The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1)

by Sam Dogra

  I choked back a sob. What was I going to do? How would my parents react tomorrow when they found my bed empty? And Adam, what would he think? Knowing him, even after a hard ride from Bane, he’d probably come chasing after me. But I was beyond rescuing. There was nothing he, nor anyone else, could do. Not after I’d been…I’d been…

  “Hey, it’s alright!” The young man’s voice broke through, and he draped his arm around me. “The bear’s not going to hurt you, and neither am I. It’s over. You’re safe now.”

  It was then I realised I was breathing as fast as when I’d been running through the forest. I shut my eyes, stemming panicked thoughts. In their place, a sudden desire took hold. Without warning, my arms wrapped around the man, and I drew myself into his neck, my tears soaking his collar. The scent of leather and pine mixed with something I couldn’t recognise. Whatever it was, my body hungered for more, and I pressed closer.

  Oh no, the curse’s effects had started already!

  I clung to him for a long while, waiting for the overwhelming need of closeness to pass. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t hugged someone this tight since I was a little girl and wanted my mother’s comfort. It made me so ashamed. Come on, let go of him. I didn’t want to sit in his arms all night. A grateful hug to get over the bear attack was one thing, but if I couldn’t let go, he’d get suspicious.

  Clenching my jaw, I finally managed to push the stranger away. My hands rested on the rough ground, and the pinch of stones brought me back to the present.

  “Thank you.” I had to say something, to break through the emotions churning inside me. My heart pounded, but not because of fear. I forced myself not to think about what was really driving it.

  “It’s okay,” the man said. “Here.” He handed me a handkerchief. Sighing, I took it and pressed it against the gash on my cheek. Blood soaked through and stained my fingers, though a lot had dried on my face. “Are you in pain anywhere else?” He looked me over, concerned. “Did you hit your head?”

  “No, I didn’t,” I said, furrowing my brow. I had to concentrate to get the words out. My feelings were running rampant, leaving little room for my thoughts. I moved my leg, and pain shot through my ankle. My mind latched onto the sensation, and the mental haze cleared. “I think I sprained my ankle.”

  “May I take a look?”

  “Go ahead.” It would keep his attention from my flushed face, and that could only be a good thing.

  I stretched out my leg, wincing as my heel caught on the broken branch, and watched as he unlaced my boot. He was very gentle, and I was glad I couldn’t feel his touch through the deer hide. Giddy maiden was not how I liked to present myself.

  As he loosened the tongue of the boot, I noticed his fingerless leather gauntlets. That wasn’t unusual in itself, but what caught my eye was the metal casing on the right one. It spanned his whole forearm, and twin blades were folded along it, joined at the ends by a fine piece of wire.

  My eyes widened. That was a portable crossbow, the sort the King’s assassins were famed to use. They were very expensive, and almost impossible to get hold of. Adam was saving up for one—he claimed he knew someone in Lanaran who’d do it cheap. But this man’s was right up with the assassins’, custom built to the curve of his arm.

  I frowned. No way your everyday run-off-the-mill hunter could afford that. Besides, most hunters shot to kill their prey, and you couldn’t fell an alpha wolf with a few darts, poisoned or not. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t a hunter.

  So what was he doing in the Galgiza?

  A sharp tug at my ankle jolted my thoughts, and I yelped.

  “Sorry!” The young man snatched his hands back.

  “It’s okay.” I helped him remove my boot, then placed my hand over the swollen joint. It was puffing up like a male hellersbird in mating season, and the beginnings of a nasty bruise blemished my pale skin.

  “Ouch, that’ll be a good one,” the man whistled.

  “Eh, at least it’ll go with my eyes,” I said, with humour I didn’t feel.

  The man looked at me strangely, before he gave a soft chuckle that made my cheeks warm. I looked away again, glad the moon had retreated behind a cloud. I’d always dreaded the feelings the curse would stir, but this was insane!

  “You have an interesting sense of humour,” he said. He reached into his coat and produced a bandage. “Whether it’ll go with your eyes or not, I’ll need to put some compression around it. Hold still.”

