“I’m fine,” she lied. War was never an easy thing to deal with, and everything about this war appalled her. Yet she considered Brutus one of her most trusted friends. Sometimes the world was so filled with shades of grey, it was hard to believe there was ever such a thing as pure black and white.
“You don’t have to come with me, Rose,” Callum said, lowering himself so he could look directly into her bright green eyes. “You can stay here and wait for me. Take care of yourself and the baby.”
Rose shook her head vehemently. “I’m coming. We’ve been through this.”
“Stop harassing that poor girl,” a booming voice came from behind Callum. Rose looked over his shoulder to see Brutus standing there, his body covered in traditional armour, and a helmet with long red horse hair sprouting from the top of it, tucked beneath his massive arm. “You could always come with me lass, if he doesn’t want you,” he smiled.
Callum turned to face him. “I think I’ll keep her with me if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, not at all,” he laughed. “I thought I’d come say my goodbyes.”
“You’re leaving already?” she asked, the palms of her hands sweating with anxiety.
“We’re all packed and your ship is just about ready, so it looks like we are ready to part ways.” The large man walked closer to them, his heavy steps thudding against the wooden planks of the bridge. The sun had suddenly disappeared behind the clouds, lending a dismal feeling to the moment. Without thinking twice about it, Rose launched herself into the man’s arm, wrapping her tiny arms around his stomach. There was no way they could reach all the way around, but his did, and he enveloped her into a warm embrace. Tears were now spilling down her face. It wasn’t just for him, but for all of them. There were no guarantees in life, and as far as any of them knew, this could be the last time they’d see each other. The thought made her fear even more, especially for the young one now growing in her belly. Would it never know its Uncle Brutus, or the God and Goddess forbid, its father? What if she perished, and it was never given the chance to see the beautiful moons of the Gods, or the green forests and grand mountains. It broke her heart just to think such things, and as she did she began to sob. Brutus began, awkwardly, to pat her back.
“There, there my little red one. No need for all these tears. This is not a goodbye, only a ‘see you soon,’” he said in a soothing voice.
“W-what if it is?” she sobbed, her words stuttering out of her mouth. “W-what i-if we never see each other again?” She looked up at him, pulling her face away from his long red beard.
Smiling down at her, he brought up his hand to wipe away the tears that soaked her cheeks. “Our little gift from the Gods,” he said affectionately, using his familiar term for her. “What would we do without you around? Who would keep this miserable ball of fury in check if not you? Don’t you see? If we hadn’t been on this journey we would never have been united, and this dysfunctional family we’ve created would not exist. Can you imagine such a thing?” he laughed lightly. “Surely not, so do not fret and do not think such terrible things. We will meet again, because the God and Goddess will make it so. You will see, we will all be together again. And I will sit back and enjoy watching those inquisitive, stubborn emerald eyes, and you will continue to be kind and good. Callum will continue to provide me with the companionship I’ve always wanted, and keep loving you like no man could love a woman. Everything will be as it should.” His speech broke her even more, and she buried her face back into his chest. Neither man spoke while she wept, until she finally stopped from sheer exhaustion. Brutus handed her gently over to Callum’s waiting arms. When she looked up at Brutus, his eyes were red-rimmed as well.
“May the God and Goddess be with you, and guide you safely on your journey,” Brutus said, clasping forearms with Callum.
“You too, my friend. Be safe.”
“Always!” he smiled, giving them both a mischievous wink. They watched him cross the bridge and join the large group of men that had filled the courtyard.
