A tenderness in Caio’s voice somehow convinced her of his sincerity. She kept all her attention on his handsome face to shut out the others’ stares. His soft skin was tan for a Rezzian, but light compared to her own people’s coloring. His nose was strong, but drawn with smooth, curved edges. Hollow dimples showed in his cheeks whenever he smiled. And despite his pain, he seemed to smile most of the time.
“Narayani, I know you can help me to heal.”
“Yes. How do you know?”
“I can feel people’s hearts. It is a gift the gods have given me.”
Does he know I’m attracted to him?
Caio smiled in a way that made Narayani feel comfortable and accepted. “You told the truth when you said you are a healer. I know this. Many of our warpriests are great healers, but they have not been able to help me yet.”
“Because Rao hit you with your power.” She moved her finger in a circle to illustrate, “He made it go back to you. I trained to heal Rezzian magic—sorry, divine power.”
Caio’s cheeks shone as he smiled and nodded. “Will you please help me to heal?”
Why would I do that?
“If I am strong, I can protect you. You can stay with me instead of wherever you were last night,” Caio said.
Narayani felt her shoulders relax.
“If you don’t help me, my father will try to take you. I don’t know what he would do.”
“Yes. I can help. Then you let me go home?”
“I hope so, yes.”
Though it made no sense, she trusted him instinctively, throughout her body and down to her toes. She’d never met a kinder man. How could this be? The leader of Rezzia’s army was either a gentle soul or he had her under a powerful spell.
No, he is a good soul. I know it.
Narayani looked at some of the other men. All of them seemed content to remain silent. They stayed back, giving Caio freedom to do whatever he wished. Many of them kept their glances downward in submissive postures.
They respect him, too. They will do whatever he says.
“In fact,” Caio said, “my father has already offered to exchange you for my sister. We await your people’s response.”
Hope bloomed in Narayani’s mind. Might this all be over soon?
“I need my bag.” She did her best to project sweetness and defenselessness.
Caio turned his head just a touch and nodded. “I must ask for the bag. I will tell my father I commanded you to give it to me.”
The soldier holding her medicines looked to all the eyes waiting to see his next move.
“Yes, my Haizzem.” He turned around and picked it up. The leather purse sat on the floor, next to the tent’s wall behind some kind of religious altar.
“Give it to her,” Caio said without any apparent pride.
The soldier followed the order and handed Narayani her medicines. He quickly walked away, as if frightened by what might be inside it.
She untied the three strips keeping the bag closed and felt the contents.
It feels full. Good. Now should I really heal him, or just relieve his pain for a time? Or wait until I find out if I am going back? The longer I am with him, the better my chances of survival.
“It’s important that I recover fully and quickly,” he said with more seriousness in his eyes. “The stronger I am, the more I can help you.”
She was beginning to feel persuaded when a voice interrupted, shouting from outside the door. “King Vieri seeks your audience, my Haizzem.”
Panic began rattling around her chest and limbs. She looked to Caio.
“Try to relax. Remember, I will protect you,” he said with his enormous brown eyes assuring her. He carefully shifted his position on the bed to face the door, as if it hurt him to move. “Please let him in.”
Narayani swallowed.
The king entered with his thick hair messy, his countenance flustered. He spoke right away, “They said no. They,” he paused, “said no.”
Caio’s head dropped in shock.
The king looked at her with contempt. “They don’t want you. Your people don’t care what we do to you. Your pretty face isn’t worth anything to them. Not even to your prince.”
It felt as if a sword cut through her heart and out her back. A deep wound opened, an old, crushing abandonment that she remembered too well.
“What in Danato’s underworld is she doing with her bag?”
Caio answered right away, “Their prince turned Mya’s power against me. None of our prayers or treatments helped. But I know she is a healer, and she knows how to remedy the damage done by Lux Lucis. She’s promised to help me.”
The king opened his mouth for a moment, staring at Caio, then slammed his mouth shut and turned his glare around the room. “None of you can help my son to heal? Your one and only Haizzem. All of you, get out of here. Now!”
The soldiers and warpriests scurried out of the tent. The solid wooden doors collided, shut from the outside.
Rao? Aayu? Not even my father? None of you believe I am worth saving?
Narayani closed her eyes to try to hide from the pain, but found no sanctuary.
She opened her eyes to find the king’s gaze focused on his son. Caio stared back, earnestly, but with no apparent positive or negative emotion.
“I have already sent a message back to the pigs,” the king said, dominating the room with his unyielding posture. “I told them that if they lay one finger on Lucia, not only will we punish this girl, you and I will defeat their army and pour over the lands of Pawelon, burning every forest, claiming every woman and child as our slaves, destroying every temple, and killing every man. If they will not surrender her, we will erase every bit of evidence that Pawelon culture ever existed.”
Caio dragged a hand through his hair and over his scalp, looking just to his father’s side.
You said you would help me, Caio.
“You won’t touch her,” he told his father. “She’s innocent. I also need her help.”
“What are you going to do to my son?” His father’s eyes quivered with accusation.
