Bethany had never felt for Pelor what he had once felt for her, but now it seemed their dislike was nearly equal. He hated her for not loving him when she had had the chance, and she hated him for the cruel way he treated Erin.
Just within the gatehouse, Pelor stopped. One of the soldiers ran to his side, offering to take his horse. Pelor waved him off.
“Where is the barracks?” Pelor asked.
“Up by the ol’ palace, sir,” answered the soldier, his eyes continually flickering to Erin’s face. “I can lead you there, iffen you’d like, sir.”
“No need. I can see the palace well enough.”
Bethany followed Pelor’s gaze and saw the gleaming roof of what could only be a royal palace. Pelor turned them into the continuous ebb and flow of the city’s traffic. Bethany knew she should have been plotting and scheming, but she was too distracted by the ever-changing menagerie of people going about their day.
Down one street she saw a row of women dressed even more ridiculously than the women in the market. These women wore decorated triangles of fabric across their chests and bellies, tied on by strings of beads, revealing more skin than a whore in Tolad. Their skirts draped to their bare feet, with long slits running up to their hips.
Bethany quickly glanced away, her eyes running up to Erin’s face. She was proud to see him staring resolutely at Éimhin’s mane.
“Don’t look at them,” whispered Erin under his breath.
“Why?” Bethany asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.
“They are concubines of one of the Bumi lords. It is forbidden for anyone to look at them.”
“Then they should wear more clothing,” she grumbled, her eyes darting up at Erin and seeing his lips tweak up into a smile.
“Quiet, you two,” ordered Pelor from the front of the caravan.
They obeyed and, after a few more minutes of winding through the city, they arrived at the Palace gates. Just as the soldier had said, the city barracks sat just across the street from the palace’s main entrance. A soldier stationed at the barracks’ main door ran to Pelor’s side, flung him a quick bow, and took the reins.
“Guard these two,” Pelor ordered as he lowered himself to the ground. “Your commanding officer within?”
The stunned guarded nodded once, his eyes flicking to Pelor’s officer insignia. They waited in silence, the guard growing more and more uncomfortable as Erin stared him down. Bethany had no doubt that the guard knew exactly who he was guarding. Sir Erin Caldry was a legend among the Aardê. Any man who had been in the army more than a week would have heard the stories of Caldry’s victories. Bethany was certain even most civilians knew about the scarred knight who won whole battles single-handedly.
A few minutes later, Pelor returned with a portly man sporting a gray beard and a shaved head. The man stopped in his tracks as he took in Erin and swallowed hard enough for his Adams apple to bob in his throat.
“Ah. So you got ‘em,” stated the bearded man.
“Indeed. I need a private room for them, while I sort out our passage on a ship. Hell if I’m gonna deal with the Tolad mountains again.”
The bearded man grinned. “I don’t blame you. Glad to be posted here, I am. You can have my own room, sir, if you’d like.”
“Thank you. That is very generous of you. All right you two, down you come.”
They slipped off their rides. The twitchy soldier produced his dagger and pointed the business end at Erin, as though the man might try something despite his arms being tied behind his back and his neck bound to a horse saddle. Erin stared at him until the soldier took an involuntary step back.
In a different situation, Bethany would have grinned at the flighty soldier, but her mind was occupied with Pelor’s recent revelation: He intended to hire a boat. Once they were aboard there would be no escaping. They would be doomed to return to Tolad and their deaths.
Bethany glanced up at Erin and realized his show was a way to hide his own nervousness. He had come to the same realization. Pelor took hold of the rope attached to Erin’s neck, leaving Bethany to follow on her own accord. He knew she would, because he knew she wanted Erin alive. Pelor led them into the barracks, not even giving them time for their eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. Bethany walked with her shoulder against Erin, trusting him to be guided by his leash.
The commander led them into a small but tidy bedchamber.
“I’ll just gather up some items and leave you to it. Do you want guards on them?” asked the commander as he bustled around the room.
“That won’t be necessary. They won’t be escaping.”
The commander hesitated. “As you wish,” he finally said before ducking out of the room.
Desperation made Bethany speak, but what came out of her mouth was a complete surprise to everyone in the room.
“Pelor, did you never love me?”
The man turned to glare at her, his current loathing apparent on his face.
“Caldry, over on the bed,” growled Pelor.
“You once said you loved me. Back in Dothan. Was it a lie?” Bethany had no idea where she was heading with her current choice of topic, but chose to trust her instincts.
Pelor watched as Erin sat on the bed, scooting back until his feet were off the ground. He made a motion with his hand and Erin laid down on the bed, further inhibiting his ability to rise quickly. Once he was sure Erin was situated to his liking, he turned to Bethany and began untying her wrists. When her wrists were free, she reached forward and took hold of Pelor’s arms.
Bethany felt her heart begin to race through her chest. Ever since… ever since leaving Tolad, she didn’t like being touched. But she had to try. She took the last step to close the distance between them and tilted her chin up, just as she had seen her older sister do to her husband.
She kept her eyes on Pelor, knowing if she looked at Erin, she would not be able to do it.
