"And you saved her life?"
"Of course I did," I said, blushing at the open pride Dr. Maitland displayed. "It was the right thing to do. And now we're home."
Maitland's brows knitted together, and he placed a gentle hand on my arm. "You are home. She, however, is now in an enemy country."
I frowned. "She's my guest here. Are you telling me you won't care for her?"
"I will tend to her," Maitland said, sharing a glance with Kader, "but you should tread very carefully. Consider the consequences of what you've done—"
"I have," I snapped. Did everyone think I was a moron?
"Very well," Maitland said with a small nod. "Let's take her to the basement so no one sees either of you. I'm sure you'd like some time to gather yourself before the world knows you're really alive."
The basement rooms were chilly, and I realized I'd forgotten how good air conditioning felt. Many of our charity cases were treated in the basement, so it didn't look too odd for a bedraggled man to be carrying a dark-skinned girl down there. Luckily for the two of us, the staffing was already light and easily dismissed by Dr. Maitland. We placed Theo in the last room at the end of the hall where we could assess her without attracting too much attention.
"I don't think it's a fracture," Maitland said, pressing against the skin on her leg. It was still blotchy. "Perhaps hairline if she was able to walk on it."
"She'd gotten better over the past few weeks," I said. "Can you check her other leg? She had a pretty bad laceration that she sustained in the crash."
Maitland replaced the blanket over her leg and placed his hand on the bed, sighing deeply. "Sire, what are you going to tell your father?"
"I haven't quite gotten that far yet," I said, running a hand over my beard.
My mother's voice drew my attention. She stood in the doorway, her face whiter than I'd ever seen it, and her hands clamped over her mouth as if holding in a scream. Her hair, normally combed and neat and curled in public, was stringy and hanging around her face as if she no longer cared how she looked. Even her clothes, a long-sleeved t-shirt and dark pants, were ones I'd never seen her wearing outside her personal wing of the castle.
"Mom," I said, grinning.
She stepped into the room slowly at first, before rushing towards me and wrapping me in a neck-breaking hug. "I thought you were dead," she whispered, stepping back a bit to look at my face. "Galian, you're... Oh, my baby boy!"
I awkwardly patted her on the shoulder as she cried into mine. "It's okay, Mom," I said, smiling to Maitland who took his cue to give us some privacy. "I'm fine, really."
"Mom, you're hurting him."
My head bobbled at the sound of Rhys's voice. I grinned at him, drinking in the sight of his mocking eyes and that idiotic goatee he refused to shave. He, at least, looked like himself, with his crisp green collared shirt and slacks. The only thing that seemed different was the genuine relief shining in his eyes. He clapped my shoulder, as that was all he could get from my mother.
I did not, however, see my father. For that, I was grateful.
My mom continued to check my face, fussing over every scratch and bruise on it, commenting on my beard and the state of my clothes. "Gally, you're too thin," she said, pinching my arms.
Rhys' eyes lit up at the name. "Yeah, Gally, guess that's what happens when you're marooned on an island for two months." His amusement turned into an amazed smile. "I don't even know how you survived out there."
My attention turned to Theo, still peacefully sleeping in the bed next to me. "Her. She's the one who did most of the work. She taught me how to hunt and make a fire. I would've been dead if it weren't for her."
"And you also wouldn't have been on that island in the first place," Rhys said, cocking his head as he examined her from afar. "She's cute. Good thing you didn't land there with an ugly girl."
My anger flared, and my mother felt it.
"Rhys," she warned, in the voice she hadn't used since we were boys. My brother, nearly thirty, hadn't been spoken to like that in years and immediately clammed up. "She is a guest in our kingdom, and should be treated as such."
"Father is pissed you brought her here," Rhys said, folding his arms over his chest. "Thinks you should've shot her and thrown her body in the Madion Sea."
"If you touch her," I snarled, restrained only by my mother.
"No one is going to hurt her," she said. "After all, it appears we have her to thank for keeping you alive."
