“Who did this to you?” he asked quietly, stepping away from her to a more suitable distance. He seemed embarrassed for having reacted the way he did. She could hear him turning away to face the door, giving her more privacy to slip her arms through the shirt, her fingers quickly fastening the buttons into place.
Turning back to face him, she folded her arms over her chest. She wanted to be angry with him. A part of her wanted to chastise him for touching her without her permission. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. He’d shown her so much kindness since she met him that it was impossible to accuse him of mistreating her. The touch had been far from menacing and she knew he was the most trustworthy of all of the men she’d met in the military. He would never take advantage of her, but at the moment she felt nothing but a boiling anger inside at the rush of emotions carried back into the front of her mind at the reminder of that horrible night.
She refused to cry. Crying would only show more weakness on top of that which she’d already shown with her drunkenness. The alcohol made her emotions difficult to control, shifting between rage and depression. She was angry at Teagan for having poured his drink down the front of her. She didn’t even remember how it had happened, but she felt it could have been avoided if he’d treated her with more respect. At the memory of Reina she felt her throat contract, fighting back the urge to burst into tears. No. She couldn’t do that. If she allowed that to occur, she was risking exposing her secret through her weeping and that just wouldn’t do.
“Leyna?” Thade’s voice snapped her from her thoughts again. “I am sorry. I should not have…”
“No, don’t,” she cut him off. She could hear the anger in her voice, even though she didn’t intend to direct it at him. There was no directing anything in her frame of mind. She wasn’t in control of herself. “Please don’t ask any questions. I’m in no condition to be answering them.”
Thade slowly turned back to her, his eyes keeping lowered to the floor until he was certain she was covered. His own jacket was only partially done up, the neckline remaining open near the top to reveal his chest from underneath. “You are upset about something, and I wish to know what it is that troubles you. We are not here speaking under official military rules, I am speaking to you as a friend. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what, exactly? That it’s my birthday and while I’m sitting here in this dirt hole drenched in booze, there is a young girl trapped in an orphanage in Carpaen who is counting on me and I’m letting her down?” She cursed under her breath. Damn that alcohol. She’d told herself specifically to say nothing and yet the words fell from her mouth against her will. It was a good run, at least. Maybe there will be another military in need of my skills…
Her back still tingled along the scar where Thade had touched. Uncrossing her arms, she reached her hand behind her, rubbing gently at the area. Through the thinner material of Thade’s undershirt, she could feel the raised skin easily under her fingers. Those scars were her downfall in more ways than one. They not only were remnants of the end of her childhood, but they were now possibly the end of her chance at a future. Stupid. Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut?
He was staring at her. That couldn’t be a good sign. She could almost see all the questions he wanted to ask her there in his eyes. Their bright silver glow burned into her own, his lips pursed together tightly. He was holding something back. “Your birthday? Why did you not say something? We could have celebrated it appropriately.”
“Appropriately?” What exactly was appropriately? Certainly not drinking in a tavern with a group of drunken men. “I prefer not to celebrate my birthday. That is why I have made no mention of it. Ever. And I hope it remains unknown to anyone.”
“Could you perhaps humor me, before I conveniently forget that it is your birthday, and tell me how old you are today?”
There it was. The exact question she’d been dreading since she had first come up with the crazy idea to come to Siscal. The question that could ruin everything for her. She was smart enough to talk her way out of it. If only the alcohol wasn’t still affecting her thought processes. “You would dare ask a woman her age?” she laughed. “How many women do you honestly think would willingly answer such a question?”
“Vor’shai women? Plenty,” he nodded calmly, standing firm in wait of a response. Why couldn’t he have gotten drunk with the others? If his mind had been hindered by the same intoxication as her own, the task might have been far easier to succeed in. His sober thoughts were too sharp for her clumsy attempts at subterfuge.
She stood there silently, her jaw agape in hopes that some clever means of evading the question would fall from her lips just as unexpectedly as the words that had put her in this predicament in the first place. Nothing came. All she could do was deny him a response, which would only get her so far before he managed to find a way to pull it from her. “Age really matters little to our people. I fail to see why it is so important for you to know.”
“This girl in the Carpaen orphanage – how old is she?”
“Twelve, I think.” That was an innocent answer. It could do little to incriminate her while still giving the illusion that she was cooperating.
“Is this girl your daughter?”
“No.”
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Widow?”
“No, and why does that matter?” she huffed, feeling her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. There was no escaping his questions. He was suspicious, even more now than she assumed him to be before. Her refusal to answer would do nothing to quell that. “The girl at the orphanage is a sister – of sorts. The closest to one I could possibly have, at least. I left her in Eykanua to come here and join the military.”
She could see Thade’s face soften at her reply, his eyes dimming slightly. “You’re an orphan?” The words came so quietly from his mouth that she was uncertain whether he was speaking to her or himself. “Did something happen with your family which caused those marks on your back?”
