“I…” His eyes moved back to mine. “I have matters that need my attention.”
I nodded, “See to them then.” I started to move around him again, but he held me in place with his strong hand curled around my shoulder. “Arrick, go, help those that need you. And I will do the same. We can rest later.”
“You’re not steady on your feet,” he argued. “Your eyes are as red as rubies. Sit. For just a few minutes. Have a drink of water. Get off your feet. Then you may return to your work. There will be plenty waiting.”
I nibbled my bottom lip, tasting the sweat and danger from the previous day that coated my skin. My knees buckled from the weight of his one hand on me and my vision was not as clear as it should be. He was right. I was sinking rapidly. “Sit with me, then,” I countered. “We will have a drink of water and give our feet a small reprieve and then we can both get back to work.”
He didn’t hide his surprise quickly enough. Did he think I was searching for a way to spend time with him?
In truth, I was afraid if I sat down, I wouldn’t be strong enough to stand back up again. I wanted his accountability. I knew he wouldn’t rest for long. When he stood up again, so would I.
“If I rest, you’ll rest?”
“And if you work, I will too.”
He released me. I waited for him to be on his way so I could be on mine. Instead, he surprised me by walking over to a jug of water sitting on a salvaged table. He poured two cups and moved to a wagon.
He looked around for a moment, then handed both of the cups to me. Before I could ask what he was doing, he reached for a discarded stack of bedding that had not yet been ripped to pieces and used for bandages. He grabbed the top blanket and shook it out, setting it on the edge of the wagon. With a satisfied grunt, he gestured for me to sit down.
I looked down at my ruined traveling gown. “I’m more likely to ruin the blanket than the wagon is to ruin me.”
“It was covered in blood,” he explained.
I stared down at my hands. “So am I.” I sat down anyway. I had been handing out water for hours, but I hadn’t had a drink myself in much too long. Bringing the cup to my lips I moaned in relief.
The cool water soothed my parched throat and extinguished some of the flames still burning through me. It even revived me a bit.
“See?” Arrick noted. “You needed to rest.”
I looked out at the clusters of injured and rescued villagers. “It does not matter what I need,” I told him. “It might never matter what I need again.”
Arrick watched me for a long moment. I could feel his gaze absorbing every inch of me, but I couldn’t explain the dangers that lay ahead, the quest I was on to save this realm.
This village was just the start. And even though I hadn’t set out to save anyone other than myself, there was no denying the responsibility that came with my crown.
My uncle had gone astray. He had forgotten what the Seat of Power meant and how the people of this realm counted on him. The royal houses had been swayed into darkness. The Ring of Shadows rode viciously through the realm, taking and destroying and killing whatever it wanted. And the sovereigns did nothing to save their people. Without me, the realm would only continue to slip toward destruction.
“Have you never seen what the Ring of Shadows is capable of?” Arrick asked after a long time.
I shook my head. “The temple I grew up in was far removed from society. Heprin is peaceful. They have no formal army, only a royal guard to protect the king. Most citizens are stringently religious and spend their days in devotion to the Light. I did not know to expect… this.”
Arrick was quiet for a moment before he whispered, “Now you know.”
“Now I know.” When I grew tired of inspecting my water cup, I lifted my gaze. His was already on me, intense and steady. “I wanted to thank you for earlier,” I said.
“For earlier?”
Surely he knew. Or maybe he’d saved so many lives that I mingled in his memory with nameless faces and countless acts of service.
“For saving my life,” I told him. “On the platform. I would have died if you hadn’t been there to catch me.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t believe you. I left you behind on purpose. I left you where I knew you would be safe and out of harm’s way. Yet you still managed not only to jump in the mess headfirst but find immediate peril. I thought I was going to lose you again.”
His words at once warmed and cautioned. “Again?”
He looked away and cleared his throat. “I meant completely. I thought I was going to lose you completely.” He cleared his throat again. “Not that I would have minded. I regret to inform you that you’re much more trouble than you’re worth. Unfortunately, I feel this nagging sense of responsibility for your safety.”
I didn’t know what to make of his words. Had he meant again? And if so what did that mean? Were my suspicions correct? Or was he exhausted enough that his words jumbled on his tongue and in his brain?
The second explanation was easy to believe. Especially since my own muddled thoughts struggled to make sense of anything.
“Oh really?” I teased even while I couldn’t let my suspicion go. “This nagging sense of responsibility is why you demanded to accompany me to Elysia? This is why you went out of your way, left your camp, and risked life and limb to escort me home?”
He gave me an exasperated look. “If I had known how much trouble you would be, I would have sent you on your way with a happy felicitation.”
I snorted. It wasn’t an attractive sound, but I was too tired to care. “Why don’t I believe you?”
He opened his mouth to suggest a reason, no doubt an untruthful reason, when a violent shiver racked my body. His brows drew down with concern. “Are you cold?”
I shivered again, unable to deny it. “I suppose I am. After the fire, my skin hasn’t quite recovered.”
He wrapped an arm around me, drawing me into the heat of him. I nearly moaned, such was the delicious feeling of his warm body pressed against my chilled one. His shoulder was equally as soothing when I lay my head upon it.
