The Power of The Ruby Ring

by Allison Brown

  He shook his head, trying to clear the sudden desire to dance with her in the rain. As he pushed those thoughts away, lightning shot across the sky. Thunder rumbled close by and the light rain turned into a deluge. The dancing pair stopped as the sky opened up and dropped everything it had down upon them.

  The rain might have been bearable, if the wind had not kicked up. Powerful gusts tore at Nathan, seeping right through his cloak. He lowered his head and pushed through the gale, oblivious of his surroundings.

  Another thunder clap brought his head up. The others seemed cold and miserable, especially Dannilynn who had fallen behind and struggled to move against the strong gusts. She held her cloak tight against her, the hood pulled low.

  He mounted the horse, turned it around and rode to her side. He reached his hand out and pulled her up behind him, then urged the horse forward to find shelter. Though he wanted to press on, he knew they couldn’t continue through the raging storm.

  Open grassland surrounded the road, so he cantered off the path and headed toward a wooded area about three hundred yards away.

  When he and Dannilynn reached the trees, he wiped rain from his face, dismounted, and helped her down, then he tied the reins to a sturdy tree branch.

  “Will the others make it?” she called above the din.

  Nathan watched his companions struggle, but gave no response to her question. After a few moments, Will and Lane arrived with Peter and Colter close behind helping each other lead the other panicked riding horse. They got it under the shelter of the trees and tied it beside the first horse.

  Edward and Garin each held onto a pack horse and struggled to lead them through the downpour. Thunder rumbled and Nathan heard the horses whinny. They strained against the reins, reared, and bucked. Edward and Garin held tight to keep them in check. As the storm grew louder, the horses panicked. Then a great blast blinded Nathan. The accompanying thunder rent the sky.

  When his vision cleared, Nathan saw the horses bolt. Edward and Garin were thrown to the ground. Edward managed to release his horse, but Garin was dragged through the mud like a rag doll, his hands tangled around the reins.

  Nathan left the safety of the trees and raced after the horses.

  “Nate!” he heard Will scream, but he ignored the cry. Another crash of thunder shook the ground.

  He ran, desperate to reach Garin before he was trampled. The frightened horse whinnied and skidded to a stop before a stand of trees. It reared up on its hind legs.

  Nathan pushed harder, drawing a knife from his belt as he ran. He dodged legs and hoofs and got in close enough to cut the reins. Then he seized the reins and dragged the horse away. The crazed animal bucked and reared while foam dripped from its mouth. Nathan managed to drag it to a tree and tie it securely.

  He hurried back to Garin and rolled his unconscious form over. Mud covered his body so Nathan couldn’t assess his injuries. He took off his soaked cloak and wiped the mess away from Garin’s face, revealing a bloody gash across his forehead.

  Garin moaned and his eyes fluttered. Nathan turned to call for Doc, but another blast exploded in the sky, then a tremendous thunder clap rattled his teeth and stood his hair on end.

  Sparks rained down on him and he smelled charred wood. He craned his neck up and saw an enormous tree, smoldering and cleaved in two, falling on top of them.

  He threw his body over Garin’s and braced for the blow. For the second time in less than a week, the impact he expected never came. This time he knew why.

  Chapter 12

  Nathan turned to where the others stood. Dannilynn’s eyes were squeezed shut and her arm reached out toward him. A faint red haze surround her. Even from that distance he saw her face grow pale as she concentrated all her effort to keep the tree from smashing them.

  He slid his arms under Garin’s back and around his chest and dragged him away from the tree. When he felt Garin was safe, he peeked at Dannilynn and saw her pitch forward into Will’s arms.

  “Danni!” he screamed. The massive tree crashed to the ground, nearly blocking the roar of another thunder clap. Nathan dove over Garin’s unconscious form. A few stray branches hit his back and arms.

  The merciless rain continued to drench him. He heaved Garin again and dragged him toward the others. Lane ran out to help, followed by Peter and Colter who took Garin from him.

