“Not at all, though Callum already did,” she motioned toward it, thankful for the distraction from the previous topic. There was no reason for her to be so uncomfortable. They had done nothing wrong. It was the mere principle of the interruption. The possibility of what Cadell might have walked in on. To think about it only made her blush again.
“Yes, well, for my own peace of mind, I must see how bad it is. You know your father will ask once he has finished tending to your sister,” Carefully he lifted the shirt up, forehead creased in displeasure at the sight of the wound.
Aiva lowered her eyes to look down at it, nose wrinkled in disgust. It was terrible. No matter how many times she saw it, the shock remained the same. It was a miracle the man who inflicted the initial wound hadn’t killed her. A slight increase of pressure from his blade and she would not be standing there now. “See, it is fine,” she lied.
Cadell lifted his gaze to her, shaking his head in disapproval. “It’s not fine,” he argued. “Son, if you don’t mind, we should retrieve the supplies necessary to clean this before it gets any worse. I can ask you my questions while we walk.”
“Of course, Father,” Callum stated, glancing to Aiva apologetically. “We can finish our conversation later, if you like.”
“If you refer to the one you were having when I came in, I recommend you wait a few days,” Cadell chuckled. He patted Callum on the back in a teasing fashion, his smile broadened to see the discomfort on his son’s face.
“That’s not what I meant,” Callum started. His father brought his hand up to silence him, fighting the laughter that continued to come despite his efforts to prevent it.
“You are making this too easy, boy. There is no shame in kissing your wife. You are a man now. That means it’s time you start locking your door. Now, Princess,” Cadell let his eyes fall on Aiva, “if I could steal my son away.”
“By all means,” she gestured toward Callum. It felt strange for the General to ask her permission to speak with his son. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to it.
Ignoring his father’s watchful eyes Callum leaned in to give Aiva a brief kiss on the lips before starting to back toward the door. “We will fix the sutures when we return.”
“I will be easy enough to find,” she assured him. “If I’m not in this room, I will be with my sister.”
With a final nod the men walked through the door, leaving her there to stare after them. She felt awkward and alone, her clothes still clinging to her from the excess water. Slowly she peeled the doublet from her arms, wringing it out over the floor. It left a large puddle at her feet, though the weight of the garment improved significantly. There was plenty of time for it to dry before she would need to have it ready again.
Tossing the doublet onto the back of a wooden chair she stared at it absently. The last thing she wanted to think about was putting it back on. It won’t be so bad once it’s dry. The discomfort was worth it to know that Shaelyn was safe.
She let her gaze trail over to the open door where Cadell and Callum had disappeared. They would be gone for a little while. In Callum’s absence, there was no reason for her to stand around the tiny room by herself. She wanted to be with her sister. It had been months since they last spoke. Her heart sank in fear of the things that might have happened during that time. If only they had been able to catch up to the pirates sooner. Her frustration grew to realize how close they’d been on so many occasions. How had Ireni managed to slip right out from under their noses?
Keeping her hand strategically placed over the bloodstain on her shirt, Aiva made her way out of the room. If her father was with Shaelyn, she didn’t want him to see the mark. He would think it worse than it really was and Aiva had no desire to argue her health with him. Not while her mind was burdened with so many more pressing matters than a single cut across her stomach. He would find out soon enough. No need to send him into a panic now.
Anxious to reach her sister’s room Aiva hurried down the hall from the barracks. There was much she wanted to discuss with Shaelyn; most of which would be easier if her father wasn’t present. Oh well, she thought dismissively. None of this will matter if the pirates seek revenge. If her father was there, it would be a good opportunity to spend a few final moments with her family. Regardless of the promises made between her and Callum, Aiva knew it would be impossible to guarantee their word was kept. She wanted this chance to see them one last time. There was no way to know if or when they would have another.