Rhys threw back his shoulders, like he had any say in the matter. "Mom, it's tricky. She's Raven—"
"She's a human being, and her name is Theophilia Kallistrate," I snarled, letting my anger get the better of me. "She's nineteen years old, and she's an orphan. She's been a pilot since she was twelve, and all she wants is to be free. And..." My words caught in my throat. "And I love her."
"Gally, you've been through a lot," Mom said, patting my hair. "You need to rest. Dr. Maitland will take good care of... Theophilia." She hesitated at the name, but I knew she was trying. "Come home. Take a shower, get into some real clothes. Have a real meal. I promise, you'll be back before Theophilia wakes up. And we will figure out how to handle your father together."
I considered the oddness of having my mother speak about Theo, and I was suddenly very tired.
"I shall keep watch over her." Dr. Maitland stood behind us. "Go home, Galian. Get some rest and some food. I have a feeling you'll need both."
"C'mon," she said, looping her arm through mine. "And, Gally, you do need a shave."
Theo
I awoke to a white ceiling. My head was pounding, and the last thing I remembered was...
My eyes opened wider as I tried to move my hands, finding only a few inches of movement before the chains around my wrists stopped my movements. I moved my legs, ignoring the pain in my still-healing leg, and found them similarly bound by thick shackles. Instead of my Kylaen uniform, I now wore a clean, white hospital gown. But I was a captive, and they had spared no expense to ensure I remained that way.
He'd said we'd be together in Kylae, didn't he? So why was I chained up? My initial suspicions returned. They must have thought I was a high value prisoner of war. Or perhaps the Kylaen military was so deranged they wanted me whole before they destroyed me.
My thrashing must've alerted the medical staff, as an old man came scurrying in, wearing a white lab coat. He checked a panel on the wall, one measuring my heartbeat and blood pressure. He turned to adjust the drip on the bag of fluid connected to my arm.
"Where's Galian?" I asked, my voice no higher than a whisper.
"He's resting at the castle," the doctor replied, placing the tablet under his arm. "I'm a little concerned about the injury on your left calf, so I've scheduled an x-ray for the morning. You have a very mild concussion, and a bit of dehydration and malnourishment. But other than that, you are perfectly fine."
Fine? How was I supposed to be fine when I was in Kylae? Chained up, and Galian was no where to be found.
"Calm yourself, my dear," the old doctor said with a chuckle. "I promise you, Galian will be back as soon as he can. He asked me to look after you in his absence."
When I turned to look at him, I saw his badge and my heart beat faster. "Dr. Maitland," I breathed.
"Believe me, he didn't want to leave," he said with a kind smile, "but his mother was insistent that he eat something."
His mother. Galian's mother. The queen. The queen was here. Was the king? Did he know? I suddenly missed Galian's presence even more. With him, at least, I might've had some protection. Without him, there was an entire country out to kill me.
"Am I a prisoner?" I asked, looking to the shackles on my hands and feet.
Maitland placed the tablet down and began unhooking my hands and feet. "Forgive me for the restraints, but I didn't think it wise to allow you to roam around the hospital until we'd had a chance to talk. To answer your question, no, you aren't a prisoner. In this hospital, we simply have patients. And you
, my dear, are mine."
I pulled my hands to my chest and rubbed my wrists. "That's what Galian said when he saved my life." I snorted. "The first time."
"The story he tells is that you saved his," Dr. Maitland replied.
I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face, but I tried very hard to hide it. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as I'd thought they would be. Maybe Galian and I could figure out a way to be together back in the real world.
Dr. Maitland patted me on my good leg. "I will bring Galian to you as soon as he arrives back here," he said, his eyes sparkling a little. "Which, if I know him, will be as soon as he can."
Galian
I flopped, buck-naked, into my bed, and let out a loud, satisfied sigh. My hair was still wet from the longest shower I'd ever taken, and I wanted to savor in this clean feeling for eons. I'd also shaved, though I might grow a bit of a short beard now that I knew I could. I'd ask Theo about it when I saw her at the hospital.
