Come what may needed to be the only mantra she should worry about, for no force on this land or any other will ever be able to stop this from happening. From the age of four, this had been her burden to bear. Some would call it destiny. Evangeline’s own definition had changed many times over her life, and she supposed it would continue to do so. Her own mother had told her that married life can be stressful and some days she would not be able to look into her husband’s face with anything but contempt. Yet others she could imagine no other way of being.
Feeling like no other thoughts would remain safe, Evangeline started counting the falls of the horse’s hooves as they hit the ground. Once she got to twenty she would start again, keeping track on her hand just how many twenties she reached before starting anew. Once she got to a hundred, the hand count started again and so she went on bouncing gently to the rhythmic falls of horses’ hooves and counting them out when suddenly the beat changed.
The calm canter was now a full gallop, Evangeline ungracefully falling from her bench and to the floor of the carriage. “Phillip? Greg?” She called out the names of her drivers and got no real response from either of them. She wanted to call again but Evangeline had doubts that she could be heard over the thunderous sounds of her carriage being carelessly tossed behind two grown horses. Staying where she landed, Evangeline didn’t think she would be able to sit on her seat anyway. The speed of the animals was strong, not frantic although that gave her no real reason to remain calm.
There could be only one reason for this kind of reaction from the horses. An ambush. She didn’t think she would be crossing enemy territory. The idea was to come to the newly established border that connected Crimah to Braykith through a little-known track that twisted a route among the mountains. Once there she would be transferred to a different carriage and taken back to the castle and her betrothed. It appeared that their well-placed plans were quickly unravelling. A yell was given, sudden and booming over the sound of the horses’ determination. Too close for her to remain calm, Evangeline shrieked.
Frantically she looked around her carriage but there was nothing to be used if she did need to defend herself. Evangeline was not a warrior. It would be quite unbecoming for a woman to know how to lift a sword but she wasn’t completely without some self-defence talents. It would do no one any favours should Evangeline die because her gender had limited her ability to keep herself alive. The carriage was empty, and Evangeline had only a thick tome that perhaps could buy her seconds if she was lucky. The corner of the weighty tome into the eye, granted they were not wearing a helmet, could be enough for her guards to come to her aide.
Hands shaking Evangeline backed herself into a corner, closest to the only entry point into the carriage. She doubted anyone would expect her to fight, and it was clear she had the very basics in protection. She bit her bottom lip, tasting the sweet coppery tang of blood as the bounce of the carriage forced her lips to give into the intense pressure of her teeth. Evangeline barely noticed, though. Her eyes stayed on the doors that struggled to stay closed. With every jolt it seemed they were about to be ripped open but they remained closed offering Evangeline the smallest of beliefs that she may be ok.
A hard rap of three knocks erupted on the top of her carriage and Evangeline looked up, not sure what they meant. A warning of some kind, the final three beats before they were swarmed perhaps? Perhaps it was the light at the end of the tunnel? Never had three direct hits of knuckles against wood create such a rush in Evangeline. She was equally sure that it was both blessing and curse. Her grip on her book only got tighter as her knuckle shone white with the pressure. The world was suddenly very clear and evident to her, the adrenaline focusing her thoughts on survival. The sudden determination steered by those three knocks. If nothing else, they had reminded her she was not alone.
Abruptly the horses stopped, and Evangeline was thrown deeper into the corner, the boning of her corset saving her back from the seat that slammed into her tossed body. Animal cries rose into the night; Evangeline’s eye prickled with tears as shouts of men joined that of the beast. An ambush, a pair of guards and Evangeline against unknown odds. There would be no contest, even if it were only a small band of thieves. As soon as she thought it, the clash of steel forced her heart to jump to double speed.
Tears were streaming together with sweat as she listened to the noise outside in the night. One of the horses was being unhooked from the riding harness that kept it joined to the carriage. There was no reason for those noises to be coming from a beast that was safe. The other was hitting the ground, the dull thudding of hooves on hard packed earth that gave little comfort accompanying the louder sounds of the men. Shouting, grunts, the sound of steel hitting steel Evangeline could only be sure that every second that passed they were one-second closer to their demise.
Another shout, this one though was different to the others. Evangeline got to her knees; her book held to her chest as more noise joined the primary fight. Phillip and Greg had been putting up quite a contest but Evangeline still could not breathe easy. These new men, Evangeline had no clue who they could be. It appeared by the sounds that greeted the night that they were welcomed by Phillip. This alone made her ready to embrace their saviours as well but she would need to see them before she could really relax. Her protectors made short work of the attackers and the night was once again quiet.
“Miss Evangeline?” Phillip’s voice called to her and she nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see her still. “Mam?”
“I'm all right.” Evangeline’s voice squeaked, her hands pale and shaking still. She couldn’t seem to be able to put the book down. It had managed to fuse with her hands during the ordeal. Evangeline clutched the leather to her chest but her heart struggled with relaxing from the frantic pace. She closed her eyes, lifting herself onto the seat and tried to steady herself before she was to be seen.
