Now that’s what I call preparation. He really had prepared for our getaway.
“Fine. Let’s just get going.” After all, I thought, the sooner we leave, the sooner he could bring me back home. He covered me with a black blanket and pushed the crates over in front of me and piled some more fabric in the crook of my waist and another stack on my calves. I felt claustrophobic.
“Remember, if anyone stops us. Remain still and quiet. They’ll think that I am the trader and will refer to me as such. We may run into people outside the perimeter who want to make exchanges and whom I may have to trade with to keep up appearances.” I peeked my head out of the fabric as he wound a long piece of gauzy black fabric around his head, leaving only his eyes uncovered. I supposed that the trader must do the same. Oh, Goodness. What if we are caught? Will I be lashed or worse? What about Faric?
He jumped from the wagon, tightly gathering and securing the fabric once again. I was left alone in the womblike structure that smelled of damp molded wood and some sort of spicy incense. The horse whinnied, and the strained wood squeaked in retaliation as it was forced into motion. As the wagon carved its way through the winding path, my stomach rolled, and I knew my face was green. The shaking floor beneath me and the curves and valleys of the terrain conspired against the strength of my stomach and the contents the wine and food enjoyed earlier in the evening threatened to make an encore appearance.
Suddenly, the rig squeaked to a stop, and the heavy falls of the stallion’s hooves were all that I could hear. Clang! A chain rattled loudly, and I heard the gate being raised. We moved forward again and then it loudly slammed closed behind us. We’d made it outside the perimeter wall. I signed in relief. My stomach settled as the road straightened. The vibrations of the wagon wheels lulled me to sleep.
I’m standing in a dark wood. The sharp shrill of a screech owl sounds just above me, and I jerk in response, looking up at the majestic animal.
Where is everyone? Where is Faric? Where is Wes? Lil? Rachel? Why am I out here alone? My body clenches. I hear the rattle of the serpent’s tail as it slithers toward me. I try to back away, but the persistent animal continues its pursuit. I stumble backward and fall into a large hole in the earth, knocking the breath from my lungs. After finding the life-giving oxygen again, I realize that I am in a cave or cavern, up at the forest above me. How am I ever getting out of here? I try to climb the walls, but they are slick with water and slim. Their cracks filled with the writhing antennae and legs of its tenants.
I shout for help. No one answers. No one is there. I am all alone. Alone in the dark. Alone I will die. I will die. Then, I hear it. The low primal growl of an animal stalking its prey. Two yellow eyes emerge from the dark depths of the cave. I back myself against the wall and continue to look for a way to climb to safety. There is none.
The animal continues to stalk forward. I expect to see a large feline, but instead I see a beautiful man emerge, his greenish yellow gaze trained on me. Rage seeps from the pores of his flawless skin. His entire person is perfect. Chiseled male perfection. Straight nose. Bottom lip just plump enough. Dark, short hair. Muscles rippling under his caramel tanned skin. Then I see them, a pair of black wings follow him out of the darkness, black as a raven’s. Obsidian perfection. They shimmer like the stone in my mother’s ring.
He’s an angel, I think. Angels are supposed to be nice, right? But as he stalks toward me, I question everything I thought I knew about angels. He mirrors my every move and blocks the pathway from which he just emerged. A smile emerges, revealing his perfect teeth, betraying the hatred in his eyes or maybe just accentuating it. My heartbeat resounds in my ears. I feel something crawling on my shoulder and look down to brush the large centipede away, but I should have kept my eyes trained on him. When I turn my head to find him again, his toes hit mine and his sweet breath mixes with my own. His feline eyes stare daggers at mine. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you, Solara?” he asks in a melodious bass voice. I gasp as he lunges at me.
I jerked awake and tried to sit up but was covered with some kind of blanket. Oh, the wagon, I remembered. I peeked out from under the dark covering and saw that it was early morning. The horse was chomping on something. Where is Faric? I sat up and grasped my chest in a feeble effort to regain control of my rapid heartbeat.
