by Sam Dogra
I could only nod. The plan sounded so straight-forward, it should have given me confidence. However, there was so much potential for things to go catastrophically pear-shaped.
“Positive thinking,” Adam said, gently pinching my arm. I sneered, but didn’t comment. Sometimes I wished he couldn’t read me so easily.
“Okay,” I said, gathering enough courage to look at Ryan. The Binding chimed, and I almost embraced him, but I held firm. I’d had enough of my fair share of goodnight kisses. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
* * * * *
The University Road was empty, although very picturesque beneath the ice. The farmers had cleared the snow, and the crystal fields stretched to the horizon. Snowflakes tumbled from the clouds, and I constantly had to blink to get them out of my eyelashes.
The barren landscape was a complete contrast to when I’d last been here. That was on my eleventh birthday, where Fiona had treated me to a visit to Begara, the Scholar’s City. It had been my first outing from the village, and we’d spent two nights there. I fondly remembered sitting on the campus steps, eating chocolate and playing with my present, a clockwork falcon. I imagined I’d live there myself one day, studying healing in Azaria’s most prestigious centre of learning.
My chin jolted on Adam’s shoulder as he guided Duke, our grey gelding, across a slushy patch. Of course, that dream was further away than ever. First because of Mother, and now thanks to my Binding. It seemed the only person who never got to plan ahead for my future was me.
But maybe, just maybe, I could claim it all back.
Cielo snorted. He was in a perky mood. I’d been delighted to see him that morning, though I hadn’t ventured too close in case Navinka noticed. With his wounds healed, he’d been itching to travel again, and was making the most of his newfound freedom. Currently he was teasing Navinka’s mount, Sandy. The chestnut mare held her head aloof, ignoring the white horse’s playful neighs, until it became too much and she snapped her teeth at him. Cielo shied, his brown eyes shining.
“I see Cielo is as boisterous as ever,” Navinka said, tossing her golden braid over her shoulder. Dressed in formal riding gear, she sat perfectly in the saddle. “You must get Sergeant Vale to train him.”
“What for?” Ryan asked.
“He should act with more restraint for a mount of House Glenford,” Navinka answered. “We can’t have him misbehave like this on our wedding.”
I fell into a sudden coughing fit. Navinka raised an eyebrow; about the most facial expression she’d shown me all day.
“My dear, what’s the matter?”
“Sorry, snow in my throat,” I gasped, grabbing Adam’s water skin and downing a good sip. Adam gave me a sidelong glance, before returning his attention to the road.
I kept my gaze ahead, swearing silently. The Binding was enjoying its new playing card: mind-numbing jealousy. That was on top of its usual antics. Since we’d left the Glenford estate, I’d struggled to hide my flushed cheeks, and stop my eyes drifting to Ryan. The curse’s way of reminding me where I should be riding. Though Navinka had only caught me staring once, it didn’t lessen my paranoia. The noble boy and the servant girl—I could only imagine what kind of ideas she might have.
“What’s up?” Adam whispered. It wasn’t permissible for servants to speak to each other in the presence of their masters, so we were reduced to hushed exchanges.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re not holding onto me anymore.”
Bemused, I looked to my arms. My left hand remained around his waist, so I didn’t tip out of the saddle. My right one, however, dangled uselessly at my side. It was also numb; why I hadn’t noticed it slip from its resting place.
“Huh? Why can’t I…” My words turned to a shriek as I lurched sideways. My leg had become unresponsive, and wouldn’t balance me on Duke’s flank. Before I would tumble, someone snatched my cloak and hoisted me up. Ryan had drawn alongside us, arm outstretched to stop me falling. At once the feeling returned to my limbs, and I gripped Adam’s chest as if I’d almost plummeted down a cliff.
“Thanks,” I said, then bit my lip. No talking, damn it!
“You’re welcome,” Ryan said. Navinka’s eyes narrowed, so he backed away. I sighed.
The Binding was in a devious mood.
