Camden looked at the large couch at the other end of the room. He had a strange feeling that he didn't want to even be that far away from her. He wanted to be by her side so that he would know the moment she woke.
This is absurd he thought to himself and walked over to the couch. He lay perfectly still on the couch straining to hear until he could be certain that she was breathing evenly. He knew that the slightest disturbance in the sound of the room would wake him and he drifted into a light sleep.
After what he guessed was about two hours, he heard Alessa's breathing change. He sat up and watched her stir in her bed. As her eyes fluttered open. He made his way quickly to her side. She finished opening her eyes as he sat on the edge of her bed and she smiled at him as soon as her eyes focused on his. Camden felt a sudden warmth blossom in his chest and he smiled back at her.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, fine really," Alessa answered unconvincingly.
"Don't. Don't lie. Tell the rest of them whatever you want, but tell me the truth," Camden implored her as he took her hand in his.
"That's an awful big demand, sir, what are you going to do in return?" Alessa held mischief in her eyes, but Camden was tired and not in the mood to play along.
"The same. I'll do the same. I won't lie to you. And more than that, I'll be honest with you, from now on." And he meant it. He watched her eyes as she understood that he meant it.
"Yeah, I'm in a fair amount of pain. Everything below my neck is no worse than a hard workout with Evan, but my face and head feel like someone, well, beat me up." She laughed off the end of her statement, but Camden wasn't laughing.
"I'll fetch the physician to give you more medication." Camden began to rise.
"No, stop. Please, I don't like the medication. I don't want it. I'd rather be in pain."
"Why would you rather be in pain? You will be relieved and go back to sleep."
"It takes away my control. I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep earlier even though I told them I wasn't going to sleep until I saw you. I don't like the feeling. I'd rather feel pain than helpless. I've had quite enough of that." She looked away from him as she spoke. He heard the rawness in her voice.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here," Camden said quietly as he held her hand between both of his, "but I want you to know that Marston and I found them. They are in the cell being questioned by Khi and Alec now."
"What? They're here? They're in the Manor?" Her voice was edged in worry.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. They are in the cell with Alec and Khi. And trust me, the only one who is even still thinking about hurting you will be incapable for a very long time." Camden squeezed her hand gently and wished that he could hold her in his arms.
"Of course, that was ridiculous, it just startled me," Camden could see her trying to revive her dignity.
"You aren't ridiculous. I think you have plenty of right to be a little jumpy right now."
"So you and Marston found them, huh? I didn't even know that you knew him," Alessa stated curiously.
"Us guards, we all keep in touch. Never know when you might need someone's skills." Camden laughed off the near admission and wondered if he should go farther. But he was worried about her and her headache. He didn't want to make it worse by telling her everything now. It would simply have to wait.
"Hey, you should probably rest. The physician will be back to check on you soon. And listen, you don't have to take the medicine if you don't want to. I think you should, but you don't have to. You just have to say 'no'. I'll back you up."
"Have you been awake all night, Cam?" Alessa looked concerned.
"I got a couple of hours once I got here, but really, I'm fine. I just needed to come make sure that you were okay." Camden was being honest just like he said he would.
"Wouldn't you rather be at home in your own bed?" Alessa's question was weighted and he knew it. He leaned down so that he was inches away from her face.
"I'd rather be wherever you are." He kissed her gently on the forehead. They spent a few moments looking into each other's eyes, reading each other, memorizing each other. Camden leaned away from her. "Go to sleep Alessa. I'll be here if you wake up. Right over on that couch. You need anything and you just say so, I'll be here."
"Thank you Cam, for everything. My debt to you keeps growing. Just don't take advantage when you call in your favor," she smiled as she made her quip, but Camden inwardly winced as he thought about what he planned to ask her. He got up from the bed and walked over to the couch. Camden dropped into a restful sleep. Thoughts of what was to come were far from his mind.
Alessa
Alessa woke to the soft voices over her head. She began to stretch, then whimpered as pain radiated through her head and shoulder.
"Whoa, hold still. Don't move Alessa." She saw Camden's face lean over her. All of the events of the attack came flooding back to her and she remembered that she was injured and that Camden had saved her from getting worse.
"Yeah, sorry, forgot," she replied.
"Sacrifice, my dear," the physician addressed her formally, "you are going to be alright. There are no broken bones, no permanent damage. Some bruising on your ribs may cause discomfort for a while and that shoulder is going to be tender for quite a few weeks, but it is back in place now and no real harm done. I am going to leave some medications here with you and I want to check on your healing in two weeks, okay?"
She nodded at the physician and watched him turn on his heel and leave the room.
"So, I'm fine, time to get up," she said with a smile to Camden as she pushed herself up in bed. She silently cursed herself when she winced and caught her breath at the motion.
"Just hold on there, ma'am, take it easy. We'll have you up in no time but for now I think its best you rest. I'm sure Evan will be happy to help you get back on your feet, slowly." Camden smiled at her as he spoke. "For now, I am going to leave you. I need to clean myself up and sleep on something other than a couch."
