“I will not go under your blankets,” she said, holding her fur blanket in one hand. “I have never lain with a man, especially not a naked one, and I don’t plan on doing so now.”
He didn’t say a word, moving over, closer to the tent wall, to make room for her. Sighing, she lay down beside him, pulling her blanket up to her chin. The bed was like lying on a cloud. She was pretty certain there was better, since this mattress was used for camping, but compared to the floor, it was heaven. She sighed again, this time in delight. Again, she could tell he was smiling, even though she couldn’t see him in the dark.
“Don’t act so smug,” she said. “There was a rock under my back.”
“Of course,” he replied, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. She hated it when he did that. He was silent for a minute before he continued. “Aziz came into camp,” he said in a low voice. “That is why everyone is nervous.”
“Does he not come here often?”
“No, almost never. He is … greatly changed.”
She turned her head to look at him. “In what manner?”
“His physical appearance,” he said. She almost thought she felt him shudder slightly. “The magic he is doing is taking a large toll on him. It is unnerving.”
Rose stayed silent, wondering what kind of magic could have such an effect on a person. She had never seen the sorcerer before, only heard stories about his talents. It was well known that he was their greatest asset in this war. Whatever had changed about him, certainly seemed to disturb Callum. Rose found that unsettling herself. It was odd that even he would be nervous around the man he was allies with.
Eventually, his breathing became slower, and she knew he was asleep. It made her uneasy to be so close to him, but the comfort of having a cushion under her was worth it. Closing her eyes, she had her first good sleep in weeks.
“Callum!” she heard Brutus call. He stormed through the flaps, stopping in shock. Both of them sat up, looking at him confusedly. The light outside told her it was already late in the morning. Neither of them had slept that late before, she realized. A slow smile grew on Brutus’s face as he regarded them. Only then did Rose realize they were still in bed together. Her face grew hot. “Well, good morning,” he said slyly.
“It’s not what you think,” Callum said defensively, to Rose’s gratitude. She did not turn to look at him, trying to avoid making the situation any more awkward than it was already.
“I’m sure,” he said, chuckling. “Why are you two still asleep? We have a war to attend to, man! Godfrey just returned from his scouting mission, and he’s informed me that the High King’s army is on the move. Our time is coming!” Rose thought he was enjoying himself way too much at that moment. Not just with their—hers and Callum’s—situation, but with the whole war in its entirety. The man seemed to love the notion of fighting, which scared her a little. It still surprised Rose, almost on a daily basis, how laid-back and friendly Brutus the Red was. All the stories she had heard of him when she was younger said what a monster he was, a man who fed on the blood of others. Rose couldn’t help but wonder if he hadn’t spread those rumours himself. He would enjoy the thought of people saying such horrible things about him. In reality, he wasn’t nearly so scary to be around, and seemed to find humour in most situations. Even now, he stood with the same smile across his face. She was too nervous to get out of the bed, so she lay still, waiting for Callum to make the first move.
Callum remained where he was, however. “We will meet you outside then,” he replied calmly. “Thank you for letting us know.” Brutus took that as his dismissal, which was exactly what it was. Giving a wink in Rose’s direction, he turned and left slowly.
“That man seems to find an immense amount of joy in my discomfort,” she said resentfully. Callum laughed, lying his head back down for a minute.
“He is a good man, Brutus,” he commented. “I am glad to have met him.” She remained sitting up, keeping her blankets around her, even though the tent was now warm from the morning sun. “You’ll have to get up first, you know,” he said eventually. She looked over her shoulder at him. “I’m naked, remember?”
The picture of him came flooding back into her head, unfortunately. She could only imagine Brutus’s face if Callum had gotten out of bed in front of him. Neither of them would have lived it down, no matter what they said to him. Throwing her legs off the side, she stood up quickly, keeping her back to him. She didn’t need another show like the one last night. Going over to the small basin of water in the corner, she splashed some water on her face to help refresh her. She could hear him buckling his pants up, and knew it was safe to turn around. He still wore no shirt, but he was more or less covered.
“Thank you,” she said nervously. He looked over curiously. “For letting me sleep in the bed,” she explained. “It was nice not to have to sleep on the floor for once.”
He smiled, pulling his shirt over his head. “You’re welcome, Rose,” was all he said. Sometimes she found him to be so courteous with her, it would catch her off guard. It almost made her forget that she was a prisoner. Even when they spoke at night sometimes, when Brutus was there too, he would include her in the conversation like she was one of them. Neither of them treated her like a young girl who had been taken forcibly from her home. Pushing the thoughts of home away, she sat down on the ground to pull on the riding boots Callum had given her recently. They were much easier to travel in than her slippers. She guessed he had stolen them too, but she didn’t dwell on it.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded her head, following him out of the tent. It was custom for him now to wait for her, before they left together to retrieve his horse. Everyone in the camp was probably used to seeing her by his side during their travels. Some of the looks she got made her uneasy—men smiled at her in a way she did not like. They were few and far between, however, since no one would dare look at her that way if Callum caught them. He had once threatened to kill one of them, simply because they had almost knocked her down while passing by. His reaction had startled the poor guy, and Rose, but it was the last time it happened. From that point on, everyone made sure to keep their distance from Callum’s red-headed prisoner.