After that near miss, I was more vigilant, flexing my fingers and toes to make sure I could still feel them. This was the second time the curse had paralysed me because I’d not maintained contact with my Bound partner. Never mind he wasn’t more than a few metres away. In addition to the involuntary movements, the chest pains, the headaches, the racing heartbeat and flushing, the wild fluctuations in emotion, and Goddess-knew what else, was there anything the spell wouldn’t try to get me in his arms again?
The answer came sooner than expected. A mile or so on, dark speckles flashed across my eyes. I blinked, hoping to clear them, when they merged together. The darkness spread, like fire burning through paper, until it consumed my entire sight.
I took a deep breath, pulling closer to Adam. His jacket hood rubbed my cheek, and I seized onto the touch, the only sense I had to keep my bearings. So I couldn’t see anything. No big deal, right? I just had to wait it out. It would go away.
Snow danced across my face, and I clenched my teeth. The cold was merciless, but my scarf—returned after its soggy stint in the saddle bag—hung loose against my neck, too low to protect me. Yet if I tried to pull it up in my current state, I might fall.
Eventually I couldn’t take any more. Carefully, I removed an arm from Adam’s waist, and adjusted my scarf. Before I could replace my hand, light flooded my vision. The fields, however, didn’t return. Instead I was back beneath the moonlit portico, no longer clinging to Adam, but Ryan, our faces close, his lips at the corner of my mouth. My eyes went wide. No, not another flashback! And especially not this one!
Snarling, I fought to break free. I wouldn’t let the curse relive this moment, not when the memory still held so much power over me. Surprisingly, my body responded, and I withdrew…only to watch the world turn upside-down as I lost my grip and smacked onto the frozen road. Pain rang through my chest, and I groaned.
“Eliza!”
Adam stopped Duke. I heard him jump to the ground, and he was promptly at my side. He tried to get me to sit, but I couldn’t move. My right side had gone numb again, though the lack of feeling did nothing to calm the fire in my chest. My ribs ignited whenever I inhaled, and it brought tears to my eyes. I hoped I hadn’t broken anything.
“Is she alright?” Ryan’s voice; I heard him dismount. Adam’s grip shifted, cradling my dead side so I was off the freezing ground. I listened to Ryan approach, and felt his hand encircle mine. Warmth blossomed from the tips of my fingers, shooting up to my right shoulder and plunging down to my right foot. The paralysis vanished, and I clasped my injured side. “Eliza?”
“I’m…fine,” I managed to rasp. I was caught by a cough, and doubled over. Damn, that smarted!
“Let me take a look.”
Navinka had also decided to join in. She handed Ryan her cloak to hold around me, while she removed her riding gloves. She lifted my layers and examined my chest. As she did so, I made my own assessment, testing my breathing and whether I could feel any bony prominences. It seemed I’d gotten away with minor bruising, which was more than lucky considering the hardness of the ground.
Once Navinka was satisfied—not that she’d given more than a cursory glance—she pulled down my clothes and signalled for Ryan to step back. Slowly, I returned to my feet, when a coppery taste soured my lip.
“Here.” Ryan handed me his handkerchief. The Binding surged, about to snatch me into the memory of our first encounter in the Galgiza, so I deliberately inhaled sharply. The pain would ground me in the present.
“I’m okay,” I said, dabbing the graze on my jaw. “Sorry.”
“My girl, what were you thinking?” Navinka eyed me with mistrust. “Why did you jump o
ff the horse?”
I pressed Ryan’s handkerchief harder, contemplating how to respond. I couldn’t let her know what really prompted my fall.
“I…I blacked out,” I said at last. “I didn’t know what happened. I must’ve only woken up again when Ryan…”
“My dear, I clearly saw you push yourself off,” Navinka interrupted. “You didn’t pass out at all.”
The blood drained from my face. She wasn’t going to be so easily tricked.
“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask, you’re not a face I’ve seen around,” Navinka went on. “Are you new to serving House Glenford?”
I swallowed, my palms sweaty. She’d not spoken to me all journey. I assumed it was because my disguise had worked. It seemed she paid closer attention than she let on. A little more prodding and the whole façade would crumble.
