“My back is,” I said, wrapping my arms around my middle.
Without explanation, Rune stood and began to unfasten each piece of leather and steel armor. He placed every discarded bit in a neat pile that bespoke his military training. At first, I was worried that he was going to do the same thing with the black clothes he wore beneath. My concern was unfounded. He didn't undress. I was relieved, but somewhere, a part of me wondered what he looked like without a shirt on.
A blush rose to my cheeks and I hoped the firelight behind me was too dim for him to notice.
He sat down beside me, facing the fire, and reaching over, put his hand on my forearm. It was so warm I thought my skin would melt. Just the connection in that touch sent a sweet thrill through my body.
Gently, he pulled me around and positioned me so that my back was against his chest. He folded his arms protectively around me, his hands clasping my arms gently. My heart fluttered at what I thought must be an unnatural pace. I wondered if he could feel it.
He was so warm.
With the flames around us and Rune at my back, I felt the chill begin to surrender. I took in a deep breath and exhaled in relief. The pain I felt on the inside was receding too.
There were no words for how utterly good the moment felt as we just sat there, Rune and me, half encircled by flames on a night that we'd both nearly died.
Chapter 36: The Outside World
Stakes stood before me, grinning savagely.
“You're mine!” he screamed at me in slow motion. His jaw extended so far while he shouted that the last two strips of skin that crossed his jaw snapped apart.
Dylan betrayed me, Rune was gone, and Stakes was taking everything from me. He'd have Haven soon, but first he'd kill me. I didn't want it to be real. It couldn't be happening. I was just a normal girl. Desperately, I wished to be safe at home.
In unison, wrought iron bars came to life, stabbing me through my arm and side, while Stakes jabbed the needle end of the draining tube into his chest. The machine locked down just under my collarbone, heated up and blasted me with a shockwave that tore my soul straight out of my body.
* * *
I woke up with a shout, jerking up to a sitting position, ready to find myself in the clutches of my enemy.
“You're alright,” Rune reassured me soothingly. “You're safe.”
Reality sunk in, but slowly. He was alive and hadn't moved a muscle since I'd fallen asleep against him. My relief that it had only been a nightmare was immeasurable.
Sighing, I relaxed against him, trying to calm down and shake off the horrible lingering feeling of my nightmare.
“I'm sorry,” I said.
“There’s no reason to be,” he answered softly.
His arms were still around me, protecting me from the chill night air. The fire flicked around us, but it was just a bit lower than it had been. How long had I been asleep? I didn't hear any intrusive sounds in the brush. It seemed like we were still safe, for the moment.
I found myself looking up at Rune, admiring everything about him. It was involuntary... I couldn't help it. The shape of his face, the rich color of his brown skin, and of course those sharp blue eyes. There was something so perfect about him.
“Your face,” I said, my eyes running over the deep gash on his cheek. “Will it heal?”
“I won't lose the mark if that’s what you mean,” he replied. I marveled at the feeling of my back against his chest and the way I could feel it rumble when he spoke.
“I'm sorry,” I said feeling heavy with empathy. It was bad enough he had to endure that pain, but now it would mark his face forever, a constant reminder of what he’d been through for me.
“You keep saying that,” he said, neutrally.
“I can't help it.”
“This scar... it doesn't matter. There's no reason for a Dragoon to be pretty,” Rune said. He was right, according to the cruel laws of his world.
“Don't worry, Dragoon, you'll always be pretty to me,” I said with a teasing smile.
He was sad. It shone in his eyes. Maybe he didn't believe me.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes,” I replied. I was tired and still felt a sharp, focused pain in many parts of my body. Anyone who has experienced true agony realizes that there can be several levels of pain, and after feeling the worst of it, nothing else is quite as bad. That was how it seemed to me anyway. I was feeling awful, but, oddly enough, it was an improvement. It felt good to be so warm. Even that smallest comfort made me smile. Knowing Rune was here with me contributed to it all the more. I just wanted to hug him, dance around and shout up to the stars that we were alive.