  Freed of his burden, Nathan raced to where Will had lain Danni in the grass.

  Will remained beside her with a dumbfounded expression. “How…?” Even he seemed at a loss for words after beholding the ring’s power.

  Nathan ignored him, knelt beside her, and placed a hand beneath her head.

  Her eyes fluttered open. “Garin…is he…?”

  “He will be fine.” Nathan brushed wet hair off her forehead.

  She must have tried to smile, but it came more as a grimace.

  Nathan turned to Edward who gazed at her in shock. “Fetch the tent and bedding. They need shelter.”

  Edward blinked, then hurried off to do Nathan’s will.

  Lane, Peter, and Colter brought Garin under the trees. Nathan left Danni to watch Doc’s examination of his injured friend. He rubbed at his chin while he waited for the report. A hand touched his arm. He glanced sideways and found Danni beside him looking pale and exhausted. Her emerald eyes seemed to glow in the gloom.

  “You should rest.” He couldn’t turn from her gaze.

  “I will be fine.” She stepped forward and placed her hand on Garin’s shoulder. “Will he?”

  Doc answered for him. “He will be all right. He took a good beating, but it isn’t serious. This cut on his forehead isn’t deep and should be fine after I clean and bandage it. He will need rest.”

  “And so do you.” Nathan took Danni’s trembling hand in his own. He felt a sudden warmth that was surely nothing more than the temperature of her skin. Then he realized she still wore gloves.

  Edward returned with the tent and two blankets. Everything else was probably soaked. He stared while Nathan settled Danni on a log, then he grabbed Will’s sleeve. “Help me set up the tent.”

  Will and Edward got to work and Nathan checked back on Garin. Doc had bandaged his head and cleaned his face.

  When the tent was ready, Peter and Colter moved Garin inside and wrapped him in a blanket.

  “You too.” Nathan approached Danni. He took her hand again and led her to the tent.

  She stifled a yawn. “Nathan, I do not need…”

  “Yes, you do.” He helped her take off her sopping cloak and wring out her soaked skirts. She curled up on the floor across from Garin. Nathan knelt beside her and tucked a blanket around her.

  She looked up at him, then her eyelids sagged and she fell asleep. He gazed upon her, and had a sudden urge to wipe a strand of damp hair off her cheek, but resisted. Instead, he checked on Garin, and exited the tent.

  ∞∞∞

  Danni awoke several hours later to groaning. Her eyelids felt like stones, but she willed them open. Dim light filtered into the tent, and she guessed it was late evening. Her head throbbed with each pulse of her heart and was so foggy she couldn’t recall who might groan in such a manner. Then she remembered the storm.

  Garin! She crawled to his side and watched his eyes flutter open. “How do you feel?”

  After several blinks, his gaze focused on her. He took a deep breath and released it. “Like I was run over by a horse.”

  She stifled a laugh. “That is nearly the truth.”

  “What happened?”

  She told him about the incident, Nathan’s rescue, and the falling tree.

  He gaped at her. “You held back the tree?”

  She fiddled with her glove. “Um…I suppose so.”

  He continued to gaze at her until Nathan and Doc, who must have heard them talking, entered the tent.

  “How are you, Garin?” Nathan glanced at Danni, then knelt down beside Garin.

  Garin rubbed his face. “I have felt better, but I believe
I am fine.”

  “Your body is quite bruised from your ride behind that horse and you have a nasty gash on your forehead,” Doc told him. “It is lucky you weren’t more seriously injured. With plenty of rest in the next few days, I believe you will recover quickly.”

  The tent door rustled and Edward entered carrying two bowls. A luscious smell wafted toward Danni and her stomach growled. She hadn’t realized how ravenous she felt, and couldn’t help but lick her lips when Edward offered her a bowl of soup and a biscuit.

