Several empty wine glasses were scattered about in front of Oksuva and Kael, their drunken laughter ringing through Leyna’s ears. They wanted to go out and celebrate? But Kyros had not agreed to arrange her meeting. A celebration seemed a bit premature.
“I think Eleni should go home and rest,” Zander’s voice came quietly from behind her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. “If her fever does not improve by tomorrow, then we will need to call for a doctor.”
Leyna jumped at the sound of Zander’s voice. He had returned, but where was the girl? Was she gone? Or worse, what if he had chased her away in fear of jeopardizing the mission? She would never have a chance to determine if it was really Reina or simply a woman who looked remarkably like her.
“You take her home then, Zander. We will enjoy the celebration more without you anyway,” Gislan drawled. “I am going to find myself a real man tonight, so don’t wait up.”
Kael sat up in his seat, narrowing his eyes at Zander. “No, that man is not going to take Eleni anywhere alone. I will not allow it.”
“This is not something you have a say in,” Oksuva smiled, tapping his nose playfully with the tip of her index finger. “You have to come with my sister and I to protect us from the big, dangerous men out there.”
At the display, Leyna could feel Zander squeezing her shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing the back of it comfortingly. There was too much going through her mind for her to focus on what Kael was doing. In her heart, she knew it was hurting her to witness it, but another part of her wanted him to go away with Oksuva and Gislan. She didn’t have the strength to deal with him that night and if he came home with her, there was sure to be a fight. He was too drunk to reason with.
“Come on,” Zander whispered, guiding her away from the table toward the door. “Let us get you out of here. There is somewhere else we need to go. All of this can be dealt with in the morning when you are feeling better.”
When the carriage pulled up to Zander’s house, they waited inside, his eyes watching Leyna, curious. Her breathing remained labored, a quiet wheeze having begun with every intake of air she attempted. After a moment, the driver came around to the door, opening it to let them out. Climbing down, Zander offered his hand to Leyna, helping her out of the carriage. Sensing her unsteadiness, his arm remained close to keep her on her feet.
Leyna listened to the sound of the wheels over the gravel as the carriage moved away, leaving them there in silence outside the door. Zander waited until it was out of view before guiding her away from the front of the house, slipping through the bushes toward the stable in the back.
“Zander, what are you doing?” she gasped, her feet stumbling over the uneven ground as she tried to keep up with him. He didn’t answer. Instead, he left her standing against the stable door, moving inside to gather a horse, his hands expertly arranging the saddle over its back.
Content with his work, Zander swung his leg over the animal, mounting it with ease. Maneuvering over to where Leyna was standing, he reached down to her, his strong arms lifting her up and into the saddle behind him. “The mission was almost ruined tonight,” he stated. “I had to promise a visit in order to keep things quiet.”
“The girl from Malic’s,” Leyna nodded. The effort it took to stay atop the animal was only adding to her discomfort, her breath coming in shorter spurts.
Digging his heel into the horse’s side, Zander snapped the reins, signaling it to move. With every step, a wheeze sounded from Leyna’s lungs, her arms wrapping around Zander’s waist to keep from falling off.
“You know her, then?”
“I don’t know,” Leyna grimaced, finding it difficult to get enough air to speak. “Until now, I wasn’t sure she was even real. I thought I was hallucinating.”
“Well, she certainly knows who you are. Do you know any Mialan girls by the name of Reina?”
Unable to keep her head held up, she buried her face into the back of Zander’s jacket. So it was true. It was Reina. But why was she at Malic’s? After all this time, she chose now to show herself. It was the worst possible timing. She only hoped Reina would understand. “Reina?” she breathed. “I haven’t seen her since I was a child.”
They were moving at a quick pace along the road before Zander steered them down a trail cut through the trees off to one side. The main streets of Siscal weren’t far. It seemed dangerous for them to continue. Oksuva and the others were still in the city. They couldn’t risk being seen by them. Not when the others expected her to be home. What would Kael think if he saw her and Zander out together, alone? It couldn’t be any worse than what he already thinks about Feolan and I…
After a few moments they came to a stop in a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees, concealing them from view of the road. Off to the right, Leyna caught sight of another figure standing next to a tree, the sound of fabric brushing over the grass giving away the approach of the young woman, her skirts muddied from the damp soil of the woods.
“Leyna?”
She wanted to run to her. To wrap her arms around her in a warm embrace. But her limbs were no longer cooperating. As she tried to lift her leg over the horse to jump down, her foot caught on the side of the saddle, nearly sending her falling face first into the ground. Zander’s hand shot out with incredible speed, managing to hold onto her by nothing but the sturdy backing of her corset. The added pressure sent her into a fit of coughing, her lungs burning from the lack of air. Seeing her struggle, Reina rushed over to the horse, her arms reaching up to help Leyna to her feet.
“She’s very sick,” Zander frowned. “I’m not going to let her stay out for long. I suggest you keep this conversation short.”
“Thank you for bringing her. I promise I won’t take up much time.”
With a nod of his head, Zander turned the horse away, moving over to the tree line once again. He remained there, guarding the clearing in case anyone happened down the trail they’d taken from the road.
