“Captain, look over there.”
Gadiel’s voice pulled Aiva from her thoughts, following the direction of his outstretched finger. A few feet away from where they stood she could see the charred remnants of what had been a fire hole. Long since abandoned. Partially concealed by waves of sand blown by the wind. “Scout the area,” Callum stated firmly. “Look for clues that might indicate whose camp this was. If it is our enemy, we can determine how far behind we are.”
A sliver of hope began to rekindle in Aiva’s mind. This was the first sign of life they’d found since crossing into Palinon. If the pirates had been there, it couldn’t have been long ago.
Kaemin and a few others made their way across the burning landscape toward a formation of rocks not far from the fire pit. Atop one of the jagged points appeared to be a piece of blackened fabric, wrapped around it like a miniature flag. Tattered. Worn. As if whoever had been there wanted them to find it. Further beyond the rocks something glinted off a spindly looking plant, tearing Aiva’s attention away from the men. The object sparkled, reflecting a deep green, unnatural for anything which might be found amongst the sand.
Drawn to it, Aiva slowly moved forward, unable to take her eyes off the item. There was something about it which struck her as familiar, as if she’d seen it before. The shape. The color.
Distance was deceiving in the harsh landscape. Every step she thought brought her closer only made her feel as though she made no progress at all. Rubbing her eyes, she squinted against the bright light of the sun, afraid of losing sight of the brilliant gleam. After what felt like forever she could see it coming into view. More detailed. Half-buried in sand, a slender gold chain looped from one of the leaves on the plant, attached to an exquisite emerald set into an intricately crafted framework. Kneeling before it, Aiva gathered the necklace in her hands, staring at it in awe.
She remembered the first time she laid eyes on the jewel. Not long after Shaelyn’s twenty-fifth birthday, Herryk presented her with the gem. A symbol of his affection. Shaelyn was rarely seen without it around her neck after that day. Yet here it was. Detached from her frail form, left to the harsh wind and sand of the cruel desert. Shaelyn had been there. They were close. For days she didn’t think they would ever find them again, but this was a sign of hope. The gods were watching over them after all.
In the distance she could hear shouts coming from the camp. Anxious to show them what she found, Aiva rose to her feet, turning to make her way toward the insistent yelling. The hopeful smile faded to discover the source of the commotion. Detached from the supply wagon, the horses could be seen moving across the dunes at an incredible speed, two of the soldiers not far behind in attempts to regain control. Aiva peered into the distance as Callum and Gadiel ran out from the rock formation, commanding the men to come back. It struck her as odd that the horses would have been left unsecured. Their intention was to only pause for a moment. Once the search was finished, they needed to be moving again if they wanted to catch the pirates.
A dull roar lingered on the air, slowly drowning out the voices. She was vaguely aware of Callum coming toward her, shouting something. Her name. Something was wrong. It was unlike him to look so desperate, pointing at something behind Aiva. Quickening her pace, she hurried to meet him, trying to hear what he was saying. The noise was getting louder. Making it impossible to decipher Callum’s words. She paused to cast a glance over her shoulder, eyes opened wide, frozen in place at the sight of a large wall of sand moving across the ground. It was coming right for them.
Sparked into motion she tried not to stare at the incredible vision before her. It was massive. Spanning across the entire desert as far as her eyes could see, stretched upward into the sky like a tidal wave. Callum was at her side before she had a chance to realize he had a hold of her hand, nearly dragging her along behind him. He was faster than she was. Stronger. His long legs increased the length of his stride while Aiva fought to keep from falling face-first into the sand, too afraid of the monstrosity behind them to bother pleading with him to slow down.
They were coming up on the rocks. Behind them she could see several of the others taking cover, Gadiel’s hands waving for them to hurry. “Brace yourselves,” Callum called out, pulling Aiva hard behind one of the wider structures, pressing her stomach against it, his own body pinning her under him like a protective shield. “Keep in close,” he whispered into her ear, sending chills through Aiva’s spine at the intensity she could hear in his voice. “Try not to breathe.”