Aiva stood outside the door of the Captain’s cabin, hesitant to open it. She wanted to see her sister. After everything that happened, she needed to know that Shaelyn was alright. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for what happened. It was a foolish notion to think that Ireni wouldn’t have succeeded that night if Aiva had done anything different. She just couldn’t get past the thought that it was possible. Ireni wanted Aiva. Instead, Aiva’s ridiculous notion about Callum’s supposed treachery had walked Shaelyn right into the hands of the pirates.
Her palm rested on the knob, fingers lightly wrapped around it in preparation to turn. Why couldn’t she do it? It was her sister. Shaelyn couldn’t be too angry. The joy of her rescue seemed capable of overshadowing any hard feelings she might hold toward Aiva. But Shaelyn knew about the mistake. She knew it was Aiva the pirates wanted and not her. What if she blamed Aiva for her torture as well? Aiva wasn’t sure she could handle the thought of her little sister hating her.
Steeling her resolve, Aiva forced her hand to turn the knob, slowly peering around the door into the room. She was surprised to find the bedside devoid of visitors. Shaelyn was propped on the pillows, the blankets pulled tightly up to her chin. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Aiva feared the worst to see her in such a state. She looked like death, unmoving. When she finally blinked Aiva felt she would faint from relief.
Not wanting to disturb Shaelyn from her thoughts, Aiva slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She’d barely heard it click into place when Shaelyn’s voice came from the bed, hesitant, quiet. Seemingly unsure of what to say. “Aiva, I thought you were dead.”
It was a strange statement. One that she’d become oddly accustomed to hearing as of late. Coming from Shaelyn, it was difficult to know if it was joy or disappointment in her tone at discovering Aiva to be alive. “I have had moments where I might have been better off so. But I couldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t going to allow those pirates to keep you.”
“I was worried, Aiva. I saw you and Callum fall into the ravine. I thought for sure you both perished. It frightened me.”
There was no hatred in her words. No sign of anger. Only a genuine concern for Aiva’s well-being. It eased her mind more than she thought possible. “Shae, I owe you an apology. I know it changes nothing and if I could take it all back I would, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“What is there to forgive?”
“Everything,” Aiva sighed. She lowered herself onto the chair at Shaelyn’s bedside, gazing down at her sister, despondent. Looking at her and knowing what happened was more torturous than the pain which continued to throb at her abdomen. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so foolish… I never should have run away from the wedding. My antics have cost the lives of a lot of good men. Poor Calie may never forgive me. I’m not sure I will ever forgive myself for what happened to Kaemin.”
“Yes, Edric mentioned something about Lord Kaemin. I must admit that I didn’t understand everything he said. My mind has been elsewhere.” Shaelyn rubbed her head painfully. Bruises were visible on her slender wrists. Marks from where shackles had been clamped tightly over the bone. Aiva winced, looking away to stare down at the blankets, unable to bear the sight of the injuries.
Idly she ran her fingers along the stitching of the thick blanket. It was something to occupy her attention. “Where has your mind been?” she asked, curious. Shaelyn lowered her hand away from her face, letting it come to rest ov
er Aiva’s. At her touch Aiva looked up from the embroidery, startled by the sudden contact.
“Is Herryk alright?” she asked, the desperation clear in her voice. Aiva’s heart broke to see the pain in her sister’s eyes. “When they took me, I saw him fall. They stabbed him, Aiva. I have tried to tell myself that he isn’t dead but when I saw he was not with the men who came to my rescue, I began to doubt. He would have come for me. Please tell me he has not met the same fate as Kaemin?”
Tears glistened in Shaelyn’s eyes. Aiva’s heart went out to her, aching for the pain she saw, buried deep in the depths of the soft blue glow. Leaning forward, she lightly brushed Shaelyn’s long hair behind her ear. It seemed the only thing she could do which might offer some comfort. “Herryk is fine, Shae,” she replied quietly. “He would have come with the men across the desert but his wounds were too severe. He was in no condition to make the journey and it was decided he should remain in Tanispa with his father. By now I imagine he is completely healed and anxious for your return.”