“It could be so different now,” she whispered.
Just as she had hoped, and feared, Pelor grabbed her around the waist and kissed her soundly. Bethany did her best not to cringe as he forced his tongue into her mouth. She matched his fervor as best she could, wrapping one arm around his neck. After a few, short seconds, Pelor lifted her up and set her on the commander’s desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hoping he took her trembling for excitement rather than terror. As she kissed him, she groped around the desk until she found the commander’s letter opener.
Bethany opened her eyes and pulled the letter opener up above Pelor’s neck, ready to drive it down, when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erin shake his head. She nearly forgot to keep her lips moving in her shock, but in a quick second she distracted Pelor with a flick of her tongue. While her captor continued to work on her mouth, she slipped the letter opener into the sleeve of her shirt.
Now how do I get him to stop? She wondered
Bethany didn’t have to wonder long. A few minutes later, Pelor pulled away.
“I’ve wanted to do that for years.”
“And now that you have?” Bethany asked, sounding out of breath even to her own ears.
“I have proof that you’re just the disappointment I thought you to be.”
Bethany swallowed the lump in her throat. No matter how much she had changed since leaving Dothan, she still hadn’t learned to take ridicule with any dignity, and Pelor saw this. His wet mouth pulled up into a mocking smile.
“Didn’t expect to have a man say that, eh Princess? Still, I never thought the Bethany I knew would have stooped to kissing a mere knight. Turns out you are a little slut.”
Despite her best efforts, Bethany felt tears prick her eyes.
You are a slut, her mind whispered to her. Look what you let Féderic do to you.
“Let’s give the little slut what she craves.”
Pelor stepped away from her and Bethany wrapped her arms around her chest.
“Go lie down on the bed,” Pelor ordered.
Bethany glanced
at Erin, the need to cry still hurting her eyes. The knight’s scarred face was an impressive shade of red as he ground his teeth together and glared at Pelor. Bethany stared at the ground as she crossed the small room and climbed onto the bed next to Erin, lying on her back.
“Roll toward him.”
Bethany obeyed, trying her best not to look at the scarred knight.
“Put your arms around his neck.”
Now she had to look at him as she put her arms around his neck and pressed her wrists together. At this proximity his scars were barely visible. All Bethany could see were his soft green eyes. She cringed as Pelor knelt on the edge of the bed and leaned over them. He tied her wrists together and then tied them to the rope wound around Erin’s neck. Next, he tied their ankles together.
“Enjoy yourselves,” he said by way of parting as he exited the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.
“You okay?” Erin whispered.
Bethany tried to nod, not trusting herself to speak.
“You still got the letter opener?”
Bethany nodded again.
“How sharp is it?”
“Sharp,” she said, her voice breaking despite her best efforts.
“We’re gonna get out of this. You hear me?” her knight said quietly, but firmly. “All you have to do is get a few ropes cut. Can you do that for me, Bethany?”
His patronizing voice stung her pride and she began working on carefully slipping the letter opener out from inside her sleeve, wincing each time the blade touched her flesh. Once she got it out, she adjusted her position as far as their restraints would allow so that she could see what she was doing behind Erin’s neck. This brought her even closer to his face, and oddly enough, made it hard for her to focus.
What is wrong with me? she wondered as she carefully began cutting at the ropes, first those binding her wrists, then those around Erin’s neck. After this she twisted so that she could cut their legs free.
Once Bethany was finished, she climbed out of the large bed, quickly followed by Erin. She had expected him to stretch out his sore muscles, but instead he grabbed her up into a big hug that nearly chocked her. The move was so uncharacteristic for him that Bethany found herself struggling not to laugh.
“I’m okay,” she said, for once sounding like it was true.
“Good. Now let’s get the hell out of here,” he said as he moved to the door.
Bethany noticed that he held his injured arm against his body. The back of her mind worried about what damage had been done to it after being dislocated, relocated, and pulled behind his back for nearly ten days. Well, she couldn’t take care of that now.
Erin cracked the door opened and peeked into the deserted hallway. The commander’s room was one of many along the long corridor. He waved for her to follow and they slipped into the hallway. Erin turned away from where Bethany remembered the entrance being.
“Isn’t it that way?” she whispered as softly as she could.
“Éimhin,” he said by way of an explanation.
Bethany didn’t argue, mostly because she knew it would be futile. She just hoped he knew where he was going.
They had nearly made it to the end of the hallway when a man opened a door while simultaneously doing up the laces on his trousers. Before the man could shout the alarm, Erin jabbed him in the throat with his good arm. The man coughed, sputtered, and gagged as he fell back into the officer’s quarter. Erin jumped forward and caught the man’s body before it could thud to the ground. Bethany was a half-step behind him, catching the officer’s helmet just before it hit the ground. She slipped into the little, smelly room and shut the door as quietly as possible.
“That was close,” whispered Erin as he lowered the unconscious man to the floor.
“Put on his uniform,” Bethany said suddenly.
“What?”
“Everyone over the age of four could recognize the great Sir Erin Caldry. Put on his uniform and his helmet. It will hide most of your scars.”
