dust give off the faintest glow, too.
She saw a white light flicker on a few yards away. The glow came from a connecting tunnel leading into the big chamber where Ky stood. The radiance lit the cave like an intense florescent bulb. The light slowly became brighter as if it was moving. Ky watched mesmerized.
A female being in a white gown with the appearance of a ghost emerged from the tunnel. She wasn’t a Star and had no tattooing. The woman was beautiful and floated toward her as a translucent apparition. Ky could swear it even saw her. The woman then smiled at her. In a flash, the woman was inches from her face. The advancement was so sudden that she panicked, and was paralyzed with fear. Ky couldn’t scream, move, or even shut her eyes.
“I don’t have much time,” the woman told her without moving her lips. “You will never reach your destination without my help. I bestow a gift and he comes to you now. You will know him when you see him, and he answers to the name of Huntra.” They heard hurried footsteps. “He will protect you, as long as you are kind.” Her light flickered and she was gone.
The sound of pounding feet grew louder. The men quickly surrounded her. “I told you not to glow!” Cobaaron’s temper was hotter than before for defying him.
“Don’t just yell at her. Beat her. That will teach her. She’s like any other animal. You have to break her,” a warrior told Cobaaron.
“This is your infinite wisdom with women? Self-control is the ultimate evidence of great power, proving you have mastered your weaknesses. I’ll deal with her the way I choose!” Cobaaron roared. He breathed heavily and then said, “We will stay here for the night. The mouth of the cave is only a step from here. I suggest we all get some sleep.”
The men moved about the cave. One warrior started a fire, others blocked the entrances, and the remaining men cleared the cave of large bats and other creatures they deemed pests. They cooked some of the bats, and used their bones as additional slow-burning wood that smoldered and smelled faintly of juicy steak. They were all quiet as they worked, then eager to relax and lounge around. However, the men were all quiet. Ky suspected it was because of what happened and she was sure Cobaaron was being far too lenient. Thankful he wasn’t proving he wasn’t weak by beating her, she bunkered down in a corner, and tried to be quiet, hoping if she wasn’t seen, they would all soon forget.
After they ate, Cobaaron told the men to fall out. The warriors were ple
ased that he was sending them away. Clearly, they hoped she would be punished. Because Cobaaron was still angry, she didn’t know what to expect.
The men slipped into tunnels and rolled the rocks back, locking Cobaaron and Ky in together. “How dare you,” he bellowed as he confronted her. He clenched strong hands tightly around her wrists and forced her to stand. “I forbade you to glow! Betrayal against me is death. Did you think I was so stupid as to forget you could light up a hallway? I didn’t forget you foolish little girl. I know this world. I knew what was crashing into us, but had enough wits not to do anything about them. Then you woke them up! Men could be dead! You don’t do anything until I tell you.” He tightened his fingers around her wrists.
“Let go. You’re hurting me,” Ky shouted, and attempted to release her wrists. She glowered at him, too angry to pay attention to the desperation to be kissed by him.
“In the city, you may tell me what to do, Princess, but out here, I answer to no one. I’m the authority. I am chief!” He pressed her against the wall.
“I didn’t glow. It wasn’t me. I swear!”
“Your word means nothing. I told you not to shine and that is exactly what you did after I left. You gave me your word then, too.” He shook her. He wasn’t just hurting her, but scaring her. “Don’t you understand how dangerous it can be out here? And this is just the cave. The most dangerous threats are out there!”
Ky attempted to free her tender wrists he squeezed, but until he released her, she couldn’t escape his powerful grip. “I didn’t glow! It was someone else. Another woman.”
He suddenly let go of her, looking troubled by the news. He took a step back from Ky as she rubbed her wrists. “It’s a witch. She’s in you now, isn’t she?”
“What? No!”
“Don’t lie to me,” he yelled so loudly the rock walls vibrated, and echoed. “You can’t lie to me about this!”
Ky flinched, and trembled. She was terribly afraid of him; she never met anyone she feared more. “Cobaaron please, I…” she spun as she stepped away, but he grabbed her, and made her face him.
“Don’t walk away from me. Tell that witch to come out, and I’ll fight her now,” Cobaaron roared. “I don’t want your mind taken over by anything. I want your body to change so you’re incapable of being possessed by a witch. This is the last chance you have, Princess. Tell me if the witch is inside of you.”
“Cobaaron, no. There is nothing in me,” she cried. “Will you please stop yelling? You’re scaring me.” She slapped his cheek hoping that would knock some sense into him, but she was sure it didn’t work, because he brightened red with anger. She began to shake, terrified. Her voice was a whimper. “You’re bigger than me, and I’m young. This is all scary for me. You’re terrifying me, when you should be the one person I trust and makes me feel safe. Cobaaron, please!”
“Provoking my patience by hitting me won’t calm my temper!” He glowered.
“You were scaring me! I’m new to this world, and not by choice. You knew they were there and didn’t warn me. I’d have hidden under pillows and tried my best not to breathe if you told me. I’m a girl thrown into this crazy nightmare. So, don’t scare me!”
He exhaled the air from his lungs, and walked away to sit by the fire. He refused to look at her, as he thought about everything she said. His hands were dangerously close to the fire, and Ky was surprised he wasn’t burning himself. He seemed to not care, and inched his hands forward until he drew them back to glance at her before he asked, “Who was glowing? What did she say? And before you answer, if she asked you to do something dangerous, like kill me in my sleep, I need to know. But if it was a message for me to do something, never speak it, because it’s a spell and I’ll have no control. What did she say? Was it evil?”