Rallying my strength, I sat up, pulling away from him. He let go of me gently. He was so careful, the way he touched me. It was like I was a girl made of paper and any gesture too strong might dent my surface.
Following my lead, he rose to his feet, never complaining about holding my weight as I'd slept. Even if he didn't say it, I was sure he must have pins and needles in his legs. I did.
Rune offered me a hand and helped me to stand.
“We should leave now, shouldn't we?” I asked, still feeling wobbly.
He nodded. “We stayed longer than we should have, but under the circumstances, it seemed necessary.”
While Rune stepped away to replace his armor, I checked the makeshift bandage Dylan had applied to my arm.
“He was with Stakes you know,” I told Rune. “Dylan.”
He looked up as he gingerly clasped the armor closest to his wounded shoulder. “I'm sorry,” he said awkwardly. I know he wasn't broken hearted about the turn of events, but he wasn't cold either.
“He was a Commander,” I added, looking at the scorched ground around the fire. It still hurt, thinking about how he'd turned on me. The memory was as fresh and painful as my injuries. “Did you know?”
“He was the person watching over you. Do you really think I wouldn't have told you if I knew?” he asked, incredulous.
“I don't think I need to remind you that you didn't tell me anything for a very long time,” I retorted, shooting him a sour look.
Frustrated, he fastened the remaining pieces of armor with more force. “I couldn't. I thought you were safe.” He paused. “I didn't know about Dylan. I didn't know that there would be a coup d’état either. It’s a massive breach of protocol to drain without authority, let alone to create an unauthorized Commander. Offenders are sent to the Prince’s trial. I've never heard of any returning. If Stakes had no fear of the law, he could have done it at any time. He couldn't have recruited so many Dragoons overnight either.”
I nodded. There was no way for me to know how long Dylan was under Stakes' power. It could have been long before we'd met.
“Stakes was going to kill him, too. Drain him and take the power for himself. Dylan is out here somewhere, tied up in metal, if he's still alive,” I said, not completely sure how I felt about any of it.
“Someone will find him and he'll be brought to justice. Lord Axton will be enraged to find out that his brother was fighting on the wrong side,” Rune said. I remembered Dylan telling me that Brendon Axton had once been a friend of Rune's, before he was enlisted. I couldn’t imagine becoming so detached from Ruby or Kyle.
Yet again, I was overcome with emotion at the lengths he had gone to protect me. Even under penalty of death for associating with me, Rune had stepped forward and risked it all. He'd been willing to trade his life for mine. There was no deeper loyalty than that.
“Rune,” I said, limping slowly over to him. I wanted to thank him. He didn't give me the chance.
“It’s time we go,” he told me. “They could begin combing this area any minute and I won't let them find you again.”
“I'll get Florian,” I said automatically.
“No,” he shook his head. “His tracks will be more distinct. You'll leave less of a trail on foot.”
He was right. Not to mention, as much as I loved my tall silver
gelding, I couldn't bring him home with me.
“I hope he'll wander back to town. They usually know their way home right?” I asked, thinking aloud. Effortlessly, I let The Pull guide my steps toward the passage to Haven. Just putting my body into motion made everything hurt.
I realized after a few paces that Rune wasn't following me.
Stopping, I looked back at him. “What's wrong? Let’s go.”
He stood there watching me and flexed one gauntlet-covered hand into a fist. Finally, he walked to me.
“You're going alone,” he said, looking down at me, his expression soft.
“No,” I argued immediately. My eyebrows knitted together. “No.”
“I don't know the way, Katelyn,” he said, referring to Haven.
The thought of losing him again made me feel sick. It wasn't right. It shouldn't be this way.
“You were there, in the cave. You already know where it is. The damage is done, I can't change that,” I said feeling my throat closing, choking up.
“I had a fever,” he said.
