“Hah! What a load of—
“Listen to me, Dearra. He is responsible for his own actions. Plus, he is the man! I don’t care if you parade around naked, he needs to control himself!”
Dearra shook her head. “Please, Carly, don’t tell Daniel. He will be so angry. This really is my fault, no matter what you may think. Darius and I just need to work this out.”
“Humph!”
“Please, Carly. Promise me you won’t tell.”
Carly lay down on her bunk and stared at the ceiling without responding.
An hour later, Carly rose from the bed. “Are you coming to dinner tonight, Dearra?”
“Not tonight. I think I’d better just eat in here again.”
“Whatever you think is best, dearest,” Carly said. She patted Dearra’s shoulder gently as she slipped from the room.
Carly had barely taken three steps when she was yanked, roughly, into another cabin. She recognized the hands that held her close in the dark room and she felt no panic.
“The two of you have been locked in there for hours! What did she say? Did you get the story or not?”
“I missed you too, Daniel,” Carly said, barely able to suppress her irritation.
Daniel took a moment to replay his actions, wrapped a bear-like arm around Carly, and nuzzled his bearded chin into her soft hair. “I’m sorry, Carly. We’ve all been on edge lately, and I guess I just got a little over anxious. Forgive me?” he said, planting fleeting kisses on her eyes and the tip of her nose.
“See? This is the problem right here. You…you…men, can’t control yourselves.”
“What?” Daniel took a step away from her and lit one of the small oil lamps secured to the wall. Now that he could better see his angry dove, he felt a moment’s hesitation. He had assumed that whatever had happened between Dearra and Darius had been a minor falling out, one that might be easily mended, but the look on Carly’s face said it was worse than they had anticipated. He listened as she relayed Dearra’s story to him. “Unbelievable! No control at all! I can’t believe it!” he said when she had finished.
“I quite agree. What are we going to do about it?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. I must say, I am surprised to see you so upset about this. I would have thought you would be more sympathetic.”
“Not a chance! I have never been so angry. There has to be some sort of punishment for this type of behavior.”
“I feel the same way. This is not something to be taken lightly. What do you think we should do to her?”
“First off…Wait, what do you mean her?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? Dearra was out of line. You can’t just play games like that with a man. We have our limits. While I agree that it’s a bad situation all the way around, if Darius had…well, if he had crossed that line, I would have had to kill him. Dearra would have had no one but herself to blame if it had come to that. After all, a man can only take so much. Fortunately, for all of us, everything turned out all right.”
“Tell me, Daniel, do you find it difficult to speak with both feet shoved so firmly into your mouth?”
“Carly, surely you must agree that—”
“Agree what? That men are beasts? Certainly. That you can’t control yourselves enough to be trusted, even around women you claim to love? Obviously. That you are a bunch of overgrown children who see, want, and take? Yes, Daniel. I certainly agree with that.”
“Carly, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.” His own patience was starting to wear a little thin at Carly’s twisting of his words. “You need to see reason. Dearra was warned. The fact that she almost got bit should be no surprise.”
Daniel had a way of ruffling Carly’s feathers like no one else could. She took a steadying breath before speaking. “Daniel, we keep many dogs on the island to guard livestock and families. Some of them are quite aggressive. Children are warned to stay away from them from the time they are old enough to understand words. On occasion, children venture too close, and out of curiosity, or sometimes just because they are feeling daring, they taunt the dog. And on even rarer occasion, that well trained animal will lash out, understandably, at its tormentor. The child had been warned repeatedly, and the dog was certainly justified in its attack. In such a situation, what do we do to the dog, Daniel?”
“That’s not the same thing, Carly. You can’t—”
“What do we do to the dog, Daniel?” Carly asked again.
“We put it down,” Daniel conceded.
“And why do we do that, Daniel? Was the child not warned? Was the dog not justified?” Carly asked coldly.
“Because we could never fully trust the animal again. We protect our own. But isn’t Darius one of us now? Do you not call him ‘brother’? Don’t let your love for Dearra blind you to her faults.”
Carly drew a slow, deep breath and then let it out again. “I suppose you are right. I have been blinded by my love. But I think you are equally blinded. You seem to think possessing certain…uh, I mean, you know, having…well, that they give you an excuse to be stupid,” Carly said, braving the briefest glance downwards as she faced Daniel. She felt her face flush.
“Uh, they? I’m not sure what you mean, Carly. They who?”
“You know what I mean, Daniel! Don’t be purposefully difficult. I’m just saying that being a man, which, admittedly, is a definite disability, doesn’t give you free rein to act like an animal.”
Sufficiently chastised, Daniel hung his head a bit. “Yes, Carly. We do tend to get a bit carried away.” He looked down at her, a small, devilish grin on his face, and he said, “But admit it, my sweet. You like knowing the dog can be a bit of a rogue from time to time.”
Carly took a step closer to Daniel. Her fingers traced a lazy line along his broad chest, and she smiled, coyly, up at him. “So true, Daniel. But remember, if the pup is too much of a scamp, we have ways of making sure his less than desirable traits are not passed on to future generations.” Carly traced her fingers lower, her hand pausing at his belt, and then she smiled sweetly and left the room. Daniel swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat and followed her out of the room, mindful to keep a respectful distance.