Callum got up on the horse first, holding his hand out to pull her up. He did so as easily as he always did, as if she weighed only a pound. She wondered then how much he had changed, physically, since being there. Aziz was not the only person who had changed during this war. As far as Rose was informed, Callum had been the scholar out of the two brothers, never having been trained in the King’s army. Now, he was as hard and lean as any soldier. Surely, he had changed greatly since his time in the Capital.
“Do you think your brother will recognize you?” she asked, facing his back. He grew momentarily rigid, and then seemed to force himself to relax. “I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly. “Did I say something wrong?”
He shrugged his shoulders indifferently, but she could tell he was making a great effort. She had watched him enough over the past couple of weeks, to be able to read his body language quite proficiently.
“It just surprised me,” he said. “What do you mean by that question?”
They were riding now, alongside the men on foot, heading for the front where Brutus rode. “Well, I just assumed you have changed greatly since coming here. All the training you’ve had must have made you different than before.”
“Are you checking out my body, Rose?” he said, peeking over his shoulder at her. Rose’s face heated instantly.
“No!”
He started to laugh. “I’m only bugging you. Perhaps he will not,” he answered honestly. “You are correct to say that I have changed since coming here. My old self is half the man I am now. I’m sure when he sees my face he’ll know me, if not by my figure.”
She didn’t ask any more questions, too embarrassed by the implications of her first. Of course, he would assume she had noticed his physique by asking such a question. She felt humiliated.
They rode for the most part of the day, stopping once to let the horses drink by a small lake. Rose splashed some water on her face, rubbing off the dust that stuck to her while they were riding. This was not a place for a woman, she thought miserably. It had been days since she had taken a real bath; her hair was becoming knotted and flat. She sighed loudly, causing Callum to turn toward her.
“My hair is a disaster,” she said sullenly. He laughed. “You soldiers wouldn’t understand.”
“No, I can agree with you there. Men don’t find such things important when on the road.”
Getting up, she walked back over to their horse, drying her face on a cloth she kept in the saddlebags. Callum was stretching a little bit away from them. His sword lay on the grass beside him.
“Callum,” she called out. He turned toward her, his eyebrows raised expectantly. She rarely used his name; it sounded weird and familiar when she did. “Can you teach me to fight?” she asked, nodding her head at the sword. His eyebrows rose higher, following her look to his weapon.
“You want to learn how to use a sword?” he asked uncertainly. She nodded her head. “Why would I teach you how to use something you could use against me? That would be pretty stupid of me, don’t you think?”
She shook her head angrily. “If I had wanted to attack you, or kill you, I would have done so already.”
“You did try to attack me,” he corrected her. “And if you did so again, you wouldn’t get very far.”
“Is that a challenge?”
He smiled. “Rose, the sword would be too heavy for you even to swing at me. This is foolhardy.” She stood defiantly, challenging him with her look. He laughed out loud, shrugging his shoulders. “All right, if you insist.” Walking over to the horse, he pulled another sword from its sheath, handing it to her. He was right—it was extremely heavy—but she didn’t let him see her struggle.
They walked over to where there was more room, him picking up his other sword where it lay as they went.
“You have to remember to keep your wrist strong,” he instructed. “It can easily break, and you’ll lose your sword. Keep your feet spread apart, so your balance is strong.”
“What is going on here?” Brutus said, sounding amused as always, as he approached them.
“She wants to learn to use a sword,” Callum replied, his voice just as amused.
Brutus barked his laughter. “Is that wise?” he said to Callum. They both just smiled.
“I don’t appreciate the lack of confidence from either of you,” Rose said with as much dignity as she could muster.
“Our apologies.” Brutus chuckled. “Please, continue.”
They faced each other, Rose holding her sword as strongly as she could. It took all the muscles in her arm to keep the sword steady. Bracing her feet, she waited for him to move. He came fast, stepping toward her in a quick, fluid motion, bringing his sword down on hers. The sword flew from her hands, landing only a few feet away. The hit ran through her arm, stinging it from the force. She held her hand, looking at him accusingly.
“I told you to keep your wrist firm,” he said, picking up the sword again and handing it to her. “How do you expect to win, if your opponent can disarm you so easily?”
The wind of the spring day whipped through her hair, keeping her cool in the sunlight. Her face was hot, however, more from embarrassment than anything. She tried again, keeping her arm firm as he attacked once more. This time he didn’t hit the sword with his own; instead, he twisted in front of her, ending up behind her with his sword at her throat. The weapon she held remained useless in her hand. Brutus clapped, clearly enjoying the whole exercise.
