Aiden didn’t answer her. It seemed obvious to him, but he was glad when he felt her also struggling to assist them. Naia was matching him stride for stride, but as they neared the middle of the stream, her feet met nothing. Smaller than the rest of them, the sudden change in river bottom pushed her under. Aiden hauled back frantically, trying to reach for her and lift her above the surface. She was floundering, unable to use her arms. In reaching for her, Aiden was forced to push her further under the water, but then he had her.
He dragged her to the surface where she gasped for air. Grabbing her elbow, he hauled her with him, only looking up once to see how close the horses were. He nearly gave up when it became apparent they’d never reach the middle before the horses overtook them, but the call of freedom was so strong, so close.
“Lift your feet and lay back, let me drag you!” he shouted.
For a moment, Le and the other woman continued in their efforts, then Aiden’s frantic commands reached them. Immediately Le stopped pushing and became slack against the line, allowing the water to hold him up. The other woman followed.
Aiden hauled forward, gritting his teeth. He felt the current swirling around his legs, the cold, dark fingers of deeper water, then they were in the middle. And the horses were on them. Aiden struck out at the animals’ legs making them dance in a panic. The slavers cursed him and struck at the four with their whips, but the current was moving rapidly now.
By sheer luck, one of the slavers reached down and caught a handful of Naia’s tangled hair, hauling her toward him. A strangled sound escaped her lips and she clasped a hand around his thick wrist, trying to free herself. Vindictively the man leaned further over the horse’s side and pushed her under the churning water.
Rage fueled Aiden and he leaped at the slaver, dragging the other woman and Le with him. He caught a flying corner of the man’s shirt and twisted it around his hand. The horse lost its footing and the animal went down with a cry, throwing the slaver from its back onto Aiden. Naia was plunged deeper into the water beneath the combined weight of both men, but Aiden twisted and threw the slaver off, holding the struggling man beneath the water. He kicked and fought, but Aiden didn’t release him until he went limp.
“Naia!” shouted Le, pushing against Aiden.
Aiden released the slaver, who gasped violently and struggled to gain his footing, trying to get away from them. Aiden hauled his left arm out of the water, dragging Naia with him, hauling her to the surface. She gasped and clawed at him, fighting frantically, but he pulled her against him. He pushed her heavy hair away and turned her toward him. When she saw him, she collapsed against his chest, her breath whistling out in a ragged, choked pant.
Aiden glanced up and noticed that both slavers were swimming to shore behind their horses. On the opposite bank, Duard and Elvert were riding after them, but they hadn’t left the land yet.
Aiden was spent. He glanced at both Le and the other woman, seeing that they too were finished, then he leaned back into the water, allowing the current to take them.
* * *
Naia shifted her hands against the log that kept them afloat, but it was difficult to get them to respond. They’d gone numb hours ago so she had to look at them to move them. She couldn’t feel her legs and wondered if the problem was more than the cold of the water. She swallowed against the painful tightness in her throat. It was raw from fighting against drowning and her silent screams of terror.
Her eyes passed over Le and the other woman. They were both hanging onto the log, their cheeks pressed against the damp wood, their lips blue tinged from the cold. Her gaze shifted to Aiden.
He was staring behind them at the banks, searching for any sign of the slavers. It had been hours since the current shifted and left them behind, but she knew he was still afraid they were being followed.
She didn’t think it likely. Not with Kalas so close behind them. Although Duard wouldn’t want his slave King to escape, he wouldn’t risk being caught himself, Naia felt sure.
Aiden’s dark eyes met hers. ‘We’re free,’ he mouthed and she tried to smile but was unsuccessful.
Yes, they were free, but what price had they paid for fighting their way to freedom? They needed to leave this freezing river soon. Once night fell and the outside temperature dropped, they’d succumb to hypothermia, if they weren’t already suffering from it. She knew they were. Or at least she was. Her vision had begun to blur and she was having the strangest sensation of warmth creeping up her legs and into her belly.
