Cornerstone (27 page)

Garith must have heard her distress. He rushed over and pulled her tightly against him. She leaned against the safety of her best friend and closed her eyes while she waited for the dizziness to pass. “Hush now,” he whispered to her. Speaking quietly into her ear, Garith told her. “I don't think he was behind it, Riya. It's all right.”

She shook her head. He didn't understand. “But they said they were taking me to him! I overheard them—they were told to deliver me to the castle,” she pleaded with him, trying to make him see. She knew she must sound hysterical, and but didn't care. She didn't want to go anywhere with him. “Please, Garith, I don't want to go with him, please get me out of here.” She tried to fight it; she didn't want to appear weaker than she already must, but a tear escaped and made its way down her cheek. As if that one tear had opened the floodgate, more and more followed the first.

Garith nodded at her. “I know, but Riya, I don't think he was the one who ordered it. He says he didn't, and I believe him. Hush yourself now, please don't cry.”

Beside them, but keeping a safe distance, Torian raised his eyes in surprise when he heard the familiarity between them. Garith shrugged at him while Emariya continued to regard him warily. She was determined that she wasn't going to fall for whatever charms he had used on Garith. “You really believe that some random person hired them to bring me to him? If it wasn't him, then who? Who else could have made sure that Khane accompanied me—to bring me to Torian by force, if necessary—other than Torian himself. Fine; forget the who and just answer why? There is no one else who could be that determined that I reach him, other than the prince himself!”

“
My Lady, please. I swear to you upon my crown, I had nothing to do with this. My sword is yours, My Lady. Speak it and it will be done. I don't dare to claim to know the horrors you've endured; I can only promise that I will do all that is in my power to seek the truth regarding who ordered it.” He looked so sincere, she felt herself wavering. Then she remembered she had trusted Khane before he had betrayed her, and she shook her head.

Something in her wanted to trust him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. “All I want is your leave to return to Warren's Rest. I want to go home.” She looked him directly in the eye.

He met her gaze and, slowly, he nodded. “As you wish, Lady Warren. However, I am afraid I must insist that you first accompany me to Castle Ahlen.” His voice had lost its warmth. He was cold. Indifferent. Royal. She started to protest, but he silenced her, shaking his head. “No, My Lady, I insist. Your friends will be meeting us there, and then I will send half of my guard with you to ensure your safety. Your journey here has been far too perilous. I would not be able to forgive myself, were something to happen to you on your way home.”

She looked to Garith, who nodded. “We sent his two guards that were with him back to the cave to retrieve Jessa and Rink. We will get them, and then we will go home,” he promised her.

“
Rink is alive?” She remembered how pitiful he had looked when she'd last seen him. She truly hadn't believed he would survive.

“
I hope so. Jessa was caring for him. He was bad off, but holding strong when I left.”

She couldn’t help but feel like she was delving deeper into the lion’s den, but she could see no other way.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

I'll Hate You Tomorrow

“
We should reach Castle Ahlen in a few days, if we make good time,” Torian told them as they rode. They had discussed it earlier and had decided to take the route that passed through the higher of the mountains, near the northern coast, opposed to sticking close to the lower valleys. The upper paths were not known to many and could be daunting, especially beneath winter storms. They would be the least likely to encounter trouble by taking the less-used route, and if all went well, it would save them a few days of travel.

Emariya nodded sleepily, leaning forward to rest against his back. Emariya was riding behind Torian while Garith rode her horse, since his own had not returned. Emariya wasn't thrilled to be so close to Torian, but she had to admit she was thankful to be able to rest her eyes. The strain of the journey had more than taken its toll on her. She felt like the wet had seeped beyond her gown, through her skin, and had saturated her very bones. She ached all over, but her hips, bruised from the extended time she had spent lying on the ground since she'd been taken, hurt her the most. Her shoulder had finally begun to heal, but her wrists had been rubbed raw from the ropes that had bound her.

