Caelan's Captive (Limani Warriors Book 1)

by Faye Avalon

  His puzzled expression remained, but his fingers wrapped around hers again. “Rest now.”

  “No. I feel all right.” She took a couple of cleansing breaths. “Caelan … those men.”

  “They are being dealt with. All is well.”

  “I am glad.” She held his gaze. “How ... did you know? About the ship?”

  “There have been extra guards on watch around the coast, and soldiers patrolling strategic points throughout the island. The crew were taken as soon as they came ashore.”

  “Is the ship still there?”

  “No.”

  Briefly, she closed her eyes. “The king will be angered that you have taken prisoners.”

  “No more than I am that he dared try and infiltrate my land. That he dared attempt to trick me.”

  The fierce look in Caelan’s eye made Lahna momentarily sorry for the king and anyone else who might fall victim to Caelan’s wrath. At that moment, she could well imagine what a ferocious and unrelenting adversary he would make.

  “Why were they here?” she asked, a fuzzy cloud beginning to slow down her thoughts. She was eager to discover everything she could before sleep claimed her again. “Did you... Did you find out?”

  “Rest now,” he said again. “Regain your strength.”

  Lahna began to lose consciousness again, but she fought against the pull of slumber as long as she could. She had a niggling feeling that Caelan was troubled. And she wanted to know why. Had something happened? Had the island been threatened and he wasn’t telling her? Had anyone been hurt?

  Caelan squeezed her hand, and she finally allowed herself to slip into the comforting depths of oblivion.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You were unconscious for most of three days, my lady.” The girl named Tavi bathed the wounds on Lahna’s legs and feet. “It had been expected that you would remain so for much longer.”

  Lahna smiled at Tavi. “You’ve been very kind.”

  “It is an honor to serve you, my lady.”

  And perhaps more of a duty, Lahna thought as Tavi smoothed fragrant balm over Lahna’s legs. For despite the young woman’s kindness, Lahna sensed she was not entirely happy to be tending her.

  “I fear I am being a dreadful nuisance to you.”

  Tavi shook her head. “Please do not think such a thing. The forest at night can be a very unforgiving place.”

  Using fresh dressings, Tavi bound Lahna’s still healing wounds. When she began working on her feet, Lahna winced.

  “I’m sorry,” Tavi said. “But the blisters will take much longer to heal than the cuts on your legs. They are deeper and much angrier.”

  “Take no notice of me. I’m just being a baby.”

  “That is not how you are being described, my lady. The word is that you are strong and determined.” A wistful expression stole over Tavi’s face. “Prince Caelan would not take a feeble woman for his bride.”

  Despite the complimentary words, Lahna knew Caelan was angry that she had ventured away from the royal grounds on her own. That she had found her way to the Park when he had been so keen for her to stay away from it.

  “Where is Prince Caelan?”

  “He is attending to matters of court. But he will be back immediately once his business is concluded.” Tavi hesitated, biting her lip as she finished wrapping Lahna’s feet. “He has visited you every day,” she said at length, that wistful expression evident again. “And has remained through the night.”

  “He has?” Joy speared through Lahna’s chest. Did that mean that he truly cared for her? Even a little? Or was it simply for appearances sake? To show his people that he had true affection for the woman he would make their princess.

  “Yes, my lady,” Tavi said, appearing unaware of Lahna’s disquiet. “The prince was most concerned.”

  Despite her encouraging words, Tavi looked downhearted. Was she so displeased by her prince’s choice of consort? Did that extend to the people of Limani? Did they not welcome her either? It was imperative that Lahna know. “Forgive me, Tavi, but I feel something has upset you.”

  Tavi looked shocked and fearful at the same time. She stepped away from the bed. “Then forgive me for giving such an impression. I would not be so bold as to demonstrate my feelings in such a manner.”

  Tavi moved farther away, but Lahna managed to grab her hand. “I would insist that you do so. I have no friends on this island, and you have been so very kind to me. I should like it that we might share honest conversation.”

  Again, Tavi looked so surprised that Lahna wondered if her request for friendship had stepped beyond the boundaries of royal protocol.

  “I am not a maid or a nurse, my lady. I am a … whore.”

  It was Lahna’s turned to be shocked. “Please, do not refer to yourself in such a harsh manner.”

  “It is the truth. I have no family and it is therefore my place to become of service to the warriors who keep us safe and secure. It is the law. But I am lucky, much luckier than some of the girls.”

  “Luckier?”

  “Yes. When my father died I faced a life service in one way or the other. Prince Caelan determined that I should be well cared for.”

  “By making you work here?”

  “I am honored to serve here in the royal chambers.”

  Honored? Anger simmered as Lahna considered what sort of system demanded that a young, innocent girl be forced into handing over her body to pleasure men. But why should she be surprised? Why should she think it would be any different here than it was on Zomotia? Had she not managed to escape, she herself would have been forced into such a life. And even with her escape, had she not suited Caelan’s needs she might have faced a similar fate on Limani, here at the Park.

  It was a despicable law that forced women into such a loathsome existence. If ever she found herself with even the slightest influence over the way things were here on Limani, she would use it to persuade Caelan to change the hideous law.