I took another sip of water feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort and relief. Something festered in the back of my mind, warning me that these feelings were dangerous, reminding me that I had work to do and tasks to finish. But the temptation to press deeper against him won out over all other concerns. It was too consuming.
I felt his lips against my head and I had to close my eyes against the eruption of butterflies in my chest.
“Rest now, Tess,” he murmured gently.
My eyelids fluttered closed without my permission. “For just a moment.”
His deep voice rumbled against me, lulling me deeper into the cocoon of his embrace. “For just a moment,” he promised. “But rest now. I’ll keep you safe.” His words became a distant whisper until at last I fell into the abyss of sleep. His hypnotic voice chased after me, changing from Arrick’s to someone else’s. “I’m supposed to keep you safe, Tessana. I was made to protect you.”
Sleep soothed my sore muscles and tired mind. When I woke hours later, the sun was headed toward twilight once again.
I opened my eyes and blinked at the frenzy of movement in the makeshift camp Arrick’s men had crafted for the villagers. Stretching stiff muscles, I couldn’t believe I had slept so long and been oblivious to the movement around me.
I carefully sat up and surveyed the work that had been done while I slept. Anger and frustration seared through me. I had wanted to help! I had been helping!
And that… that… wizard Arrick had forced me to sleep against my will.
“Well, if her majesty hasn’t finally deigned us with her consciousness.”
I snapped my attention to Oliver’s smug face. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
He took a quick step back. “He said we weren’t allowed to wake you.”
“Who?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Who do you think?”
&nb
sp; “And why did you listen to him? You’re not one of his soldiers!”
Oliver’s face heated. “No, I’m not a soldier. But I can see when my friend needs to rest. You did enough, Tess. Even I slept. There is a limit to our skill. Especially when you’re dead on your feet. He did the right thing. You shouldn’t be angry with him.”
“Anger is the only safe emotion I know how to feel around him.” The words came out before I could temper them.
Oliver tried to hide his smile, but he failed. Miserably. “Someone should warn him then.”
I glared at Oliver, and bit back a frustrated growl. “At least tell me progress has been made,” I snapped.
He sat down next to me and stretched out his long legs. “Progress has indeed been made. Whatever could be salvaged of the village was. The rebel army and village men, the ones that are still able, have been tearing down the pieces of the wreckage that are beyond repair and assessing how much damage has been done to the forest. And I have blessed and prayed for every injured tree that needed the Light’s healing touch.”
I stared at him. “You?”
He shifted nervously, staring at his feet. “The villagers didn’t seem to care that I haven’t taken my final vows yet. They really do believe their trees are holy.” He looked up at me again, holding my gaze with pride I had never seen in him before. “I couldn’t deny them.”
“You did all of that while I slept?” Shame crept over me, reddening my cheeks and turning my skin hot.
“Yes.”
“I could have helped.”
He nodded and this time his expression remained serious. “You did. It’s okay to rest, Tess. Nobody will fault you after you plunged directly into a blazing inferno and dragged man, woman, and child to safety by the sheer strength of your will.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oliver, honestly. I didn’t do as much as that. I helped, but nothing that grand.”
His lips pressed into a frown. “Don’t tell that to the rebel army. They’ve decided you’re some kind of saint. Or goddess. They’ve been talking about your heroics all day.”
I rolled my eyes. “I worked with them. They saw my puny attempt at rescue. I could barely carry the children to safety, let alone full-grown men and women.”
“And yet you’ve managed to impress them. The exploits of your daring heroism grow exponentially every time they’re told. You have a big reputation to live up to. You might want to start exercising more regularly. I’m afraid of what they’ll expect of you next. Slaying dragons, perhaps? Wrestling sea creatures back to the abyss?”
“Didn’t you correct them?”
“I will admit, at first I tried. But nobody wants to listen to me when the tales of you are so much more amusing.”
“Where did they come from? Surely Arrick put them to rest.”
“And yet, he seems to be the most obviously entertained.” He paused, a strange, thoughtful look furrowing his brow. “Anyway,” Oliver continued, “once you’d been made into something quite significantly more than human, the army collectively decided to let you sleep. No one could come within ten yards of you without one of them intervening.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Oliver grinned at me again. “Your reputation will soon spread far and wide. Everyone will be telling tales of Tess the Mighty.”
“Let’s hope not,” I groaned. “That could be a very dangerous rumor.”
“Nevertheless, princess, the damage is done. Next time we stumble upon a burning village, maybe it would be better for you not to rush into the middle of the inferno.”
“Lesson learned, monk.”
We were silent for a while, watching the activity of the makeshift camp. A controlled fire burned nearby. Someone had started to cook over it and the scent drifted through the air, bringing my hunger alive.
I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. After working through the night my stomach had turned into a growling beast.
“The villagers say that it was the Ring of Shadows that set the fire. The royal army did nothing to intervene. And now they are saying that every village across the realm has been ordered to pay ten percent more in taxes to the Seat of Power in order to pay for future protection. People or places that do not comply will be left to the devices of the Shadows.”