Sitting up excitedly at the news Shaelyn took Aiva’s hand. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with some secret only she knew. Aiva stared at her, surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor. “Oh, Aiva! That is wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I am so glad you are here. If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell father? Or Edric. No one can know yet.”
“Shae, what is it?” Aiva felt her insides clench, nervous at what her sister would say. She wasn’t comfortable with the thought of keeping anything a secret. Not after what their family had been through.
“I have been trying to keep this to myself, but I simply cannot any longer,” Shaelyn continued, her voice lowered, eyes darting across the room to make sure they were alone. Satisfied that they were, she leaned forward, gazing happily at Aiva’s dread-filled expression. “Herryk has asked me to marry him.”
“What?” Aiva gasped, astonished. She wasn’t convinced that she’d heard the words correctly.
“He found me the morning of your wedding. Before I met with you and mother to help you dress,” she went on, her words coming more quickly in her haste. “He said he could not wait any longer to know what my answer would be, but he has not had a chance to speak with Father yet. Prior to your engagement, he was afraid to approach our parents in fear they wouldn’t allow the union. Or that they would make him marry you instead, which would have been just awful! Poor Callum would have been devastated.”
Aiva’s head swam with questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to be excited for her sister. And she was. There was no denying the happiness she felt to see Shaelyn there, practically glowing. One single, nagging matter remained in the back of Aiva’s mind, forcing back her initial joy, brought to the surface of her thoughts by Shaelyn’s words. Callum would have been devastated? Of course. If Edric’s suspicions were correct, Shaelyn was more familiar with Callum’s feelings toward her than Aiva ever was. “Shae, I’m happy for you. I really am. But I’m curious how you can be so certain that my engagement to someone else would have caused distress to Callum.”
Shocked by the question Shaelyn’s mouth hung open, confused. “You do not think he would have been?” she asked innocently. “He was so madly in love with you. I have always known you two would be married. Edric and I used to talk about it all the time. And those letters he wrote you…”
“Letters?” Aiva’s chin rose, jaw clenched to keep from saying anything more. The familiar anger rekindled in the back of her mind. Stay calm. She was just a little girl. She didn’t know any better. “What letters would these be?”
“The ones he wrote when he went away. I know it was wrong of me to read them, but I couldn’t help it.”
“When did you see these letters?”
“When you went away to perform the rites of adulthood, Lady Faustine brought them to mother.”
“They were not placed inside a particular jewelry box, were they?”
“Yes, those are the ones,” Shaelyn nodded.
Aiva looked up toward the ceiling, struggling with her own emotions at her sister’s words. “I am curious, Shae. When exactly were you planning to return those?”
The light in Shaelyn’s eyes flashed briefly, dimming again almost immediately. A look of horrified understanding crossed her gentle features, tightening her grip on Aiva’s hand. “Oh, no,” she breathed. “I forgot to put them back.”
“Do you realize that the contents of those letters could have prevented all of this? If my eyes had looked upon the words he wrote…”
“You never read them?” Shaelyn gasped in disbelief. “But I thought – ”
“No, Shae. Lady Faustine hid them from me,” Aiva shook her head sadly. “To this day I have no knowledge of what he wrote upon those pages. I have gone all these years thinking he went away and forgot about me. It almost destroyed our friendship.”
Shaelyn bowed her head forward, ashamed. The expression on her face was all Aiva needed to see to know that her sister felt terrible for what she did. It was impossible to remain angry with her. In the end, everything had turned out. Just not the way she and Callum would have preferred. “I feel awful,” Shaelyn frowned. “If I had known… Aiva, I thought you had read them. I assumed Faustine found them in your room and took them away. You know how she is about young girls being in contact with men.”
“Yes, I do know how she is, and that is exactly why she confiscated the letters before they ever reached my hands.” There was no sense in dwelling on it. She and Callum were together now. Nothing could change the past. Although it mattered little at this stage in their relationship, some part of her couldn’t help wanting to know what he’d written. In Palinon he mentioned his concern of her parents reading the things he put down in ink. She chuckled to herself to consider what those might have been. “Shae,” she added, the name slow and deliberate. “Do you remember anything the letters said?”