“Eliza’s not been with us for long,” Ryan said quickly. “She works in the kitchens, so we don’t see her much around the manor. But she’s good with the healing arts so I thought it’d be useful to have her come along, since the roads are so icy.”
“We’re hardly on a dangerous adventure.” Navinka turned up her nose. “And for a healer she’s certainly clumsy. She needs more medical attention herself.”
I bristled, but remained silent. I couldn’t let her suspicions deepen.
“Navinka, I’m sure it was an accident,” Ryan said. “Let’s patch her up and be on our away again.”
Navinka frowned. With a huff, she stormed back to Sandy. Ryan gave me an apologetic shrug, then returned to Cielo. Adam fished in Duke’s saddle bags, producing some gauze, and once I was treated, we remounted the old horse. This time I sat in front, so I would stay in place. I gripped Duke’s reins. He twitched his ears, not expecting a new set of hands on the reins. I stroked his mane, whispering words of encouragement. He gave a contented snort, and we set off again.
But the Binding wasn’t finished yet.
A couple hours later, we came to the half-way mark. There, my arms started shaking. And not because I was cold or nervous. These were proper convulsions, so violent that every muscle in my limbs cried out with each twitch. I tried to keep hold of the reins, but it was becoming harder to steer Duke.
“What’s wrong now?” Adam reached over, taking charge of the horse.
“It’s not me, it’s the curse!” I hissed back. My arms were aching beyond belief, and my ribs had flared up again as well. Honestly, why wouldn’t the stupid spell leave me alone? Hadn’t it done enough already?
The pain became too much, and I begged for a stop. I dropped to the ground, clenching my fists, stretching my arms, yet nothing would make the tremors cease. Well, I knew one thing that would cure me, yet with Navinka breathing down my neck, I didn’t dare step close to Ryan. Her disdain was not unnoticed as she looked on from atop Sandy.
“For a kitchen girl, you seem to have quite a taste for the wines,” she said coolly. “I bet the bottles are missing their mistress.” She looked to Ryan again. “Tell me why you thought she should come with us again?”
“Eliza’s…not acting like herself today,” Ryan said. He looked like he would dismount. I flashed him a warning glance, praying Navinka wouldn’t notice. If he healed me with his touch again, she’d know something was up. This symptom had to wear off soon. Surely the curse couldn’t keep it going forever.
‘Soon’, though, wasn’t soon enough for Navinka. She threw her hands into the air, her braid flying to one side.
“We can’t sit here all day because of her!” she exclaimed. “My tutor expects me at the fifteenth hour, and he will not wait. If she cannot control herself, send her back at once!”
Ryan’s mouth twisted. He’d made his choice. He wheeled Cielo around, and stopped behind me. In a more than obvious gesture he reached down to adjust his bootstrap. His fingers happened to brush the spot above my shoulder-blades, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.
The result was immediate. The shaking stopped, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt like I’d run a marathon.
Navinka’s face contorted.
“Will someone please explain what is going on?!” she snapped. “She’s been sneaking glances at you all day, Ryan, and this is the third time she’s gotten better after you’ve touched her. Who is she?”
Ryan hesitated. He looked to me, unsure. I shrugged, ashamed I’d let the curse expose me so quickly. We couldn’t let Navinka know the truth. Not that she’d ever believe it, but still…
“Alright, Navinka,” Ryan said. “I promised I wouldn’t keep anything from you. I’ll tell you everything.”
My jaw went slack. No, no, no! What was the idiot thinking?!
Ryan caught my look, and responded with a sigh.
“Eliza, I’m sorry, but she has to know.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Ryan held up his hand. I couldn’t change his mind. Gulping, I edged closer to Duke. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Navinka, this might be hard to believe, but Eliza has some…attachment problems,” Ryan said. “Her mother used to lock her up for weeks at a time, so she gets a little agitated if she’s not touched regularly. It seems worse around certain people, hence why we employed her in the kitchens.”
It was all I could do not to bury my face in my hands. Really Ryan, we’d have been better off telling the truth. Even that had an element of believability.