Leaning his head over her left shoulder, Callum brought his hands up, covering the exposed side of Aiva’s face with one while protecting his own with the other. In a blast of wind she could feel the entire area swept up in the wall of sand, debris flung savagely about. It happened too fast for her to realize how frightened she was until they were already lost in the midst of the storm. By then, it was too late. Tears would change nothing. Instead she remained stiff, plastered against the jagged rock with Callum holding her tightly in place, creating a barrier between her and whatever might come their way.
She thought to scream, her mouth opening, covered immediately by Callum’s hand. Particles of sand scratched inside her nose and mouth, pelting them with an incredible ferocity, almost seeming to tear at their clothes and skin like fingernails scratching over the surface. To her relief the roar of the storm began to fade, the wind decreasing to a low howl before trailing off altogether. Afraid to step out too soon, Callum stood still, face tucked against the side of hers. Slowly he started to release his hold, lowering his hand away to gently rest upon her shoulders. He was uncomfortably close. Every breath he took was magnified by the short distance between his mouth and her ear, the frequency increased by the rush of adrenaline from escaping the raging sands. Hovering there briefly, he turned his face in closer as if in preparation to speak, hesitating. Through the excitement he had thrown away the hostile feelings he’d exhibited that morning, though in the aftermath, he appeared to remember, harshly stepping away to start calling out to the other men.
“Is everyone accounted for?”
“No.” Gadiel’s tone was strained. Somewhat hoarse from the dryness in the air. “Mesrah and Ilan are missing. As are the horses.”
“I told them not to take chase after the animals.”
“They must have panicked – ”
“We are not in a profession which allows panicking,” Callum frowned. Inhaling sharply, he scanned the area, counting the faces of the men he could see amongst the rocks. Aiva followed his gaze. Their numbers were dropping rapidly. And they had yet to see a real battle against the pirates. “Kaemin. Orvin. Lorand. Spread out and see if you can find them. We need to verify their condition before we move on.”
Solemnly Gadiel stepped forward, patting Callum on the shoulder, sympathetic to the concern in Callum’s eyes. “You do realize the likeliness of their survival is slim.”
“They would be alive if they had listened to me.” Callum exhaled, nodding to Gadiel, appreciative of his support. “No matter,” he added, forcing aside the somberness. “Gadiel, help me finish searching the camp. Maran. Delas,” he snapped his fingers at the two remaining men. “Start packing what you can from the wagon. Bring what food and water you can. Medical supplies. Only the things we cannot survive without.”
At Callum’s command, the men scattered to do their duties. Aiva watched them in mild shock over the unexpected events. There had been no warning of the storm’s approach. Had they not stopped to investigate the camp, it was possible they might all have been lost in the throes of the tumultuous sandstorm.
The horses were gone. It took several moments for the realization to sink in. Without the animals, they would have to leave majority of their food behind. All the extra supplies. Rationing meals would become more crucial. Her stomach grumbled painfully at the thought. She was already starving. Limiting her nutritional intake would only make it worse. Weak and defeated, Aiva slumped down on the hot sand, burying her face in h
er hands. It was all getting to be too much. All the death. The danger. It wasn’t nearly as fun as it sounded when her mother and father told stories of their war days. How could anyone enjoy being so far from home, lost in the atrocious heat of the desert, starving, dehydrated, never knowing when the land would lash out in attempts to strike you down worse than your enemies.
Lost in self-pity, Aiva was oblivious to anything around her until she became keenly aware of someone standing directly in front of her, the shadow of the figure casting shade upon her from the sun. “The Captain requested me to check on you, Princess,” Gadiel stated calmly, cutting through Aiva’s crashing thoughts.
Lifting her eyes to stare at him from the ground she laughed, pathetic, unwilling to show the hurt she felt in realizing Callum chose not to approach her himself. It seemed she had successfully pushed him away this time. But it hadn’t been intentional. She wanted him to talk to her. If he would grant her an opportunity, she would gladly explain everything to him. Apologize for her misdeeds. “He could not be bothered to check on my well-being personally? Did he say why he required a messenger to pass the news?”