I sat up and flew out of bed. I had plenty of time to sleep in it when Theo was sleeping with me. She had surely woken up by now, and I'd hoped Dr. Maitland had explained everything to her. But knowing Theo, she wouldn't relax until I was by her side.
I stood and went to my expansive closet, finding a pair of boxers and enjoying how clean they felt. It was the best feeling in the world. I'd probably send someone to go pick out a new wardrobe for Theo. She may not like the Kylaen fashions, but at least I could find her something simple.
My mother leaned against the doorframe of my bedroom, her eyes lighting up when she saw me. We considered each other for a moment until she broke the silence.
"It's nice to see you there."
I laughed, running a hand through my wet hair. "It's nice to see you there, too, Mom."
Emotion cracked her face and her lip trembled. "I didn't believe that you were dead. I...I couldn't believe that you were dead."
I stood and walked over to her, the weeks of worry and grieving evident on her face. She hadn't given up on me. "Mom..."
"I will never forgive your father," she hissed, closing the door behind her. "Digory wanted to go to battle. But you? You were doing good things and—"
"Mom, it's okay," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It was my choice to go. And I'm glad I went. Because I found Theo."
"Galian, you can't..." She trailed off. "She's... You can't be truly in love with her. I understand you two went through a lot but..."
I took a step back, shocked that my own mother would've doubted my feelings for Theo. "It's more than that. She's... she's amazing. She's got this spirit, and her loyalty. I just...I can't explain it. I just know that I am in love with her. I don't have to justify it."
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "And I can't wait to meet the girl that my little boy has fallen in love with. But..." She furrowed her brow and cupped my face. "Darling, you understand that if you walk out of that hospital with a Raven soldier on your arm, it's going to... cause problems."
"I don't care—"
"You have to care, Gally." She smiled sadly. "I'm so thrilled that you've found someone that you are this passionate about. But you have to know that this is going to be difficult for your people to accept. We are at war with—"
"Then let's stop the war," I said. "Stop bombing them. Done. War over."
"Gally, you know it's not that simple—"
"It is that simple, Mom. But His Royal Asshole-ness—"
"Galian Neoptolemos Helmuth!" Her shocked voice echoed in my room. "I understand that you've been gone, but if your father hears you—if anyone hears you speaking that way...I don't know if I can protect you from him. And if you can't protect yourself, how are you going to protect your Theo?"
I stopped before I retorted, knowing that my mother was right. I had become a little reckless with freedom, and I needed to remember that I was back in my father's kingdom, at his whim.
And yet, Theo had told me I had a choice. I needed to see her. She was always better at coming up with plans.
"And speaking of which, your father is expecting you in his study."
A drip of fear slid down my back. "Mom, I have to get back to the hospital. Theo needs me."
"It will take two minutes, I'm sure," she said with a bitterness I didn't miss. She and Rhys were glad to see me, but my father might not be so pleased. "Pop your head in and show him that you're alive. Then you can go to the hospital. Theo will be fine."
Theo
Dr. Maitland left me in a silent, chilly room, offering me the shower as long as I took care on my leg. I stood under the water forever, finally warm after so many weeks of frigid temperatures. I found a new hospital gown waiting for me on the bed, and I relished the clean feeling as I slipped back into bed. Before I knew it, I was back asleep.
I stirred when the door opened and Dr. Maitland appeared with a tray of food in his hand. The smell of it was mouthwatering. When he approached, I saw that his badge read Chief of Medicine. I didn't know much about hospitals, but I knew that bringing a patient food was probably not on his list of duties. Seeing how attentive he was, I could see where Galian had learned his bedside manner.
"Slowly, Theo," he said, placing it in front of me. "You need to eat slowly, else this won't stay down."
I nodded, taking the fork as if it were a foreign object and sticking it through the potatoes. I put the glorious creamy mixture in my mouth and closed my eyes, savoring it.
"I've never seen someone so pleased to eat hospital food," he said, sitting on the bed after checking my vitals.
