A Fugitive's Kiss

by Jaime Clevenger

  The question cut deep. Ranik couldn’t answer, couldn’t meet her eyes. But Aysha bore part of the blame, Ranik told himself. If she had loved Shawn enough, nothing would have happened. “I didn’t do this to hurt anyone. I don’t even know why I let it happen.”

  “You don’t know? I could tell you why. You don’t think of anyone else—only yourself.” She shook her head. “How long has this gone on?”

  “Too long.” The barn was silent, save for the sounds of the horses eating and a howling wind. Ranik continued, “I’ll leave.”

  “No.” Aysha paced in front of the stalls, not meeting his eyes. “You won’t leave.”

  “I’ll go to live with our cousins,” he continued. “I’ll be of some help to them in the planting season. Everyone will think that the baby belongs to Callan. It isn’t the problem that she has a baby, but that it is my baby, so we won’t tell anyone. You’ll keep the farm and I will—”

  Aysha held up her hand. “Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it.”

  “But listen—I can be gone tonight. Shawn and Callan can raise this child. Or even you and Shawn.”

  Darin stepped forward, suddenly inserting herself between Aysha and Ranik. Her finger hovered over her lips. She pointed to the barn door and then crept toward it silently. She peered out through a crack in the wood and took a deep breath as if she were smelling the wind. Backing away from the door, she motioned to the horses. “You both need to leave,” she whispered. “Now. Take the horses and go.”

  Aysha went immediately to grab the bridles. She handed Cobalt’s headstall to Ranik and wordlessly slipped into Prince’s stall to fit on his bridle. Within a moment, she’d mounted Prince. Ranik only stared at her. Questions—and arguments—filled his mind. Why should they leave their barn? And why was Aysha trusting the fugitive?

  “Go,” the Northerner said, pointing to Cobalt. “He’ll be here any moment.”

  The look in the woman’s eyes made Ranik’s stomach drop. He fumbled with Cobalt’s bridle, his hands suddenly shaking. Harboring a fugitive was grounds for a Northerner to kill a Southerner. He hoped that Shawn had already gone to join the other musicians. He climbed the stall rails and slid onto Cobalt’s back.

  “Come with us,” Aysha whispered.

  The Northerner argued with her hands, waving for Aysha not to talk and then insisting they leave. She glanced at the barn door and then Ranik heard it too—approaching footsteps. The Northerner’s hand went to her knife.

  The door burst open and Ranik spun Cobalt toward the outside paddock. Aysha had already turned Prince out and was racing to the paddock gate. She unhooked the latch and kicked the gate open as Prince reared up.

  “We have to split up. Take the road and don’t stop until you reach the festival grounds. Wait there.”

  Aysha kicked Prince into a gallop, heading toward the forest, and he turned Cobalt toward the road. She was right—they’d be harder to track if they went in opposite directions. Ranik’s heart raced as Cobalt flew over the snow. It’d been years since he’d ridden without a saddle and he had to focus on keeping his seat. He hazarded one glance back at the forest and spotted Aysha’s blurred form just as she disappeared between the trees.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Aysha hated leaving, but she knew she’d only hold Darin back in a fight. She hoped the distraction of the horses leaving would give her some advantage over the hunter. But if Darin didn’t survive…

  Her mind spun with the image of Darin’s face, eyes wide with fear. Halfway to the festival grounds, she decided to turn back. She couldn’t leave Darin alone—not now.

  Prince tossed his head at the change in plan. Even if he didn’t understand why they’d left in a rush, he had no desire to go back to the barn. Aysha fought with him until they circled the pasture. The courtyard was empty and eerily quiet. No one stirred in the house and Aysha would have sworn the barn was empty as well. It was too quiet. No chickens pecked about for bits of spilt grain. The wind wouldn’t even dare to howl. The blanket of snow seemed to suffocate all the noise.

  If Darin was dead and her killer still lurked… A whistle made Prince’s ears twitch. He started toward his paddock. Aysha tried to pull him back and then spotted Darin hunched in the shadows. She nodded once, and Aysha slid off Prince and ran to her.

