A tree root dissected the path causing Kyan to stumble, a curse flew loud and free from his mouth. The sound of my scream echoed through the hills closing in around us. My back was tearing open and I was certain that this was the beginning of the end for me. I was dying, or would soon.
A sound like rushing water filled my ears just before black dots began to cloud my vision. He stepped up onto a porch covered end to end with planters in varying shapes and sizes, each overflowing with herbs. Medicines. I smelled mint, lavender, thyme, lemongrass with each step he took toward the door. This was the porch of the healer, I realized, just before everything faded to black. We were here.
Muffled sounds filled my ears. Am I dead? No. I could hear Ky’s voice. And her’s; Evelyn. Evelyn has been the healer in our village for longer than I could remember, even before I was born, or came to live here, anyway. I can picture her shriveled hands, the skin soft but paper-thin. The blue of her veins was visible through her delicate, translucent skin. But those hands. Those miraculous hands had healed and comforted so many through the years. And now, she was using them on me.
Lightning ripped through my back. Those hands were touching it. And, oh, how I prayed she would stop. But these wounds had cut deep. Into a place so deep, they would never heal, even if the flesh and muscle of my back ever did.
The muffled sound of whimpering filled my ears. Who is that? Confusion set in and I briefly wondered who else was in the room with me, until I realized that the sound had been my own. “Are you awake? If so, squeeze my hand.” Her cool hand gripped mine and I concentrated hard, clenched my teeth and finally willed my fingers to tighten around hers. “Okay, dear. You’re going to be in a lot of pain. I’m going to mix a special tea to take the edge off and Kyan is going to help you drink it while I tend to your wounds.”
I squeezed her hand again in acknowledgement. A heavy sigh filled the room. A few minutes later, the sound of chair legs scooting across the rough wooden floor startled me and I opened my eyes. The lids were so heavy and it took so much energy just to try to keep them open.
I couldn’t see his face, just his legs and stomach, but Ky was now seated beside the bed that I lay upon. He smelled like crisp leaves in the fall and sunshine all year long. And I would know that smell anywhere. He lifted my head slightly and positioned the porcelain mug at my lips. “Drink.”
His voice sounded thick, gruff. He must be angry at me. I was angry. Not because of what I did. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was angry because I had to do it at all.
I sipped slowly, gingerly from the mug. The liquid was steaming hot and horribly bitter, but I drank it down, or tried to, anyway. Some of it dribbled down my chin, and Ky swiped it away before holding the mug back up for me again. I gulped the rest down quickly in an attempt to get some relief and to just get it over with.
I hissed as Evelyn spread something cold and slimy over my skin. “I’m sorry, dear. But, there’s no other way. Your back is really mangled. It’s going to take a while to heal properly. Packing the wounds with this poultice is the only way to jumpstart that process.” She sighed deeply and I realized that she had been the one to release the sigh that had filled the room earlier.
She plopped more of the slime onto my back. It burned a bit, but at the same time, was cool and soothing. I relaxed, sinking my head further into the soft down pillow beneath it. My body became very heavy. My arms and legs felt strange, like someone was poking them with a thousand small needles, and I wasn’t sure that I could lift them anymore, even if I wanted to. “Feeling tired?” she asked.
I nodded, as well as I could, into the pillow that my face was nestled. “Good. The medicine is working.” Her voice sounds funny. My eyelids drifted shut. Before too long, sleep claimed me.
∞
“WAKE UP, ABBY.” THE DEEP timbre of Kyan’s voice hovered close to my ear. “Time to get you home.” I blinked slowly, purposefully. My eyelids were heavy. The rough, calluses on Kyan’s hands scraped gently against my arms as he pulled me upright. “If there was any other way to carry you, I would, but neither Evelyn nor I can figure out an alternative that wouldn’t hurt you worse.”
I nodded as he positioned himself in front of me and then once again lifted me like a child. I held tight, trying to will the fuzziness clouding my mind and vision away. Ky, usually talkative, was quiet, which probably meant that he was mad. He carried me down the worn pathway through the sycamores and pines, splashed across the tiny creek, toward my house. I lived in my aunt Lulu’s small cabin on the outskirts of Orchard Village, a Lesser settlement.