But how were they going to leave the river? She couldn’t feel her feet and she didn’t doubt the others were in the same situation. Not to mention the exhaustion. She was beyond exhausted; she didn’t think she could move ever again.
To make matters worse, she was sure she knew where they were and she knew this section of the river only got rougher as it entered the Tirsbor canyon and the narrow rock formations. If they didn’t get out soon, they’d be smashed by the rocks.
Her eyes scanned the banks. They had to leave the river, but it wasn’t enough. Once out they needed to find cover, build a fire, and get warm. It was essential.
Her eyes came to rest on a shallow strip of beach. If they could somehow move into the slower current, they might be able to pull themselves ashore there. She looked at Aiden, then forced her hands to lift and make the necessary signs.
He watched her, then shook his head. He didn’t understand. She watched herself make the signs again. No wonder he didn’t understand. Her numb fingers weren’t responding as they should, but she had to keep trying.
She stopped using the formal language and made dramatic motions with her hands instead, pointing to the log and then to the shallow beach. He followed her, slow to comprehend. Curse their exhaustion, she thought.
Finally he nodded and his face tightened in concentration. She did likewise, trying to force her numb legs to kick in the direction of shore. The current had fallen off and if they didn’t take this opportunity, it would be too late.
Le had closed his eyes, but she slapped the log close to his face, causing him to open them. He looked at her with such unbearable exhaustion. Fear speared through her. Le had suffered more than either she or Aiden, but she couldn’t lose him now, not when they were so close to being free.
Before Aiden had been brought into the group, Le was the single reason she kept going. And even though her feelings for Aiden had quickly become the center of her attention, she still thought of the boy as family, closer than any family she’d ever known, except for her mother and Amaroq of course.
She motioned to the bank and patted the log. He shook his head tiredly and rested his cheek on the log once more. Naia turned her eyes on Aiden, motioning toward her mouth. She watched him speak. Eldon’s star, she wished she could hear his voice, be able to speak with him in return.
Le drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, shaking his head in defeat. Aiden’s face hardened.
Looking over her shoulder, Naia thought the bank was coming closer. Still she wouldn’t let herself hope, but she renewed her efforts at kicking. When she looked again, she caught her breath in surprise. The bank was closer, much closer. She patted the log beside Aiden and he glanced up, then flashed an exhausted smile at her. She made a few motions with her hands, the effort of kicking increasing her body temperature.
Even so, Aiden’s brow furrowed in confusion. He didn’t understand. He was trying to learn her language, but there hadn’t been much opportunity to practice in the slave camp. She intended to rectify the problem. There were things she needed to say to this man that she didn’t want translated by a boy.
Le looked up and watched her, then spoke to Aiden. Naia leaned forward, trying to see his lips, but they were moving so slightly she couldn’t understand him. His translation must have been adequate however, for Aiden suddenly began kicking. After a few more minutes, he stood.
She gasped in surprise, her eyes filling with tears. He could stand. They were close enough to the
bank that he had found footing. Although she was too short to stand, she knew Aiden would be able to push them close enough until she could finally lend her own weight.
Pain radiated through her numb limbs a few moments later and Naia tried to support her weight, but failed. Aiden shifted beside her, pulling her up against him. He hauled Le to him and then spoke to the woman on Naia’s left.
The woman tried to stand, but couldn’t. Aiden braced his thighs and held them in place while he untangled them from the log and released it downstream. It seemed a painfully long journey the remaining way to the bank, but they fought, slipping and falling in the water, skinning hands and knees on the rough stones in the river bed. Finally they made it to the sandy beach, ready to collapse, but Aiden forced them a little further onto a dry stretch of land back under a concealing band of evergreens.
They dropped where they stood, gasping for breath. Naia closed her eyes as the dying rays of sunlight moved up her soaked legs, chasing the numbness in waves of agonizing pain before it. She wasn’t sure how long she lay in paralyzed fatigue, but she suddenly became aware of their surroundings. They were free.
