Darius took one look at Dearra’s forlorn face. She had fought her temper and won. She had backed down for him, when she surely never would have backed down before. He took a step toward her, and lowering his head, kissed her gently goodbye, before walking out into the howling winds.
William cocked one brow at Daniel, surprised by the intimate moment between the mistress of Maj and the Breken warrior.
“You really don’t want to know,” was all Daniel said.
William shrugged, then he, too, disappeared into the swirling snow.
Daniel stepped to the door and chucked Dearra softly under the chin. “I’m proud of you, girl. You did well.”
“Bring him back to me, Daniel.”
“I won’t let him get lost, Dearra.”
Dearra stood for some time, door held wide, snow and wind flowing around her, staring into the inky blackness, until Carly came, took Dearra by the arm, and closed the door.
Chapter 23
“Wait!” Daniel bellowed over the raging wind. The three men huddled close together to better hear one another. “This is foolish. We will all be lost at this rate. I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”
“What do you propose?” Darius asked over the howling storm.
“I don’t know. If we had some rope I could tether us so we wouldn’t become separated, but I hate to waste time going back.
William took the pack from his shoulder and promptly withdrew a coil of sturdy rope and held it out to Daniel.
“Good man!” Daniel said. He clapped a mittened hand to William’s shoulder. In a few moments, the three men were tied to one another with Darius in the lead.
The winds were fierce, and the men did not bother calling out to Royce. Any sound they made was torn from their lips the moment it was uttered, and lost in the swirling snow. Their island had become a place of frigid ice and treacherous footing, and they stumbled, blindly, through tangles of brush and rocks that lay hidden beneath the snow.
Darius called mentally to Reo, willing him to answer.
Daniel would stop from time to time to try to get their bearings, then adjust their course to the direction he thought Royce would have been more likely to take. In truth, Royce could be anywhere. Though the day had started cold, no cloud had been in the sky, and Royce would not have expected to be caught in such a storm. It seemed a hopeless task, but the men trudged on, none speaking the words all of them thought.
***
Dearra paced the Great Hall like a caged animal. Carly tried to console her, but she shrugged away the offer of comfort. She stalked from one end of the hall to the other, occasionally going to the front door and swinging it wide to stare into nothingness, before resuming her pacing. The people in the hall gave way to her as she prowled amongst them.
Dearra, you need to calm down. You’re frightening everyone. He’s perfectly fine. They all are. I can even hear Royce…a little.
You can! Brin, that’s wonderful! Why didn’t you say anything? Catherine will be so relieved! We have to tell her at once!
No, Dearra, wait!
What? Why wait? I don’t understand.
Dearra, he…he’s very cold. He wasn’t ready for anything like this. He doesn’t even know where he is. If Darius can’t find him in time…Let’s just leave Catherine be until we have something good to tell her.
Dearra nodded to herself before asking, But Darius, and Daniel, and William—they’re fine, right?
Yes, Dearra. Everything is fine, there’s no problem at—”Brin’s voice broke off abruptly in her head.
Brin? Brin! What? What’s happening?
***
Darius was making his way cautiously up a steep slope when he felt a sharp tug at his waist and then he was tumbling backward at an alarming speed, until he slammed, shoulder first, into a small tree that clung to the land with young roots. Somehow, they had come much further east than they had expected, and were at the cliffs that bordered the sea. William had not been able to see the sheer drop-off in the black of night, and a poorly placed foot had sent him sliding over the edge. Daniel screamed a warning to Darius before he, too, was pulled over the side, but it was a useless gesture in the howling storm. Only the tree had stopped Darius from following where the other two had gone.
William had hit his head when the rope pulled taut, sending him careening into a hard, stone wall. He now hung in a daze, desperately trying to keep himself upright at the end of the rope.