“Ten percent more?” Hunger disappeared, replaced with white hot fury. “The villagers don’t have more to give, Oliver!”
Oliver jumped to his feet again. “Then we need to be on our way as soon as possible. The sooner we arrive in Elysia, the better.”
My voice shook when I asked, “Do you think I can do anything? Change anything?”
Oliver turned away from me, walking to the pen where the horses had been temporarily confined.
He returned with my satchel. He set it in my lap and my hands instantly gripped the smooth leather, clutching the precious cargo hidden inside. Shiksa poked her head out of the flap and lifted her pink nose to sniff the still smoky air.
“You have to,” he told me. “There is no other choice.”
Thunder cracked through the air. It rumbled through the camp, causing gasps from the women and growls of concern from the men. When the thunder continued to pound, I realized it wasn’t thunder at all, but horses’ hooves racing toward us.
The rebel army pulled their weapons and turned to face the quickening roar of hooves beating against the dirt road. I jumped to my feet next to Oliver, slinging on my satchel and searching in vain for my weapon.
I’d set it down sometime yesterday. It had been in my way, clanking at my side and swinging wildly whenever I needed to hurry. I didn’t know if it was still where I had left it or if someone had moved it to a safer location. Either way, I didn’t have it with me now.
“I’m weaponless,” I hissed at Oliver.
Eret’s low chuckle announced his arrival. He stood near us with weapon drawn. “That is too bad, m’lady,” he murmured. “Because it seems that you are in need of a blade.”
A team of riders and their mounts careened around the bend in the road, coming upon us with obvious determination. The newcomers surrounded the camp in the next minute. Horses whinnied while their riders ordered them to be still. Women screamed and the tension in the air grew as thick as the smoke from the day before.
I reached for Oliver’s hand, grasping it tightly in mine. “Who are these men?” I whispered to Eret. I searched for Tenovia’s coat of arms on their breastplates or tunics but did not find it.
Eret stepped back to cover me more fully with his body. “A sworn enemy,” he whispered back.
My heart dropped to my toes and I thought I would be sick. I wasn’t ready for another life or death situation.
At the very least I needed a weapon to protect myself.
The lead mount dropped from his seat and hollered out a gruff greeting to Arrick. The two men met in the middle of the camp. Arrick looked as though he could kill. And the expression on the stranger was no less severe.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to get stupider, Arrick the Imposter.” the stranger bellowed.
Arrick pulled his sword and returned, “And I didn’t think it was possible for you to get uglier, Gunter the Abominable.”
My skin prickled with anticipation. I scanned the camp. Leaning nearby was the closest thing to a weapon I could find, a fire poker, still red at the tip.
Just when I decided to make a move to grab the iron poker, Arrick and Gunter reached out with strong arms and clasped them together while slapping each other on the back in greeting. Their heads tipped back and they began to laugh.
I looked to Eret. “Sworn enemy?”
He gave me a sly look and shrugged. “They’re also loyal allies.”
I opened my mouth to ask how that worked when Arrick turned to the camp and shouted, “Prepare a good meal, my friends. Tonight, we celebrate that help has at last arrived!”
“I thought we were the help,” Oliver mumbled.
&
nbsp; I shared a look with him. “At least we’re not the meal.”
13
As it turned out, not all of Gunter’s riders were men. Women and children mingled among the strangers, equally as hardened and weathered as Gunter himself.
This was the Traveling Horde, better known as the Cavolia. Rumored to roam the nine kingdoms with little respect for the law of the land. Notorious for their ability to rob an entire village before help could arrive.
I paid close attention to them throughout the evening, never setting my satchel down for a moment, keeping it nearby even while I bathed and changed into fresh clothes.
Their coppery skin was neither as dark as the Kashans nor as red-tinged as the Vorestrans. Their big eyes pulled up in the corners. They all boasted full lips and thick, dark hair and yet they were clearly not from Barstus.
Their origins remained a mystery. While I knew land existed outside of the civilized realm, I had never met someone from across the Crystal Sea or the Serpent’s Sea.
I looked over to where a cluster of Horde women chatted around the fire as they added spices to a savory stew. Their dark eyes, lined heavily with kohl, sparkled in the setting sun and their pink-painted lips opened wide as they laughed. I couldn’t help but admire their beauty. Even dressed in muted tones meant for riding long stretches, I could see that their clothes were well tailored and made from fine leathers.
“You are not Tenovian.”
I jumped, nearly screeching at the sudden voice behind me. I whirled around and came face to face with Gunter the Abominable. “You… I… No. No, I’m not.”
“I can see that your friend is Heprinian,” Gunter continued, eyeing Oliver with a shrewd gaze. “His fair skin and monk’s cut give him away.”
Oliver ruffled his burnished hair, touching the tips of his ears. Everything under that was shaved closely to his scalp. Although after more than a month on the road, his hair was beginning to grow in. He grumbled under his breath but did not deny Gunter’s declaration.
Crown of One Hundred Kings (Nine Kingdoms Trilogy Book 1) Page 11