Erin didn’t hesitate to obey. In record time he’d slipped the man’s leather tabard over his own and the helmet onto his head. Together they lifted the soldier and folded him into the little supply closet tucked into the corner. Erin took her by the hand and led her back into the hallway.
They were just turning into the adjoining corridor when they heard a chuckle from behind. Both Bethany and Erin stopped in their tracks.
“Don’t let the commander catch you with a gal in the barracks,” said the man behind them before he slipped into his own room.
Bethany stared at Erin, her eyes wide with fright mixed slightly with humor.
They hurried on down the second corridor, which opened up into the stables.
It was clear the building, including the stables, had been retrofitted to function as a barracks. From what she could tell, Bethany suspected the stables had once been the courtyard of a large estate or mansion. It made sense, considering its proximity to the palace. The walls of the stables were dotted with doorways. In between the doorways were stalls, mostly filled with large horses. The center of the stables held a long railing, at which Bethany spotted Éimhin and Dinner, their gear still tied to their backs. Pelor’s little mare was already groomed and stabled.
“You been here before?” she whispered.
“’Bout seven years ago,” Erin said as he shoved her into a dark corner.
He turned back to look out over the general hubbub of the stable. One man was sitting in a corner, oiling tack. Another man was braiding the mane of a horse in one of the distant stalls, and two other soldiers were just leaving.
Without turning back to look at her, Erin said, “I want you to skirt around the edge, where it’s dark. I’ll get the horses and meet you at the entrance.”
Bethany obeyed, staying in the shadows. As she crossed the large room, she snagged a soldier’s tabard and slipped it on over her leather jerkin. It was too big but better than nothing. She grabbed a loose helmet and tucked her matted hair up under it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Erin cross the room and untie their mounts. He began to make his way toward the exit just as Bethany reached it and hid behind a stack of hay bales. She watched him stop one more time to untie another horse, already saddled.
What did they need that for? she wondered as her eyes drifted to Dinner. The little donkey was missing his halter and following Éimhin out of habit, or was it affection?
When Erin reached the wide doors of the exit, Bethany slipped out from behind the hay bales and fell in step with him.
“That better be you,” Erin said out of the corner of his mouth.
“You ever seen a soldier this small.”
Erin chuckled as he stopped in the street just outside the barracks. “Go on,” he said when she didn’t move to mount the new horse.
“Isn’t Dinner enough?”
“Ever seen a soldier ride a donkey?” growled the knight, as he untied the bundle that held their weapons.
He lashed his sword to his hip, handing Bethany her own. She attached her own little sword before scurrying to her horse’s side and mounting it, realizing they were starting to attract attention. Erin followed suit and they started off down the street. Bethany couldn’t help noticing the looks they were getting. Eventually, she realized it was due to the little donkey following two soldiers.
Bethany stared down at her horse’s mane, suddenly realizing she was astride a warhorse. Though she had ridden on Éimhin many times, Erin had always been in control. Bethany had once thought herself an excellent horsewoman, but after seeing what a true, well-trained warhorse could do, she didn’t feel so confident. She would just hope the horse would follow Éimhin.
They kept to a steady pace as they weaved through the city. Every time they passed another pair of soldiers, Bethany felt her heart jump up into her mouth. She kept her head tilted down, hoping they wouldn’t notice her feminine face. Thankfully, after two months of travel she had lost any trace of a figure.
&nbs
p; A gatehouse had just come into view when Erin directed them down a dark, dingy alley.
Not another alley, Bethany thought as she pulled on the reins to redirect the enormous horse.
“The gatehouse is right there. Why are we stopping?” she asked.
“Guards never leave the city in their uniform. We’d be found out for sure.”
“Then how are we going to get through?”
“You’re going to take the horses through. I’ll find another way out.”
“How?” she asked, panic bringing her voice up an octave.
“C’mon. Get down.”
Bethany obeyed, climbing out of the saddle and sliding to the ground. It was a long way down.
“Let’s get out of these tabards. Put them in the bags. They may come in use later.”
“You’re not gonna ride in the dead cart like last time, are you?”
Erin tried to laugh. “No. I don’t have the contacts here. Thank goodness.”
“Then how will you get out?”
“I’ll find a way. First we got to get you through the gate.”
Bethany just stared at him, fresh tears pressing against her eyes. She wouldn’t cry again. Erin needed her to be strong right now. She just wasn’t sure she could be strong.
He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just focus on you, okay?”
Bethany forced her head to bob up and down in a nod.
“I’m going to go get some supplies. Take the tack off Éimhin and bundle it up in the burlap sacks.”
Bethany nodded again, and Erin darted down the alley. She obeyed him, and by the time he returned, she had completed her tasks. He brought with him a long length of rope, a full water pouch, and an elegant cloak of deep crimson.
“Clean your face. And fix your hair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?” Bethany demanded out of habit. After a moment’s thought, she realized the last time she’d plaited it had been nearly two weeks ago, and she had only done up the sides to keep her hair out of her face.
The Dothan Chronicles: The Complete Trilogy Page 49