"You've never had to kill a rabbit, I take it," I said.
"There were rabbits?"
I took another bite, slowly so he wouldn't fuss at me. "We had the luck of crashing on one of Kylae's secret testing laboratories. We found..." I trailed off, taking another bite. I didn't want to think about it while enjoying the most amazing canned vegetables I'd ever had in my life.
"I'm not aware of any Kylaen facilities up that way," Maitland said, sitting back. "These rabbits, how did you trap them?"
"First we dug a hole," I said. "Covered it with leaves and ate whatever we caught. I was able to build a cage after a few days."
"Why didn't you kill the prince?"
I nearly choked on the peas in my mouth. "I...what?"
"You could have killed the prince. That's what you were sent there to do, wasn't it?" he said. "You spent two months alone with him. Why didn't you kill him?"
My heartbeat quickened. At this point, I figured honesty was the best policy with him at this point. "I...thought about it, I won't lie. But at the time, I was injured and I couldn't have survived without him."
"And now?"
I half-smiled, realizing how stupid I was about to sound. "Now I love him."
"Why?" Maitland asked.
I shrugged. "Because he's Galian."
"That's not much of a reason," he said.
My eyes narrowed and I wondered when the princeling was going to return. Perhaps Maitland's kindness was just an act. Was this food poisoned? "I'm not sure why I'm being asked."
Maitland sighed and removed his glasses. "Because, my dear, you are a Raven captain in Kylae. There will be questions about why you're here, whether your intentions are truthful or if you were sent here as a spy."
"I just spent two months half-starved on a deserted island with him. Do you think—?"
"I know Galian," Maitland cut me off. "Probably as well, if not better, than you. And I know why you fell in love with him. But if your intentions are questioned, you need to have a better response than true love."
I sighed and looked down at the tray, suddenly not hungry. "For a moment, Galian had me believing everything would just...magically work itself out. I guess that's just Galian, huh? Stupid princeling has never had to worry about a thing in his life."
Maitland chuckled softly and patted my hand. "Galian's optimism is infectious, I know. When he was a resident here, nothing ever seemed to bother him. He took every challenge wit
h an unyielding belief that everything would work out for the best."
In spite of all my worry, I grinned. "He's so stupid. Stupid, and beautiful and kind. Sometimes I wish I could see life like he does."
"We all can use a bit of Galian's optimism," Maitland said. "We just have to—"
A ruckus down the hall drew his attention. Brows knitted together, he walked to the closed door only seconds before it burst open, and the room was filled with Kylaen soldiers.
"What is the meaning of this?" Maitland bellowed, taking up more room than his small frame would suggest.
"Move out of the way."
"She is a patient—"
I yelped when the soldier used the butt of his gun to knock Maitland away. He fell to the ground and lay there, eyes closed.
Rough hands yanked me out of the bed, spilling my platter of half-eaten food on the ground. Then there were five guns in my face.
"Get dressed." He thrust my dirty clothes from the island at me. I swallowed and turned to disrobe, but the head Kylaen pulled me to face him.
"Where I can see you."
The hospital gown fell to the floor, and I desperately wondered where the hell my amichai was...
EIGHTEEN
Galian
I paced in front of my father's study, much to the chagrin of his personal secretary and the two guards out front.
"I need to get in there," I said, again, to the secretary.
"Sire, he's in with his cabinet."
"And I've just come back from the dead!" I huffed.
It had been too long since I'd seen Theo, and I was worried she'd think I'd abandoned her. Three or four times in the past half-hour, I had considered turning and walking away. Ignoring an official demand from my father.
But my fear kept me in place. I was still a coward. Perhaps Theo could teach me how to be brave with my father.
I paused in front of the doors again and imagined her walking these castle halls with me. The refinement and pomp would sicken her when so many people lived in squalor. So we wouldn't live in the castle. Maybe we could find a little place somewhere secluded. Maybe we'd escape to another country and live out a quiet life away from everything.
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 17