***
Being aboard the ship, in the middle of the ocean, had severely limited Brin’s diversions. People were an odd group, but he had become accustomed to the minds of his island home, and the daily ebb and flow of life around him. But with only a score of people on board, he had grown bored and a little lonely. Isolated in a box for a thousand years, he was used to only being able to listen to people’s thoughts, but since he had come to know Dearra and Darius, he had gotten used to communicating with others again, and he found he sorely missed the activity. True, the two of them had acted foolishly by putting themselves in a situation that could, potentially, ruin everything, but they were young, and didn’t really understand what was at stake.
Hearing things from Carly’s and Daniel’s points of view had gone a long way to cool Brin’s anger, as well as his fear. It really had been very, very close. If Brin hadn’t been there to stop them…but it did no good to dwell on it. Cyrus had been sure this was the only way, and Brin would have to trust in that. What other choice did he have?
Well, Fuzzy, Brin said, using his pet name for Dearra, aren’t you going to talk? I’m bored out of my mind, you know. You could think about someone else for a change, Brin said somewhat stiffly.
Dearra sat up so quickly, she banged her head on the wooden shelf above her. “Ow!” she yelped.
Ah, Dearra, always the wordsmith. Your skill with a sword is surpassed only by your gift of oratory.
“Huh?”
Brin sighed, but felt relieved to be speaking to Dearra once more.
“Oh, Brin, I’m so glad you’re talking to me again. I’ve missed you. I really am sorry. I promise, I will listen to you from now on.”
Don’t go saying things you don’t mean, Dearra. After a moment’s pause, he continued, but
maybe you could promise to at least be a little more…prudent.
Dearra hung her head in shame. “Yes, Brin,” she said.
Don’t feel too badly, Dearra. I knew another young couple a lot like the two of you.
“Really? Who?”
Cyrus and Dyanna.
“Cyrus? As in the Legend of Cyrus? Your Cyrus?”
Yes, Dearra, that Cyrus.
“But Dyanna is a Mirin Tor name.”
Yes, it is, isn’t it?
“Tell me, Brin! Tell me everything.”
Chapter 7
When Cyrus first came to Maj, he was very much a stranger in a strange land. The people were kind enough to him, but they always seemed a little distant. There was, however, one girl who was bolder than the rest, and Cyrus was drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. They spent more and more time together until, eventually, they were more than inseparable.
Dyanna was the niece of Majin. She was considered quite the prize by the men of the island, though her status also served to heighten the jealousy of some of them. Had Cyrus not been so openly attracted to the girl, he probably would have been accepted more quickly into the community, but people are such selfish creatures; if one has something, three more are sure to want it.
The romance between them blossomed until Cyrus went to Majin to ask to be allowed to join with his niece. Majin’s response was less than kind. He scoffed at the idea of his niece joining with the stranger, not because of any special love he felt for the girl, but because he felt it would diminish his status to be so tied to an outsider.
What an idiot. Can you imagine? People are all ignorant and prejudiced. If they would spend half as much time getting to know others as they spent imagining what their faults might be—”
“Uh, Brin,” Dearra said.
What?
“Cyrus and Dyanna, remember?”
Right, right. Where was I?
“Diminishing status.”
Yes, so, anyway, Lord Moron refused his permission, and a kind of tension settled over the island. Then, one day, a band of pirates attacked—you know, pretty much same old same old for the time. Cyrus joined the other warriors and kept the pirates busy on the beach until they appeared to give up and make their way back to their ships.
Now, keep in mind that I was buried in a box in the woods, and that, at the time, I was feeling pretty indifferent to all of the people of Maj. Plus, I really do try to interfere as little as possible. So it really wasn’t my fault, I think we can both agree that, no matter what, I couldn’t have prevented anything anyway and—
“Brin, I got it. You were in no way responsible. Now, just tell me.”
Well, there were two groups of pirates. One group kept the warriors busy, and the other group snuck ashore to steal what they could. I’m sorry to say that one of them attacked Dyanna when she tried to stop him.
“Attacked? He beat her?”
Yes. Unfortunately, it didn’t end with that. He raped her, too.
Dearra snapped at Brin. “You say it so casually. Have you no heart?”
Believe me when I tell you that I grieve for that day more than you will ever know, but it was a very long time ago, and I have let those memories fade as best as I can. If I would have…
Do you want to hear the story or not?
“Sorry, Brin. Go ahead.”
Dyanna was damaged in her mind and in her heart, as a result of the attack, even more so than in her body. Cyrus would not leave her, and stayed at her side as she was nursed back to health. She viewed her rape as a disgrace, as she was no longer pure. Depression set in, and she could never imagine sharing her life with a man, even if that man was her beloved Cyrus.
Cyrus wanted Dyanna to know the joy and goodness that could be shared between a man and a woman. He was convinced that only a joining would heal the girl, and he begged Majin to let him join with Dyanna, but, again, Majin refused.