She didn't even want to think about what her hair must look like. Her wet clothes hung unnaturally off her thin frame. She'd always been slender, but she'd grown even more so over the past few weeks. At this point, all she could think of was getting to the castle and being able to get dry and warm and preferably clean. Not to mention maybe a little privacy. She hadn't had a single moment alone since they had left Calkirk.

Not only had she had no moment to herself, but for nearly the last week she had constantly been in possession of someone else instead of merely being accompanied. First Russell, and then Khane’s men. And even now, she was not free to go where she wished. Torian had made it clear that he had every intention of taking her to the castle, whether she was agreeable or not. She'd essentially swapped one captor for another. He could dress it up with his pleasant smiles and polite conversation all he wished, but she still felt like his prisoner. At least she could be reasonably sure that when they made camp he wouldn't leave her tied up alone in a tent.

When she felt sleep threaten, she snapped her eyes open, fighting it.
I shouldn't be this tired,
she thought to herself. The Three knew she'd slept long enough over the last few days, even if it hadn't been restful. The deep sleep and unavoidable dreams of the Hellebore had taken her by surprise the night she'd tried to escape. As long as she might live, she'd never forget the sights the dreams had plagued her with. The worst was of her mother and Reeve. Together, they had stood hand in hand. Wordlessly they had stared at her as flames swirled around them. She screamed at them to run, to come to her. Her words had fallen on deaf ears. Reeve and her mother never moved. Steadily they had continued to stare until, slowly, each of them had held out a hand, beckoning to her to join them amidst the flames.

Not wanting to remember, Emariya shook her head, attempting to shake off the memory. From what she could gather, the Hellebore had kept her under for more than two days.
Neela did warn me,
she thought ruefully.

She looked over at Garith, who was riding nearby. He smiled reassuringly at her. She couldn't believe he had so readily believed that Torian was not behind her abduction. As much as she was trying, she felt like he had abandoned her. What had happened to his vehement argument that she must not go to the castle—that Torian must be trying to bind the lines? Like he'd said then: why else would he have sent for her? She intended to question him on his knowledge of the prophecies and the gifts of the Stones later, once she had had time to think on them more, and once she was sure Jessa was safe.

“
Will we reach the castle before your guards arrive with Jessa?” she questioned.

“
I would suspect so,” Torian answered.

“
About how long do you think it will be until they come if they take the longer path around? Or do you think they will come this way, as well?” The sooner Jessa got to her, the sooner she could be on her way home to Reeve.

“
I don't know, really. I suspect it will depend on how long it takes my men to find her. And as to which path they will take, if Rink is not up for hard travel, then I expect they would take the easier route. Are you truly in such a hurry to be away from me?” Beneath its smooth façade, his voice was strained. Beside them, Garith frowned at her. She glared at him as she responded to Torian's question. She knew she should lie or make pleasantries to spare his feelings, but she just didn't have the desire or the energy.

“
Yes,” she said simply.

“
We can send a courier pigeon to Lord Reeve from the castle, Lady Emariya, so you'll be able to get a word of warning to your brother at once. I am sure that is what has you wanting to act in such haste,” Garith said, giving her a stern look.

Torian laughed. “It's all right, Garith, our lady has made it quite apparent that she cares not for my company.” He said it jokingly, but there was a weight behind his words. Emariya didn't pay much notice; she was still surprised that Garith had spoken to her so formally. What was with him? Had he really come to like the prince so much in such short time? He seemed to be forgetting that he was supposed to be on her side, and that he was the one who had warned her away from the prince in the first place.

What Torian had said about his men finding Jessa was nagging at her. “You said it would depend on how long it takes them to find her. What if they can't find her? Why don't we go to her ourselves, since we know where she is?” she said worriedly.

“
My Lady, rest easy. My men will find her. There is no need for us to go retrieve her ourselves.”

“
But Khane knows where she is! He won't have to search and wonder; he knows exactly where she was left. What if he finds her first?” Emariya was growing more panicked by the moment as she realized what danger Jessa might face.