They continued like this until they were ready to leave. He outwitted her every time, barely giving her an opportunity to attack. She had never felt so useless in her life. From then on, every time they stopped for a break he would practice with her. Eventually, she learned how to dodge his attacks, finding her movements quicker because of her small size. Her attacks were hopeless, though, the weight of the sword making her movements slow and ineffective. Still, Rose appreciated the effort Callum put into teaching her. If anything, she knew how to read his body language when he approached her, guessing which way he would attack, and manoeuvring herself the opposite. He complimented her on that, telling her that if she couldn’t fight back, at least she’d have a good chance of getting away. Rose could only hope.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They were woken up at dawn, having slept only a couple of hours, and told to start packing a small bag of just the necessities. Aiden was exhausted, and found himself dragging his feet around the small room he had called his bedroom for the last two weeks. Time had flown by, each day full from the time he woke up until the time he went to sleep. He had barely enough time to miss his parents and sister, or even to think of his life back at home. The approach of battle started to send his mind down all sorts of paths. Memories from home finally came flooding back as he packed, and he was suddenly violently homesick. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he began to wonder how he was going to manage all this. Elisa walked in to find him sitting there. She walked over, taking a seat beside him.
“Do you need to talk?” she asked gently.
“I think I’m just overwhelmed,” he admitted. “I haven’t seen my family in a while, and I miss them a lot. This whole thing, this battle and everything that rides on it … it’s just too much for me to handle.”
“The outcome of this war does not ride on you alone,” she comforted him. “We all feel that way; anyone would in a time like this. I’m sure the men of the northern army even feel that way. War is never a simple thing—there will always be a winner and a loser. Even when it is over, it is never truly over.”
“Why bother then?”
“We do what we have to, Aiden, to protect those who need protecting in our lands. Think of all the small children who haven’t grown up yet to enjoy the world. They need that chance. If Brutus the Red takes over, all of Eden will be torn to shreds. There will be no freedom for those who live here, those who even survive. This has to stay in the back of our minds as we go to fight. It will keep us strong and determined.”
He looked over at her. It was obvious she believed in everything she was saying, but he felt it was easier said than done. Of course he thought about all the people who had been killed, or were still in danger, but that didn’t make it a simple task. Two massive armies would meet only a short time from today, and he would be expected to lead the first line of defence toward the opponent. Him—a boy who wasn’t even of this land, who had never even dreamt of doing something like this. What did he know about leading men? What did he know of war, besides what he read in history books, and those wars were nothing like this one. This world that existed alongside his own, a land filled with people who lived and laughed like his did, where there were two large moons that lit up the sky, and forests and hills that filled the landscapes. Where witches lived, and sorcerers, and mystical creatures that could tear you to shreds. It was all so much, all so complicated. Now he was leaving this tiny room he had grown accustomed to, to meet whatever was being led toward them. It was the finale, the point where it would be decided who would be left to rule, and who would die. He wouldn’t be one of the numbers who died during this battle—he had been made aware of that—but one of his friends could be. Then he would go back home and have to live with the memory of losing someone he had grown so attached to. His heart hurt, the weight almost too much to bear.
“Come on,” Elisa said, rising. “We need to go down and meet the others. It will be a long journey, and there are many of us to travel.”
He stayed where he was, unable to move.
“Aiden, everything will work out. The God and Goddess will make sure of it.”
What can they do, he thought bitterly. They didn’t help all the people who had already been torn from their homes, their whole villages sent up into flames. Where were these Gods then? Anger burned in him now, resentment to
ward the deities of this world. He quickly stopped himself, pushing away those thoughts. Now is not the time, he reminded himself.
“All right.” He sighed, getting up and stretching out his legs. “I guess it’s now or never.” She smiled encouragingly at him, waiting for him to grab the small bag he had packed. They walked out together, heading toward the city gates, out where all the others already stood.
Wolf was waiting for them, just outside the wall, with their horses. “What took you so long?” he asked lightly. The excitement was practically radiating from him. Aiden could only guess that this was exactly what Wolf had been born to do. He probably had been waiting for this moment, lived for it. No second thoughts would cross his mind. He was ready. Damn him, thought Aiden.
“Just grabbing my things,” Aiden answered, tying his bag to the back of Ty’s saddle. The horse snorted, also visibly excited to be going for a real ride this time. Aiden hadn’t ridden him very far yet, so this would be new for both of them. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” he whispered to the beast.
Logan and Felix rode up on their horses, Logan holding another one for Elisa. Aiden watched as she swung herself up onto the back of the horse just as naturally as Wolf did. He expected it from Wolf, knowing that he was from the west, where riding was like breathing for them. He hadn’t expected it from her.
“What?” she asked, catching the surprised look on Aiden’s face.
“I didn’t know you could ride so well,” he answered honestly.
She laughed, twitching the reins, jolting the horse forward. “How else did you expect me to get around?”
Aiden and the others watched as she rode off.
“What a woman,” Felix breathed. They all looked back at him with the same startled face and then burst out in laughter at the same time.
“You need to meet more women.” Wolf laughed, kicking Grumpy forward to follow Elisa’s retreating form.
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