  While determined to do exactly that, there was another concern that niggled at the edge of her thoughts. Something that Tavi had said. “You mentioned the royal chambers? That you serve in them?”

  Tavi’s eyes went wide, and her face went red, as if she realized she had said too much. She lowered her gaze not meeting Lahna’s. But Lahna pressed. “Tavi? What is the purpose of the royal chambers? Who visits them?”

  A long silence, during which Tavi turned away and busied herself pouring Lahna fresh water and tidying her bed sheets.

  “Who, Tavi?”

  “Those who have gained the Prince’s favor, my lady,” she said, still not making eye contact.

  Tread carefully, Lahna thought, otherwise the girl would clam up completely. And Lahna had a morbid need to hear the truth.

  “What are their names?”

  The warriors Drew and Boren,” Tavi said matter-of-factly, as if being forced to sleep with men was perfectly acceptable. “And Lord Kassaro.”

  Kassaro? While he had shown her due deference, Lahna always considered him cold, and she was more than aware of his reputation with women. “I’m told Lord Kassaro is not always kind,” Lahna said gently. “Does he hurt you?”

  “No.”

  But Lahna wasn’t convinced. And there was still that niggling question she wanted answered. Aware she would get nowhere further by treading softly, she took a deep breath. “And Prince Caelan?”

  Lahna held her breath, willing Tavi to say that the prince never visited the Park. But her heart sank at Tavi’s hesitant nod and she slumped back against the pillow.

  The rumors she’d overheard were true, and those men at the tavern had been correct. Caelan had planned to visit the Park during his enforced abstinence from his royal bride. He had indeed likely been here while she was at the peninsula, when she had spotted the ship.

  Nausea soured her stomach, but was this information really a surprise? She was only filling a need for Caelan, a means by which he could achieve political gain, so why would he concern
himself with fidelity? His concern for her was merely that of a prince for his future consort.

  It was impossible to deny the hurt that squeezed her heart. In the absence of Caelan, she wanted to rail at Tavi, but understood that this slip of a girl was as much a victim in all this as she was herself. Instead, she drew several deep breaths and focused on steadying her heartbeat.

  “Come here, Tavi.” She didn’t think the girl would come, but with some reluctance she did. “I’m so sorry that you find yourself in such an untenable position. And I’m sorry that I’ve added to it by questioning you so forcefully. It is just that I cannot bear the thought that you have to live your life in this way.”

  “No, my lady.” Tavi’s eyes went wide. “It is a good life, much better than it could have been. I am well cared for and have shelter, food, and female companionship. Please do not concern yourself with my wellbeing.”

  “But I do. Everyone should have the right to make their own decisions, and certainly not to have the choices of others thrust upon them.” She reached for Tavi’s hand. “I promise you that I will do everything in my power to change the exploitation of women here on Limani.”

  “I do not wish to make any trouble.”

  “You do not make trouble. It is for the prince to begin changing things if he thinks to take Limani into the future and to destroy this culture that would have women at the mercy of men.”

  “I do not make any complaint about my life, my lady. For I have it better than most in my position. I am well fed, clothed, and have a safe place to lay my head at night. The men treat us well, for it is a strict ruling here at the Park that they do so.”

  “It is?”

  “Yes. Any man who harms us in any way is required to answer to the prince.”

  Well, Lahna thought, that was something. But it still did not make it right. She looked at Tavi’s lovely face, at the long hair that framed it so prettily. The girl should be taken care of and cherished by a man who loved her. All women should.

  Lahna reaffirmed her decision. Her first course of action as princess would be to convince Caelan to bring Limani out of the dark ages, and in so doing act as a beacon of progression to other lands. Persuading him to perpetuate better rights for women would be her number one priority.

  ****

  Caelan jumped from his horse, handed the reins to the man who came forward to aid him, and strode into the Park. He had been on edge all afternoon, eager for the day’s business to be at an end, in order that he could return here.

  To Lahna.

  Cursing himself for a hapless fool, he pushed open the door and headed directly to Lahna’s room. When had he become a man who considered the wellbeing of a woman before the business of Limani? When had a woman so bewitched him that she drew him away from important affairs of court? He had plans to make. Talks to oversee. Battles to coordinate.

  Part of him envied Kassaro and other members of his military who, at that moment, were sailing to the outer islands for talks with the leaders. Their mission was twofold. Firstly, to extend an invitation to journey to Limani as guests of the prince at his forthcoming marriage and, secondly, to discuss strategy for taking back independence of their lands.

  Indeed, the time was now right. The egotistical king had overstepped the mark by thinking to infiltrate Limani, to breach the borders of the island’s coast, and to trick Caelan’s people into giving away information of their prince’s future plans.

  But another matter, as important to him as discussing strategy and commencing talks, needed consolidating. He didn’t want to consider how close he might have come to losing Lahna. That, as she ventured from the royal grounds without a guard, she might have inadvertently fallen into the king’s clutches once more. While it was unlikely any of the spies who had come ashore would recognize her as a Zomotian escapee, Caelan couldn’t quite relinquish the concern he had suffered at the prospect of that very thing happening.