“I help him heal.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would you do that?”
“Caio help me.”
The king shook his head and let out a long, aggravated breath.
“She is not lying, Father. She just wants to help me so she can go home.”
“Is there anything in your bag that could harm him?” the king asked. “Caio, tell me if she lies.”
“Only if he takes too much. But all these herbs are for healing.”
“She speaks the truth,” Caio said.
The bearded king walked closer to Caio, then knelt on one knee before him.
“Caio, how would you know what too much is? You must watch her every move. She caused you,” his voice became rough, “to lose. You cannot trust her. Do you know this?”
“I understand.”
“Do not let her evil seduce and deceive you. Have your way with her, if you want to. But do not think for a moment that she is not plotting to either kill you or escape. And never leave her in a place where she can use her magic to hide and sneak away.”
“I will watch over her and keep her here. Everything will be fine. I believe she will help me.”
“You know I am ready to assign another protector to you.”
“Please, not yet. I’m not ready. Soon, though.”
The king twisted his head, almost looking at Caio sideways. “If she heals you, you must join me. We will pray to the goddess Mya, to Lord Oderigo, to Lord Galleazzo, and we will find a way to overwhelm their forces and gain entry to their citadel. We will win this war and we will find Lucia. If we do not—”
“We will find a way, Father. We will save Lucia. I prayed throughout the night to Lord Oderigo and he showed me that she is alive, in a cell inside the citadel. They are nursing her wound and they have not harmed her.”
“Maybe not yet, Son.” The king’s face became long, as if contempla
ting a great horror. He glanced at Narayani again, then back to Caio. “Rest and heal and continue to pray for Lucia’s safety.”
The king stood again, wincing as if his knees hurt him. He walked close to Narayani, his boots thudding against the carpet. He squeezed her jaw with his powerful hand and made sure she looked into his heavy eyes. “If you hurt my son in any way, I will do to you what your rajah has threatened to do to my daughter. Believe me, you will have never known such pain. No man could do to you what I can.”
Narayani shot a glance toward Caio. She felt the tears building, ready to erupt.
“Father, let her go.” Caio voice remained soft. “She understands you.”
The king squeezed her jaw tighter, then pushed her head back. Narayani lay down on her side and curled her knees to her chest as her tears began to flow. She heard the king exit the room and the doors close behind him.
Caio touched her shoulder. “I am sorry, Narayani. Everything is going to be all right. I promise you, everything will be fine.” He fetched a fine, white cloth from atop his light wardrobe and placed it on the bed before her. “In case you want to wipe your face.”
How is it that you can calm my mind so quickly?
Narayani sat up, dried her wet face, and cleaned up around her nose.
Caio put the palm of one hand forward and gently took one of her hands in his. He covered it with his other hand. He turned his head away and coughed again, a wet, painful cough. He looked at her again, smiling as if he were not in pain.
“I worship a goddess called Mya. She is the divinity presiding over water and healing. She heals both bodies and hearts. If you would like me to, I will pray to her for you. She might help soothe your feelings.”
“You do this for me?”
“Close your eyes. Invite Mya into your heart and feel her presence. Wait and she will come.”
They sat together in silence. The atmosphere felt strange to Narayani, but sweet and wonderful.
She didn’t know where the words were coming from, but she thought them: Come into my heart. I am broken. Help me.
It began with silence, a penetrating, easy silence throughout her mind, heart, and soul. Her body filled with a warm presence, as if a kind spirit had entered and filled her body with a profound love. The clouds cleared away, clouds of terror, of heartache, of rage. Feelings of dignity, wholeness, and peace took their place.
She opened her eyes and lost herself in Caio’s radiant eyes.
“Feeling better?” Caio smiled, still holding her hand.
“Thank you.” She quickly reached out to hug him. She felt his heart beating and knew that neither of them wanted the embrace to end.
She brought her face around to his and kissed him.
I am sorry, Rao. He is the only one who can save me.
His sculpted lips were perfect against hers. She kissed him harder. He kissed her back, opening his mouth and caressing her tongue with his own. She moaned softly, dropping sweet hints of ecstasy. She pulled her body closer to his, feeling totally surrendered to him.
She leaned harder against his body, pulling away her robe to let her firm breasts press against him. They lay down together, wrapping their legs around each other. As their tongues danced, she grabbed up his robe and pulled it over his head. She threw her own robe off and pushed her whole body against his.
As he kissed her neck, more moans of perfect pleasure escaped her lips.
“I’m very new to this,” he said.
She rolled onto her back and held Caio so he stayed above her. She grabbed between his legs, squeezed him, and guided him to her …
Chapter 66: The Veil of the Enemy
LUCIA WOKE AGAIN TO VOICES. She guessed the men were coming to see her and sat up, leaning forward over the edge of the raised wooden board that was her bed.
Sunlight streamed through a window, illuminating the dust floating in the air of her cell. The reeking air assaulted her stomach. She pulled up her robe to inhale the herbs the Pawelons had pressed against her with their cloth bandage. She shivered, her body still suffering from fever.