“We should get ready to leave,” Callum said gently, pulling Rose back towards the castle. She nodded silently, watching over her shoulder as they galloped out, Brutus disappearing into the mist that crawled up the mountainside.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The worst thing about a war is that no one ever really knows when it will end, or when it will begin again. The last battle had come and gone, and now everyone waited anxiously for the next round. The King’s men knew the first fight was only the beginning, a test of strength and weakness. Despite their victory, they didn’t actually believe they had won. That day had been chaos, and the King’s men had been distracted, allowing the north to flee – with their lives. There were many nights and days where he waited nervously for some sign from the north that they were planning on moving again. Jameson cursed himself repeatedly for letting his brother escape. If it hadn’t been for Aiden’ injury. There were always losses during war, and one never stopped to mourn while fighting. But the circumstances had been different then. Everyone believed Aiden was untouchable… invincible in their world. This assumption proved to be disastrously wrong. His concern for the boy allowed Callum to escape, and now Jameson felt like a sitting duck, waiting for their next move. It was because of Aiden that they now sat in the throne room, the others sitting patiently in seats, as he paced back and forth. Jameson felt old. He wondered how his father had lived as long as he had ruling as High King.
“There were never any wars while he was alive,” he thought out loud. Turk gave him a questioning look, but before he could ask, Jameson waved him off. “What does this all mean?” he asked turning to look at her. Every time their eyes met it hurt, but throughout their entire meeting Jameson had kept himself together, ignoring the painful memories. The High Priest sat in one chair, his face pale from the news. Diana sat beside him, eyeing Jameson carefully, the tightness around her mouth betraying her worry. Turk remained standing, waiting for instructions. The army was camped outside the city walls, their men training out in the open fields. Neither Jameson nor Turk had been at the palace when Diana arrived. Alistair sent out one of his priests when he received word of her arrival, and now the four of them sat together trying to make sense of the latest development.
“Who would have brought him here?” Jameson asked, looking back at Diana. She had waited at the palace for two days for them to return. He could tell how much it bothered her to be here, but in honesty, he was glad for it. Inside these walls he knew she was safe. Out there – he never knew.
Diana slowly shook her head, her clear blue eyes frightened. “I have no idea. Only I should be able to contact him. As far as we knew,” she continued, looking over at Alistair, “only the two of us were aware of his location.”
“Could Hawk’s Shaman manage this sort of magic?” Turk asked. Diana shook her head again.
“The Shaman’s powers are not like mine. They are focused on protection and healing spells. Nothing like this. To cross the realms and bring someone through takes more magic than he could create. Also, it feels – wrong.”
“What do you mean by wrong?” Jameson asked, sitting across from her in the empty chair.
“The feeling, or essence I suppose, around the summoning. It doesn’t feel…pure. I have the distinct feeling that a dark source brought Aiden here, but I know of no one who could, or would, do such a thing.”
“Well he certainly didn’t come back on his own,” Turk replied. “Someone brought him here, and we need to find out who and why as soon as possible.”
“Where is he now?” Jameson asked, ignoring Turk’s impatience.
“As far as I can tell he is with the Riders,” Alistair replied. “We’ve sent someone to them, but it will be a couple of days before we hear anything back.”
Turk scoffed. “That’s if your man can even find them. Avalon is heavily guarded.”
“Do we go then?” Jameson asked, turning to look at his best friend and Captain.
Turk looked weary. “Right now is not a good time, you know that. Neither of us can afford to be that far away from the city.”
“What about that boy, Wolf?” Diana asked. “Aiden knows and trusts him. The Rider would easily be able to find Avalon.”
Annoyance passed over Turk’s face, but Jameson responded before he could begin. “Wolf is missing, as is his man Logan and Turk’s daughter,” he said, looking sympathetically at the Captain.
“Missing?” Diana’s voice pitched. “Are they in danger?”
“Of having their morals and innocence corrupted, maybe. With those two boys I doubt there was any innocence to begin with,” Turk muttered. “They are in Nysa.”
“And Elisa?”
“We sent her to retrieve them, but we haven’t heard from her since she left.” Turk’s voice was gruff. Jameson couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. Turk tried his best to act like Elisa was just another member of the King’s army, but she was his daughter first and foremost, and her absence worried him more than he admitted.