  As a result, he had doubled the guard on Lahna, both here at the Park and when she returned to the royal apartments.

  As he approached her room, the two guards either side of the door straightened and bowed their heads. Caelan returned their acknowledgement with a sharp nod, but hesitated before entering the room. While he was anxious to see Lahna, to check on her and ensure her continued recovery, his mind still spun from questions that assailed him. Why had she come to the Park? How had she known about the ship? Why had she come to warn him?

  He wanted badly to believe her intentions were good, and a part of him rejoiced in her loyalty to him and his people. He wanted to believe that Kassaro was wrong when he’d counseled that Caelan should not trust her too readily.

  Because he knew that something pivotal had happened. That his admiration, his respect and regard for Lahna, had morphed into a new and terrifying truth. No longer was she merely his gateway to obtaining the allegiance of the neighboring islands. Now she was so much more to him. He cared for her, he realized with a hard punch to his chest. He enjoyed her company, the way she challenged him, frustrated and irritated him. With her in his arms he had wanted no other woman. He had felt satisfied and content in a way he had never known before.

  But still he had questions that required answers.

  All is not as it will seem...

  With his father’s words layered over the anticipation of seeing Lahna, Caelan gave a quick knock and entered the room. Lahna sat up in bed, talking with Tavi, looking well rested and with a hint of color in her face.

  She turned in his direction, and her smile quickened and then faded.

  Tavi jumped up and with a short curtsy hurried from the room.

  Caelan pulled up a stool and sat beside the bed. “You look much improved.”

  “I am. Thank you.”

  He raised his eyebrows at her clipped tone. “Are you still in discomfort?”

  “Some, but it is not my physical discomfort that concerns me at this point.”

  “Then please, enlighten me.”

  “I would enjoy nothing more. But first tell me, are you at heart a progressive man? Do you intend that under your rule things will change for the better?”

  Intrigued, and perhaps a little irritated by the tenor of her voice, Caelan leaned forward and folded his arms on the bed beside her. “I am not aware that things need to change, but from your tone I assume you do not share my view.”

  “The women here,” Lahna said, lifting her hand in a sweeping circle. “Especially Tavi. She is a young girl. Innocent. At least she was until you decided her fate must be to service you and your warriors. And all because she was left without parents to support her?”

  Her words cut through him, hitting at the part of him that had never quite made peace with that particular law. “Preferable surely than being cast adrift and left to starve in the streets. They are given the choice of—”

  “Becoming servants or whores.”

  He narrowed his eyes. He had struggled with his guilt over Tavi and girls like her, but changing deep-set culture and tradition was not an easy thing to achieve. The elders were not a malleable force, and of course he needed to keep his warriors happy. Change took time and a considerable amount of careful negotiation.

  “Perhaps such traditions need to be addressed,” he conceded. “But there are more important matters to attend to at this time.”

  “What is more important than the happiness of your people? All your people?”

  “Their safety,” he bit back. “The security of this island that we all call home. Recent events have demonstrated how much of a priority it remains.”

  “Those men who came ashore? The king’s men?”

  “Aye.” Her pensive look gave him pause and he knew that the time had come to demand those straight answers. “What was your business here at the Park?”

  “I saw the ship. I wanted to warn you.”

  “You were forbidden to leave your rooms without a guard and yet you defied my command?”

  “The guard had been dismissed b
ecause I was meeting with the seamstresses that morning. But it was such a beautiful day and I hated being watched and fussed over.”

  Caelan had already investigated the reasons for the lack of guard at Lahna’s door, and had made his feelings clear to those responsible for disobeying his orders. “You knew my reasons for placing a guard. Why would you deliberately put yourself in harm’s way?”

  “I would never do that, but I will not be a captive. I will not live under guard, especially when there is no real reason for it.”

  “You could have stayed in the royal grounds, with your maid in attendance, and yet you decided to send her away under some pretence of wanting water?”

  “I wanted to explore on my own.” She looked down at her clasped hands. “You cannot imagine how it hurts to have your freedom curtailed.”

  He had some idea. Since his island had come under Zomotian rule, he had some idea.

  “Did your need for freedom require that you travel miles along the coast toward the peninsula?”

  She swallowed, refusing to meet his gaze. “I hadn’t planned to travel so far. But I was down at the village and I overheard something.” She looked up, her expression fierce. “Outside the tavern in the village I heard some men talking.”

  “And?”

  “What they said upset me, so I went toward the shore intending to walk off some of my anger. I hadn’t realized how far I’d walked until I reached the peninsula. I saw the men in the boats first, but when I looked around the other side of the rocks I saw the Zomotian ship.”

  She swallowed, coughed, and Caelan reached for the water beside her bed. She took it, sipped, and sat back. “They were so intent on reaching the shore that one of the boats capsized. The other boats stopped to pull the men from the water, and then continued on. Even I could see the difficulty of negotiating the treacherous water, but they didn’t seem to care. It made me fearful.”

  She sipped more water and Caelan watched her closely. “Why did it make you fearful?”

  She looked up at him as if he were an idiot. “Because they were so determined to get ashore. I knew they had to be spies. All I wanted was to find you and tell you. I had to warn you.”