He never faltered while carrying my weight along with his own. My body felt like it weighed a ton. A few minutes later, Ky stepped onto my porch, through the front door and into my bedroom. He’d brought one of his big button-down shirts for me to wear. Though I was all but swimming in it, it was functional– loose and didn’t cling to the wounds or bandages on my back.
The buttons would make it easy to put on and remove. He lowered me down, positioning me just in front of my bed. My feet found the floor and I held up my own weight, steadied by his hands upon my arms. “Norris came by.” He cleared his throat of the thickness that hung onto his words.
I cringed. Just the sound of his name was enough to remind me of both the sound and feel of the sharp crack of his whip. “What did he want?”
“To hand down the rest of your punishment.” Kyan’s words dripped of contempt.
A bitter laugh escaped my mouth. “What more can he possibly do to me?”
“It can always get worse, Abs. You’re banned from the orchards for now. You’ll work this week and maybe next, as a servant.” His words trailed away.
“What? What do you mean? I can work in the orchards.”
He shook his head. “No. Right now you can’t.”
“You’re siding with him? He’s a monster!”
Ky grabbed my chin, with his forefinger and thumb, and gently forced my face upward. My eyes followed. Traitors.
“No.” His deep brown eyes bore into mine. His hair had been cut. It was short and golden—a halo on my angelic best friend. He clenched his jaw, working the muscle in his cheek. “I don’t agree with anything Norris does, but—”
I tried to turn away, but he refused to release my chin. “But, you need to heal. If serving in a house for a week or so allows you to do that, then I’m all for it.”
Tears flooded my eyes, blurring him for a moment. “Don’t cry, Abby.” His voice softened and he pulled me against his chest, holding tight to my upper arms. He was being so careful not to touch my back, although I wished with everything in me that he could wrap his arms around me and squeeze me for all he was worth.
Kyan had been my best friend ever since I moved here to live with my aunt. He lived just across the hay field that stretched out gracefully between our homes. Long ago, a path was trodden through the center of it, worn by both his feet and mine.
“Where do I have to work?” His body tensed. This was bad. Oh, no. Not Norris. Please, not him. “The Preston’s house.”
“No. I won’t do it. I’m not going anywhere near Norris again. Not if I can help it.” Norris was Councilman Preston’s henchman.
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t get lashed again. He’d kill you if you defied him again. He almost did this time.”
“I didn’t defy him. I stood up for Megan.”
Confusion knitted his brow. “Megan? I thought you were punished for insubordination.”
“Yes, Megan. Five-year-old Megan. He caught her picking apples in one of the trees that line the orchard. She was starving, Ky. He was going to drag her to the square. She was kicking and screaming, crying, and begging him to let her go. He pulled out that whip and I...I just couldn’t let him do it. She’s so little. He has no business whipping a child.”
“So, you distracted him?”
“No. Well, sort of. I grabbed her from him, and told her to run and get you.”
His jaw clenched again and h
e looked away from me. “You took her punishment.” It wasn’t a question. He knew me like no one else.
“Yes.”
He pulled me close again and planted a soft kiss upon my temple. “I’ve gotta go. I’m supposed to be in the north orchard.”
I pushed him back. “Go. He’s looking for a reason to use that stupid whip any chance he gets. You’ll be next.”
He laughed dangerously. “He knows I’m here. But, I have to get back. I’ll check on you tonight after I get home.”
“Where’s Lulu?”
“Not sure, but she won’t be happy to find you in this state. She may take her shotgun after Norris.”
I nodded in agreement. My aunt would not be happy about this. She just might get the old shotgun out. She’s pulled the rusty thing out for less. Of course, I didn’t think anyone could stop Norris. He’d made a deal with the devil, losing his soul long ago. I was sure of it. He’d been terrorizing this village for years. Since the fool who had been sheriff appointed him the job at least ten years ago.