"I'm sorry I made you stay on the couch, I-"
"No apologizing, I would have stayed whether you asked me to or not. I've been through a lot of trouble making sure that you're okay, I need to check my investment," Camden said while barely concealing a laugh at Jayna's earlier joke.
"Well far be it for me to keep you from managing your investments, sir." Alessa let out a short laugh which resulted in an ache in her ribs.
"Rest, Alessa. I'll be back soon and we'll get Evan down here to get you moving." Camden bent and kissed Alessa on the forehead then turned and left the room.
Alessa let out a deep sigh once she was finally alone. All the events of the past twenty four hours whirled in her head and made it hurt. Alessa couldn't believe that those men meant to hurt her, to kill her. She had always been loved and revered by everyone in the Empire. At least, that's what she was led to believe. And Camden's behavior was its own mystery. He had gone from teasing and almost mean to affectionate protector at the drop of a hat. Of course, she knew that he would be protective, it was his job, but the kissing and checking up on her certainly was not.
She wanted to allow herself to get closer to him. She wanted to get to know him better, to spend the last of her days enjoying a burgeoning romance, but then she thought that wasn't very fair. What if he went back to being a jerk to her, or worse, what if he really began to like her? She was destined to die. Did either of them deserve to go through the inevitable end of their relationship?
Alessa's thoughts were interrupted by a light tap on the door.
"Come in," Alessa said as loud as she could without causing a new wave of pain through her torso.
"Ahh, Alessa, you're awake." Alessa smiled to hear Jayna's voice.
"Yes, please come in Jay, I'm glad to see you," and she genuinely was. Jayna had become a comforting presence in her life recently.
"So I see you finally got Mr. Camden to leave you alone," Jayna said with a knowing gleam in her eye. Not for the first time, Alessa wondered if Jayna
knew everything that happened in Alessa's life.
"He only left a little while ago. He wanted to clean up and sleep in his own bed. As I've been in my own bed all night I can't say that I sympathize with him. I'm dying to get out of it," Alessa stated plainly as she began to struggle to sit up.
"Alright well take it easy. I'll help you if you give me a second." And Jayna was on her good side, helping her stand and steady herself. "How's your head?"
"I'm a little dizzy, but nothing unmanageable. Can I walk to the couch?" Alessa wondered why she was asking permission of this woman, her servant, when she made a point to ask permission as little as possible.
"I don't know that anyone has ever been able to stop you from doing whatever you set your mind about doing, Alessa," Jayna said pointedly.
"Jay, where are you from? How long have you been here? And how did you become a servant of the Sacrifice?" The questioned tumbled out of Alessa before she had a chance to think that Jayna may not want to talk to her about her personal life.
"Well now that is an awful lot of questions," Jayna laughed as they progressed slowly across the room.
"I'm sorry, of course you don't want to talk about yourself here, with me. It was silly of me to bring up." Alessa tried to backtrack as she sank slowly onto her couch.
"Now I didn't say all that," Jayna corrected Alessa as she sat beside her, "it's just hard to explain a life that has gone around as mine has. I don't know if there's much of a place in this empire that I haven't lived, although I've never left its boundaries. As for here, I've been here for around five years."
"Why didn't I know you until this year, Jayna?" Alessa wondered how she could have missed such a wonderful person right under her nose.
"Well I haven't been on your service for much more than a year, Alessa. I used to work maintenance. I may not look it, but I can fix just about anything you lay in front of me."
"What made you change?"
"Well, I noticed you around and I wanted to get the chance to meet you. You do make an impression everywhere you go. You must know that." Jayna seemed serious.
"Of course I do, I'm the Sacrifice. I've never escaped notice," Alessa said wistfully.
"No, Alessa, that's not it. It's certainly what draws an eye in, but it's not what keeps the eye on you." Jayna turned to Alessa and waited until Alessa looked straight into her eyes, "you're special Alessa. You have influence and power inside of you. You could move mountains with that attitude of yours, girl."
"I don't know about mountains, Jay, but thanks for the vote of confidence," she laughed out and turned from the piercing eyes.
"I think you'll do alright getting back on your feet. You alright with sitting here while I go let your parents know that you're up and about and fetch Evan to you?" Jayna didn't wait for her reply, but stood to leave. She was such a strange servant, not servant-like at all.
"Sure that's fine," Alessa said to Jayna's back and then the door as Jayna left the room.
Alessa sat after Jayna had left thinking about what the woman had to say. Why had Jayna insisted that Alessa know how persuasive she was? It wasn't like Alessa had time to begin any big movement or help save starving children or the like. And all the talk about moving mountains with an attitude, it was absurd.
Besides, a small voice said in her head, you don't need to move mountains. Mountains would be easy. You need to move the entire sea.
Alessa decided that she would dress herself while she waited on Evan to arrive. She walked into her closet and set about changing her clothes. She heard a knock on her bedroom door while she was changing, but the pain of undressing herself distracted her from answering it.
"Hello, Alessa?" She heard Evan call out from her room. Alessa cracked the closet door and answered him.
