Then she ran for the balcony.
17
Caleb rubbed his face with his hand and approached his room. Lady Meira’s incessant questions, the grating music, and the raucous laughter at dinner had felt like fingers scraping across his mind. He had been only too happy to see the last drink served so he could politely excuse himself. Lady Meira did not seem to notice his hurry to leave. Instead, she had wished him a good evening and to ring for anything else he desired. Caleb sighed and stopped in front of the door. All he wanted right now was his bed and peace of mind.
Caleb pushed the door open…and stopped. His assassin instincts screamed to life. He fell into position and searched the room. A figure stood to his left. Something dark came flying toward him. His eyes widened in surprise. He ducked—
Smack! Stars popped across his vision. A searing sensation tore across his forehead. Caleb let out a gasp of pain and swore. He blinked against the throb and brought a hand up to his head. Warm wet liquid met his fingertips. Blood?
The figure was already at the balcony, swinging a leg over the edge. Then the figure disappeared.
Caleb straightened, his eyes tearing from his aching forehead. He staggered into the room. Thoughts rammed through his mind. Why was someone in his room? A servant? No, a servant would not attack him. But that woman who’d looked at him with such revulsion earlier…could she have attacked him? Maybe he’d killed her former master? Or maybe he had interrupted a thief in his room?
His eyes narrowed. He looked at the balcony, his mind replaying the moments before being hit. The intruder had definitely been a woman. But why would a woman have been in his room?
A flash of cold rushed over his body. Lady Meira was known for her hospitality, especially with the Tala men. In the past, she had always provided a pretty female slave for his visits. Caleb grimaced as he remembered.
His head throbbed again. He brought his hand up and looked at the blood now covering his fingertips. Never had the slave run before. Or hit him. He looked back toward the balcony. This one definitely had spirit.
Then Caleb frowned. He knew the area around Lady Meira’s estate well. Nothing but desert. There was little chance the slave would make it far. And he knew Lady Meira beat her slaves for crimes far less severe than trying to run away. If the woman were caught, she would probably end up dead.
Go after her.
Caleb hesitated. His old self would not have cared about a slave being beaten. But his new self…
He crossed the room and stepped out onto the balcony. Beneath the pale moonlight he could see something tied to the balcony’s edge. A silk sheet. He glanced over the edge and spotted a lone figure, running between the rows of grapevines.
You don’t have to follow her. That sounded like his old self.
Yes, I do, Caleb countered. It was because of him that this woman, whoever she was, had been put in this position.
He tested his balance and the slickness of his hands. They felt fit to attempt it. He swung his leg over the ledge and slid down the sheet. His feet hit the ground with a quiet thud. The woman faltered and looked back. This was not the female servant who had glared at him earlier. There was something about her, though…
The woman turned and ran faster.
Caleb gave chase. His heart beat with a familiar rhythm. His assassin instincts, awakened by the woman’s attack, now came swiftly back. His body moved with agility and swiftness. His feet barely whispered as he darted through the vineyard. Ahead, in the moonlight, he saw the woman stumble. She disappeared beneath the green vines. A small painful cry broke the quiet desert night.
Caleb drew closer. The woman struggled back up. Something about her seemed familiar… That hair, short and curly…
She began to run again. Caleb reached out and clamped down on her shoulder. She gave a cry of fright as he pulled her to stop.
“Wait!” He twisted her around. “You don’t have to—” Her face came into view, and his words died on his lips. “You!” It was that woman! That scribe he had caught up north! The one with blood-red hair. But what was she doing here?
She kicked him in the shin and ran.
“No, wait!” He darted after her. He grabbed hold of her again and swung her around.
“No!” the woman screamed. She shoved at him, trying to break his hold. “I will not come with you! I will not!” She tore at him with frenzied hands. Her fingernails gouged his face.
A spark of anger ignited inside Caleb as his face began to sting. He grabbed her wrists in an effort to keep those vicious claws away.
With a shout of desperation the woman kicked out. Grunting after a close blow below, Caleb swerved his right leg around both of hers, throwing her off balance. She fell against him. Holding both her hands, he pinned her against him.
“Would you please stop,” Caleb said in a tight voice, staring down at eyes wide with fear. “I’m trying to help you.”
The woman struggled, but with her legs pinned by his and his hands tight around her wrists, she could not move. She finally stopped struggling, panting heavily.
“That’s better.” Caleb loosened his grip slightly, but not so much that she could wiggle out.
She looked away. “So now what?” He heard the catch in her voice and watched her bite her lip. Her body trembled slightly.
“I’m going to take you back.”
Wrong words. She went rigid. Her head swung back up at him. “I will not go with you!” Then she pulled back with more strength than Caleb thought a woman like her would possess.
Caleb found himself toppling forward. He shifted his legs and caught himself. “Wait! You misunderstand me. I want to help you.”
“No, you don’t!” She jerked back again. “You only want one thing!” She fell, almost taking him down with her. “And you can’t have it!”
“Lady Meira will have you beaten if she finds out you ran away.”
The woman stopped. She looked up at him with her face scrunched up. “And why would you care?”
Caleb half-expected her to spit on him. He let his breath out slowly. “I don’t want to see you beaten.”