Norris wasn’t old, maybe thirty-eight or thirty-nine, but he was one sadistic, evil man. Anyone who would even consider raising a horse whip to the back of a five-year-old, starving little girl has more than a screw loose. And, he was intimidating. His hair was a dark brown and always hung long and greasy into his eyes. The scar he wore on his right cheek was jagged and warped his already pockmarked skin.
Children had made up stories for years about how he got it. But, I wasn’t sure if anyone really knew the truth about how he got that scar.
I squeezed Kyan once more and then all but pushed him out my bedroom door, wincing when I raised my arms a bit too high. I slowly followed him to the front door, which was only a few more feet away, and watched him jump down off the porch and start toward the orchard. “I’ll be back tonight. Go rest. You start work tomorrow,” he yelled back at me.
“Great,” I muttered as I watched his tall form crest the small hill and then disappear behind it. I closed the front door. It was made of old barn wood and you had to slam it to get it to close all the way. I stepped through our kitchen slash living area and retreated into my bedroom.
The bedrooms in the cabin were small, barely large enough for our tiny beds and small wooden wardrobes. The whole cabin was wood. Wooden walls led to wooden floors. Wooden beams and planks lined the ceiling that wasn’t quite tall enough. I’d always felt smothered by it, like it was slowly creeping down on me, instead of me growing taller.
There were no windows in the bedrooms in an attempt to conserve heat in the winter. Unfortunately, the other nine months of the year in Orchard weren’t cold. And, the heat got trapped then, too. In the summertime, I slept on the porch or on the living room couch with the front door propped wide open.
My back stung and some of the slashes began to throb. Suddenly thankful for my day’s reprieve, I decided to rest. Retreating to my room, I lied down on my stomach and settled my head on my crossed arms. My back spread and was uncomfortable for a moment until I relaxed. Sleep came swiftly.
∞
A SLAM JOLTED ME OUT of my slumber. Another slam echoed in the front of the cabin and footsteps hurried to my door. I didn’t know how long I’d slept or if it was still daylight, but I was still tired and just wanted to retreat back into the sweet abyss again. My door opened and I turned my head to see my aunt standing in the doorway.
“What happened, Abby?” She rushed over. I tried to push myself up, but my back was so stiff. The skin even felt stiff. How was that possible? I winced trying to get up. “Stay down. Let me see.” She gingerly lifted the back of Ky’s shirt and peeked underneath. The fabric slowly peeled away from my skin where the bandages that Evelyn had applied didn’t quite reach, or had shifted, and it felt like part of the wounds tore open again. A hiss escaped from between my teeth at the same time a curse flew from her lips.
“Evelyn sent more salve. She said that your body would absorb part of it and that more would have to be packed in.” Lulu helped me sit up and one by one, I unbuttoned the shirt and again peeled it away from my back. The only portion of my skin not torn to shreds from the fifteen lashes was the part that my bra had covered, although at the last lash, it only hung on by a thread.
“Evelyn came to the depot. She said you’d been injured and gave me the medicine and salve. I had no idea. Did Norris do this?” All I could do was nod.
Lulu took my shirt as I lie back down on my stomach and tried to remain as still as possible as Lulu packed my wounds. Having left the room, I could hear her banging around in the kitchen before she returns with a steaming mug containing more of the special tea. I gulped it down, hoping it helped numb the pain like it had before. When my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep almost immediately.
Something was touching my face, caressing my cheek. The skin that brushed mine was rough, hardened by the work we all share. Am I dreaming? I waited, trying to see if this was real or part of a dream. Whichever it was, it was nice, comforting.
Rough fingertips moved over the parts of my back that weren’t split open and packed with gunk. I sucked in a breath and held it. This was real. I moved my head and saw his silhouette against the candlelight flickering in from the kitchen and living room. “Ky?” My voice was raspy and barely sounded like my own. Sleep and exhaustion filled every chord.
“Shh. I’m here.” Suddenly, I was very aware that I was lying shirtless on my bed. Even though, I was on my stomach, that didn’t help me feel any less naked in front of my best friend, who happened to be a member of the male species—a very fine male specimen according to my girlfriends.