My head felt like it was spinning, so I closed my eyes to make it stop. “Hey, you’re alive!” Faric said, poking his head through the fabric covering the wagon. The smile faded from his face when he took me in. “What’s wrong, Solara? Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine,” I lied. “Where are we? How long have we been traveling?”
“We traveled all night. We’re in the forest. I thought we could take a break and have some breakfast and rest the horse before carrying on.” He kept eyeballing me. “Seriously, what’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“I’m fine. Really. Is it safe for me to come out and stretch?”
He nodded, and I removed the piles of cloth and the blanket that was covering my body and languidly stretched my arms over my head, easing the tension caught in my back and neck. The early morning air was chilly but refreshing. I could hear the birds singing through the canopy above me. Its fresh bright-green leaves unfurled from the awakening trees. My eyes adjusted to the remnants of the sunrise—majestic hues of purple, pink and orange. Faric handed me a green apple, bread roll, and metal cup full of water. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
“Hey, are we near the second well?” I prayed we were getting close. I couldn’t wait to see Wes.
“No. It’s still a ways off.” He stared through the trees ahead of us. “Anxious to get back to Wesley?” I ignored him.
“So are you happy to be married to Lillian?” I asked, trying to break the awkward silence. He looked at me and quirked a brow.
His lips curved upward in a small smile. “I take that as a yes.” I smiled. “She’s great. She’s my best friend in the world.”
“She’s very sweet,” he admitted with a small smile. “She actually talked about you a lot last night even before I explained everything. And after I did, she didn’t hesitate to drink the sleeping elixir for you. She must really love you.”
“I can’t believe she talked about me. What did she say?”
“She just talked about life in the tower and how you and her were close and presented a strong united front against Aria’s constant assaults.” He smiled. “I would ask you if you and Wesley discussed us, but it was very apparent that there wasn’t much conversation going on last night.” His smile faded and his demeanor tightened as he crossed his arms over his chest. Anger flashed in his eyes.
What the? Was he jealous of Wesley? No. No way. Lil is amazing and beautiful. Maybe he just hates Wes for some reason. He was probably still uncomfortable from catching us in such an intimate position.
I kept my eyes on him, taking my top lip hostage with my bottom teeth. “Look, Faric, I don’t know what you...I didn’t mean for you to see us like that last night. I’m really sorry and embarrassed and...” I felt ridiculous, stammering out a pseudo apology that faded into silence. I wasn’t really sorry that I had been enjoying my time with Wes. He was my husband after all.
And besides, we didn’t consummate our union last night. We were interrupted. I don’t know if it would have ultimately happened or not, but it didn’t. And I really was sorry that Faric saw me mostly undressed and saw Wes and I together in such an intimate way. Vulnerable.
He raised his brows and his arms in surrender. “You don’t have to apologize to me. He’s your husband, Solara. I don’t need an explanation.” His teal gaze refused to meet mine.
“I know. I just...never mind.” I gave up. Nothing was coming out of my mouth right anyway. The tension between the two of us was palpable. “Hey, why couldn’t Lil and Wes come with us? Why did they have to drink that stuff?”
“Not enough room for four in the wagon. I had to smuggle you out unnoticed. Two mo
re people would draw unwanted attention. They had to drink it so that they wouldn’t follow us, or know where I was taking you. If they don’t know, they won’t be able to tell anyone else. So, no one can follow us. No one knows where we, or you, are. It was all done to ensure your safety.” I nodded. It made sense.
“We should get going,” he announced, striding over and sliding his fingers through the horse’s silky mane.
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Her name. And I don’t know,” he admitted. “She’s the trader’s horse. He didn’t say.”
“Hmm. We should give her a name then or a nickname anyway since we don’t know her real one. How about—”
“Juniper,” he offered. I liked it.
“Juniper it is.” I smiled. I stepped over and stroked her strong muscular back. She glanced back at me in appreciation. “Hey, do I have to cover up this time?” I asked, praying I wouldn’t have to.