  He began to wrap the linen around my ankle. His fingers brushed my skin this time, sending tingles up my leg. I fought to keep still. Ugh, how could anyone stand this? I didn’t even know his name, and I was swooning like those village bimbos who dream of bagging themselves a noble. To find myself reduced to their level of shallowness made me want to cry again.

  Why oh why hadn’t I stayed in the clearing?

  “So what’s your name?”

  He’d finished bandaging and was on his knees, an expectant look on his face. I took a deep breath.

  “Eliza,” I said.

  “That’s a pretty name,” the man said. I rolled my eyes, reaching for my boot. Was he flirting with me? Ha, if he knew why I was out here in the first place, he wouldn’t have had to bother. “I’m Ryan. I would say nice to meet you, but I think you were hoping not to, right?”

  I dropped my boot. What the...did he know? How?! The Binding spell might have been common knowledge, but few would take such drastic measures to hide away like I did. It wasn’t my fault. Velwall was a major thoroughfare between two towns. Too many people passed through it for me to stay safe. Further, as my father was the healer, he saw a great number of patients in our house, so there wasn’t anywhere I could lie low without the risk of being stumbled upon. Even something as simple as a friendly greeting would’ve been enough to trigger the curse. That was why I’d stuck to the safety of the forest.

  “I mean,” Ryan went on, “I’m sure there’re better ways to spend a night than being chased by a bear.”

  “Oh, right.” I almost slapped myself. Of course that was what he meant! He didn’t know I was in the middle of my Binding time. He was trying to lighten the mood. Phew.

  Ryan, however, hadn’t missed the relief in my voice, and raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry.” I fiddled with my laces. Don’t make him suspicious. Play it cool. “Yeah, I wasn’t planning on being a late night snack.” I had to swallow before I could get the next words out. “I was...lucky you were around to save me.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Ryan said. He helped pull my boot back over the bandages. Warmth spread across my cheeks, so I shifted my foot so our fingers wouldn’t meet. “But what are you doing in the Galgiza forest so late?”

  “I could ask the same of you,” I answered. If I wasn’t so terrified of looking him in the eye, I would’ve kept a level gaze. “Not had much luck finding good prey?”

  I hoped he would rise to the bait. It would give me time to think of an excuse myself.

  Ryan sighed, and rested his arm on his knee.

  “Actually, no,” he said. “I’m not much of a hunter. I’m more a traveller.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know why, but tonight I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d go for a walk. Then I heard the bear and saw you, and, well, you know the rest.”

  I had to clench my teeth to stop my jaw hitting the ground. Wow. I’d given him a prime excuse and he’d still gone for an explanation worthy of the title ‘Most Evasive Answer’. A traveller? Please, you’d have to be downright insane to take a short-cut through the Galgiza. Either he was painfully honest, or he was simpler than he looked.

  “So what about you?” He picked up a twig and began doodling in the dirt. “Out for a moonlit stroll as well?”

  I sighed, snaring my fingers in my laces. My moment of excuse-conjuring had only given me one option, and I really didn’t want to use it. But he was looking at me with that expectant expression again. I swallowed, thinking through what to say. The very idea m
ade me sick. It was a lie no loving daughter should ever consider, let alone speak aloud.

  But I had no choice.

  “I…” My throat burned, trying to drown the words. I couldn’t say it. It was wrong!

  Ryan dropped his twig and shuffled closer. I had to say something quickly, otherwise he’d know I was hiding something. Taking a deep breath, I summoned my courage.

  “I ran away from home.” I licked my lips, which were parched as sandpaper. “My parents, they...well, they...” I clenched my fists. “They used to lock me up.”

  “Oh.” Ryan looked at me in sympathy. I pressed my hand to the cut on my cheek. Goddess, forgive me! “Why did they do that?”

  I gulped. Come on Eliza, think!

  “Well…” Finally an idea sprang forth, and I cleared my throat. “My parents were trying to arrange a Binding for me.”

  Ryan sat up a little straighter.