There was so much Leyna wanted to say, but no words would come out. Her emotions were everywhere between joy and regret. After so long she finally had Reina back; the girl who had been like a sister to her so many years ago. Nothing else seemed important at that moment other than seeing the little girl she once knew, now grown into a beautiful woman.
“I thought I might find you at that place,” Reina said quietly, breaking the silence between them. “You wrote about it all the time in your letters. It took me several tries, but they finally gave in and hired me. I kind of thought I’d see you sooner, though. It’s been almost two years and you’ve never come.”
“I haven’t been in Siscal for quite some time. I wrote about it in my letters, but I don’t know if you ever received them.” It hit Leyna like a kick to her stomach to think of Reina working at a place like Malic’s. The waitresses there were nothing but objects to the drunkards in town. To think of the men pawing at her like a prostitute sparked anger in her heart. She’d have voiced her displeasure if it wasn’t so hard to get up the energy to speak.
Reina wiped away a drop of sweat from Leyna’s brow, a look of concern on her face. “I read them, but I didn’t believe them for some reason. I guess I thought you were just hiding out here. Avoiding me. Making up the story about being sent to Tanispa in order to give an excuse for not coming back for me. I figured you’d forget about me after a while.”
“Forget about you?” Leyna said, her disbelief evident in her airy tone. “Reina, I could never forget about you. It took longer than I expected to get up enough money and then I nearly died. I wanted to come back for you then, but they sent me away.”
“Well, I couldn’t wait forever in that miserable desert.” A hint of bitterness could be heard in her words, her hand slipping away from Leyna’s face, dejected. “You always sounded so happy here. When you were with me, you were always sad. I thought I would be nothing but a burden to you, so I left the orphanage. At first I didn’t want to be found. I didn’t want to see you again. In a way, I blamed you.”
Leaning into Reina’s slender frame, she wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. “You were never a burden to me. I thought about you every day when I was in Siscal. You were the only reason I had to keep going. To keep fighting. But you never answered my letters. And then the teachers at the orphanage told me you’d left. I thought I’d lost you.”
Reina pulled away from her suddenly, her petite features twisted into a look of disdain. She stared back at Leyna, quiet for a moment before speaking again. “You’ve had such great experiences in your life. I envy you, Leyna. Every letter I got spoke of your friends and how happy you were. You were making something of yourself. Lieutenant of the Siscalian military! At times I wanted nothing more than to send your Captain some kind of letter to tell him the truth about you, just so that you would be miserable, the way I was.”
“I wrote of the happy things because I didn’t want you to know the truth of my suffering,” Leyna grimaced. Her shoulders slumped forward under the strain it took to keep her posture straight.
“Suffering?” Reina laughed pathetically. “Other than being sick, you don’t look like you’re suffering. You’re beautiful, Leyna. You have friends, fancy clothes – and I see that ring on your finger. You have a man that loves you. I only hope you remember me when you’re planning the wedding.”
It took all her strength to hold back the tears threatening to fall. So that was how Reina felt. Underneath it all, she blamed Leyna. She doubted the truth to everything she had been told. If only she knew! But how could Leyna make her understand? How could she make Reina believe that she was always in the back of Leyna’s mind, worrying about where she was and whether she was safe?
“They’re not my friends,” Leyna shook her head sadly. “Those people are nothing to me. For the past six years, I’ve been seeking out the men responsible for the death of my mother and your family. And tonight, I’ve discovered that I am closer to finding them than I thought. The people you saw me with, they are just the tools I need to get that revenge. You of all people must understand that. Or at least know how important it is.”
“I’m not sure I do,” Reina sighed. “I don’t know what it’s like, Leyna. I was too young, and then you left me. I wanted to experience the things in your letters. I wanted to have friends. To be loved. Instead, I found myself with child and abandoned again by someone else I foolishly believed loved me.”
Her words stung like salt in Leyna’s already festering wounds. She wanted to think that she’d made the right decision in leaving Reina at the orphanage in Carpaen, but to hear her speak of it, she was no longer so sure. Reina needed someone there to help her. To talk to her. To teach her. The other children at the orphanage weren’t enough. And while Reina had no idea the torment Leyna had experienced since the day she left Carpaen, it only showed that Leyna also lacked understanding of what Reina was feeling. To be so utterly alone. And without the knowledge of the truth that Leyna at least was granted to help her get through her days.
“You had a child?” Leyna whispered. There were so many other details she wanted to ask about, but nothing felt appropriate anymore.
“Why else do you think I left the orphanage? If they’d discovered my condition, they would’ve hidden me away. I ran from them in order to protect myself and the child from that kind of reputation.”
“And you came here to work at a tavern?” Leyna asked in awe. “Where is your child? This hardly seems the place for you to raise it.”
“She’s at the orphanage now. I’ll go back for her someday, but I can’t right now. Not if I want to make something of myself so that I can provide for her the way she deserves.”
“Then you know exactly how I felt the day I left you there.”
Reina’s eyes glistened with tears at the thought of what Leyna was saying. For the first time since they’d started speaking, a hint of regret and understanding was visible there. Reaching out for Leyna, she brought her into a hug once again, the embrace so strong that Leyna feared it would force the last of her remaining breath out of her body. “I’m sorry,” Reina whispered.