“No, and I wasn’t going to question him. Whatever his reasons, I can only speculate it to have something to do with whatever transpired between the two of you last evening.” Contemplative, Gadiel glanced over his shoulder to determine the location of the other men, nodding his head contentedly before continuing. “Are the events anything which I could assist with, or is it beyond my grasp?”
“I cannot allow your assistance this time,” Aiva shook her head. Her troubles could only be solved by speaking with Callum personally. She was in this position because she’d gone to everyone else with her questions in the first place. Their answers always seemed to lack the details necessary to calm her suspicious and ease her mind, adding to the problems she already faced. No. Her time of discussing Callum behind his back was done. “You serve a foolish princess, Gadiel. For that, I owe you my deepest apologies.”
Gadiel offered his hand to assist Aiva to her feet, smiling at her, sympathetic for the burden she chose to bear on her own. “I think you mistake yourself to be foolish. In time, you might discover it to be something completely different. When I look upon you, a fool is certainly not what I see.”
“And what is it that you see?”
“I see a woman struggling internally with some battle which prevents her from taking full control of everything around her.” Exhaling, Gadiel coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand with a look of distaste. “Whatever it is that holds you back, you need only overcome it and there will no longer be anything to stand in your way. You’re just not aware of your potential. Or you are not willing to admit it. Whatever the case, you seem to hold it against the Captain as well. You should give the man a chance.”
Aiva hung her head in misery. Give him a chance? She’d tried to do that, and look where that left her. Confused. Throwing herself into his arms only to panic and toss him to the wolves for her own actions. “Perhaps. However, I think I have run out of chances with him.”
“Give him a few days,” Gadiel smiled. He patted her on the back, reassuring, guiding her along the sand toward where the rest of the men were starting to gather. Callum watched them as they approached, his eyes following them with a hardened stare. Ashamed, Aiva averted her gaze, staring down at the ground. Now wasn’t the time to look at him. Not with her heart aching the way it did, completely lost as to why the sight of him brought her so much pain. There were too many other things to think about right now. Like whether or not they would survive another day in the desert to even be concerned about what had happened between them the night before.
“We’re losing them,” Callum frowned, hands moving over his body to make sure his belongings were secured on his back. “How the pirates have covered so much ground, I don’t understand unless they continue to move throughout the night. That seems a dangerous method, regardless of their supposed relationship with the Feh Noq.”
“At our current rate of travel, I estimate them to have been gone from this camp for a few days. Maybe more.” Gadiel heaved a despondent sigh, staring into the empty horizon. The hopelessness could be felt emanating from every soldier, their shoulders hunched under the weight of their provisions and weapons. It was hard not to feel discouraged when taking into account everything stacked against them. They were four fighters down. Days behind their enemy. No horses. Limited food. The scorching heat of the sun would be the death of them if the desert itself didn’t claim their lives first.
Kaemin stepped forward, a hesitance to his posture that Aiva wasn’t used to seeing there. “If we pressed onward after dark, could we close in on them any faster? At least make up for lost time?”
“I loathe to consider the option, but we have little choice.” Callum closed his eyes. Aiva didn’t need to look into them to know that he was aware of the dangers in giving the order. At the same time, she knew if they continued to stop at nightfall, the enemy would only gain more ground; dragging Shaelyn closer to Luquarr and away from any chance of rescue. “Let us move,” he announced suddenly, opening his eyes once again to stare firmly at the men, steadfast. “We will take a brief pause at dusk and then continue onward through the night. Keep your eyes open and ears alert. The desert is about to become far more treacherous.”
Chapter Eleven
Aiva wasn’t sure if it was fear or exhaustion which made the first evening so stressful. Everyone was on guard, tensed, jumping at any sound they heard. Their pace slowed to avoid drawing unwanted attention. If not for Callum and Gadiel guiding their directions, Aiva was certain the unit would have been lost to the darkness. Determining which way to go was next to impossible without the natural compass of the sun or landmarks to note their progress. At dawn they paused again to allow a slight reprieve from the journey; a chance to separate food rations and water in preparation of the impending daytime heat.