“No. But if someone should approach, I need you to clamp these on your wrists,” he said, handing me a pair of iron handcuffs.
“Why? Why would I have to wear these? Do you expect someone to approach us? I mean, this is the forest. No one’s out here right?”
“There are people. Mostly outcasts from the kingdom. The trader said they do approach him sometimes to make exchanges for their settlements.” He put his hands in his pockets.
“Oh. I didn’t realize there were settlements at all. So why the cuffs?”
“They will believe you are for trade,” he admitted, head down.
“For trade? Me?” What was he talking about? People weren’t traded, were they?
“Look, the trader said that occasionally brides are secured from other kingdoms, and the trader oversees their journey. He gave me these and said that if anyone approached, you should put them on and pretend that you’re being traded as a bride to the seafarers. I suggest we listen to his advice. He knows more about all of this than we do.”
I was flabbergasted. I nodded and climbed in the wagon, clenching the cold iron in my lap. The horse jerked us forward, and we continued toward our destination. I kept looking at Faric and his dark coffee hair and broad shoulders being jolted from the trail’s bumpiness. He seemed distant since the weddings took place—not the same person who sat with me in his garden, not the same man who held me in his arms after the Altair incident.
The only time I’d seen that Faric was at the wedding after Altair threatened me. After riding awhile, I cleared a seat on a bench of wooden crates near the wagon’s front. The fabric separating us was untied and fastened back. “Do you mind if I sit here and talk to you?” I asked, tired of the silence and awkwardness between us. I hoped to mend it. He looked back and smirked at me. “So do you have any siblings?” I asked.
He looked forward, steering the wagon through a shallow stream. The entire rig rattled and jolted, moving over the smooth stones. The cool water flowed through the wheel spokes and splashed the wagon’s undercarriage. “I have a brother, but we do not speak,” he said, tilting his fuchsia mouth in my direction.
His lips looked as if they’d been stained with a sensuous mixture cherries and red grapes. Mmmm. Stop it, Solara!
“What about your parents?” I asked.
“I don’t speak with my father or brother, and my mother left when I was five. I was raised for a time in the kingdom by a very kind man and woman. They are my true family.” He pulled back on the reigns, and Juniper trotted to a stop. He lashed her to a tree. Walking around the rear of the trailer, he began to rummage around before saying, “Are you going to get out? Juniper needs a drink, and we could use one as well. We’ll take a short break here for lunch.
Lunch? Was it lunch time already? I jumped down and looked toward the sun, which had positioned itself directly overhead. It was noon, and I marveled at how fast the last leg of the journey had seemed.
I walked barefoot over to the stream and knelt down, watching the crystal clear water as it cascaded over perfectly polished stones of every color and size. I cupped my hands, sipped greedily. Clear rivulets ran down and off my chin, falling on the fabric covering my thighs. I was thirsty, and it was so delicious. After gulping my fill, I brought the cool water to my face, washing away the previous day. My spirits lifted. After midnight, we could return, or maybe we would wait for Wes near the second well since he might be on his way. I wasn’t sure where the second well was. I hadn’t even seen the first.
“Jesus, Solara!” Faric yelled, causing me to jump back from the water. I didn’t know he was right behind me.
“What?” I stood up and looked all around me. Is it the outcasts? I couldn’t see anything. He stomped back and was digging in the back of the wagon. He pulled out a gray wool sweater, walked over, and threw it at me. I caught it and immediately was enraged.
“What is your problem, Faric?” He wouldn’t face me, but I could tell he was dragging his hands over his face. Pacing back and forth, he stopped and said, “Look. You need to cover yourself until we can find you something decent to wear. I can’t stand it.”
What? He can be such a jerk. What was so wrong with how I looked? He was just like Aria—had to degrade me and shame my body at every opportunity. My hands began to shake with anger. I dragged the itchy gray fabric over my head and slid my arms through the sleeves. This fabric was far too hot for the summer heat and humidity. I clenched my teeth. When he thanked me, I lost it. I stomped over to him and shoved him backward with both palms, catching him off guard. He fell back landing on his hind end. I stepped back waiting for him to retaliate. I knew he had a temper from his run-ins with Altair, and I braced for the worse. But I was way too stubborn to back down.