“You remember calling me a ghost.”
“I remember you, but not much else.”
“You were there with me, damn it! You know the way to Haven and you haven't given it up!” I said stubbornly. His loyalty thus far about keeping Haven’s entrance secret was the only way I could justify bringing him with me, and he was destroying it.
“You're wrong. I don't know the way.”
“You liar!” I shouted at him. “You said that you cared about me. Maybe that didn't mean anything but I care about you and I'm not going to leave you here! I can't.”
“I do care,” he said gently, brushing a hand against my cheek. “More than you know. The thought of leaving, having a normal life, just being able to sit beside you, it’s maddening. It drives me crazy, I want it so much... but it would be a lie. Every day you'd wonder if I would leave, if I'd be another Dylan and betray you. Trust me. It would haunt us. And the thought of some innocent child replacing me as a Dragoon, that would haunt me.”
I couldn't say anything. He was right. I just didn't want it to happen like this. It was idiotic to hope that after so much cruelty and so many hardships, life would award me with at least one gift.
“You saved my life. You've let me glimpse a dream and that’s more than I ever thought I'd get. This is the only way I can show you how much you mean to me,” he said quietly. “I will always protect you.”
Those perfectly blue eyes flicked over my face with melancholy affection. His hand passed through my wavy hair, sending a tingle down my back. I looked up at him knowing that no one would ever compare. Tears brimmed in my eyes and I sniffed, forcing them away.
It was for Haven. I'd lose him for the sake of my people, and in losing him, I'd have proof that I'd met the best person I'd ever known.
There were no words to express how grateful I was for everything he'd done, so I didn't speak.
Standing on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face carefully to mine. I could see his surprise just before our lips brushed and his eyes closed. I kissed him slowly, sweetly, memorizing the shape of his lips and the way they felt against mine. Gently, he pulled me in closer with his hands on the small of my back.
It felt more right than anything else had in my life. Like we'd been designed, each for the other. I didn't want it to end. I'd rather have died first. We both knew that the moment we'd have to say goodbye was racing toward us and so our connection took on a passionate urgency. I tugged myself close to him, wishing I was feeling the warmth of his body again, rather than his armor. Our tongues touched as our kiss deepened, demanding to say everything that we felt in our hearts.
Contentment poured from me like an overfed pool. I vowed I'd remember every second I could touch him. I would never forget.
When we unwillingly parted, my knees nearly gave out beneath me. He steadied me and smiled as if that was the confirmation he needed to know I felt the same way he did. It wasn't very fair considering I'd nearly died a few short hours ago.
“I'll make sure they don't find you,” he told me, forcing himself to step away.
A black warhorse came trotting up out of the night. I was afraid for a moment that it was another Dragoon. If they'd caught Rune with me, his life would be on the line again. The horse, I realized, was without a rider and belonged to Rune. I hadn't seen it leap out of any shadows, but supposed that in the darkness, it could have come from anywhere.
“I'm not going to say goodbye,” I told him.
He nodded, touching my face one last time.
Walking away from me, he crouched beside the flames, touching the ground. The fire flickered and gusted out. In the sudden darkness, I didn't see him leave, but I could hear him go. As I waited there, the stars grew brighter above me, and my eyes adjusted to the night. The sound of hooves on the packed dirt of the brush land grew to a distant nothingness.
I stood alone, wishing that I could turn the clock back. It didn't do me any good. I was hurt and tired with two kinds of heartbreak to add to my list of injuries, and it would have been a ridiculous waste if I died of infection to my wounded arm.
Loosening my soaked orange scarf, I pulled up the goggles that I still wore around my neck. There were cuts on my throat where they had bitten into my skin when the wood-controlling Dragoon had nearly strangled me. I was grateful that the night vision goggles were still functioning. Aside from a single crack over one of the lenses, they were still in good shape. I could surely find my way home in the dark, but it wouldn’t have been pleasant.