  Darin’s hands were wet with blood. She straightened up and looked about the stall as if she were waking from a dream. Maybe it was only the shock of the attack. Or her stronger sense weakening her vision. Her unfocused eyes unnerved Aysha.

  “He’s gone,” she said.

  “Was it him? The man who’s been hunting you?”

  “No—Alekander sent someone else to kill me again. He’s always paying someone to do his work. But he knew exactly where to find me.” She leaned against the stall railing as if her legs might not support her. “You shouldn’t stay here. Follow your brother. I’ll wait here for Alekander to come for me himself.”

  “What happened to that man?”

  “He took my offer.”

  “Why are you covered in blood then?”

  “He took some convincing.” Darin eyed the blood on her hands and then her knife. She went over to the water trough and set to rinsing her hands. “And it won’t be long before Alekander comes to see if he finished the job he was sent to do. All I have to do is wait.”

  “For him to kill you? We’re not waiting for him to come. We’ll leave together.” Aysha felt a surge of conviction.

  “There’s nowhere to go. Alekander can find me anywhere.” She glanced around the barn as if she saw movement in the shadows. “He’s probably already on his way here.”

  “I know a place where we can go. Where no one would look for us.” Aysha remembered what Darin had said about Alekander’s hearing and stopped herself from saying the name of the place aloud.

  “No—you’re not coming with me.”

  “You’d have me stay in Glen Ore waiting for a madman to come search this barn?”

  Darin didn’t answer. The hunter who was looking for Darin would come back for both of them. It wasn’t safe to stay. And what did she have to keep her in Glen Ore?

  “I won’t stay behind this time.”

  “You don’t know what it’s like to be hunted.”

  Aysha watched Darin wipe the blood from her knife. Doubt edged her thoughts—she was thinking of leaving Glen Ore, leaving everything behind and going with a stranger who’d just stabbed someone. Darin had escaped unscathed when someone had been sent to kill her. She had his blood on her hands and Aysha had no idea what had happened. Had the hunter tried to kill her? Or had Darin stabbed him without waiting to find out? And what bribe had he taken? But Darin wasn’t dangerous—at least not to her.

  “I don’t know what it’s like to be you,” Aysha said, picking her words carefully. “And I don’t want a bounty hunter after me. But I’m coming with you.”

  Darin shook her head.

  Aysha continued, “My mother used to tell me stories of a castle—far south of the Glenlands and beyond the desert. She said one day I’d live there…Her stories were full of kings and witches. I never believed half of what she said—they were only tales to help me fall asleep.

  “But now I’m certain that I’m meant to go there. With you. No one will have any reason to think that’s where we’ve gone. The journey’s considered almost impossible.”

  Darin eyed her for a long moment. “How soon could you be ready?”

  “It won’t take me long to pack.”

  “Once we leave, there’s no turning back.”

  Aysha nodded.

  “I’ll take your horse and head for the river to set a trail for Alekander’s men to follow. Then we’ll leave tonight—in the opposite direction.”

  “What if Alekander follows you to the river?”

  “At least I’ll lead him away from you. Be ready to leave at dusk.”

  Once Darin had gone with Prince, Aysha set out to the festival grounds. She had to find Ranik. He w
as the last person she wanted to talk to, but she had to say goodbye.

  Aysha spotted Cobalt first, tied to a tree at the edge of the clearing where the tent stood during the festivals. Ranik paced the circle of dirt and rock, littered with logs set out at odd angles for benches.

  “Aysha!” Ranik looked up and relief eased the lines on his face. “Where’s Prince? I’ve been so worried. I thought you might have gone back to the barn. What took you so long?” He started toward her but then stopped. “I’m sorry about everything with Shawn. I wish I could go back and undo all of it. But this fugitive—”

  Aysha held up her hand. “I can hardly look at you right now. But what happened with Shawn and you isn’t important anymore. I’m leaving with Darin.”

  “You’re not thinking right, Aysha. She’s got bounty hunters after her. If you go with her, they’ll likely kill you too. She won’t outrun them forever.”

  “Don’t be even stupider than you’ve already been, Ranik. I’m the one who’s not thinking?” She knew her words were harsh, but he finally met her eyes. “I’ve already decided. I’m leaving.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I can’t tell you. Before long, those bounty hunters will come back looking for Darin. I don’t want you to have to lie—they’ll sense it. If they question you, say that you don’t know where I went but the fugitive was with me.”

