From Across the Clouded Range (22 page)

Dasen felt his pulse rise. He tried to swallow
the lump that had formed in his throat and watched her come.
Eventually, his eyes found their way from her body to her face, and
his anticipation withered. Throughout the day, he and Tethina had
seemed to find a certain familiarity, an understanding and trust.
But her tight mouth, stern eyes, and upturned jaw showed none of
that now. What Dasen saw in his wife now was defiance, resolute and
unbending. His mind swam. He had been so hopeful that they were
going down the right track. Now this. He sighed.

Tethina cleared the final steps to the coach
and looked Dasen up and down as if only seeing him for the first
time. He tried to stand up to that stare, to meet her eyes with the
same conviction and confidence she seemed to possess. Eventually
she looked away, turning her scornful eyes to the villagers who had
gathered to see the couple off. She stared at them with disdain
until she found Pete Magee and the look turned to purest vitriol.
Her eyes narrowed, mouth tightened, and body nearly
shook.

And everything fell into place.
She had seen him talking with the villagers. Dasen could only
imagine what she must have thought, what that imbecilic exchange
must have looked like to her. And Pete had planned it all. He was
no bumpkin, he had seen a way to get his final revenge and had
played Dasen perfectly. He kicked himself for being made a pawn. He
looked toward Pete and his gang, silently planning his revenge. But
first he’d have to explain everything to Tethina.
As soon as we’re underway
, he told himself.
We’ll probably
have a good laugh about the whole thing.

“
Ah, Tethina,” Ipid nearly
shouted, breaking the tension, “you look magnificent. I am so glad
that the dress fits. I am sorry that we did not have time to
commission something more elaborate, but I think this suits
you.”

Tethina turned to Ipid. She looked at the
portly man slightly shorter than herself, and her face seemed to
take on a hint of sadness. “Thank you, Ipid,” she said. “You have
been so kind to me through everything. Your goodwill, support, and
understanding were the only gifts I ever needed. I have never
properly appreciated them or thanked you. I am sorry for that.” She
embraced Ipid then. He looked surprised but wrapped his thick arms
around her slender back.

“
You are most welcome, my dear,”
he mumbled as he held her. “I just wish I could have done more.”
They pulled away from each other, but Ipid held her arms. “Now that
you and Dasen are joined, I can provide for you as I always should
have. Remember, I am always here for you.”

“
Thank you,” Tethina said again.
She gave Ipid one last small hug then turned to the coach. She
inspected the vehicle quickly then moved toward the
steps.

The driver met her with an outstretched hand,
but Dasen waved him away and offered his own hand to help her up
the three tall steps. Tethina looked at the driver then Dasen with
the same sour expression. "I am perfectly capable of getting into a
coach.” Dasen and the driver both stepped back in surprise and
watched her climbed into the box with three sure
strides.

Dasen looked back over his
shoulder as she climbed and saw Rynn standing behind him with a
wide smile. He turned and held his hand out. Rynn took it with a
snicker. “You are in
so
much trouble.”

“
I know” was all Dasen could say
in response. “Are you sure you will be alright here in the village?
You could always come with us to Lake Mithrel. I am sure there are
enough rooms.”

“
And deny you this time with your
bride? I would never do that to a friend.” He flashed a sarcastic
grin. “You’ll do fine,” he finally turned serious, “just give her
time to get to know you. Trust me, once she knows you, she’ll
realize how lucky she is. You are a good person, Dasen. There is no
way that she won’t see that.”

Dasen was so shocked by the seriousness of
Rynn’s words that he did not know how to respond. For a few
heartbeats, he searched for the sarcasm that must be present, but
finding none, he clasped his friend’s hand, pulled him into an
embrace, and said, “Thank you for everything. You have been a true
friend.”

Rynn pulled back. “No need to
thank me. I’m having the time of my life. These people know how to
celebrate. The drinks are flowing and no one cares if you know how
to dance, if the conversation is proper, or if your choice of song
has to do with barmaids with expanded services. Maybe I
should
be a counselor in
a village like this.”

Dasen laughed. “I don’t think this qualifies
as a typical Teaching Day lesson.”

“
Well it should. I’m not sure what
anyone would learn about the Order, but they’d definitely have more
fun.”

Dasen laughed again then turned to his father.
“You should not leave Tethina waiting,” he warned. “I will see you
in a couple of days for the Solstice, right?”

“
Then, or even sooner. Tethina
doesn’t want to be away from her aunt, so we may be back every
day.”

“
That’s a good thing you’re doing.
I don’t think she has long, and it would be terrible for Tethina if
she couldn’t be here at the end.”

Dasen nodded as an uncomfortable silence
stretched between them. “You will be alright here?” he finally
asked.

“
Certainly, I have work to do in
any case. I should tour the work sites and see how they are
organizing the cutting teams. They are also asking for new roads,
tools, and all number of other things. And the governor’s seeming
prosperity needs looking it to. In all, I could probably spend
weeks sorting everything out. I will have plenty to keep me busy
while we wait for the other coach to be repaired.”

Dasen nodded again, but his eyes drifted to
the coach where Tethina waited. “You want to be on your way,” Ipid
started again. “And so you should be. I am sending half of the
guards with you. The governor assures me that the forest masters
have doubled their patrols in the past few weeks and no bandit
activity has been reported, but don’t take any chances. If anything
out of the ordinary happens, let the men do their jobs. Don’t try
to manage the situation. They know what they’re doing.”

“
Certainly, father, I am sure we
won’t have any issues. Now I should probably be on my
way.”

“
Of course, have a good trip and
remember what we discussed.” Ipid gave Dasen a serious look then
pulled him into an embrace. “I am proud of you, son,” he whispered.
“You are doing the right thing. It may not seem like it now, but
you will see.”

