Dark One Rising (22 page)

“Well, you’re alive right now, which is a good thing. I cannot take back a corpse. Someone would be very put out if I let you get killed.”

The firelight illuminated the campsite but it was hidden mostly in shadow. She could make out his outline, but not much detail. She wondered if it was because of the dark or because she was delirious. She flailed around some more and managed to hit him square in the face. He rubbed his free hand over his chin where she had clocked him and squeezed tighter with the arm holding her.

“You’ll stay put and get some rest. That head wound is nasty and needs attention. However, I should cut off your hand for stealing.”

“I didn’t steal anything,” she said, squirming more. The more she wiggled, the tighter his grip became. She was starting to feel suffocated.

“You stole my food. If I let you, you may have stolen my horse, or my pack, who knows.”

“I merely wanted a bite.”

“Should I let you go then?”

She thought about that. She had to convince him that she would not steal anything and would behave, or he may just crush her to death.

“I’m sorry I ate your dinner without asking. If you let me go, I promise I won’t be any trouble.”

His grip loosened from around her waist, and he gently set her on the ground. She made her move. She reached across him and pulled his sword from out of its scabbard and lifted it to his neck.

He crossed his arms over his chest, obviously amused. “If you’re going to kill me, go ahead, but I assure you there are worse things out there than me.”

“I don’t want to kill you, but I can’t let you keep me detained. I must be on my way.”

She looked up at him, and he said nothing, just stared at her. She felt a wave of dizziness overtake her, and she teetered on her feet. She dropped the sword on the ground and tried to keep herself from passing out. She threw up, then blackness overtook her.

***

When she opened her eyes again, it was still dark. She still felt sick to her stomach, and her eyes didn’t want to cooperate and focus. She was still dizzy, and her head was pounding. She touched her head wound. It had been sewn and had clean dressings. The man who had her was lying a few feet from her, in front of the fire, which was still putting off heat, but not blazing. His eyes were closed; she could hear a rhythmic breathing coming from him. He was asleep. It was now or never. She got on her hands and knees and started to crawl across the campsite, hoping that would be quieter than walking. She got just passed him and thought she would make it, but a hand snaked out and grabbed her foot.

“Going somewhere?”

She started to kick at him. That was the last straw. He was tired and sore from riding so long, he just wanted a rest. He’d had enough. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she needed to behave. He grabbed her by the waist again and set her roughly down on the ground. She reeled again and retched.

“If you don’t calm yourself, you’re going to do more damage to your body than you have already sustained.”

“I don’t care!”

“Well I do. I made a promise and will stick to it.”

He pulled out some cords from his cloak pocket and proceeded to tie up her feet. The campsite was spinning, and her heart was racing. She felt sick, tired and cold. She was still damp from her swim in the river, and all she wanted was for her head to stop throbbing. She watched him tie her legs, then the whole world started spinning, and she passed out again.

CHAPTER 13

W
hen she opened her eyes again and tried to move, a stabbing pain shot through her head and traveled all the way down to her eyeballs. She groaned, then was still again, trying to make the throbbing subside. It was now day. The sun had just risen above the horizon with the muted light that hinted of very early morning. She tried to look around at her surroundings, hoping to remember where she was and what had happened. She remembered being chased and jumping into the river. The throbbing in her head was from the cut she obtained from hitting her head on the rock. But that was all she remembered.

She was in a campsite. There was a bedroll off to the side that looked recently slept in, and a fire crackled a few feet in front of her, a pot with deliciously smelling food cooked on top of it. She could hear the nickering of horses somewhere to her left, then noticed her sword, leaning up against a log, off to her right. She could hear its whisper from where she sat, almost as if it were admonishing her for abandoning it. She told it that soon they would never again be parted and the humming stopped. She thought she could crawl over and get it, to cut through the bindings, but her feet were tied as well as her hands. She cursed under her breath. She had gotten so far, then got sloppy. Over what? A warm meal and fresh supplies. She should’ve stayed hidden, then she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

She tried moving, but the pain stabbed behind her eyes again, and she was bound too tight to get very far. She gave up and stopped moving. She was just breathing deeply in and out, to dull the throbbing in her head, when she heard a sound behind her. Footsteps. Heavy ones. She closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep, and waited for whomever was there to show himself. When she heard the footsteps pass, she opened her eyes just slightly, to see his features now that it was light.

He came out from the trees, strolling into the campsite, carrying an armful of kindling. He dropped the pile next to the fire, broke a couple of the thin sticks in half and threw them on the flames. The fire crackled again, and a spray of sparks flew into the air on the light morning breeze. The smoke from it hit her nostrils, along with the smell of food as he stirred whatever was in the pot. She watched him stir the contents and heard her stomach growl. He sat down on a log. She was starting to recall the events that led to this. They were fuzzy, but they would become clear soon enough she was sure.

“Hungry are we?”

She opened her eyes large now and looked in his direction. He was staring at her. He was tall, around six foot two, if she were to guess, with long blond hair that was tied in a tail down his back. He had a beard the same color of his hair, and it was trimmed neatly. He had broad shoulders and large arms, the muscles bulging from under his sleeves. He wore simple riding clothes; sleeveless leather hauberk laced down the front over linen shirt, wool riding pants. When he moved she could see the bulkiness of mail ripple underneath his shirt. He wore tall black boots and had a sword sheathed in leather on his hip. The same one, she remembered, that she threatened him with last night. He had hazel eyes which watched her, but he said nothing else. She decided it was time to get out of here.

“Why have you tied me up? You have no right to hold me.”

“You were trespassing on my campsite, remember? I wasn’t going to have you stealing from me and get away.”

“I wasn’t going to steal anything. I was just hungry.”