* * *
They were free. Aiden lay on his back, looking up at the tangle of branches above him. They were free. He never dreamed he’d take such pleasure in just being alive. He ignored the pain in his body as it thawed, he ignored the hunger in his belly, he even ignored the demanding exhaustion that pushed at him.
Then survival instincts took over. They were wet, they were bound together, and they were entirely too close to the shoreline.
He’d been watching for signs of Duard the last few hours and saw nothing, but that didn’t mean the slaver wasn’t still pursuing them. He wouldn’t allow Aiden to go free, even at the risk of losing his other slaves. Should Aiden make it back to Dorland, Duard’s life was forfeit.
Forcing himself to a sitting position, Aiden grimaced when his head spun. He looked at Naia. Her eyes were closed, her back lifting in a shallow pant, her arms twisted by the leather manacles beneath her. His eyes passed over the other woman’s face, her features pale in the waning afternoon light, and then his gaze shifted to Le.
Aiden’s heart caught. Le was staring up at the tree limbs, his eyes open and glazed. Aiden swallowed hard and reached for him, but the boy turned his head and a ghost of a smile touched his blue tinged lips.
“We’re free,” he whispered. “Tis true. We’re free.”
Aiden gave a ragged laugh. “Aye, Le,” he said, mimicking the boy’s accent. “We’re free.”
Le lifted himself on one elbow. “What now?”
Aiden’s eyes lowered to the drenched leather manacles. “These have got to go,” he said. As they dried, Aiden knew they’d tighten until they cut off circulation, but more than anything else, Aiden wanted to be free in all ways.
As he stared transfixed by the leather bindings, he tried to remember what it had been like to be free, to be King of Dorland. Truthfully he could remember very little beyond the last months as a slave.
“How?” The boy’s simple word cut through Aiden’s private musing.
He blinked at the boy, then looked around. How? Freeing them of the bindings was the least of their problems, but the first that must be attended. He looked at Naia again, tugging on the bindings that connected them. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“Tell her to roll over, Le,” he said to the boy, never taking his eyes from her face.
Le made a few motions with his hand and Naia complied, rolling to her back. Despite his weariness, Aiden’s eyes roved over her. She was too thin, but to Aiden, he'd never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.
Forcing thoughts away from her, he lifted the leather manacles between Le and himself, searching for any frayed edges. He pulled at the bindings, hoping to stretch them and perhaps slip their hands free, but they gave only a little.
He rose up on his knees and searched the ground immediately around them. He found a sharp stone and pressed it against the swollen, soaked leather. Making a quick strike with it, he noted the deep mark he’d made. Releasing a sigh of exhaustion, he set to work severing the connection between himself and the boy. Night fell, but thankfully there was enough moon for him to see by. He didn’t stop. He listened to the quiet sound of Naia’s and Le’s breathing in the darkness as his aching fingers continued to tear at the manacles. He didn’t intend to spend one more night chained to anyone else.
Finally the bindings between himself and Le gave. It had taken nearly two hours, but as he held up his naked, scarred wrist, he couldn’t believe he was no longer physically attached to the boy. He stared at his hand for a long time, then turned to Naia.
The boy hadn’t awaken, but Naia opened her eyes and lifted her fingers to encircle his wrist. She pulled it down to her lips and kissed it gently. Aiden smiled at her and brushed back a tangled strand of hair, then he searched the manacles connecting them. This bond had been drug over the top of the log most of the day and showed wear on the underside.
Aiden felt his determination strengthened as he started hacking at the leather binding. It took a little over an hour to sever it, but then Aiden found himself completely free. Naia sat up beside him as he held both wrists out in front of him.
It was a staggering sight. The irony of his position didn’t escape him either, nor was it dulled by his exhaustion. Lifting his hands into the moonlight, Aiden closed his eyes and breathed a prayer of thanksgiving. He was free, he was truly free again.