  “What if the Red Fever returns? Glen Ore needs you. I’m the one who should leave. I’m the one who’s useless here.”

  “I can’t stay,” Aysha insisted. Her heart was heavy with the thought of abandoning the village. She was needed in Glen Ore. But she had to leave for her sake and for Darin’s. And Ranik and Shawn had given her the perfect cover. The town would believe she’d gone because of them.

  “You’re not the one who harbored the fugitive, Ranik. You’re not the one who they’ll come after. They’ll know it was me. Northerners can sense what isn’t said.”

  Ranik’s shoulders slumped. “When will you leave?”

  “Tonight. I’ve got to pack a few things.”

  Ranik went to untie Cobalt’s lead. He passed her the reins. “Take Cobalt. You’ll go faster.”

  * * *

  The dishes were waiting to be washed. Aysha stared about the kitchen, seeing the stains on the wood table and the grime on the stove as if for the first time. She had to hurry before her thoughts caught up with her. One saddlebag was quickly filled with food and another with blankets, a clean tunic, pants, and underclothes. Herbs and willow bark went into a separate sack that she tied onto the strap between the saddlebags. She made a second herb sack for Tillie to keep. Tillie had helped her nurse some of the villagers this past winter; she would have to take the lead if anyone became sick.

  During a last walk through the house, she picked up a braided leather necklace that her father had made and a bronze locket her mother had worn. As soon as she strapped the locket’s cord about her neck, she heard the same whisper she’d tried to ignore all day. Tiersten. It was only a word and yet it brought a sea of memories. Her mother had told her many stories of the place she’d left as a child. Now she’d see it for herself.

  With her parents gone, the house was meant to be Ranik’s home. Ranik, Shawn, and their child… Aysha resisted the rage that swelled up at this thought—how could she have not known that they were sleeping together? How could she have not recognized Shawn’s pregnancy? She was nearly as angry with her own obliviousness as she was with their deceit. It was difficult not to wonder who else might know of Shawn and Ranik’s connection. Despite her longing for Darin, she’d grown to love Shawn too. An emptiness filled her chest at the sight of the bed they’d shared. Yes, she shared some of the blame. Closing the door to the room, she left the house without glancing at anything else. She wanted to be gone before Shawn returned home.

  Helm and Tillie greeted her with their usual enthusiasm, but then Tillie’s smile slipped away and she asked, “What is it, love?”

  Aysha stood in their doorway, wondering what she could say. Tillie had been her mother’s closest friend and she’d become like a second mother to her. She considered everything that could be said, excuses she could make, but Tillie’s eyes bore into her and she said simply, “Ranik and Shawn are expecting a baby. I’ve known nothing of it until this morning.”

  Tillie and Helm glanced at each other and then stared at Aysha, shaking their heads in unison. Helm finally spoke up, “I’m sure you’re mistaken about Ranik. Someone’s been spreading stories. I’ll go talk to him directly. We’ll hear his story first.”

  “He’s the one who’s told me, Helm. I’ve heard it from him, no one else.”

  “But Ranik…” Helm paused. “He can hardly stand Shawn.” Anyone in Glen Ore would have seconded Helm’s claim, Aysha realized, anyone save Shawn. “There must be a misunderstanding. Aysha, we’ll sort this out.”

  “It’s too late, Helm.”

  Tillie wrapped her arms around Aysha and she didn’t bother holding back her tears. “You’ll stay with us,” Tillie offered. “I’d always told your mother I wanted you as my daughter.”

  Aysha wiped tears from her cheeks as she shook her head. “I’m too old to be taken in, Tillie.”

  “It won’t be many years before we will need someone to take care of us,” Helm said, patting her shoulder. “You know our own two have moved to the mountains and settled there. We wouldn’t leave Glen Ore to join them. We’ll die here and we’d much rather do that with you looking after us.”

  Tillie pulled Aysha over to their kitchen table and went to fill a cup of tea. Aysha numbly sat down. Helm pulled out a bowl of his roasted nuts, but Aysha had no stomach for tea or food. She let them try to convince her to stay, but her mind was made up.