Daniel was trying to pull himself up, but with William’s weight beneath him and nothing to brace against, it was almost impossible. Looking up, Daniel could barely make out the form of Darius as he braced one foot against a large, snow covered rock, the opposite arm clinging to a sapling. Muscles strained as Darius fought to hang on and the weight of two, large men pulled the rope to its limits. He could hear Daniel screaming something, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. He wished he could better see his friend, offer some comfort, but it was not to be.
Daniel ceased calling out, and Darius could see him reaching for something at his waist. Darius refused to believe at first, but when Daniel pulled the knife free and let the leather sheath fall into the blackness, he could not deny the truth; Daniel meant to cut the rope.
“No! Daniel! No!” Darius screamed.
Daniel held the knife out to William so that he would know what Daniel intended to do. William nodded, and Daniel smiled. He had always liked William, who never said much, but was steady and loyal. He was a true Maj, and Daniel had been proud to know him.
Daniel looked up at Darius’s straining form and spoke words he knew no one would hear, “Goodbye, Darius. It has been an honor to call you friend,” and he lifted the knife to the rope.
***
Carly ran to Dearra’s side, frantic with worry. She had seen Dearra’s face go white with shock, and it didn’t take much for her to realize Brin was feeding her information.
“What is it, Dearra?” Carly spoke in hushed agitation. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Dearra’s voice was faint, as if speaking from a great distance. “They’ve fallen.”
“Who? Who’s fallen?” Carly shook Dearra’s shoulders, urging her to answer.
“William and Daniel. They are all tied together. Darius can’t hold them all. Daniel means to cut the rope.” Dearra’s eyes met Carly’s. The terror they felt was like a living thing between them.
“No,” Carly whispered. “You tell Brin to tell them, no!”
“It doesn’t work that way, Carly,” Dearra said, her voice breaking on the words. “He can hear them, but he can’t make Darius hear him. Not at that distance.”
“You make him try. Make him, Dearra! Make him try!” Carly and Dearra collapsed into one another’s arms, sobbing at the hopelessness that threatened to consume them.
***
Daniel swallowed once to steady his hand, and the small blade sliced through the first strands of the straining rope. Then, incredibly, he felt a sharp tug and he inched higher;Darius was pulling them up. It was something he shouldn’t have been able to do, as the weight was too great, and his hold was too tenuous, and yet, Daniel could not deny he was, indeed, coming closer to the edge of the cliff.
Painfully slow at first, and then more steadily, the two men crept closer to safety above them. Daniel watched the rope where he had cut it, as strand after strand frayed and threatened to give way under the enormous pressure. When Daniel clawed at the ledge and hauled himself over, taking the burden from the spent Breken it seemed they had cheated death.
Darius could no longer stand from the effort. The arm that had, at this point, ripped most of the sapling from the frozen ground, now hung at an odd angle from his shoulder.
Daniel pulled William the rest of the way, and he, too, fought his way over the side. The three men sat for a moment, recovering their strength and sending silent thanks to the gods who had looked out for them that day.
***
Dearra sat swiftly upright, pulling fr
om Carly’s embrace.
Carly found she could hardly ask the question on her lips. “What is it, Dearra? Is it…is it over?”
“They’re safe! Darius pulled them up! They’re safe!” Dearra gasped. A jubilant smile was on her face and relief overwhelmed her.
“All of them? They are all safe?”
“Yes, Carly! Oh, you are such a true friend to worry with me like this. Thank you for being here with me, Carly.”
Carly nodded mutely, and the two young women clung together again, comforting one another.
***
Daniel looked at his battered companions a moment, and then said, “I am pretty sure Darius dislocated his shoulder, and William, that cut on your head needs attention.”
“What of your hands, Weapons Master?” Darius said, eyeing Daniel’s badly torn and bleeding hands, the result of him casting his heavy mittens aside in an effort to stop William’s fall. The rope had sliced through his exposed hands and then yanked him cruelly off the cliff as well.
“It’s minor, really. It looks worse than it feels.”