“Sure. Not until you’re finished with me.”
Caleb nodded inwardly. He deserved that. “No, I don’t want you to come to any harm.”
Her face drained. “What? Why?”
“Because…” Caleb stared down at her face. He faltered. Why indeed? Because he had changed? Because the Word had told him to help her? Her eyes stared up into his. Would she believe him? “Because I don’t want to see you beaten.” Lame.
“I don’t believe you!” She arched her back and pulled at his grip.
Anger roared up inside Caleb. “Then that’s your choice!” His lips curled, and he tightened his hold on her wrists. Why couldn’t she just make this easy? After all, he was trying to help her.
She tore loose of one of his holds and yanked her left arm away. His fingers tightened like an iron shackle around her other wrist. Caught off-guard, she fell, his hold on her wrist twisting her body around as she hit the ground.
For a moment she lay there stunned. Good, Caleb thought. He bent down to help her—
Crack. Sharp pain erupted across his knee. He snarled and reached for the woman, barely hearing her cries. He was going to teach her to—
Son of Truth, listen to her.
Caleb could barely hear the Word over his own rushing blood. He would force her to come back—
Listen to her.
The quiet voice finally registered in his mind. It took all his strength to stop. Caleb breathed heavily and looked down at the young woman. His anger still pulsed inside his body.
“I won’t be taken, I won’t be taken! Word, help me!” She beat him with her fist.
Caleb barely felt it. He slowed his breathing, and his anger subsided. He looked down at her again. Something shifted inside his chest. She stopped hitting him and covered her face with her free hand. A quiet sob escaped her fingers. The strange feeling continued to swell insid
e his heart, one he had long forgotten.
He saw the woman change before him. She was no longer a frenzied creature, but a terrified human. And no wonder. She was a captive in a foreign land, being given to a strange man, to serve in a way contrary to her beliefs.
Caleb closed his eyes. Word, I understand now.
Warmth filled his being. He opened his eyes and bent down. “I mean you no harm,” he said gently. Her shoulders shuddered with sobs. “I really am only trying to help you.” She cried harder. Not sure of what to do, he waited. Word, please help me.
Caleb glanced toward the manor, wondering if anyone had noticed the woman’s escape or heard their struggle. He could see no movement. However, that did not mean Lady Meira didn’t know. And if his cousin knew this woman had tried to escape…
“Come on. Let’s get you back to the house before anyone realizes you’re missing.”
The woman looked up at him this time, her face swollen from her tears. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Like I said, I don’t want to see you in trouble.”
Her lip quivered. Silver trails followed the curve of her cheeks. “And what will you do to me if I go back?”
Caleb stared at her, not understanding. Then he realized what she was thinking. “On my family name, nothing will happen to you.”
“N-nothing?”
“I will not touch you.”
She stared at him, as if weighing his words.
“Anyway, there’s no place for you to run. It’s desert for miles. And you would probably be caught. But—” he looked at her— “if you come back with me, nothing bad will happen to you. No punishment. And no…you know, either.”
“But what if Lady Meira knows I ran?”
“I will protect you.”
Caleb could see she still didn’t trust him. And they were running out of time. The longer they were out here, the more chances someone would see or hear them. Tension worked its way across his shoulders. “Trust me,” he said with quiet urgency.
The woman glared at him. “After what you did to me in the Temanin camp? After you held me captive and tied up? After what I heard about you? You killed people! And I watched you each day walk out of the tent like you were possessed. Do you think I will trust a crazy man? I’ll never trust you!”
Exasperation began to replace the compassion he had felt moments before. Word, I need Your help now. Patience had never been one of his strong traits. “Look, I can’t explain what happened back at the Temanin Camp.” If he told her about the woman with the glowing hand, she would really think he was crazy. “But I kept you in my tent to keep you safe! The commander wanted you placed with the other prisoners of war. Do you know what would have happened to a woman like you?”
The woman shrank back but kept her gaze on him.
“And yes.” Caleb sighed and looked away. “I did kill people. Many people. I’m not proud of it. And I hope never to do that again.”
A cricket chirped nearby. Caleb listened to it, waiting. Please, just believe me.
He heard her let her breath out. “I will-I will go back with you.”
Caleb closed his eyes. “Good.” Thank You, Word. He dropped her wrist and stood. She began to massage her wrist with her other hand. Caleb noticed. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
She glanced up, surprised and hesitant. Then she looked back down.
A light appeared in one of the lower rooms inside the manor.
“We need to go.” He hoped the light was only a servant attending to some chore. The young woman also noticed. She pushed off the ground and stood. “We can’t go back the way we came.” Caleb gave her a wry smile. “So we’ll need to cross the vineyards and enter through the back door.”
The young woman nodded and took a step forward. “Ouch!” she cried, stumbling.
“Whoa!” Caleb caught her by the waist.
She went rigid at his touch. “Don’t touch me!” She jerked forward and stumbled again.
All patience gone now, Caleb did what he did best: He got the job done. “Sorry about this,” Caleb said, moving as he spoke, “but we need to get back.“ He scooped her up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she cried, fighting his grip.