They were safe, Evangeline reminded herself. The men now joking gently, speaking low and there were sturdy footfalls in the nearby grass and on the dirt track. There was no mistaking the sound of victorious men. She had witnessed it enough in her own home growing up and she let that familiar understanding wash over her. Slowly her body started to relax and she found that she could indeed set the book aside. It had not been forced to shed blood and Evangeline gave the book an affectionate pet of thanks. It had served her so faithfully.
The doors opened slowly and a gloved hand appeared. Evangeline had been expecting Phillip and the red gloves that represented her home city. Instead, she was greeted with the black leather gloved hand of a stranger. She stared at it and the intricate gold detail sewn into the cuffs which she recognised immediately. The darkness swallowed him up before she could see more but it didn’t matter to her. It made sense that their saviours were from Braykith. They must have been close to the switching point when the raiders came.
This changed everything and Evangeline took an extra moment to smooth her hair which had been ruined during this trip. The excitement of having her hair wild and free had been short lived just as Viviana said it would. While she was respectful in the knowledge that their King had demanded she wear it down, the bouncing in the carriage had made her hair quite a mess now and she was forced to attempt to tame the long locks with no help of a brush or even a mirror. Evangeline ran her fingers through it, tossed the hair over her shoulders so that it ran down her back and hopefully appeared calmer than she felt. Finally, she took the offered hand, stepping down from the carriage.
The ground was welcoming to her feet and nothing like the straight and narrow trees which had forced her to hide during her trip. Whatever had forced the trees to be so rough and beg Xado for assistance, it did not come from the soil. The earth welcomed Evangeline, supporting her as she emerged from the carriage and into the clearing. She had lost hold of the soldier’s hand almost as soon as she was able. It would not be proper for her to be seen clinging to a man that was not her husband.
Although the sun was long since set a
nd the woods were full of unusual noises and pitch black the men had been generous enough to have torches littering the area. The fire spots cast their space in an orange glow and allowed Evangeline to see they had been joined by four men wearing the black and gold colours of their kingdom. The fits were impeccable; the fabric stained the darkest of shades and the needle point of runes that decorated the edges was clear.
The men with hair long enough still did not tie it back, and Evangeline was curious if this was accidental or was this strange rule on hair appearance was universal in the Kingdom of Braykith? One of the men had lost his hat in the fight but the other three wore theirs and Evangeline had the eerie feeling that she could lose sight of them if the torches were snuffed out.
Evangeline could not see the bodies of those who attacked them and she was glad of it.
This was her first real impression of the people coming from Braykith and she wasn’t sure if she was disappointed when they did not live up to legend or pleased. The men that stood around the small clearing were close to normal and her own men only stood out among them because they wore the glorious colours of Crimah and not the blacks and gold of Braykith. They were not light elves that stole into the night. One of them smiled at her, flashing perfectly normal teeth and not the filed points she had been promised. Evangeline must have looked shocked because the man who had offered her his hand steadied her even though she felt fine.
“Would you like a drink?” He asked her and Evangeline nodded, taking the hospitality because it was polite and not because she was thirsty. A leather skin pouch was brought to her and she took it after a moment of hesitation. She supposed it would be foolish to think they rode around with goblets of any description. Evangeline took the smallest of sips before handing it back and removed herself from the Braykith soldiers.
“Phillip.” She barely needed to finish his name; he approached as soon as the first letter escaped her lips. Greg stood just off to the left, on guard even if the Braykith crew relaxed and celebrated their small victory. Evangeline took a couple of steps from the group although there wouldn’t be any real privacy to be had between them. “What happened?”
“An ambush, and judging by their attire it was Zorelian.”
“Zorelian?” The name of the once glorious city was whispered as if it were a dirty word. “But my father destroyed that city and killed their king. There are no Zorelian’s left.” Evangeline had been sure of it, and Phillip nodded to confirm her words.
“He did these things Lady Evangeline, however, there are still small pockets of rebels operating in the area. You know the care we take against the rebel hunting parties.” He reminded her and Evangeline nodded but somehow she did not place Zorelians as part of these rebels. In her memory, the takeover had been quick and with mercy. They should be thankful to her father for releasing them from a tyrant of a King.
“Even after all these years?” Evangeline asked, looking out into the dark and certain she saw eyes looking back at her. She would blink and nothing remained but that did not make the feeling leave her.
“Your father is not always a well-liked man to a Zorelian.” Phillip reminded her. Evangeline thought he had been liberating the region, but if they hated her father so much then perhaps there was more to be told. Her father was working against the giant of power, somehow beating the odds with speed and the favour of Iloh and Xado, the great Gods of infinite guidance to those who deserve it.
“They cannot be so well managed if you dispatched them as you did. I am sure my father would be proud of your efforts this night in protecting me. Blessed be to Iloh.” Together they closed their eyes momentarily and their heads bowed the slightest as they did so in respects to the mention of Iloh’s name.
“We were lucky.” Phillip added quickly and Evangeline caught his eyes in the firelight of the torches nearby. He was just being honest with her in his assessment. It was hard for a man to admit when he could not perform his job, and their only job was to deliver Evangeline safely to the checkpoint. Apparently they had been quite close to failing in what should have been simple.