“So why did you insist on bringing her?” Navinka asked. “Marietta would’ve been a better choice. At least she is competent at her work.”
“I…I felt sorry for her,” Ryan said. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “She’s had such a hard life, and she’s never been out of the manor since she started to work for us. I thought it would be a kindness to take her out.”
Navinka’s scowl lessened, though the scepticism remained in her eyes. I tried to keep a neutral expression, though I doubted she’d fall for it. Seriously, Cielo would’ve given a better alibi.
“You are much too compassionate for your own good,” Navinka said at last. She turned Sandy around, so she was side by side with Cielo, and rested her hand on Ryan’s knee. “I feel you’re not telling me the complete truth.” Ryan swallowed. “Much as I would like to get to the bottom of this matter now, time is not on our side. My tutor has travelled especially for our meeting, and it would be a great dishonour to keep him waiting. We will discuss this later.”
Her eyes fell to me.
“And do not think your ‘illness’ precludes you from my judgement,” she said. “Ryan may be sympathetic, but such kindness does not extend to me. Do not forget he is my betrothed, and I will not tolerate this behaviour towards him, no matter your excuse.”
Her glare was so fierce, it could have melted stone. I was just glad she wasn’t within reach of any weapon.
“My apologies, my lady,” I said, bowing low. “I will try not to trouble you again.”
“Not try,” Navinka said. “You will not.”
With a flick to Sandy’s reins, she went off ahead. The moment her back was turned, I glared at Ryan.
“What were you thinking?!” I mouthed. “That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”
Ryan gave a defensive shrug.
“What else could I say?” he uttered back. “She’ll…”
“Come, Ryan!” Navinka called. “They can catch up at their own pace.”
Ryan sighed. He waited for me to remount behind Adam, then clicked his tongue, hurrying after the chestnut mare and her brooding rider. As I clasped my arms around Adam, he shook his head.
“Attachment problems?” he muttered, urging Duke into a trot. “What will the great maestro think of next?”
I cowered beneath my hood.
Begara couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY
‘...so she took his hands, whispering her promise as they determined what path their love should take...’
—Tale of the Binding
By the time we rode into Begara, a l
ight snowstorm had started. I huddled against Adam, shivering as the flakes danced over my nose. The Scholar’s City was the northern-most settlement in Azaria, and unlike any in the kingdom. Filled with architects, scholars and inventors, it was much more developed, rivalling the capital Viens with its technology. Steam turbines heated the buildings, and a lot of stock transportation was semi-automated. There was even talk once they were going to build an airship, but the Begarans were known to be a little arrogant. Either way, it was the centre of knowledge, and the best place for me to find a way out of my predicament.
If there actually was one, that is.
We entered a road flanked by rails, passing buildings of stone, glass and metal. The horses’ hoof beats echoed in my ears, and I took a slow breath. The Binding hadn’t tried any more tricks after Navinka’s outburst, but I was alert for its next move. So far, the worst it had managed was an oscillating heart beat and random blushes; nothing I couldn’t handle.
The lack of stronger ailments, however, hadn’t made the rest of the ride any more comfortable. My ribs ached, and I was almost too scared to breathe, fearing sharper pains. I could only pray I could get some pethirine somewhere before it became too much.
Adam brought Duke to a halt, and I hissed as my chest brushed his back. We’d come to the main inn, The Clockwork Falcon. The most expensive place to stay in the city, famous for its mechanical interior and glass ratchet lift. Where Fiona had bought my birthday present…
“Please make the necessary arrangements for our overnight stay,” Navinka said, dismounting Sandy. She offered the reins to Adam. He stared, until she pressed them into his hand. “Ryan and I shall go to the Vault of Knowledge to meet my tutor. See that the horses are tended to, as well.”
Adam twitched, trying not to explode. If I wasn’t so edgy, I might have found it funny. He’d not taken to his servant role very well—almost blowing our cover when he refused to pass Ryan the water skin earlier. And if there was one thing he hated, it was cleaning horses after a long ride.