  When Tillie finally realized she had lost her bid, she put a hand on Aysha’s knee and said, “You’ll leave then?”

  Aysha nodded.

  “You’ll go to Tiersten?”

  The name of the town sounded strange on Tillie’s tongue. Her mother had always said it in a whisper—as if it were a secret place—and all of the stories she’d told about Tiersten were said in hushed tones as well. But hearing Tillie say the word aloud, after Aysha had heard it repeat in her head all day, sent chills up her spine.

  “No, no, she’ll go to Glen Briar,” Helm said. “It isn’t a far ride and she can find work there with your cousin sewing. Then, when she changes her mind about leaving Glen Ore, she’ll come home. These ill winds will blow off.”

  “Why did you say Tiersten?” Aysha asked.

  Tillie shook her head. “I don’t know what I say anymore. I’m old enough to forget myself.” She went to get a handkerchief and blotted her eyes. “But I remember stories of Tiersten. When your mother and your grandparents stayed with us…They told stories of castles and kings.”

  Tillie smiled. “As young girls, your mother and I imagined we lived in Heffen—the castle in Tiersten. But your grandmother said that it was you who would go there one day. Of course she died before you were born. Do you know that she told your mother that she’d have twins before she was even pregnant? Your grandmother knew things no one could explain her knowing.”

  “She can’t go to Tiersten,” Helm interrupted. “It’s too far for a woman to ride alone and there’s the dunes. Besides, all of her kin moved here. She can’t expect to find a home without any kin.”

  “I’ve always longed to go to the ocean,” Aysha said. Helm and Tillie could spread the rumor of where she’d gone.

  “Of course.” Helm latched on to this idea quickly. “I’ve got a friend in Glen Briar who can find a riverboat for you. You’ll take a river boat to Crag. You have to see Bronson. I’ll pass along word and he’ll take care of you. Ask at the docks for him. All of the boatmen know Bronson and he knows all of them. Your father had family in Crag, didn’t he? They’ll take you in, no doubt.”

  Aysha remembered to give Tillie the satchel of herbs and willow bark, with Tillie promising to do her best if th
e Red Fever struck again, then Helm pressed a small leather pouch of mushrooms into her hand. She left after a few more tears had been shed. It felt like lying, not saying anything about Darin. But the truth wasn’t needed.

  Aysha fed Cobalt and saddled him and then sat down in the barn to wait. It was well after dusk when Darin and Prince finally returned, both sweaty and breathless. Seeing Darin’s face, hearing her sure footsteps on the barn planks, Aysha could hardly speak. Not only was Darin safe, she had come back for her. She hadn’t realized how she’d worried about the possibility that she’d leave for good until that moment. She pointed to a plate of food and a flask of water for Darin and then took Prince’s reins. “Alekander?”

  “He was gone when I went to the tavern,” Darin said. “I thought I was leaving a path for him to follow, but he left me one instead.” She took a long drink from the flask. “I rode Prince all the way to Glen Briar. I had some trouble narrowing on Alekander’s scent with all of the snow melting.”

  “But you found him?”

  “I watched him cross the river. A boy in a raft took him across and then he climbed the wall in broad daylight as if no one would care. The boy was carrying on about how he didn’t want Alekander on his raft, making a scene, and there was a crowd watching. I stood at the edge of the forest, shaking from head to toe, but I’m certain he had no idea I was there. We were in plain view, but he never even looked toward me. He slipped over the wall and didn’t look back.”

  “He’s gone then? As easily as that?”

  “I lost him, as easily as that.” Darin sank down in the hay. “He’ll have left hunters behind to follow me.” She took a bite of the bread and cheese that Aysha had set out for her. “I don’t understand it. He knew I was here. Why didn’t he come for me?”

  “Maybe he decided you weren’t worth the trouble.”

  Darin looked up at her with this. “He’ll be back…I know it. Alekander never gives up.”

  “We won’t be here when he returns.” Aysha led Prince into his stall and carried off his tack. Darin didn’t move from the haystack as Aysha rubbed the sweat off Prince. She was clearly exhausted.