“She said she had a gift for me,” Ky replied. “But I don’t have it yet. She told me it will get me to my destination safely as long as I’m nice to it.” He stared at her. His eyes searched her face, apparently looking for the truth. “Come on, Cobaaron. Why would I lie to you? My life is dependent on you being able to get me to the next city. Why would I keep something from you that would jeopardize my safety? I’m not that conniving! You’re not the only one who cares about other people. I don’t want you harmed, either. Why do you think you are stronger? When you’re not in a terrible mood, frightening me, I consider you a friend. I care about our safety.”
“Okay. I believe you,” Cobaaron said, nodding his head. “But I don’t like it, Ky. Why did she come when we weren’t around?”
“Maybe because you would have killed it,” Ky said. “Or you wouldn’t have let her say what she needed to.”
“That may be true,” Cobaaron said, and then stood. “I’ll go get my men. You should eat.”
Ky had an urge to apologize. She hoped too, that he would promise to never shout or put his hands on her in violence. However, he didn’t beat her when his men expected him to, and that said a lot about his character. She wasn’t sure if it was her nature to want to say sorry, or if it was the union pulling her toward him, but she clung onto his thick arm before he turned to leave. He stilled, and his eyes darted down to her tender grasp. She slid her fingers to his, and then twined them together. They both stood motionless with their eyes locked. She knew he felt what she was. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she said quietly.
“Don’t apologize. It’s over.” He shook his head. He shifted so his body was facing her and searched her eyes. For a moment, she thought he would kiss her. She wanted him to, but at least he wasn’t pulling away. He sniffed the air, and the effects of it caused him to sway closer. He looked drunk from her scent.
He immediately jerked his hand away from her. “Ky, don’t. Every time I touch you, it makes this hard. I meant what I said that we shouldn’t touch again. We shouldn’t be alone anymore.” He met her eyes when he confessed: “I don’t want to kill you when I leave. Can that be enough to tell you how important you are? I had three more days to focus on you.” When Ky smiled, he instantly changed his tune. “I’m a trained killer. I think nothing of death, but when it comes to yours, I honestly don’t want to see it. But make no mistake I will leave the City of Sterlings.”
Ky reached for his hand, but he stepped away. She felt the sting of rejection. It only made her want to try harder. He stared at her almost as if he could see her thoughts. She wondered if he was trying to figure out her intentions.
She peered into his mind and thoughts again, which were all pooled together and perceived in a single notion. However, she understood each concept separately. He was thinking she was young and beautiful. He believed she deserved someone who would live happily in the city with her, have children, and live a long life with her. He knew he had a hot temper, and felt guilt for scaring her. He felt she was a woman of quality that warranted a man who wasn’t wild and roamed the countryside, after loving her. But he was chief and his men needed him; they needed their leader.
Then words drifted, instead of impressions or thoughts. “These feelings are effects of the union.” He tried to convince himself. “But she’s different from other women. She needs my protection, even from myself. She is too young for me to expect her to fight off my uncontrollable urges and pride. She’s only eighteen.”
His thoughts about her were surprising. He felt them strongly. He cared deeply for her, even though he wasn’t showing it. The three days she slept gave him ample time to wonder about her.
She was relieved he desired her. Ky wanted him to care, and it was that decision that changed something inside of her. No matter what happened, she was going to take a chance and open her heart to him.
In an instant, she wanted nothing more than him. Once again, Ky reached out for him, hoping he wouldn’t fight her or pull away. “Don’t you realize I don’t want any other man?” she asked without thinking. “Airia is right. I should go with you. Change me into a warrior; I’ll fight alongside you. I’ll,” she searched for words, “I’ll try anything if it
means I can stay close to you.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ky spent the night crying quietly in the corner of the cave, far from the other men. Cobaaron and she fought for almost an hour after her declaration. She knew he was struggling to not care for her, but when he realized how fervently she meant her words, his inward battle became a firm resolve; he wouldn’t risk her life or return her feelings. After that, he wanted nothing to do with her.
The men were satisfied that Ky had finally been punished properly. They all heard Cobaaron’s muffled yells, and Ky was convinced they thought she was being beaten the way she begged him to stop. It wasn’t the case, he never hit her and his temper wasn’t what it was before. There was simply too much tension between them as they ignored the union.
The warriors gloated while ignoring her soft cries. Cobaaron acted as if she didn’t exist. He was still taking no notice of her even when they all woke the following morning. No one spoke to her. The warriors joked about leaving her to let her find her own way to the city. Cobaaron didn’t protest. When a warrior unblocked the tunnel leading out of the mountain, they said nothing when she walked ahead. Her decision to slip away was no concern to them.
She meandered. Truly, she didn’t want to be left, and had no intention of wandering far, but it felt nice to get away from the men, and she suspected they felt the same because they were letting her leave. Now that she was alone, she took the time to shed much-needed tears, releasing the stress of her entire journey. The liberation was long overdue, and felt good to vent her frustrations and anxieties in privacy.
No matter what happened, it was clear she was never going home. She would spend her days underground, in a world with evil creatures. Maybe the decision to go to the City of Sterlings was for the best. She resolved to never look back and wonder if she made the wrong choice. A life in the new location might be pleasant.
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