Alistair spoke up, his calm voice soothing the tension. “They will be home soon. I can feel it. Right now we must focus on getting Aiden here with us so that we can ensure his safety. This whole thing makes me quite worried.”
Jameson’s head hurt and he desperately needed a hot bath. Sleeping outdoors for the last two nights had taken a toll on him. Every muscle in his back was sore and stiff.
“For now we must all get some rest. It will do none of us any good to sit here and discuss it until the early morning hours. We’ll wait for our messenger to go there, and hopefully the Chief can clear up some of this mystery,” Alistair said, standing up.
Jameson had always trusted Hawk and prayed it was not misplaced. Something told him the leader of the Riders was not responsible for this. Tales of Aiden’s abilities spread through Eden quite quickly, and it wouldn’t surprise him if someone else wanted such a weapon on their side. Aiden might be just a boy, but he was almost indestructible, and a faster learner than anyone had ever witnessed. He was no God, though, and nothing was ever truly immortal.
* * * * *
The night sky was clear; millions of stars littered the dark blanket that covered them. A fresh breeze lifted off the water, and with it tiny droplets of salt that dampened their hair and filled their mouths with its familiar taste. Despite their abrupt departure from the Nysan palace, no one had followed them as they raced through the city and back to the boat. The old man who had brought her over was on the docks as they rode up. Lorenzo smiled up at her as they stopped in front of him.
“Took you long enough,” he said in his wheezy voice, lifting his hands up to help her off the horse. She smiled thankfully at him. A wave of relief swept over her when the realization hit that they were actually going home. It had only been four days, but it felt like she had been gone for months. “I must say, your attire has greatly improved since the last time I saw you.” Logan and Wolf both chuckled.
“Please tell me you kept my other clothes,” she whined, pulling at the rich fabric draped around her.
The old man laughed. “Of course I did. Come, let’s get out of here.” The four of them quickly boarded the boat, taking the nervous horses along with them.
Back in her riding pants and shirt, the familiar feel of the band around her head, Elisa leaned against the railing, watching as they moved away from Nysa. Lorenzo said the winds were in their favour that night and that they would reach land by early morning. They’d be able to get some rest before they had to ride at full speed towards home. As much as Elisa secretly hated sailing, swallowing the nausea that settled in her stomach, she had to admit that it was an efficient way to travel. It gave her some time to reflect on the events that just transpired.
Watching the bow of the boat cut through the waves, she began to think of Markus. Up until then she hadn’t let herself, trying to convince herself that he didn’t matter. The truth was – she actually felt hurt. It wasn’t as if she loved him, but they had spent time together, and he had even kissed her. Didn’t that mean something? The last spring festival popped back into her mind – where Wolf had kissed her. He had admitted to knowing her identity when it happened –and it hadn’t meant anything to him. Did that apply to Markus too? Elisa sighed in confusion. Would she ever understand men? Did Markus not say he felt something for her? If a man really felt something for a woman, would he so easily disregard the fact that she had almost died in his place that night? She had almost died! Lowering her head into her hands, Elisa felt another cold wave of nausea wash over her. Someone had wanted Markus dead, and had mistaken her for him, almost killing her with her own choice of weapon. It was almost ironic.
“Are you ok?” Elisa looked up from her hands to see Wolf standing hesitantly behind her. “You look terrible.”
She rolled her eyes, covering her face again, trying desperately to keep herself from vomiting off the side. “I feel terrible.” He walked up to stand beside her, his arm brushing against hers.
“Is it the water?” he asked, his voice holding another question. Is it Markus? She knew that was what he wanted to ask, but didn’t. He was probably just itching to say ‘I told you so’ about the whole mess.
She looked up at him. “Oh just say it!” she shot at him.
His eyebrows raised, but the rest of him stayed relaxed. “Say what?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. That made her even angrier.
“Whatever it is you’re thinking – how stupid I was to get involved with him; how you knew he didn’t really care about me! Just say it!”
Wolf looked down at her his face void of visible emotion. “I wasn’t thinking that,” he said defensively.