She knew the sages had used some of their healing magic on her during the night. She had been vaguely aware of it while she slept, a presence like a warm cocoon, circulating energy throughout her body.
The same number of soldiers and sages stood around the room. After some commotion beyond the door, the warriors stood at attention. The hinges screeched again and a man entered by himself.
Their prince!
“Your Grace,” the prince said in Rezzian, “I am Prince Rao. Let me say first that if you cause me any harm, you will be killed.”
Then that’s how I’m going to die. “What do you want?”
“Please start by telling me what happened yesterday. I stabbed him. I didn’t stab you, but you were there. I had no time to react. Did you willingly trade places with your brother?”
You want me to admit it so you can have me put to death.
“Well?” he asked.
“I don’t know what happened. I only know I’m here.”
“Your brother is alive.”
Thank you, Ysa!
“You’re saying you didn’t cause your brother to disappear?”
“No,” she lied.
“Then was it the gods themselves?”
“I suppose it was.”
“I had no time to react,” he said.
“What are you saying, you wouldn’t have killed me anyway?”
“I could have easily killed you after I stabbed you. I worked very hard yesterday to keep you alive.”
He had a point. “Why?”
“Because I need your help to end this war.”
Liar. “And that’s why you tracked and hunted us at the lake?”
“Of course we didn’t.” The prince’s face flushed with some frustration. “We had no idea you were there. Your friend threw a spear at my friend—remember? Why would we try to hunt you down after you agreed to the duel?”
“So that you wouldn’t have to fight my brother fairly?”
“No.” The bastard was either a very good actor, or telling the truth. “I wanted this war to be over after our duel. The single combat was my idea. Remember?”
Then it was all due to Lord Danato. Lucia slouched back against the wall as the realization sunk in.
The prince rubbed his forehead as if accepting difficult facts. “You’re telling me you weren’t hunting us?”
“No!”
“Then it was a perfect coincidence?”
Lucia remembered Danato’s directions that sent her and Caio to the lake that night. No, not such coincidence at all.
Lucia was surprised to find the prince, at least to this point, different than she expected him to be. His act made him seem reasonable. He also seemed to be wounded, dragging his legs as if it hurt to walk.
“Your people are the ones who keep this going,” he said, pointing.
“I’ll have you know my brother and I were trying to stop this war. That’s the only reason he agreed to your duel.”
“Funny, the day before I proposed the duel, you and your brother ambushed our men after you hid behind the rainstorm. I wouldn’t call that an act of peace.”
Lucia put herself in Prince Rao’s place and understood his thinking. “A lot changed after that battle. After what you and your friend did to me and Ilario.”
“Ilario. The one who died. Was he the Haizzem’s protector?”
“Yes and much more. Because he died, my brother’s no longer in the same mind. He wants to conquer Pawelon now.”
Prince Rao paced the room with difficulty, drawing and exhaling long breaths.
“You’re saying your brother wanted to attack us on the day you came for us hidden behind the rainstorm. Then soon after that he changed his mind, so that by the time I proposed the duel, or soon after that, he wanted peace. Then after Ilario died, Caio wanted to conquer Pawelon again?”
“That’s mostly true, except he never wanted there
to be a war in the first place. When we hid our army behind the storm, we were hoping to deal such a powerful blow that it would shock your nation into surrendering. And it was my idea. He went along with it.” Lucia rubbed her aching temples, aware she needed more rest.
The Pawelon prince continued his slow pacing, apparently sorting out the details in his mind. “I want to make sure I understand. You’re saying that Ilario’s death changed everything for Caio. And you’re saying it was a coincidence that we found you at the lake. I find that impossible to believe.”
This bastard’s mind is sharp. Lucia hesitated. “The truth is …” She looked to her right at one of the many soldiers staring at her. “One of our gods told us to go to the lake that night.”
“Mya? Oderigo? Or Ysa?”
And he knows a lot about us. “No. Lord Danato.”
“Interesting,” he said.
“You know our gods?”
“Oh yes, I’ve studied them.” He stopped his pacing. “Then your black god was trying to hunt us.”
He was hunting his own people. “I don’t think so.”
“Why else would he send you there?”
“Lord Danato is a perverse figure. I’ve given up trying to understand him.”
The prince tilted his head to one side. “And you had a relationship with Ilario?”
“That’s not your concern.”
“You said so to my lady.”
Lucia scrolled through her memory of that night. I did say something to the girl about him. “I’m not going to discuss my private life with you.”
The prince’s eyes widened, looking compassionate for a moment. “I am sorry for your loss. I didn’t want to hurt Ilario. In that instant, I had no choice. It was either my friend or yours. I am very sorry.”
Lucia stared down at the dirty stone floor and fought back her emotions.
The prince looked over Lucia’s body. “How are you? Are our healers helping you?”
Lucia’s entire body ached with fever, but she had to admit that her health had improved. “Considering I should be dead now, I won’t complain about anything yet except for this gods-forsaken cell.”
Rao nodded. “And you should, but we don’t have a better place to hold someone like you.”
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