  She hardly noticed the other men watching her or Garin’s groans when Doc helped him sit up to eat. She was too occupied devouring her own meal. Food had never tasted so good, and before she realized it, she had eaten the entire bowl. The delicious soup did little to quiet her stomach, however, and she glanced up in anticipation of more. Every eye was on her. Shocked expressions filled each man’s face. She blushed and ducked her head.

  “Do you need more?” Nathan reached a cautious hand toward her bowl.

  “I—if I could.”

  “It seems,” Doc stroked his clean-shaved chin, “that when you use the ring, it also expends your energy and strength. You should use caution, my child, and not overexert yourself.”

  “I did not even realize I had done anything.” She bit her lip. “It just occurred when I saw the tree falling.”

  Doc studied her face with a slight frown. “I cannot claim to know what happened, but perhaps this is something you could gain control over with time and with a little practice.”

  “What do you mean?” She had never considered the ring’s magic or what she might do with it.

  “I mean that perhaps you could make it more than an instinct. Perhaps you could harness it into something greater. Trouble yourself no more over it now, for you must rest and regain your strength.”

  She no longer felt tired. Doc’s words echoed through her head, Perhaps you could harness it into something greater. Questions filled her mind. She didn’t know if she could control the power of the ring or strengthen herself so that she could wield it without collapsing. Perhaps she could even do more with it.

  “Danni?” Nathan’s use of her informal name jolted her from her musings.

  She lifted her head and found his dark eyes searching hers, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. It should be a crime punishable by death to gaze at her in such a manner. He didn’t turn away, and his lips hung slightly open, as though he meant to say more, but had forgotten.

  Then Doc cleared his throat and the moment ended.

  “We best get a bit more food for these two, then let them sleep.” Doc moved to the tent door. “Rest well. Good night.”

  Nathan and Edward joined Doc at the door. Nathan glanced at Danni one last time, then exited the tent.

  Danni stared after him, then sighed.

  A rumbling laugh startled her, and she turned to see Garin’s amused face.

  “He is rather striking, isn’t he?” Garin asked.

  Danni felt her face grow hot. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”

  His raised eyebrows clearly suggested he did not believe her. “You are not the first woman to vie for Nate’s attention.”

  “I am not vy—”

  “You are, however, the first woman that I have seen him return the attention for.”

  Return the attention? He paid her no mind. In truth he seemed constantly annoyed with her. “He does not trifle with me,” she said. “He stands there, aloof and dispassionate, as though I do not even exist.”

  Garin shook his head. “You misunderstand him. He is nearly always unemotional, but not because he doesn’t care. He hides his feelings behind duty, and has since he was a boy. I didn’t know him then, but Will told me about a great tragedy that occurred when he was young. He blames himself for it. Occasionally his emotions show through—like then when he gazed at you, or when he battled Will at the stream crossing—and you get a glimpse of who he really is.”

  “What happened?”

  “The story isn’t mine to tell.”

  “That is what Lane said when I asked him about…” Her voice drifted off as she remembered her conversation with Lane about Nathan’s sister dying. “His sister. He blames himself for his sister’s death? He was no more than a boy!”

  Garin pulled his blanket up around him and yawned. “I cannot say more, Princess.”

  “Danni.”

  “Danni, then.”

  Footsteps approached their tent, and Danni couldn’t help but hope they belonged to Nathan. To her disappointment, Edward’s head peaked inside.

  “Here is a bit more soup.” He brought a bowl to her and Garin.

  “Thank you,” they said in unison.

  Edward nodded and exited the tent.

  Danni ate while thoughts of Nathan raced through her mind.

  He blamed himself for his sister’s death, though he was young, so he hid his emotions behind duty. Perhaps he did have feelings for her that he hid somewhere inside because of guilt. She knew she could no longer deny her own feelings for him. They seemed even stronger than those she had toward James.

  Chapter 13

  Danni awoke to a damp, oppressive heat. The sun beat upon the tent and created steam from the wet bedding and clothes. She wondered how Garin could sleep in such humidity, then she fled the tent.