  “Not that I’m affected by the spell or anything, it was the other person,” I hastily added; I needed to cover my tracks. “But when I refused to go through with it, they locked me away.” I loathed the words that rolled off my tongue. “Anyway, tonight they’d gone out together, and they’d forgotten to bolt my door, so I just…”

  Ryan put his hand on my shoulder. I fought the urge to shiver with delight.

  “It’s alright,” he said. “I understand. You don’t have to say anymore.”

  I nodded miserably. With such a lie to my name, I deserved to be Bound and taken away. Nonetheless, I was a little surprised that was all it took to convince him. It was hardly any better than his own reason for being here. And the way he’d looked at me earlier; did he know I was keeping a low profile because of my Binding time?

  If that was the case…

  Ryan’s hand left my shoulder, and my heart juddered, forcing me to catch my breath. Sheesh, this would take some getting used to.

  “Well,” he said, sitting forwards, “as much as I’d love to sit here all night, why don’t we go back to my camp? You can stay with me for tonight, then tomorrow I can drop you off in Bane. I’m sure…”

  “No!”

  I cried out before I could think. Ryan blinked, and raised an eyebrow. I bit my lip. That was stupid. I might as well have confessed everything.

  “I mean…” My tongue seized up. What could I say? I needed to stay by his side from now on, otherwise I’d turn into an Unbound; a mindless, drooling drone with no thoughts or feelings of its own. It would only take a separation of half a mile to start the process, and after a day it would become irreversible. I folded my arms around myself, searching for words. “There’s…there’s no-one I can turn to for help. If I’m found, I’ll be sent straight home. I can’t stay in Bane.”

  That was partly true. I was a well-known face in the town, as I often went with Father on his healing rounds. The moment they got word I was missing, I’d be escorted back to the village. Not an option. If my parents found out I’d become Bound to a stranger, it would destroy them. My sister’s accident had been bad enough; I couldn’t put them through that torture twice. Then again, just leaving them without any word wasn’t much better. Yet what choice did I have? Considering what I’d just told Ryan, it wasn’t like I could ask him to take me back so I could say my farewells.

  Why had I come up with such a stupid lie?

  Ryan sighed, his brow creased. He looked very uncomfortable. I felt awful putting him in such a position, and based on such a weak excuse, too. Whatever his reason for being in the Galgiza, I could tell he wasn’t keen on taking a second passenger. But this was the only way I could keep close to him.

  “Couldn’t you just explain everything to the Guardsmen?” Ryan asked. “They’d keep you safe, I’m sure.”

  Damn, he wouldn’t be convinced so easily.

  “I-I don’t know,” I said, my nervousness not entirely false. “My father’s the healer, and he’s…he’s…often treated the soldiers.” Well, it wasn’t a lie. “They respect him too much. They won’t believe me.”

  “Haven’t you got any proof?”

  I shook my head.

  “What about those scars on your arm? Did your parents do that to you as well?”

  Startled, I looked to my sleeve. It had hitched up, revealing my old fox cub injury. Whoops. I was more than impressed he’d noticed, but I was also annoyed he was finding more reasons to ditch me. Stop making this so difficult!

  “Oh, that was an accident a while ago,” I said. “Please, you can’t leave me in Bane. You have to take me further.” I lowered my head, adopting a more submissive tactic. “Don’t leave me all alone.”

  I was pretty certain my acting skills left a lot to be desired, yet my words seemed to strike a chord in Ryan. He suddenly looked straight at me.

  “I guess…” He hesitated, as if to change his mind, but then sighed. “Well, since you’ve no place else to go, you could…you could come with me?”

  He still didn’t sound enthusiastic, but he’d held out the lifeline I needed. I let out a slow breath. That had been tough. Before my relief became too apparent, I sat up, feigning surprise.

  “Really?” It was a silly response, since he’d given what I wanted, but I couldn’t come across too eager. I couldn’t give any hint the only reason I needed to be close to him was because of a Binding. Of course, he’d find out eventually as the magic worked its way to him, but for now, this was the safest option.

  For me, anyway.