“Getting you back to the house,” Caleb said through tight lips.
She gasped. “Let me down. Now!”
Many choice words suddenly crossed his mind toward the woman, the nicest being stubborn. His old self began pointing out why he should never have gone after her. But another voice drowned it out.
You need to love the ones you protect.
I know. Caleb took a deep breath and willed himself to remain calm.
She continued to fight him.
“Look!” he finally snapped. He stopped and looked down at her. “If you keep fighting me, you’re going to wake someone up. I’m only doing this to help you.” He breathed heavily now from frustration.
She seemed to consider his words. Her mouth shut tight, and she nodded.
“Good,” Caleb said, feeling more like growling. Then he took off again, carrying the young woman between the grapevines toward the manor.
She is scared. She only remembers the man she met in the Temanin camp, not the man you are now.
I know. His shoulders slumped, and his grip loosened. But she remained rigid in his arms.
As Caleb carried her, his memories drew back to his childhood, to a time when he’d caught a lone brush hare. He remembered the hammer of its heartbeat and its look of fear. He’d gently run his hand across the hare’s soft fur, cooing in a low voice. He remembered how much he’d wanted the creature to not be afraid of him. But at its first chance, the hare had run.
Caleb looked down at the woman he held. She was just like that brush hare. But instead of dark eyes looking up into his, hers were tightly shut. The scent of desert blooms drifted up from her body and hair, filling his nose with their sweet perfume. His eyes followed the smooth curve of her cheek, down her neck and to the edge of the blue silk top. His blood began to pound. This was no hare he held in his arms. And she had been given to him.
Sands! Caleb tore his eyes away. But he could now feel old urgings rise inside of him. He hadn’t held a woman in almost a year. He might have chosen a different path for his life, but he was still a man…
Ahead, he could see one of the side doors that led from the vineyard into the estate. He hurried to the stone walkway and put the woman down as fast as he could. She tottered on the spot. Caleb buried the heat he felt and came to her side. “Hold onto me. I’ll help you walk.”
The fight seemed spent inside the woman. Instead of protesting, she limply grabbed hold of his arm. Caleb placed his free hand on her arm, careful to keep a couple of inches between them and led her along the walkway toward the door.
The door opened.
Light spilled out from the house onto the walkway. Two figures stood in its glow.
“Imre, relieve my cousin of that slave,” commanded a cold feminine voice.
“Yes, milady.” The larger figure moved out from the door and toward Caleb. The young woman’s fingers dug into his arm. Caleb recognized the servant: Imre, Lady Meira’s right hand man. He was a beast of a man, both in looks and action. He stood a head taller than Caleb. His face was deformed, and his nose was crooked, probably from multiple breaks. Caleb had once seen Imre beat a slave so badly he’d left the man looking like a piece of meat. If Lady Meira handed the woman to Imre, Caleb wasn’t sure she would survive.
Imre ignored Caleb. He grabbed the woman and tore her away. She cried out, glancing toward Caleb. His mind raced for a way to salvage the situation…
“Imre informed me that the young woman I had sent to your room tonight escaped.” Lady Meira left the doorway and came to stand beside Caleb. “I am sorry for her conduct, and for what she did to your head.”
Caleb reached up and touched the spot where the vase had hit him. It was still tender and oozy to the touch. Imre dragged the
woman past them and toward the door.
“I will make sure she pays,” Lady Meira said. “Imre, take her to the cellar. I will be there shortly.”
Imre turned back briefly and nodded.
“No! Please!” The woman tried to break away from Imre’s hold. Imre dragged her along the stone walkway. She looked back at Caleb. “Please, you said—” She cried out in pain and was pulled inside the manor.
Word, now what do I do? How could he keep his promise to the woman? He didn’t even know her name.
“Again, I am sorry for my servant girl’s behavior.” Lady Meira turned back to Caleb. “Had I known she would act this way, I would have sent another to your room.”
Caleb ceased to hear her, because a plan was formulating in his mind. He would have to act carefully, or Lady Meira would be suspicious… He walked to the doorway and leaned against its side. “No harm done. Except for the cut she left on my forehead.” Caleb shrugged. “I like women with a bit of fire inside of them.” He choked on the words, knowing just how true they were. A wave of disgust rushed through him. But he pressed on. He lifted his hand and studied his ring: a large black stone with the Tala family crest engraved on top. “So what’s going to happen to her?” He looked back at his cousin.
Lady Meira’s face darkened. “She will be punished. I do not tolerate insubordination in a slave. She was caught running. If I do not address her actions, other slaves will hear and try as well. She must be made an example.”
“But won’t that defeat the purpose of why you have her?” Caleb looked at Lady Meira. “She is a beautiful woman. To mar her would make her less desirable.”
Lady Meira’s face went tight. “I will simply find another.”
“Still, it would be a shame to mar this one.” Caleb studied his hand again. “What if I said I found her—” he looked over at Lady Meira— “attractive?”
She looked him over. “What are you saying?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m saying I’m interested in her. Very interested.”
Lady Meira raised one eyebrow and studied Caleb for a moment. “I might be persuaded to part with her…for the right price.”
Son of Truth (Follower of the Word) Page 19