“How could I forget them?” Shaelyn gushed. “They were the most romantic things I have ever read in my life. All he could talk about was you and how if you would send but a single word then he would come for you the moment you were of age and make you his wife. It is why I knew you would be married when I discovered he returned to Tanispa. A few years late, but I just knew he had come for you.”
Aiva laughed quietly to herself. Listening to her sister talk was always humorous. Her head so wrapped up in the clouds over love and romance. She was a dreamer. How was it possible that she’d retained that innocent quality despite everything that had happened? The answer was simple. Aiva could just picture Shaelyn sitting there in her shackles, locked in the cold, dark cell, imagining her beloved Herryk riding in on a white horse to rescue her from the evil pirates. It was her own little fairy tale. “You really should be lying down,” Aiva smiled, squeezing her sister’s hand gently. “Father won’t be happy if he comes in and sees you not resting.”
“I cannot rest. My Herryk is waiting for me. If only this ship would move faster.”
“We all wish it would,” Aiva nodded. With a gentle pressure of her hand against Shaelyn’s chest she guided her down onto the bed. “Do you know where Father went? I expected him and Edric to be here with you.”
“They went to speak with the other men. Something about the pirates. I do not understand military talk,” Shaelyn sighed.
Rising to her feet Aiva helped pull the blankets over Shaelyn. The lack of knowledge Shaelyn possessed frustrated her to no end. How could it be that a child of two great Tanispan soldiers had no understanding of battle? Aiva had always prided herself on her ability to listen when her parents spoke and know exactly what they meant. She immersed herself in the concept of fighting. Shaelyn simply lacked the desire to learn. She’d always been drawn to the idea of marrying a military man so he would be there to protect her. When they returned home, Aiva intended to argue for her parents to insist she learn some means to defend herself. If she didn’t, poor Herryk would spend the rest of his young life in constant worry of what perils his damsel in distre
ss would find herself in next. For the first few years he may not mind, but as they grew older, he would no doubt tire of her fantastical views of the world.
She hoped in a few more years Shaelyn might begin to mature into the world around them. Her life was only just beginning. Barely twenty-five. Only recently released into society. All she knew was the flowery life Lady Faustine taught her to aspire to. It wouldn’t be long before Shaelyn began to realize that things weren’t all tea and parties.
A sharp gasp from the bed drew Aiva from her thoughts, frantically looking down at her sister. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“You are bleeding,” Shaelyn covered her mouth. Her other hand trembled, extending to gesture toward the blood which stained the fabric of Aiva’s shirt. “You are injured. We need to get Father…”
“I’m fine,” Aiva waved her hand dismissively. Her pounding heart continued to slam against the inside of her chest, adrenaline sending waves of nervous energy through her system from Shaelyn’s outburst. She placed her hand against her chest in attempts to slow the rapid rhythm. “Callum and the General went to find the supplies to take care of it. You need to relax. I’ll stay by your side until Father returns.”
Content with Aiva’s reassurances, Shaelyn nodded, slowly relaxing into the soft mattress of the bed. She looked so comfortable there. Nestled in the feathery pillows and plush comforter. The perfect image of a princess. It made Aiva laugh inside to think that her family wanted her to be the same. If they had their way, Aiva would be curled up in bed with Shaelyn, giving no thought to the possibility of fighting alongside them if the pirates attacked.
Gracefully she lowered herself onto the chair. She felt obligated to remain and keep constant watch over her sister. At least until her father or Edric came to take over the post. Shaelyn shouldn’t be alone. Lost in thought, Aiva let the silence of the room close in. She found it peaceful. Soothing to her troubled mind. In that moment she wanted to enjoy the calm. If there was one thing she’d learned on this journey it was that danger was never far away. She found herself praying the pirates would just come and get it over with so they could finally be at ease. But it would never be that simple. She knew that well enough. Ireni would come in due time. All they could do until then was prepare and wait for the worst.
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Page 83