“
Why do you think we aren't going ourselves?” Garith snapped.

Suddenly Emariya understood: they didn't want to risk another encounter with Khane.

“
We can't just let him find her in order to avoid him finding us!” Besides, she still thought Khane was working for Torian, even if he wouldn't admit it. So Khane likely wouldn't hurt them with Torian present.

“
Lady Warren, regardless of your opinion of me, your safety is truly my utmost priority. I cannot knowingly go where danger may be waiting for you. I assure you, once you are safe at Castle Ahlen, I will go to any length necessary to find your friend. But not until you are safe. But really, don't fret. My men are highly capable and they know this land well. They will not stop looking until they find her.”

“
Why would they do that? They don't even know her.”

“
But they know me. I am their prince, and I commanded it.” There was no doubt in his voice. She could hear the regality of his tone and was overwhelmed by how different they really were. He expected that he would be obeyed without question, as he likely had been for his entire life. If recent weeks had taught her anything, it was that people would follow their own plan, not someone else’s.

“
Riya, Jessa was holding up well when I left. She can handle herself. She'll take care of Rink, too, and he'll be fine. You'll see.” Garith was trying to cheer her up.

“
Jessa? You think Jessa can handle herself alone in the mountains? Come on now, Garith, I love her dearly, but this is Jessa we’re talking about. She has to have someone come help her kill a spider, and you think she will be fine on her own out here?” Emariya's voice grew quieter, “It was selfish of me to bring her. I should have left her safely back at Warren's Rest.” The guilt was weighing on her. If she hadn't let Rink and Jessa accompany her, they would both be safe right now. The only one whose predicament wasn't her fault was Garith, and he seemed to be doing just fine with his new buddy, the prince.

“
She's changed since you left the Rest,” Garith said. “We all have, I think,” he added.

He is definitely right about that,
Emariya thought. Maybe Jessa could hold her own until Torian's guards found her. Emariya didn't like leaving it to chance, though. She knew that she had definitely changed since leaving home. She was more skeptical, for one thing. She didn't know whom she could trust. She used to trust Garith, and she supposed she still did. She was just angry. Before, he would have been eager to follow her lead, renounce the prince’s help, and go find Jessa themselves. He never would have taken someone else’s side over hers. Maybe he was just being practical, but Emariya thought it was more than that. He seemed to genuinely like Torian.

Emariya could almost understand. He seemed likeable enough. Other than the fact that he may have had her abducted in an attempt to ensure he could bind the Stones to wield power over all The Three Corners, that is. Truth be told, she had to constantly remind herself that she didn't like him. However, she figured that was likely because he was undeniably handsome. That was her excuse, but what was Garith's?

Emariya hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until they came to a stop. The horses' steady footfalls treading softly through the snow had acted as a lullaby, and she'd drifted off against Torian's solid warmth. She stirred as Torian lifted her gently out of the saddle. She lifted her head to look around. Torian brushed his hand gently across her cheek, cradling her to him. “Go back to sleep,” he whispered, smiling down at her. Sleepily, she nodded and rested her head back against his warm cloak. She'd been so cold for so long that his warmth was intoxicating. Before she'd fallen asleep, she'd been reminding herself that she couldn't let herself like him, yet here she was, cuddled against him, in his arms again. She decided she'd go back to hating him tomorrow.

Dawn had not yet begun to touch the sky when she awoke again. Carefully, she began to try and untangle herself. Torian had situated himself propped up against a large rock, using his pack as a pillow. He'd taken his heavy velvet cloak off and had covered them both with it. She was leaning against him with her own cloak spread beneath her and most of her body resting against Torian's, sheltered against the cold. He had her hand cupped gently in his. Slowly, she pulled her hand away, and squinted as she tried to look around. Garith was sitting a few feet away, facing them. He was awake, but didn't speak as she approached silently, illuminated in the reflection of the moonlight off of the fresh snow. The snow had stopped falling sometime in the night.