  “Yes,” Ryan said, though it was probably more to convince himself. “Look, you don’t need to be so nervous. I don’t bite.” He leant forward, and at long last I had to look into his eyes. They were dark green, and filled with warmth. “Trust me, Eliza. I said I wouldn’t hurt you, and I meant it.”

  Ah. Simple wasn’t the word I’d been looking for earlier. It was genuine. The Binding’s false bias aside, Ryan seemed a sincere kind of guy. At least I’d been lucky in that regard. I could’ve been Bound to a total lunatic. Nonetheless, for all his politeness, I didn’t want to be stuck with him. I wasn’t an adventurer, and the thought of starting a nomadic lifestyle made my heart sink. I was content with my simple life here. Which I’d stupidly thrown out the window tonight…

  Oh, give up, Eliza. No matter how much I regretted setting foot outside the meadow, I couldn’t change my poor judgement.

  Time. That was what I needed. Time to figure something out.

  I looked back to Ryan and cleared my throat. My stomach churned at the thought of lying again, but this wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the first one.

  “I’d like to go to Viens,” I said. The capital of Azaria was a good three weeks’ journey away. That should give me plenty of opportunity to sort this mess.

  Ryan stroked his chin.

  “You want to go all the way to the capital?”

  “I want to start afresh,” I continued, though inside I was shaking. Was I about to push too far and undo all my hard work? “Put the past behind me, where nobody knows my name or face.”

  Ryan said nothing for a long while. He was figuring something out in his head. I tapped the seconds out, my feelings on a knife edge. Please, he had to take me.

  Finally Ryan nodded, and it was all I could do not to sigh in relief. They say the best lies have fragments of truth hidden in them—it seemed I’d played it just right.

  “Well, I was going to head there eventually,” he said, “but I suppose I could take a short-cut for your sake.”

  “You’re too kind,” I said, giving a small bow for added effect.

  Ryan laughed.

  “You don’t need to be so formal, Eliza.” He glanced up at the moon. “Okay, enough chit chat. We should head back.”

  He locked an arm under my shoulder, helping me up. My heart jumped again, but I focused on where to place my feet. As my leg braced, my ankle gave a twinge. The pain wasn’t as bad now it was bandaged, though, and with him taking the weight, I could hobble along. Still, every step made me brush against him, provoking a hot blush.


  “You sure I’m not going to slow you down?” I asked, turning away so he wouldn’t see my reddened cheeks. Goddess knew what it would be like in the morning.

  “I’m not in any rush,” Ryan said. “Don’t fret so much. I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

  I smiled mirthlessly.

  He didn’t know the half of it.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘...and in that night they escaped to the tower, screened in darkness as the moon brooded over their secret union.’

  —Tale of the Binding

  Ryan’s camp was a short walk through the trees, but it might as well have been a month-long trek. Pressed between the crook of his elbow and his chest, I thought my head would burst. Right steps were better, as I could push him aside and put some distance between us. Then would come a left one, where he would pull me back to his chest and take the weight off my ankle. If my cheeks got any hotter, I could start hosting lava birds.

  He guided me towards a small copse. I had no idea how far inside the Galgiza we were, and I couldn’t see the moon, so I didn’t know the time, either. Like it mattered. I couldn’t step further than a half mile from Ryan, anyway. If I’d have known I’d be roughing it indefinitely, I’d have dressed for the occasion.

  Concentrating on keeping at least some distance from Ryan, I stumbled over a gnarled root. He snatched my arm, drawing me against his torso. His collar brushed my cheek, and I swallowed. My arms shook, but not because I’d almost fallen again. Each touch sent ripples of pleasure through my chest, and I had to keep aware of my body’s movements, in case it did something without my consent. It was exhausting. But if I relaxed, I was afraid of what I would do. What the Binding would make me do.

  Damn this curse!

  “We’re here,” Ryan announced. I looked up. Beneath the tangled branches, a tent loomed over a dead fire. The embers still smoked, though their glow had vanished. A horse was tethered nearby, a blanket buckled over its snowy flanks.