Unable to live with the memories of her attack any longer, a week after her ordeal, Dyanna snuck out of her cottage, away from her family, and made her way to the cliffs. When she stepped to the edge, Cyrus appeared out of the mist and called to her. I will not share all of that very private conversation, Dearra, even with you, but, Cyrus told her that while he may not be able to join with her, he could teach her that love was neither brutal nor unkind. He did what he could to heal the wounds that had been left by the rape.
When the babe was born to her nine months after her attack, she did not seem at all resentful of the child, but would coo with love at the handsome, baby boy.
When Dyanna died in the Breken attack on the island, and Cyrus soon after, Majin adopted the boy into his house. Majin was greatly changed after that battle and realized, too late, the wrong he had done, preventing Dyanna and Cyrus from being joined.
Dearra was stunned. “Brin, I…I don’t know what to say. I have never heard that story before.”
Don’t be stupid, Dearra, of course you haven’t. Why would Majin want that stigma to follow the boy and all of his descendants? With the story buried, hiding the child’s parentage wasn’t all that difficult, seeing as your people aren’t much for keeping records of ancestry, anyway. After a couple of hundred years or so, no one talked about it anymore.
“Wow, Brin! That’s so incredible! I wonder if I am a descendant of his.”
Oh, there’s no maybe about it. You are definitely descended from that boy.
“Seriously? I can hardly believe it! I am descended from a pirate! Well, that certainly explains a lot,” Dearra said.
A pirate? You? Certainly not! The baby was Cyrus’s. You are a descendant of Cyrus and Dyanna, Brin said smugly.
Dearra dropped her head to her hands and struggled to stop the room from spinning. When she’d had enough time to fully absorb Brin’s words, she snapped her head upright, and blurted, “That means I’m…we’re…Oh my…I’m Breken.”
Yes, you are. Funny how these things work out, isn’t it?
Chapter 8
About four weeks into the voyage, Dearra’s stomach had settled enough for her to join the others on deck. She and Darius spent enormous amounts of time staring at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Little did they know, the only people onboard oblivious to their longing were Dearra and Darius themselves.
Hugh looked at the two young people with pity. He had grown to respect the young Breken, and hated to see the boy he liked and the daughter he loved in such obvious pain. He had tried talking with Daniel about the situation, only to have the gruff weapons master advise him against getting involved in the quarrel. Though Hugh was surprised at how quickly Daniel had cut him off, he resolved not to discuss the possibilities for the rift between the two with anyone onboard.
Daniel and William offered support to the young man by spending time with him and treating him as though nothing had changed. Not long after Carly had related the story to him, Daniel stood next to Darius on deck, clapped him on the arm, and said, “Women underestimate their power over us sometimes, don’t they? I swear, they’ll be the death of us all.”
Darius understood the dual meaning the statement carried. He knew Daniel sympathized with his situation, but he also understood the not-so-hidden warning as to the consequence, should such a thing ever happen again. Though he was humiliated that Daniel, Carly, and William knew of his disgrace, it was also a relief to not have to hide it from those dearest to him. It also explained why every time he passed Carly she looked at him as though she were torn between hugging him and removing body parts she felt he no longer needed.
***
Dearra groaned. “How much longer?”
About two weeks.
“I can’t stand this, Brin! It never ends! There’s nothing to see but water, and nothing to do but eat and sleep. I just can’t stand it.”
Are you done?
“I guess so,” Dearra said, still pouting.
I sit in your room day in and day out. You never take me with you. If you’re bored, think o
f how I feel. At least you get to smell the salt air and feel a fresh breeze every now and again. The only smells I am privileged to receive have been the half-digested contents of your stomach. I would think that—
“Okay, okay! I will come and get you. My goodness, someone’s cranky today,” Dearra said. She gripped the rail with both hands on her way to her room.
Darius? Can you hear me? Brin asked, masking his thoughts to all but Darius, now.
It’s a small ship, Brin.
Is that a yes?
If it wasn’t a yes how could I have heard you in the—you know what? Never mind. It won’t do any good, anyway.
Yes, Brin, I can hear you. What is it?
Everyone’s bored. They need a distraction. I think you should tell a story tonight. Everyone seems to enjoy it when you do, and it will lift their spirits.
I begged you to talk to me. I pleaded with you to tell me what she was thinking. Not one word did I get in response, and now you want me to entertain everyone? No. Not a chance. I am not your own personal plaything to be turned on and off at will. Be honest, Brin, it’s you who’s bored, and as far as I’m concerned, you can just suffer through.
Fine, boy; selfish thing. It’s Dearra who ultimately suffers. She’s the one who’s bored. But don’t worry about poor, sweet Dearra. You don’t owe her a thing. You just go ahead and do whatever you want, boy.
Darius rolled his eyes dramatically before he responded. What kind of story do you think she’d like?
***
That night, everyone not actively engaged in sailing the ship gathered on deck to listen to Darius’s story. They all knew stories of their own, but they had been told and retold so many times that the prospect of hearing something new excited them all.
Only meager starlight and an occasional moonbeam lit the deck as the night sky filled with clouds and the sea winds became a bit more brisk. Darius slowly scanned the group assembled. His voice sounded colder and a little harder than they were used to, when he began to speak.
The Destiny Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 33