His work wasn’t done, however. He forced his fingers to close over a new stone and moving over Naia, he positioned himself between her and the other woman, who was sleeping heavily. Naia lay back and watched him as he looked the manacle over and then began hacking at it.
* * *
Naia woke to sunlight against her eyes. She opened them slowly, feeling disoriented. Where was she? Why had the slavers allowed her to sleep so long? By daylight, they’d usually been marching for hours.
Then she felt the unnatural weight resting against her stomach and looked down. The tangled mass of Aiden’s golden curls met her eyes and she smiled, lifting her right hand to stroke him. Her gaze fixed on her arm. The manacles were gone, leaving vivid pink scars behind. For the first time in months, she’d been freed from the man lying across her.
She caught sight of the dulled rock resting in his open hand. Guilt struck her when she noticed the tips of his fingers were stained with dried blood. Then her eyes followed upward and fixed on the intact shackles, binding her to the woman on her left, the woman Naia had never gotten to know.
She was surprised by the unnatural paleness of the woman’s skin and lifted her eyes to the woman’s face, then choked back the strangled sob that rose in her throat. The woman was staring wide eyed at the sky, her features cast in a grey pallor.
Naia rose up on her elbows and searched the hollow of the woman’s throat for a pulse. There wasn’t any. No rise of chest to indicate she still lived. Bile rose in Naia’s throat and heart beat frantically against her ribs.
The woman was dead and she was chained to her.
The strangled cry that tore from Naia brought both Le and Aiden awake. Aiden caught her shoulders, trying to force her to look at him, but panic overwhelmed her and she pulled at her manacles, trying to break away.
Aiden shook his head in confusion, he didn’t understand, but she was chained to a dead woman.
Then Le was beside her, touching her shoulder. Naia felt her sanity slipping and her hand signals were frantic, crazed. She pulled on the shackles again, appalled by the dead weight that met her efforts. Dead. The woman had died sometime in the night, her body so close that Naia could reach out and touch her.
Le understood and spoke to Aiden, but Naia didn’t see his words. She couldn’t see anything, but the blackness of hysteria seeping in on her. She was aware of Aiden shifting, shielding her with his body, but it wasn’t enough. She could still see the woman’s lifeless eyes, staring skyward.
&
nbsp; She gasped for air, feeling as if she would suffocate. She knew Le was speaking to her, but she couldn’t understand his words. All she knew was she had been chained to a dead woman. Then her mad concentration centered on Aiden. He took the frayed manacle in his hands and pulled against it, trying to split it along the seam he’d created with his rock the previous night.
His muscles bunched in his back, along his shoulders, across his forearms. The manacles didn’t give. Naia panted. Hysteria had weakened her and she laid her head against Aiden’s back, closing her eyes, trying to block out all sight and sensations.
She felt a tearing sensation and then a breath of cold air on her left wrist. Suddenly she was being hauled to her feet and propelled away. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear the cloud of panic, but it only made her knees give way and she sagged against the form suspending her.
A moment later, the chill, damp touch of water against her lips brought her around. She blinked her eyes, a prickling sensation of cold sweat running down her back and between her breasts. Lifting a hand, she pushed the tangled mass of hair from her face and looked up. Aiden’s features were hazy, but he was there. She brushed her fingers across his lips and he gave her a relieved smile. She placed her palm against his cheek, then looked at her scarred wrist. She was free. She was completely, entirely, utterly free.
‘I’m free.’ She watched her own hands make the motions. ‘I’m free.’
Aiden smiled at her again and then hugged her to him, cradling her head against his chest. She burrowed into him, shutting her eyes, allowing the marvelous sensation to surround her. She was free.
* * *
Aiden left Le with Naia. The boy was talking with her, keeping her mind off the grim task left to Aiden. Her color had returned and her breathing was back to normal. The terror he’d seen in her face when she’d awaken to find herself chained to a dead woman had wrenched Aiden’s heart.
The World of Samar Box Set 3 Page 114