Darius doubted if that was true. His own shoulder screamed in angry protest as it strained against the inside of his coat, but since it did no good to discuss the pain of their injuries, he decided to let it go. “We need to find some shelter. Is there someplace we can go?”
“Caves,” William said simply, looking to Daniel for approval.
“Of course! Sunrise Caves! We can’t be more than a couple hundred yards from them. Come on, men, let’s get out of this weather. Second Cave should have some basic supplies, and we can get a fire going quickly. Darius, can you see to that with one arm?” Daniel asked, remembering the tale Dearra had told him about the Breken’s ability to get a quick fire started.
Darius nodded, and was unable to say anything else as he gritted his teeth against the steadily growing pain.
Stumbling more than walking, they made their way towards Second Cave. Suddenly, Darius’s head snapped up, he broke from the others, and stumbled and fumbled through the deepening snow where Reo crashed into his good side, and licked his face, joyfully. Darius rested his forehead against the wolf’s and rubbed him vigorously behind his ears.
Darius allowed the reunion to last only a moment before he was on his feet again. “Where is he, Reo? Where’s Royce?”
Reo yipped and bounded ahead of Darius for a few yards before the opening of Second Cave loomed before him.
William struggled through the snow and bolted into the cave in search of his child. Darius, now out of the wind, had a fire started before William had even made it to Royce’s huddled form. Royce had obviously and unsuccessfully tried to start a fire on his own. Instead, he had gathered all of the straw that had been saved to use as tinder, and nestled himself into it as deeply as possible. Indentations in the bedding showed that Reo had lain in front of the boy, blocking some of the wind, and sharing body heat as much as possible.
William knelt beside a motionless Royce and stroked his ice cold face. A fluttering of lashes caught everyone’s attention, and Royce opened his eyes.
“Father?”
William gathered the boy to him and crushed him in a desperate embrace.
“Open your coat, William,” Daniel said. “The boy will warm faster if he can get close to you.” He added wood to the now raging fire.
Darius found a badly dented pot and braved the brutal winds long enough to scoop some snow into it. Then, setting it near the fire, he waited for it to heat. Daniel’s hands and William’s head needed to be cleaned. Dearra’s injury earlier in the year had been a stark reminder not to dismiss even the mildest of wounds, and he would not rest easily until they had at least been washed.
Daniel and Darius scouted the cave for anything that would be useful, but there was not a single blanket to be found. The caves had gone unused for so long it seemed foolhardy to put good blankets in them to make bedding for the mice. There was, however, a thick, leather hide that held a basic first aid kit of sorts, containing clean strips of linen, leather thongs of various widths and lengths, and strong, straight branches to be used as splints or as part of a tourniquet. There were even a couple of small jars of strong-smelling antiseptics.
Darius used his good arm to clean the gash on William’s head. He wasn’t able to work as gently as he would have liked with only the one arm, and he saw William wince as he rubbed the medicine deeply into the wound.
Royce had warmed enough to help wrap a bandage snugly around his father’s head before leaning into him once again for comfort, as well as for the heat he provided. The water was dumped, and Darius scooped new snow to clean Daniel’s hands. By the time the water had been heated, William had laid out several linen strips with which to bandage Daniel’s hands. Two long strips were folded over to make thick pads, and doused with the antiseptic. Daniel bathed his hands in the snow Darius had melted and held them out, stoically, while Royce pressed the pads against his injured palms. Darius wound the linen round and round to hold everything in place.
“Ok, boy, your turn,” Daniel said, turning to Darius.
“I don’t think there’s much to be done, Daniel. I will be fine until we return to the keep.”
“Don’t be stupid. William, help me get his coat and shirt off.”
Darius thought about taking a step back in protest, but, he realized there was nowhere to go, and allowed them to remove his outer garment as well as the shirt straining against his swelling shoulder.
“Oh, Darius! Look at all of your—”
“Royce!” William said.
“But, Father! Look at all of the scars!”
“Royce, enough!”