Evangeline opened her mouth to dismiss his concerns but instead she smiled at Phillip and kissed his cheek. There would be no arguing with him, so she stopped trying. “You did good and I will be sure to send word back to my father and ensure he rewards you for your heroics.”
Phillip dropped to his knee with a deep bow. “Thank you my Lady.”
Evangeline just nodded and awkwardly started to leave him. She was quite good at pretending she was indeed someone that deserved their loyalty and respect most of the time, but sometimes she just wanted to break those rules and enjoy life. Particularly at this moment when life had almost been taken cruelly from her. She would need to take that time of fear and relief when she was alone. Ironically, this was perhaps the worst time for her to break character. She was aware that the soldiers were watching her carefully, taking in her image and making judgements that would guide her reputation.
Evangeline was not concerned with looking the part. Teagan and Viviana’s hard work were not in vain. For all the trauma, her dress had travelled well and continued to show off her womanly curves. Her jewels were not over the top or gloating. However, no one would dare call the collection modest. The stones were highly polished and delicately laid in gold. She was dressed as a ruler should be, but that would mean little if she could not follow through with the regal attitude her tutors had tried so hard to force into her. She turned suddenly to the sound of an approaching carriage.
“It is ours.” The first soldier said, suddenly joining her again as horses neared them. “We had to leave the carriage when we rode ahead.” He was trying to explain but Evangeline held up a hand to silence him. Well, of course, that was what had happened. She wasn’t completely clueless. She didn’t need to be rude, but the longer she stood out here in the night, the more she was aware this was not home as she knew it. Her false bravado was all she had and it was not a good disguise.
While the ground had at first been welcoming, it seemed to be sticky now. To Evangeline it felt as if the dirt was sucking her down like very slow quicksand. Evangeline did not mention the sensation because it seemed to be something only she could feel. It did mean she kept moving though in an effort to stay mobile and harder to catch. The air appeared to have its own mind about her. Evangeline could feel tiny droplets of water stick to her skin as it swept past. She wiped at her exposed skin and felt nothing but still she was confident of the sensation. She felt like the very world was turning against her, or stopping her from proceeding to her destination. Evangeline scolded herself for such thoughts. She was truly desperate if she believed the land of Accila wanted her to leave this destiny. If it did, Accila had waited far too long before interfering. At this point of her journey, Evangeline was sure a message from Xado himself would not stop this marriage.
She had been carrying a travelling cloak in the carriage and now wished she had it again to protect her skin from the unusual touch of this new land. Could it really be so different to the home Evangeline knew? The invisible line on the ground between their borders felt different under foot and yet as she observed others no one seemed to feel the tacky suction of the ground. Was it simply the shock of the attack and the uncertain expectations of her soon to be husband waiting for her on just the other side of this last trip? Surely the ground did not want to swallow her alive? The air was made of nothing sinister. Evangeline did not believe her own lies but she kept supplying them.
Phillip was busy unloading the two small trunks that held all her belongings and adding them onto the new carriage. There had been so many rules to govern what she could and could not pack that at one stage it had seemed like she would not need to take a thing. Even now one of the trunks had been significantly lighter than the other until she evened them out so it wouldn’t be so visible to the ones who loaded her belongings.
Greg stayed on guard, his gloved hands behind his back and his legs spaced evenly apart, but he was
poised to reach for his sword should he need it. Did he notice the air and the droplets they left behind on her skin? Was that why Greg stayed so tense while everyone else only went through the motions of the exchange? He didn’t seem affected by the unusual elements, and Evangeline was too embarrassed to bring it up.
She felt that eerie sensation of eyes on the back of her neck again but when she turned it was not the eyes of the woods she found but that first soldier who had assisted her from the carriage. He stood, leaning against a tree and chewing on what seemed to be a piece of bread. Evangeline frowned, not liking this attention she received from him. None of the other guards were quite so concerned with her.
Seeing little choice in the matter she started towards the new carriage, knowing Phillip would deliver her cloak and book before they left. They were efficient and careful men. Evangeline would miss them.
“Are you sure you are alright?” That soldier was back again, concern in his eyes and offering her the leather pouch of water again. “Perhaps another drink of water?” He looked into her eyes but she felt like he was trying to see more of her, judging her by the reflection of her gaze.
Evangeline declined the water with a gesture and no words. She doubted she could ever quite put into words her exact feelings at this moment, and felt it was even less likely that Evangeline would divulge information to this man she had never met before tonight. The question of her mental state was a layered one, and Evangeline needed Viviana or Teagan at her side to discuss them.
Taking her gesture against the water for what it was, he waited as if somehow Evangeline had made an indication that she wished to continue this conversation with him. He held the torch he was carrying higher to illuminate better their path but all it did was create longer shadows and hide the ground.
“I was well prepared for the journey, and quite capable.” Evangeline was shocked with how forward this man was being with her being as they shared no history beyond this night. More unsettling was her own response to his attention. The authority she had always tried to emulate, and yet seemed to fail regularly at, was there. She might never command her step like her mother, but apparently she was not shy about voicing her birth-given right. The soldier nodded and she thought this might be the end of their conversation when he spoke again.
Extol of Agnatic Dreams (The Extol Series Book 1) Page 5