I knew he was handsome. I wasn’t blind. But, I didn’t see him like that. He’d dated many of my friends and now was getting ready to marry Paige Winters in just a few weeks, after the harvest was complete and the orchards picked bare. His fingertips trace the in-tact skin between my shoulder blades and I tensed under his touch.
He’d kissed my head and temple and hugged me more times than I can count, but this was somehow different. This was more intimate. His touch was delicate, gentle compared to his normal strength and anything but playful. “Ky?”
He didn’t answer. His fingers explored my back, careful not to stray too close to the wounds that streaked across my skin. “Kyan?”
“Shut up, Abby. Just let me... Just shut up.” He’d never talked to me like this. His voice was raspy and he’d never, ever told me to shut up before. So I did. I wasn’t sure why. He shouldn’t have been touching my skin. Shouldn’t have been caressing the good parts left of me, but sitting with me in the dark, he was doing exactly that and I was allowing it.
Paige would be furious if she saw us now. She’d always had a jealous streak, had always hated any girl who dated or flirted with Ky. Lately, she told anyone and everyone who will listen that Kyan was hers and that she hated me with a passion. She wasn’t lying. She hated me. Rather, she hated my relationship with Ky. He was my best friend. I wasn’t interested in him as anything more or anything else. I’d told her that. He’d told her that a million times. But, she refused to listen, adamant that I wanted him for myself, adamant that he wanted me.
I honestly didn’t have those types of feelings for Kyan. I never have had them. Ever. And up until now, I’d always thought he felt the same. But feeling his fingers exploring my skin made even me question that sentiment. And it scared me to death.
I lie there in the dark, his caresses awakening my senses like nothing else ever has. Sure, I’d kissed a guy before, but nothing more than that. And, truthfully, it wasn’t anything to write home about. Seth Avery had cornered me behind a tool shed and planted a sloppy wet kiss on my lips. I pushed him away and ran off to tell Lulu as fast as my gangly legs and knobby knees would carry me. I wasn’t sure if that really counted as a kiss, now that I thought about it. I was eleven. And, it was forced upon me. I certainly didn’t want Seth Avery’s lips on mine. The thought still made me cringe.
Ky removed his fingers from my back. He
stood and began pacing the floor. “Bastard!” he barked. I flinched at his tone. “Somebody needs to teach him a lesson. I swear...”
“Ky. Calm down. It’s not gonna be you. You need to go home. You’re tired and getting worked up over nothing.”
“Over nothing? Abby, he sliced your back wide open. This isn’t nothing. I’ve seen grown men walk away with shallower stripes than this. You’ve been flayed. He meant to torture you. Can’t you see that?”
“Yes. But, I asked for it. He wanted to teach me a lesson. He wanted to hurt me and he did. But, in the end, I knew what I was getting myself into. It was my decision.”
Ky stopped and stomped over to me, kneeling in front of my face, still pressed into my pillow. He gently pushed some hair behind my ear. “He has no right beating around on kids or women. He damn near peeled your flesh from your bones. Do you even get it? Do you understand how bad you’re ripped open?”
“I understand. But, you need to lay low. We need you for the harvest and Paige needs you to be there for her now. Soon she’ll be your wife. You’ll be her husband. Don’t do anything stupid to mess any of that up right now. Not for me.”
He clenched his jaw and then spoke quietly. “I don’t want to marry her.” Ky had never admitted it. I knew it was true. But, the words hadn’t passed his lips until now. His warm brown eyes searched my face. I knew he didn’t want to, but his parents and hers had made the arrangement and there was no stopping it now. He had no say in the matter. His opinion wasn’t taken into account. Any protests, even now, would fall upon deaf ears and invite nothing but trouble into his life.
I looked at him. “Doesn’t matter. You have to deal with it.”
“I don’t love her.” He pinned me with his stare.
“I know. But, you might as well learn to.” I hated this. I hated that we had no control. From infancy we were taught two things. Work hard and obey. Any deviation at all and a swift, harsh punishment would immediately be handed down. Beat into submission. Ruled by fear. It wasn’t just Norris, either. It was our parents and guardians, the village council, but most of all the Greaters in their grand cities.
Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) Page 2