Darius stood without moving, staring over the heads of his friends. He had never viewed the marks on his chest and back as anything but a fact of Breken life until he had seen Dearra’s reaction to them. His time with the Maj had only reaffirmed his belief that these people had a completely different view on the rearing of children, and he felt embarrassment for his people and for himself.
Daniel had Darius sit flat on the ground. William braced Darius from the back and Daniel laid a steady hand on the shoulder. “Are you ready?” he asked.
Darius nodded and set his mouth in a line of grim determination. With a hard shove and an upward thrust, Daniel set the shoulder back into place. Darius ground his teeth in an effort to hold in the moan of agony he felt, and then, as the arm settled, he felt a surge of relief. Daniel set the arm in a makeshift sling, and then used the last of the linen to bind the arm tight to his side.
The four of them sat in silence for some time, staring at the fire as it crackled and sputtered. Reo nuzzled tightly to Darius’s side. Darius used his good arm to stroke the wolf.
“That animal saved my boy, and you saved me. I owe you a debt I can never repay. It is not an easy thing to admit when you are wrong, but I thank you, Darius. I give you my hand in friendship. If you accept, I will call you brother.”
Daniel stared in amazement. In his life, he couldn’t remember William saying so many words together.
Darius was awestruck by the honor paid to him. He reached out his good hand and clasped the one William offered. “The honor is mine, William,” he said. “I would be proud to have you as my brother.” The two men shared a smile. When their handshake broke, Darius resumed the slow, comforting strokes to the young wolf.
William draped an arm across the now sleeping Royce. Unable to look away from his child, he sat and stared until exhaustion finally won out, and he too drifted off to sleep.
***
When they finally made the gate of the keep, the storm had blown itself out. Everyone rushed at them at once, offering blankets and hurrying them to the fire in the Great Hall. Dearra, hearing the commotion, raced to throw herself at the returning Breken.
Caution, girl, Brin warned. All of Maj is watching.
Dearra slowed her pace to a less-than-frantic trot, and welcomed the men home. When her eyes locked with Darius’s,peace settled o
ver her, and she allowed herself to calm.
Catherine came through the crowd of happy people to fold Royce in her arms and she kissed his face and hugged him tightly.
“Mother!” Royce sputtered in protest. “Stop! Everyone’s watching!”
Catherine took a step back, smiled, adoringly, at her son, and then her eyes went to the large bandage on her husband’s head. “William? You are injured! I will get fresh linen to tend you. Come, have a seat.”
William set a hand on her sleeve, and looking at Darius as he spoke, told her, “No. First we will see to my brother.”
Catherine’s eyes went wide, but she knew exactly what this meant: William credited Darius with the saving of his life, and perhaps that of his son. Catherine turned to Darius, and catching him off guard, curtsied deeply before rising to search for the bandages and medicines she would need.
Royce followed closely behind her. For all of his protests at her public displays of affection, he was not so anxious to be separated from her.
Darius and William were ushered to the soft chairs before the fire, and a dozen people clamored to bring whatever was needed or desired. Finally Hugh stepped in to send them on their way. Stories could wait. For now, the men needed their hurts tended to, and a good rest.
When Catherine returned, Dearra reached for some of the supplies she held so she could see to Darius.
“Please, Dearra,”Catherine said. “Let me tend to him. It’s…important to me.”
Dearra thought she understood the need to make amends, and graciously conceded to Catherine’s request. “May I be allowed to see to you, William?” she asked the quiet man before her. He nodded, and Dearra quickly set about the task of removing the soiled bandages.
Once more, Darius found himself embarrassed at exposing his ugly childhood to yet another person. Catherine, however, gave no indication of seeing the scars that covered him. She never once paused in her task, but removed the sling and probed with delicate fingers to ensure the shoulder had been set properly. Nodding to herself, she rubbed in a liniment that felt cold at first, but after a few minutes, Darius could feel a warm heat seeping into his shoulder, soothing the muscle.
The Destiny Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 22