“I don’t know, my horse is quite valuable.”

“I have my own horse,” She realized at that moment that she had left hers behind when she jumped into the river. “At least I did.”

“Yes, and now you don’t and mine would fetch a hefty price in any town.” He had found her horse, and it was tied alongside his, but he wanted to rile her a bit, to see just how feisty she really was.

“I was not going to steal your horse. I simply wanted to share the warmth of your fire and perhaps get a bite to eat. I would’ve caused no harm and would’ve been on my way promptly.”

“These woods are full of wolves and bandits. I couldn’t be sure of anything.”

“Well now that you know that I am neither, release me and I will leave you be.”

“Mmm, well I’m afraid I can’t do that. See I’ve been looking for you for awhile and was about to give up, when you fell right into my lap. I must say, Princess, you have given me the run around indeed.”

She snapped her head to look at him, and in doing so, felt dizzy from the pain of her wound. She breathed in deep to settle her again queasy stomach, then looked more intently at him.

“You know who I am?”

“Cutting your hair and dressing like a man was a valiant attempt, but anyone looking close enough would have seen right through your disguise. Your eyes give you away.”

She admonished herself for stupidly thinking no one would ever notice. “It worked so far.”

“True, but if your eyes hadn’t given you away, your sword soon would. Everybody knows Tanith, the sword from the prophecy, when they see it.”

“Tanith?”

“Yes, your sword, given to you by the elves. You are the only human to have been given a gift and a blessing by the Elvin Elders in a millennia. Your sword is Elvin steel but your particular one is recognizable by anyone who knows their history.”

“I know who gave it to me, but I don’t know why I was given it.”

“Oh, no one knows that for sure, but there are rumors that you and it are part of a prophecy. Either way, I assure you, there was a reason. Flashing it around like that might’ve given you away. It’s a good thing I found it, and you, before someone else did.”

“I lost my knife as well.”

“Yes, I suppose that did put you at quite a disadvantage. Even so, it’s not wise to announce to the world that you are out here, especially when there are people looking for you.”

“I didn’t announce myself. I was trying to be quiet. If you try to take me to Fallon, I’ll kill you before you make it there.”

“If I worked for Fallon and was sent to find you, you’d already be in his hands. That thing that chased you was a wraith, a spawn of evil. The only reason you got away is because of the river. He will not cross water. Water is too pure for him.”

She got a chill remembering those eyes. “Who are you then?”

“Someone who was sent to protect you.”

“What?”

He bowed his head to her. “My name is Alekzand’r Morgan. I’m a Bounty Hunter and Royal Advisor to King Dainard Llewelyn Grayson of Azlyn.”

“Bounty Hunter?”

“Yes, well, today my hunting is not for a bounty.”

“Why would King Dainard send you for me?”

“He didn’t, your brother did.”

“Kevaan?”

“Yes. After he found out that Fallon was a day and half early, he knew that he would be too late to get back to the castle before you left. He was going to enlist me to take you to Drydon Keep for safe keeping. I’ve been looking for you for two days. One thing’s for sure, Kevaan has definitely taught you well.”

She stared at him, frowning.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I know better than to trust anyone.”

“You trusted Garreth.”

“If you hurt them I’ll kill you!”

“No. I told you. I was looking for you for Kevaan. I don’t run with Fallon.”

“Garreth told you where to find me?”

“He told me which way you were headed.”

“He said he would never talk.”

“I did nothing to threaten him. Garreth is smart and a good judge of character. He knew I was who I claimed to be.”

“Well, I don’t.”

He sighed. “Your brother said you were a handful, but he never said you were stubborn. If I untie you for good measure, will that convince you that I mean you no harm?”

“The throbbing in my head says otherwise.”

“That’s not my doing.”

“But the binds cutting into my hands and legs are.”

He winced. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. You wouldn’t behave. Don’t you remember? I let you go, and you started to run away, twice. You punched me in the face and elbowed me in the groin. I had to be sure that you were safe. I didn’t want you sneaking off while I slept, which you also tried to do.

She scowled at him. “If you untie me, I’ll have your head on a pole.”

He clucked his tongue. “Such unbecoming threats from a lady of nobility. Well then, I guess we are at an impasse. I can’t have you run away, and I don’t want to hurt you. I guess I’m going to have to tie you to my horse and carry you like a saddlebag the entire way to Azlyn.”

He wasn’t looking directly at her, but he was smiling slightly. He could see her from the corner of his eye. She was contemplating what to do. He knew they must be on their way soon, so he had to get her to eat, then get moving again. He sighed and turned his head to look her directly in the eyes, serious now.

“I swear on my life that I won’t harm you. I’ve made an oath to your brother, my friend for many a year, that I would get you safely to the king, and I will, or die trying. There’s a dark being looking for you, and I will not let him have you. I’m amazed that you escaped, but I can guarantee he won’t let you a second time.”

Her stomach growled again, the smell of the warm food wafting to her on the light breeze. With her food gone, she needed to eat to keep up her strength. She decided that she’d better trust him so he’d untie her. She’d decide later if it was the right thing to do.

“Very well. I promise that I’ll behave and not try to run, if you’ll untie me and let me have some of your food.”

“Done, My Lady.” He bowed again.

He came forward, pulling a knife out of another sheath on his upper thigh. She closed her eyes, frightened a bit that she may have made a mistake, but then felt the ropes fall from her hands. Then she could move her legs. She opened her eyes again, expecting him to be hovering over her, but was surprised to find him sitting back on the log he had vacated a moment before. She rubbed her wrists, trying to dull the raw spots there and getting the feeling back into them. He spooned out some food from the pot and placed it in a bowl. He grabbed a utensil from out of his pack and handed both to her.