No words had been spoken between Callum and Aiva since the sandstorm. They kept their distance, Callum tending toward the front of the unit with Gadiel while Aiva lagged behind with Kaemin, watching the two men lead them along in silence. Occasionally Kaemin attempted conversation, the topics trailing off quickly at Aiva’s disinterest.
She had much to think on. Gadiel’s words stuck with her, mingled with those spoken by Callum before she’d ruined everything. Their opinions mirrored those of Kaemin’s from the start of their journey. Her friends had so much faith in her! So why did she feel as though she was letting them down? As if they saw something in her that she didn’t. Gadiel implied something was holding her back. But what? She’d received nothing but encouragement throughout her childhood. Prepared with special care for the day she would inherit the throne. Everyone expected greatness from her. Expectations so high that she didn’t believe she could live up to them. Could that be what Gadiel referred to? A lack of confidence in her abilities?
It was ridiculous to ponder what Gadiel believed she held against Callum. The answer was obvious, although pride prevented her from admitting the truth; that she hated the jealousy she felt toward Ireni. The intimacy she was said to have shared with the man Aiva was so smitten with as a child. But to confront Callum about it now would only complicate things. What if he denied intimacy with the pirate wench? Would she believe him? If he somehow provided proof of his innocence, it would only rub the accusations in her face. Somehow it felt easier to refrain from discovering the knowledge she’d so desperately sought in the beginning, simply to avoid showing weakness. An error of the extent a possible misjudgment would prove demonstrated a terrible flaw in her character. But her presumptuous behavior was equally flawed. She needed to be more like her mother. Leyna would never have simply assumed Dacian’s statements to be founded in truth. She would have investigated the matter thoroughly. A decision of guilt would never have been publicized until every detail – every side of the story – had been uncovered.
But Aiva couldn’t reflect her mother’s wisdom in this situ
ation. Aiva was stubborn, yes, but she was also hurt. The matter was too personal to think logically. Callum had abandoned her. No one had ever caused her pain and misery the way he did. As a child her family had always been there for her. But Callum left her. It wasn’t his fault, yet deep down – she knew she blamed him. From the moment she awoke the morning after he left for training, running down to the courtyard only to find it empty. She’d spent weeks sitting there in the grass, watching the entryway in hopes that he would return. That it would all be revealed as some unknown game. A cruel joke he and Edric arranged to tease her. But he never came back. It cut her deeply in a way she hadn’t understood at the time, though now it made perfect sense. Every day they spent on their journey made it clearer to Aiva; and more frightening.
Eventually she would have to face him. She owed Callum too much to let her foolish uncertainties continue to hurt him. Many of the accusations had been explained already. If Callum had written letters only to have them intercepted by Faustine, Aiva couldn’t blame him for their failure to reach her. Nor could he be blamed for the tactics required of him in Siscal to apprehend Ireni. Absently Aiva wiped at her lips. It disgusted her to think that she had kissed him, knowing his mouth at one time had been against that of their enemy.
“You certainly are far away,” Kaemin mused, his green eyes pulling Aiva from her reverie to find them gazing down at her through the bright light of the sun. Squinting, she brought her hand up to cover her face, shielding her vision to see him more clearly.
“Nonsense,” she mumbled, still distracted by her thoughts. “I am right here. No further away than any of the other men.”
Kaemin chuckled quietly. “Your eyes say differently.”
“Then stop speaking to my eyes.” Aiva forced a smile, not wanting to admit her thoughts out loud to Kaemin. She didn’t understand them enough herself to speak of them to others. “I was merely thinking about Calie and how much I miss her company. She is such a wonderful spirit. Even in the middle of this barren wasteland, she would find something beautiful about it which would make it somehow feel more bearable.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Page 27