“You don’t have to apologize, Reina. But I need you to be careful,” Leyna struggled to get up the energy to return Reina’s embrace. “If any of those people at that table with me heard you say my name, they might come for you. It is imperative that you not tell them anything. They don’t know who I really am and they can’t ever be allowed to. Please, promise me that you’ll be on your guard.”
“I will,” Reina nodded, pulling away to stare into Leyna’s eyes. “I don’t know what you’re doing with them, but I won’t mess things up.”
A rustle came from the trees, reminding Leyna suddenly of Zander’s presence. She jumped in surprise to see him approaching them, the icy blue of his eyes revealing his uncertainty at lingering there much longer. “Leyna, we really need to get you back to the house.”
“I know,” she replied, a hesitant smile passing over her lips. “You take care of yourself, Reina. I’ll find a way to get some money to you. So you can get your child. My promise hasn’t changed. One of these days, we’ll be like a family again. You’re the closest thing I have to one.”
Reina released her hold on Leyna reluctantly, helping to guide her back behind Zander on the horse. “Good luck,” she said quietly. “I hope you find the men responsible. If I thought I’d be of any use, I’d offer to help, but I would only be in the way. Just keep in touch. I’ll write back this time. I promise.”
With a smile, Leyna nodded, giving a final wave as Zander set the horse into motion. It was a weight off her shoulders to know that Reina was safe. She’d grown into a beautiful woman, and one of these days, all of the pain of their past would be behind them. Right now, they just had to get through the present. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I thought we should get going before it gets much later,” Zander mumbled, his words barely audible through the wind as they rode. “I assumed you might want to meet with someone else tonight as well.”
“You assumed correctly,” she chuckled, her words choked off by a fit of coughing. Regaining a bit of her composure, she tightened her hold on Zander’s waist, not wanting to risk falling. “I learned a bit of information tonight that needs to be passed onto the Consul immediately. If there is time, I can brief you on it before I leave, but I should not wait long.”
“Just concentrate on yourself,” he stated plainly. “I’ll find out eventually, one way or another. Let’s just get you home in one piece and worry about the rest later.”
Chapter Fifteen
Leyna gave little thought to her bed when she stepped through the door to her room that night, positioning the lock into place. She didn’t want to be disturbed. Although her body screamed under the strain, she pushed the small bed across the floor, positioning it in front of the door to keep anyone out who might try to come in. It was suspicious, sure, but that mattered little to her now. If anyone asked her about it, she would willingly admit that she snuck out the window for fresh air. She just wouldn’t tell them where she went to breathe it.
Zander had been nice enough to leave a horse for her. The trip to the Consul’s house would be more tolerable for her that way than walking in her condition. Every downward thud of the horse’s steps knocked the breath away from her, leaving her gasping for air by the time she reached the country road leading into the upper-class neighborhood.
When she came to the edge of the street, she climbed down from the horse, securing it amongst the trees and bushes the way she’d seen Zander do the first night they were there together. The cloak covering her skin was adding to the temperature of her fever. If it hadn’t been essential for her to leave it on, she never would have brought it. She wanted to feel the cool breeze blowing against her face.
She couldn’t get the fabric of it off fast enough while she made her way hastily along the gravel road to the front door of the house. If she could breathe, it might have made things easier, but her lungs were tightening more with every intake o
f air.
As she drew closer, she became aware of a small carriage stopped in front of the house, the horses calmly grazing on the grass over the hitching post. Her pace slowed, hesitant to knock. It had only been one full day since she’d visited last. Could it be possible the doctors had arrived from Tanispa? If so, she didn’t want to interrupt them from their work.
Lights flickered from inside the windows. Beyond the door, she could hear voices, pressing her ear against the wood to see if she could make out what was being said. There was a woman’s voice coming from somewhere very near, growing louder, until suddenly the front door swung open, revealing a startled looking Maeri on the other side.
“Leyna! My goodness, how long have you been standing out there?”
“Only a few minutes now,” she breathed. Her heart was still racing from her unexpected entrance. “I came by to see how the Consul was feeling. I did not realize you were back in town.”
Ushering Leyna inside, Maeri closed the door behind her, twisting the lock into place. “Well, with you and Kael not being in Dalonshire, and knowing that Feolan was here all by himself caring for the Consul, I thought it would be best if I came back to help out.”
“That was sweet of you.” Her voice trailed off, seeing Feolan rising from a chair in the sitting area. He looked more composed than he had that morning. More vibrant. Either the sleep had done him a great deal of good, or he was enjoying having Maeri’s company there with him. “Feolan, you look well.”
“I wish I could say the same for you,” he said, his eyes quickly blinking in realization of what he’d said. “I mean – you look lovely. I was just saying that you look… sick.”
Leyna started to laugh, quickly shifting into a fit of coughing. Her lungs still burned. Just the thought of taking a breath was painful to her. Maeri was at her side instantly, rubbing her back, trying to ease her breathing. “I am fine. Or, I will be. I saw a carriage out front. Have the physicians arrived, or are those the horses that brought Maeri?”
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 48