Feeling suddenly drained and embarrassed, she turned away from him and looked back out at the water.
“Are you crying?” he asked. Elisa reached up to feel her cheeks, and was surprised to find fresh tears there. She hadn’t ever realized she had been doing it.
“I’m just in shock,” she said, quickly wiping them away.
“That I wasn’t here to rub your face in this mess?” She looked up at him, ready to say something rude back, but realized he was smiling. “I’m kidding Elisa. Look, you were almost killed tonight, it’s understandable that you’re upset. You’re allowed to cry like a normal girl would.” Logan appeared on her other side, chuckling. She hadn’t even heard him approach, but Wolf was smiling over her head at his friend, so he must have known he was there before he appeared.
“Please,” Logan said, his eyes rolling exaggeratedly. “Elisa is anything but normal.” He bumped his shoulder affectionately into hers.
“Gee thanks,” she muttered. Logan draped a long arm around her shoulders.
“Well someone had to tell you, and I love to be the bearer of news.” His dark hair whipped around them in the wind, the whiteness of his teeth glowing as he smiled down at her. “Speaking of news, I have some more. Looks like there are only two beds down there, so you’ll have to share with one of us.” Elisa couldn’t help but groan. “I know, I know, we’re no Markus, but we’ll have to do.”
Wolf sighed behind her. “You really are an idiot sometimes,” he said to Logan.
“What? What did I say?” Elisa ignored them as they attempted to argue in hushed voices. She stepped out of Logan’s arm and leaned down on the railing again. It was all so confusing, and the more she thought about it, the tighter her chest felt. Without hearing them leave, Elisa turned to see that both boys had retreated to the cabin below.
“You should get some sleep,” Lorenzo said gently, appearing out of nowhere. “Your father will kill me if you return home looking as worn out as you do.”
“Does everyone need to keep telling me how awful I look?” she sighed. He chuckled.
“Those who care for you the most will always be honest with you,” he said, patting the top of her head as if she were just a child. “You should appreciate such honesty.” Then he left her too, and as she watched him go about his wor
k around the boat, she realized just how tired she truly was. Taking a last look above, Elisa walked down the narrow stairs to the cabin below.
* * * * *
“She can sleep with you,” Wolf volunteered as they were making their way to the cabin. Logan laughed.
“Why did I expect you to say that?”
“Because you know how much I like my space when I sleep?”
“Right,” his friend laughed, raising his eyebrows, unconvinced. “You’re a sad, sad man sometimes.” Wolf ignored him as he readied the bed. Elisa came down not long after them, her hair damp and smelling of the sea. Dark circles framed her eyes, and her normally golden skin looked pale. Concern filled him. Something was bothering her, and he wasn’t sure if it was the boat, the accident, or Markus. Turning away, he continued making the bed, trying his best not to stare at her. She wasn’t sick, he told himself, she was just upset. Sleep will help her get over it.
“Come to me woman,” Logan said, opening his arm up for her. He was sprawled out on their bed, smiling over at her. Wolf rolled his eyes. Elisa laughed.
“Wow, now I can see why the ladies love you,” she replied, sarcastically, climbing in beside him.
“I know. I’m irresistible.”
Wolf got into his bed, lying on his back so he could stare at the planks above. The motion of the waves was getting to him, and he knew sleep would come easily. He peeked over to see Elisa resting peacefully beside Logan. It seemed none of them would have trouble sleeping tonight.
* * * * *
A hand shook his shoulder gently. Wolf opened his eyes, waiting while they adjusted to the darkness around him. It took a second for him to realize where he was again, but the sound of waves against the wood brought him back to the cramped cabin. He looked over at the figure that stood beside him. Elisa was shivering at the side of his bed, her hair dishevelled from sleep. Her appearance made his heart immediately jump. Sitting up, he looked around for any signs of danger. They were still alone, Logan snoring soundly in the other bed.
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