Like the stupidly hopeful person I could be, I looked around, half expecting to see Rune charging back to me. He was better than that, and I knew it. He'd keep his promise to protect me. In that moment, as I walked away from the Outside World, I realized that I was in love with Rune Thayer.
Chapter 37: Procession
When I reached the final hill that led to the mouth of our cave, I wasn't alone. Lean bodied animals darted around me, racing ahead. I caught a glimpse of an eel-like face, a hound's body and a long, trailing tail.
They were everywhere. I was understandably afraid at first, but they weren’t even slightly aggressive toward me.
They swarmed around, leaving me a five foot girth on all sides, careful not to get too close, and bounded ahead toward the cave, occasionally looking back to see if I was following. There were dozens of them. The closer I came to the cave, the more appeared. Most of them were small creatures, no larger than the average dog, but a few were taller than the largest of hounds. I watched them, curiously, seeing them display affection toward one another by butting heads and playing.
I couldn't imagine these were the monsters that threatened Breakwater. The militia and the Dragoons hunted them for a reason. I’d thought it was to protect the city, but then it struck me: it was propaganda. The Lurchers were protecting me... they were protecting the mountainside and the passage to Haven.
Their force had been the sole barrier stopping the Prince's soldiers from searching the hills thoroughly enough to find Haven.
I walked among them in awe, wondering how animals could have the sense to guard a thing for so many hundreds of years. As it happened, I wasn't entirely devoid of good fortune. My question would be answered.
We wended into the tunnel and most of the Lurchers stayed back. Only a handful of younger ones dashed in with me. I hurried down each passage, eager to get home until I realized they'd stopped following me altogether. The young Lurchers had veered off to another room in the honeycomb. I stopped to peer back at them, and that’s when I saw the bones.
The Lurcher must have been fairly large when it was living, but now it was reduced to a clean skeleton. The adolescent Lurchers sniffed at it, whimpering, and then ran out, leaving me alone. It seemed they had some relationship to this grave. Maybe it anchored them to this place? Or did the creatures mourn their dead? A little creeped out by the scene, I was about to double back when I noticed something
unexpected.
Stooping, I retrieved a small vertebra that was loose from the rest, and hurried away.
* * *
Getting around Rune's pool and climbing the nearly sheer cliff face above it left me cursing him for not coming with me. I didn't have much strength, and I even slipped a few times, leaving trails of crumbling rocks that landed in the water. I had to grit my teeth against the pain of using my bad arm. Determination and the promise of hot food were all that fueled me on.
If that evil bastard Stakes didn't kill me, then damn it, neither would the stupid cliff I had to climb to get home!
When I reached the top, I collapsed on my back. Air wheezed through my lungs. I just wanted to stop and sleep... forever maybe. I opened my eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling of the cave, wondering why it was three shades lighter than it should be.
I pulled the goggles back down around my neck and blinked. There was a dim tint of aquamarine light above me. Inhaling, I scrambled to my feet. In my haste, I nearly knocked a small object off the side of the cliff. It was my little round lantern, long extinguished. Possessively, I snatched it up with my good hand and hurried away. I would have been lying and unabashedly exaggerating if I claimed to have run to the dry water pool. It would be much more true to reality to say that I shambled briskly to it.
I had no fears or reservations about sinking down into the cold, dry water. My reward was that, while I was below its strangely luminous surface, I felt no pain. The sensation was brilliant, albeit chilly. I glided down to the bottom, my toes lightly touching the floor of it as I bounded slowly ahead. My hair floated in waves around me, my orange scarf following suit. I was so comfortable. I felt nearly weightless.
It was almost the way I felt while Dylan held me against my will, waiting to serve me up to Stakes.
I had to get out of there. There wasn’t anything wrong with the pool, at least, it was no different than it had ever been. There was something wrong with me. I couldn’t stand the sensation of weightlessness, not after what had happened.
Haven (War of the Princes) Page 29