Frustration welled up inside her. She didn’t want to admit to anything. All that time she had spent training with the military, working her way up to the promotion they were supposed to be there celebrating, and to end like this. Forced to speak of her mother, whom she had not breathed a word of in over two years. The memories were almost too painful to bear. “My mother was murdered, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear? Men came into our home and slaughtered her and the little girl’s father… and sister. They tried to kill me, but she and I escaped. I don’t know why, and I don’t know who, and I don’t want to talk about it because none of it is really any of your business.”
“But it is my business. Anything involving the soldiers in this military is my duty to know,” he said softly, reaching his hand out to gently touch her shoulder. She could hear the pain in his voice. Remorse for having pushed her to speak of such a delicate matter. His eyes were still filled with unanswered questions, but he remained quiet for a moment, giving her a chance to calm her anger. “I could order you to tell me your age. You know that.”
All of the anger dissipated from her at his words, replaced with a strong pleading desire to make him change his mind. She stared up at him, wide-eyed and desperate. It was all she could do to keep from clinging to his jacket and begging him not to do it. “You wouldn’t… would you?”
He held her gaze steady, their eyes burning into one another’s. She could see no malice there, only the sympathetic look of a man left in a position he didn’t want to be in. His job required him to be forceful, but something prevented him from exercising his command. “I will not, no.”
“What? Why not?” Hearing her voice speak the question out loud caused her to cringe, scolding herself again for having consumed the drinks set in front of her. If she got through this, she was never drinking again.
Thade looked at her curiously, the corner of his mouth curling up into a soft smile. She knew how silly her words must sound to him afte
r her insistence for him to leave the topic be. “There are two reasons why I will not ask you.” His voice was calm, devoid of the accusatory tone she would have expected under such circumstances. “One, is that if you answered and your response placed you anywhere within the possible ages I fear it would, then I would be forced to remove you from the unit – and I for some reason cannot bring myself to do that to you. It seems important to you, and on top of that, you fight better than at least half the men. I would be a fool to discharge one of our best soldiers.”
“And what is reason number two?” she asked quietly, a wash of pride filling her at his compliment. She couldn’t be sure he had intended it to be so flattering, but it meant the world to her for him to say it.
“I have a great deal of respect for you, Leyna. I want you to know that.” His tone was more serious now than it had been before, his eyes watching her with an almost saddened stare. “If your age is even close to what I suspect, then I can see where the position I would be putting you in by forcing you to tell me would lead you to lie to me; and I am not certain I could take the disappointment of hearing such a noble soldier lie to me.”
“I have no desire to lie to you,” she whispered, shaking her head solemnly at his unwavering gaze. “But I also have no desire to tell you the answer you request of me.”
Nodding his head, Thade stepped away, straightening his back uncomfortably. “Then I will consider it a non-issue and allow you to continue as you were. I only ask that someday, years down the road when this war is over and Siscal is at peace once again, that you will find a way to tell me the truth. I already fear the gods may never forgive me for letting you get away with this.”
The relief she felt was overwhelming. Why he was so willing to help her, she didn’t know. She was too afraid to ask in case he might change his mind. It would be something she would have to remember to ask whenever the time came where she revealed her secret to him. Until then, she could only be thankful for his mercy. “I promise I will tell you – when the time seems appropriate.”
“Then that is all I can possibly ask of you, other than to keep up the good work. Do not let those men push you around. You are better than they are. You just may not know it yet.”
A thump came from outside the door, causing them both to jump in surprise. Her head was starting to sober up, cleared by the grimness of their conversation. Just to think of how easily she could have lost everything. She owed Thade something more than a simple “thank you” could ever possibly be worth. He was risking his own neck for her without asking anything in return other than a promise of honesty. She could never lie to him.
In a fluid movement he grabbed onto the latch, flipping it over to unlock the door. As he pulled on it, Teagan stumbled forward, his balance lost to the shifting of the wood he’d been leaning against. Eavesdropping. The man had no respect for the privacy of others.
His drunken laughter filled the tiny room, a clumsy finger waggling deviously at Leyna. She knew how it must look to such a shallow mind, her standing there in Thade’s shirt with his jacket only half buttoned. She’d overheard enough of the inappropriate stories and comments passed around by the men when discussing women. The last thing she wanted was for any rumors to be filtering about. “You’re a drunken fool, Teagan. And you owe me a shirt.”
“The Captain’s looks to fit you just fine,” he laughed, stumbling forward to poke at one of her buttons. Slapping his hand away, she glared at him, finding it difficult to even be angry with him when he looked so pathetic. It was hard to hate a man who was too dense to create a rational line of thought which might make him understand why his behavior was unacceptable. The alcohol removed what little bit of sense he might have had left.
His hand extended out toward her again, his eyes glassy and unfocused. Drawing back, she clenched her fist, striking him square in the face with her knuckles. The crack of his nose filled the room around them, followed quickly by the dull thud of his body connecting with the floor at her feet. He was out cold.
“Leave him there,” Thade chuckled, casually fastening the last of the buttons on his jacket. “Maybe we can salvage what is left of this party while he sobers up on the floor.”