"Evan, I'm changing. It's taking a little longer than I thought it would. Please wait just a minute."
"Ever the poor planner, as usual." Evan used his typical mocking tone.
"Thanks a lot," Alessa answered sarcastically. She returned to the task at hand and couldn't stop the small whimper that escaped as she raised her shirt over her head to pull her arms through.
"You alright in there, Less?" Evan was worried about her, which she thought was strange.
"Fine, fine, just a little more of a challenge than I thought it would be," Alessa responded with annoyance as she wondered just how long everyone was going to baby her. She couldn't spend the rest of her life being pitied and treated differently by everyone. She was going to have to get back to normal quickly. She rushed out of the closet with a thought on her mind.
"Evan, I want you to get me back to par as soon as possible. Whatever it takes. I'll train every day if you want." Alessa's words came out in a rush.
"First things first, do you see that thing sitting over on your bedside table?" Evan pointed to what he meant and Alessa rolled her eyes against the surge of disappointment. "That is a sling that the doctor left for your arm. It should be on you and you most certainly should not be changing clothes on your own." Evan's tone was superior.
"Are you volunteering?" Alessa was petulant.
"No, although I can think of at least a couple of men on this Manor who might." Evan punctuated his statement by sticking out his tongue at her, a very atypical thing for him to do. "Furthermore, you are to do no arm exercises or move that arm out of that sling for three days, understood?"
"Three days? Oh, that's ridiculous," Alessa cried out to him.
"Three days. If I find out that you have taken it off once, I won't train you for two weeks. And believe me, princess, I will find out." The challenge was dripping from Evan's voice. He knew that he had her. Alessa had never trained alone. Even thinking of what to do while standing there in front of him she wasn't sure that she could put together one good work out, much less two weeks' worth. She sighed deeply as she let Evan help her manipulate her arm into the sling.
"This is torture." Alessa's tone was flat and irritated.
"It's my pleasure. However, if you behave yourself, I will continue to work on lower body strength with you so that you don't lose your stamina."
"Well thank the Gods for small favors," Alessa said sarcastically.
"Don't be silly, nothing I do for you is a small favor," Evan replied with mock charm.
Just as they faced off against each other, the door burst open and Khi flew into the room.
"Alessa, I didn't know you were awake or I would have come up here sooner. I was interrogating the prisoners. How are you? Why are you out of bed? Are you hurting?"
"Whoa, Khi, relax. I am fine. I couldn't stand to be in bed one more minute. And yes I am hurting, but minimally. Especially since Evan here helped me into the comfy new sling that I get to wear for the next three days." She threw a mimicked smile back at Evan.
“And I see my work here is done. Good day you two," Evan sauntered from the room in his infuriatingly graceful way.
"He is quite full of himself," Alessa observed as she watched the door shut behind him.
"I don't disagree. He's your trainer," Khi shot back. "But seriously, shouldn't you be resting?"
"I don't want to rest in bed. It's not really my style."
"Alright, what if I took you out to the courtyard, would that satisfy you?"
"Marginally, what if you took me out to the cliffs?"
"Let's start in the courtyard and see what happens, wild one," Khi joked. He offered his arm to her on her good side and she took it as they strolled out of the room.
Alessa took a deep breath of the fresh air around her. It had taken longer than she had ever taken to get to the small table in the middle of the courtyard. She had to stop and catch her breath on multiple occasions, but she was so happy to be surrounded by sunshine.
"Are you ready to tell me how you're feeling about everything yet?" Khi prodded gently.
"No, are you ready to tell me why you were so hard on Cam yet?" Alessa replied.
"No," Khi smiled at her.
"Well I sup
pose we are at an impasse."
"I guess so," Khi pulled Alessa close to him, "I'm just so glad you are okay. You can't imagine what was going through my head while you were gone and when I saw you limping back through the gate. If you go out again without a guard I will not be responsible for my actions."
"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired of needing a guard or having to be watched or making special arrangements to do anything normal. I'll never get to just be a teenage girl, will I?" Alessa allowed the disappointment to run thick in her words.
"No, Less, you won't be, and I'm sorry for that. If I could change that, I would. There are some things we can work towards changing, but you will never been a normal teenage girl. No matter what."
"What do you mean we can change some things?" Alessa questioned.
"I don't know," Khi seemed flustered, "I mean we can change how people in the Manor treat you, some. And we can get you back in shape, wimp," he poked her arm gently as he teased.
"Oh please, I could still take you down," Alessa retorted.
"With the way Cam described it, I believe you could. I'm pretty proud of you, you know."
"I didn't really have a choice. I thought they were going to kill me." Alessa refused to think about the rest of what they planned to do with her.
"You're okay now, Less, and we are going to make sure you stay that way. You will always have a guard within earshot of you from now on."
"Khi, no, that's not what I want. Really, please don't do that."
"It's already done. If you aren't in your room you will have a guard. We will work twelve hour shifts and rotate taking a full day off."
"This is completely unnecessary," Alessa complained.
"Actually, I think it is absolutely necessary, and so do your parents and the Minister."
The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy Page 11