A tentative smile tugged at his lips and slowly began to expand. He let out a short laugh and then clenched his stomach and laughed so hard he fell over. “What is so funny?” He ignored my question and wiped the tears from his eyes. He laughed hysterically.
“I don’t think this is funny at all. You’re a real jerk!” I screamed. How dare he laugh at my body. It wasn’t that bad. Wes apparently liked it. I took off, made my way across the soft rocks of the stream, and continued to follow the trail in the direction we’d just come. Footsteps approached quickly from behind, and he grabbed my elbow, still trying to stifle his giggling fit.
“Stop. Solara, please. Stop,” he begged, smiling broadly. I jerked away from him and kept moving forward.
“Leave me alone. I’m going home.”
“You have no shoes on, and there is no way you’d make it out of this forest alive,” he said, trying to keep pace with me as I retreated. By the way, character flaw—the easiest way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t.
“I certainly can find my way home. I’m not stupid, and I don’t care if I am barefoot. I would rather walk barefoot through these briars than spend one more second near you! Now leave me alone!” I screamed.
That wiped the smile off of his face. “You’re serious?” He followed me silently and then said, “Look, I’m sorry, Solara. Please stop. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
I stopped and cocked my head to the side. “You didn’t mean to offend me? Really? Would it offend you if I made fun of the way you look or the clothes you wore? Your body? Would you want to be anywhere near me if I humiliated you?” I asked, searching his eyes. “You are just like her,” I muttered and started walking again, slower.
“Wait. Like who? Who am I like?” He asked, grabbing my hand to stop me. I turned and said, “Aria. I’ve put up with her degrading remarks about my body for fifteen years, and I shouldn’t have. I should have put her in her place long ago. Instead, I stayed quiet, assuming she was right. Well, guess what? I am not going to let anyone make me feel bad about who I am and what I look like ever again. And that includes you, so if you will excuse me.” I tried to pull away, but he held my hand tight.
“Solara,” he said, trying to catch my gaze. I avoided his eyes, blinking back tears. I would not let him see me cry. “Solara, look at me
,” he said softer. “Please. Let me explain. I never meant to hurt or humiliate you. Please. Let me explain for one minute, and then if you want, you can leave. I won’t even try to stop you. I promise.” I looked at him and cursed silently as a tear escaped from my eye and quickly ran down my cheek. I brushed it away and hugged myself, arms covered in thick gray wool. He dragged his hand over the dark stubble that had formed over his jawline.
He cleared his throat and looked at me. “I never meant to hurt your feelings. You were bent over the creek, and that dress is cut low. You’re hot, okay?” He looked back at me from under his dark lashes.
I quirked a brow. “Wait, you mean you were checking me out?”
“Yep. Yes, I was. Sorry. I mean I’m married to Lil now, and you are with Wes, and I didn’t want to think about you like that anymore, and I saw you and then—”
“Anymore?” I raised both brows. He hadn’t insulted me at all. He thought I was hot! I couldn’t believe it. Had he thought about me like that before? Realizing that my mouth had dropped open, I closed it, clenching my teeth.
He bit the inside of his cheek and said, “Yeah. Well, I applied for your hand. Not Lillian’s.” He looked down, refusing to meet my gaze.
“What? You didn’t apply for Lillian’s hand?” How was he assigned to Lil if he’d applied for me? Maybe he applied for both of us. Maybe he’d even applied for Aria’s. That thought made me nauseous.
“No. Only yours. I don’t know why they assigned me to Lil, and to my knowledge, it’s never been done. You are only to be given the hand of the one you apply for, if the council approves the match. Not paired with another eligible for which you did not apply. But I couldn’t exactly argue with them,” he shrugged.
Pariah (The New Covenant Series) Page 11