It was a relief to no longer have to travel by foot with the soldiers, lugging the heavy packs on their backs. As first lieutenant, she had the honor of riding her horse at Feolan’s side, leading the unit through the roads up to the northern regions of Siscal. The Siscalian General had requested them to meet. He was concerned of an impending attack, rumored to be the largest wave the Namiren had hit with since the war started. Having met with little success to the southern borders, they were aiming at the north, expecting they wouldn’t be quite so prepared in the more barren mountains of the country.
They’d already been on the road for three days, the morning sun in the sky marking the fourth and final day for the journey. The paths were becoming thinner and less traveled, weeds growing up in spots along the way. Fewer towns inhabited the area, the landscape less desirable for civilization. The mountains were taller, temperatures resting several degrees colder than the southern border at all times of the year, while the winter months brought even more bitter winds and snow.
Leyna could already feel the drop in temperature, thankful for the longer sleeves on her lieutenant’s jacket. Her hair was done up tightly underneath her cap, allowing a biting breeze to brush over the skin of her neck. “You said the Captain is meeting us with two other units in Velorum at the base of the mountains?”
“Yes. It’s a small town, but it will act as a central point for all units to meet rather than having to search everyone out in the mountains,” Feolan nodded. His eyes were constantly surveying the area, taking note of every detail in the land. It was new territory for most of them, their comfort left behind once they moved out of the main city of Siscal.
They had ridden most of the way in silence. Neither of them wanted to risk distraction in fear of losing their way through the unfamiliar roads. Leyna kept pace with Feolan, looking over to him occasionally. He had a proud air about him, his posture on his horse reminding her of Thade. Regal. Perfectly poised for anything that might come their way. It seemed a strange quality for military men to carry themselves in that fashion. In comparison to the rest of them, they stood out easily, even when not wearing their uniforms to denote superior status.
The sun was already lowering in the sky when they finally came upon a break in the trees, opening up into a valley at the base of the mountain range. Smaller farm houses came into view, smoke rising up from the chimneys. They looked so cozy. It brought back memories to Leyna of the days when she’d had a home, her family waiting inside for her with a warm meal on the table. She found it hard to imagine ever having it again.
Keeping her eyes on the road, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, not wanting to bring herself down with depressing things. She had to keep positive. There had been much favor granted her by the gods since that day in Mialan. They had seen her safely to Siscal and settled her quite comfortably into the military. They could have just as easily had her thrown from it those few months back on her birthday when her foolishness nearly cost her everything. Instead they only smiled upon her more. She couldn’t dwell on the negatives in the past. It would make her appear ungrateful.
“Alright, men – and women… we will make camp here outside the town.” The soldiers broke formation at Feolan’s direction, moving off the road into a large open field. “Keep things back off the road a decent ways. The lieutenant and I are going to continue on to meet with the Captain. We’ll have further instructions when we return.” He paused there for a moment to make sure they did as they were told before motioning for Leyna to follow him, pointing his horse toward the road into town.
Town was closer than Leyna anticipated. They arranged camp only a couple miles out, giving a safe distance while yet keeping them close enough in case anything were to happen.
Only a few people could be seen on the streets, hurryin
g quickly through the cold to get to their destinations. Noise could be heard from a tavern off to their left. Cheerful music wafted through the air from the windows, mingled with hoots and hollers of the men inside. Directing his horse to the hitch beside the building, Feolan dismounted, securing the animal in place. “I will be right back. I would much rather have us not go in there if we don’t have to. Let me just make sure the other commander isn’t already here.”
Leyna nodded to him in agreement. She wasn’t going to argue his logic. The last place she wanted to be was inside a tavern. Especially one that was completely foreign to them. She didn’t know enough about the types of people it drew in to know how safe of an environment it would be for a young girl. Her only protection would be her uniform, if they even respected the military this far into the mountains.
Climbing down off her saddle, she went to work tying the rope to the post. Aside from the clatter coming from the tavern, the rest of the area was silent, giving it the appearance of a ghost town. The cold sent a shiver down her spine, her arms wrapping around her body for warmth. It felt good to be off her horse. The blood in her legs had settled down into her feet after sitting for so long, making her knees stiff and awkward. She started a slow pace back and forth across the gravel road, anxiously awaiting Feolan to exit the tavern doors.
A sudden jarring pain erupted in her back, causing her to stumble forward in surprise. Barely managing to keep her balance, she spun around to face whatever struck her, blinking in confusion at the figure standing there before her. The face was masked by a long hooded cloak, pulled down to conceal the features. Even the eyes could hardly be seen, their outline nothing but a dull glow from under the thick fabric. The figure was tall, resembling the body structure of a Vor’shai rather than any Siscal native. A dark aura enveloped the masculine hands, hovering eerily just over the skin up to the wrists.
Quickly regaining her senses, she prepared herself to fight, her fists clenched tightly. The figure held no weapon. She found it odd someone would attack an armed soldier with nothing but their hands. He came at her with incredible speed, maneuvering fluidly around her. She tried to block the incoming blows, finding her own arms too slow to avoid them. Each strike met its target easily, sending her tumbling to the ground onto her back.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 9