Dasen looked a last time at his father then
turned and waved to the crowd. “Thank you all for your hospitality.
I will always remember the kindness you have shown us on this
momentous occasion. I look forward to seeing you again soon.” With
that and a hand from the driver, he climbed the steps into the
coach.

Chapter 10

Inside the coach, Dasen found Tethina
sitting in the center of the bench at the back of the compartment.
The look she gave him as he entered told him that he was not
invited to sit next to her, so he sat at the front of the coach
facing her. The small table that could be affixed into the middle
of the coach had been removed leaving a gaping space between them
that seemed like miles. Dasen settled into his seat, adjusting the
cushion at his back, and turned to Tethina. She stared at him with
cold, hard eyes. Her mouth was a stern line. One hand clutched the
bench beneath her. The other was hidden in the pocket of her dress.
Her entire body was tense as if preparing for a fight.

Dasen sighed and cursed himself for
this turn of events. He drew a breath to explain it all away but
was interrupted by the sound of the window behind him opening.
“We’re ready, sir,” the driver declared.

“
Thank you, Esso,” Dasen
replied. He turned to Tethina. “Are you ready? Do you need
anything? It will be at least two hours before we reach Lake
Mithrel.”

“
I’m fine.”

“
We are ready, Esso,”
Dasen called through the open slat then pulled it shut. He turned
and waved out the window to his side. The crowd outside erupted in
cheers, salutes, and well-wishes. Ipid and Rynn waved. A second
later, Esso called to the guards and horses, and with a lurch, the
coach began to roll.

Dasen kept his attention focused out
the window without really seeing the people then trees rolling
past. He tried to order his thoughts, wondering how to best to
explain away Tethina’s misplaced fears. He turned his attention
finally back to her and was caught by the same hard stare. “Well,”
he began but then did not know how to proceed. He watched Tethina
for a moment, examined the way the soft fabric of the dress rested
on her thin frame, tried and failed to keep his eyes from the white
expanse of skin that led down to her chest, from the tan ankle that
peeked out between the dress and her horrifically blood-stained
shoes.

The clearing of her throat brought
Dasen’s attention back to her face and what were, if anything, even
harder eyes. “You seem to be upset with me,” he started. “I think I
know why, but it is all a misunderstanding.”

Tethina harrumphed. Her hand moved in
her pocket.

Dasen drew a breath to continue, but
the sound of the driver’s window opening interrupted him again.
Perturbed, he prepared ask what the man wanted but didn’t get the
chance. “Try not to shake the coach too much back there,” the
driver bellowed. “I do 'ave ta keep it on the road." He erupted
into laughter and slammed the window shut.

Dasen’s face brightened, but he could
not decide if it was from embarrassment or anger. The driver was
clearly drunk, which was offense enough, but what he had said was
far beyond acceptable. He considered halting then and there to
dismiss the man but was not sure if any of the guards could manage
the coach. In any case, he would very soon find himself out of
Ipid’s employ and lucky if he could find work driving a dung
cart.

Infuriated, he turned to apologize to
Tethina and was caught by a stare that set him back. Her cold eyes
had turned to purest ice. Her face was chiseled, jaw clenched so
her teeth might crack, nostrils flared. This was an expression of
pure hatred surpassing even the one she had given Pete Magee in the
village. The unbridled ferocity took Dasen’s breath away, but that
was nothing in comparison to what he saw when his eyes tracked the
shimmer of light between them. There, in Tethina’s outstretched
hand, was the blade of a short knife.

Dasen’s jaw dropped. He no longer
considered his apology. The only thing he could think about was
that knife, and he pushed himself against the wall at his back to
maximize the distance between himself and its sparkling point. He
watched that knife for a long time, wondering if it would soon be
standing from his chest. Tethina’s knuckles were white from the
force of her grip. The tip trembled, scribbling erratically in the
shadows.

“
What . . . what are you .
. . ?” Dasen tried to speak without ever taking his eyes from the
knife.

“
Shut up!” Tethina
ordered. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Pete and his gang told
me exactly what you had planned. I didn’t want to believe them. I
wanted to think you were different, that Milne and Ipid were right
about you, but now I see how it really is.” She brushed a tear
angrily from her eye with her free hand. That motion cut Dasen
almost as surely as the knife.

“
I . . . I am,” Dasen
tried. “I mean, I was . . . .”

“
I told you to SHUT UP!”
Tethina yelled. The knife leapt forward. Dasen pressed himself
against the wall until he dared not even breathe. “I won’t be some
toy for you. We won’t be doing anything to make this coach shake,
and if you force yourself on me, I will find a time and I will make
sure you can never do it again. Do you understand me?” Tethina
shook the knife. Dasen could only nod.

“
I wanted this to work,”
she continued, emotion creeping into her voice. “I really did. I
wanted to believe that you could be kind and understanding. But now
I see that you are just another asshole boy, just like the ones
back in that Order-cursed village.”

“
Tethina, please,” Dasen
pleaded. “Let me explain.”

“
Explain what? How you
planned to ‘fuck the wildcat out of me’? How you planned to ‘chain
me to your bed until I begged you to treat me like the proper girl
I should have been all along’? How you planned to rape me right
here in your coach while your driver and guards watched? Were they
going to get a turn?” Tethina’s voice was sharp but tears were
coursing down her cheeks. She brushed them violently away. The
knife shook more erratically, but it did not yield.

“
How . . . how could you
think that?” Dasen whispered. “I would never . . . I could not even
imagine. How can you even think me capable of . . . .”

THWACK! THWACK! TWHACK!
THWACK!
cut Dasen’s words short.
Resonating from the back of the coach, the sound was unmistakable.
The driver bellowed the obvious a second later, “ATTACK!” The coach
leapt forward, nearly sending Dasen from his seat.