  The crisp air outside cooled her like a dip in a mountain spring. She inhaled a few lungfuls and sighed. She searched the camp. Nathan sat a ways off, deep in conversation with Doc, Will laughed and talked with the brothers, Edward knelt by the fire and cleaned breakfast dishes, and Lane sat alone on a log, his booklet in hand.

  Lane peeked up from his book and stared at her. His intense gaze seemed to reach all the way to her soul, and she felt he saw her every strength and weakness. Somehow he and Nathan saw so much, yet expressed so little.

  His gaze turned curious as it traveled to the top of her head, then down to her feet. She followed his gaze and found her dress in a wrinkled, stained mess. A quick feel of her hair revealed that it must be in an even worse state.

  “Oh, dear. I must be quite a sight,” she said.

  Lane returned to his writing, but not before she saw him stifle a smile. She ran her hands through her hair several times to remove the snarls, then shook and straightened her dress and unhooked the knots in her adorning belt.

  When she lifted her face again, she caught Nathan’s gaze over Lane’s head. He excused himself from his conversation, then left Doc and came to her. Concern wrinkled his forehead and she found she rather enjoyed the thought of him worrying over her.

  “I trust you slept well?” he asked.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “May I get you something to eat?”

  “Hmm how about bacon and fried eggs, warm milk and hot cakes, fresh pastries and sliced fruit—”

  “All right.” He held up his hand to stop her. “I should not have asked such a question. I should have asked instead if I could get some bland, but very healthy mush for you this morning.”

  “That would be wonderful.” She rocked up on her tip-toes, then back down again.

  He nearly smiled, but instead turned toward Edward who handed him a bowl. When he placed it into her gloved hands, his smile was gone. “Enjoy.”

  She felt a pang of disappointment when he moved away and joined Will and the brothers. She had thought after the last night that he might not be so impassive toward her. Maybe Garin had been wrong about his feelings. With a small groan, she shifted her focus to her meal and ate with the same vigor as the night before.

  She felt someone watching her, but when she glanced up at Nathan, he jerked his head back toward Will and didn’t glance her way again.

  Garin emerged from the tent with a great yawn. He seemed pale but well, considering all he had been through the day before.

  “Garin,” Nathan approached him, but still ignored Danni, even when he passed near her. “How do you feel?”

  “Well enough. My head aches a
bit, but I am fine.”

  “I am glad to hear it.” Nathan patted him on the back. “Let me get breakfast for you. I am afraid it is not fancy like Danni wanted when she arose, but it will have to do.”

  Danni couldn’t tell if he was irritated or teasing her.

  Garin ate, then Edward and Will cleaned the breakfast dishes.

  “I have a few things to discuss.” Nathan gathered the group together. “First, we have lost a horse. Peter and Colter went out this morning but couldn’t find the other pack horse. That horse carried much of our food, so we will have to resupply. Second, we are behind schedule. We traveled little yesterday and will not go far today.”

  Danni remembered what Garin had said about Nathan and duty. Two days with little travel seemed insignificant to her, but for Nathan, it was probably a great concern.

  “Garin.” Nathan turned to him. “Doc feels that you should be able to travel a short distance today, but nothing vigorous. What do you think?”

  “Yes, I will be fine.”

  “Good. We will travel a few miles then stop—even if you feel you can do more.” He faced the others. “I want Peter and Colter to ride out and scout the road again. We haven’t kept track of the soldiers and we cannot let them happen upon us unawares, though I do not believe they are near. Peter, Colter, will you do that?”

  “Of course,” they agreed.

  “Thank you. Lane, I need you to set Garin’s bedding up out here so he can rest for another hour while the others prepare for travel. Will, you and I will take down the tent and pack up the camp. Edward and Doc, go through the supplies that we have and figure out what we need when we resupply. And Danni—”

  Surprised that her name fell on his list, she looked up at him and blinked several times.