Pariah (The New Covenant Series) (28 page)

T
he door slowly creaked open
as I entered my bedroom. Thankfully, I found it empty. Riven’s bags were still there, but he wasn’t. I grabbed my leather satchel and ran to the basin room.

Hastily, I stuffed my brush, a couple
of dresses, a bar of soap, and two candle sticks inside. I ran back into the bedroom to search for food. Seeing none, I decided to forgo the food as I would probably heave it all up on the way back to the mainland. Rifling through the drawers, I found the obsidian necklace and dangling earrings from the wedding and stuffed them and a couple of silver candlesticks into my bag, which was now bulging, part of a dress hanging partially out of one end.

My plan, though not c
omplete, was to find someone to sail me back across the water, pay them with the jewelry and candlesticks, and escape before anyone was the wiser. I felt bad leaving Lil behind but knew Matthias would take care of her. I snuck back out of the room and started toward the shore, and then ran quickly down the shore away from the palace. Running in the surf that would erase my footprints, I passed several more large buildings flanked the palace and then a few houses and then only a house every half mile or so. I decided I’d gone far enough and needed to look for a boat and someone to bribe.

I walked quickly around a bend in the island and
found a small natural cove. A wooden boat with a tattered faded blue sail was gently rocked to and fro in the harbor. A pathway cut into the sea grass and into the trees beyond. A beautifully ornate solid wooden home emerged from within the trees, blending seamlessly into the forest. Summoning my courage, I pounded on the door, and it opened, revealing a guy probably a few years older than me. He was tall and long, muscles stretched over his bare chest. His hair was sandy, and his eyes sky blue. His face was square and golden. Stubble coated his jaw line.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes. I saw a boat, and I need to get to the mainland as soon as possible. I was hoping I could hire you to take me.”

“The mainland?” he asked.

“Yes. I need to go as soon as possible,” I said.

leaned against the ivy c
arved door facing, narrowed his eyes and said, “What payment do you offer?”

I rummaged through my leat
her satchel and brought out the necklace, earrings, and silver candlesticks. “This is all I have.” I prayed it was enough.

He smirked. “This is it? This is what you offer?” His tone was
incredulous. I hoped I hadn’t offended him with my offer.

I nodded. “It’s all I have, sir.” I looked at my bare toes.

“What about the ring?” he asked, nodding toward my hand.

I grabbed my ring. “It was my mother’s. It’s not part of the
deal. I’m sorry. If this isn’t enough, I can just try to find someone else. It’s okay.” I started to grab the candlesticks to pack them again when he crouched down and laid his hand on mine.

“I accept your offer. I need some time to prepare for our
journey and some chores that must be done before we can leave. We can set sail at dawn if that is agreeable.”

“Yes. That’s fine. Of course.”
I inhaled deeply, nervous that I would be found before then. I wiped my sweaty hands down my midnight-blue cotton dress. “I can help you if you’d like,” I offered, “as further payment, of course.”

He nodded and motioned for me to follow him. “Name’s
Cain.” I entered the wooden mansion and stepped into what I can only describe as a work of art. Intricate carvings adorned the wood all around me. It was breathtaking. Angels, flowers, animals, more ivy, waves, the sun, and hands clasped in prayer.

entire floor plan was open, and the ceilings were higher th
an anything I’d ever seen. A wooden spiral staircase led to a small loft area. A large carved fireplace stood proudly in the main room adorned with layers of candles and wax streaming from their wicks. Several wooden benches and alcoves were carved into the walls in different places. A beautiful wooden table and chairs with carved winding roses and thorns sat to the side of the kitchen. A smaller fireplace carved with fruit and bread and pitchers sat in the kitchen, where an iron pot hung over the licking flames.

“Lara. My name is Lara.”

Rooms emerged toward the rear of the dwelling, undoubtedly bedrooms or basin rooms. “Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say.

For once in my life, I was render
ed speechless. I felt as if any words I used to describe the beauty of this home would somehow cheapen it. Cain smiled, revealing two dimples. Not as deep as Wesley’s one dimple had been, but nice nonetheless.

“Can you clean up in here whi
le I gather food for the trip?” he asked. I nodded, and he headed out a door in the rear of the kitchen. A simple saying carved above the door frame. “Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread.” The words sent a shiver up my back.
Where on earth would an angel fear to tread?

I found some rags, wet them, and cleaned the table, chairs, and counters in the kitchen. I wiped the kitchen basin down and moved around the main living space, washing the surfaces and removing the dust that had accumulated.

After I’d finished washing th
e main fireplace, the back door flew open, and Cain emerged with an armful of fruits and vegetables. He placed them on the counter and looked around the room. “Hmmm. You did a good job. Thanks,” he said, appraising my work.

“You’re welcome.”

“Wanna come help me feed the animals?” he asked.

I nodded and followed h
im back outside. He led me to a small shed and handed me a wooden bucket filled with feed of some sort. We walked across the yard to a fenced in area, holding several chickens. He showed me how to throw the feed and left me to it. Chickens poured out of the hen house and clucked and pecked at one another to get to the feed on the ground. Feathers flew up and then drifted gently to the ground.

Cain went back to the shed and f
illed a large bucket with oats. He went to a small barn just past the chicken coup and slid the door back, revealing two horses. One white spotted with dark brown and one gray and black. Both beautiful. Throwing the last of the chicken feed, I headed over. Cain filled their troughs with oats and tossed both horses an apple. He stroked the mane of the brown and white one while I moved to brush the gray and black one. The animal neighed in approval, and I stared at its large sad eyes.

“That’s Sadie,” he offered. “
She’s a good girl. And this guy is Sam.”

“I like their names,” I smiled.

Cain asked if I could cook, and though I hadn’t had much experience in that department, I felt I could figure it out, so I said yes and offered to make dinner. He led me to the garden and let me in a small, intricate wooden fence. Vines and wood curved over each other, providing protection to the contents of the lush garden. I chose some vegetables and gathered them in my dress and carried them back to the house. Cain stayed behind, aerating the earth and watering his plants. I chopped and diced the vegetables and made a sort of vegetable soup, which actually smelled pretty good, though it needed something. I heard a commotion at the hen house and then saw Cain emerge with a flopping beheaded chicken in one hand and a bloody machete in the other.
Maybe I chose the wrong sailor.

He went to work soaking the
bird in scalding water and then removed the feathers. He carved it and brought it to me. Just what the soup needed—meat. The soup boiled as the flames licked the bottom of the iron kettle. I prepared and added the meat and waited for it to boil. I would have made bread, but who was I kidding? I’d seen Ruth do it, but for the majority of my existence, my meals had been prepared by someone else. Cain apparently liked dinner and thanked me for making it.

He seemed like a man of few words, brooding and a bit dark. I
didn’t know him, though and didn’t want to make presumptions. I just hoped that he could get me across the water safely. I didn’t want to further impose, so I said that I would meet Cain at his boat at dawn. Cain said he would ask a nearby neighbor boy to tend his animals while he was away. We shook hands, and I headed toward the shore. I would be fine sleeping in the sand. It was warm, and the sand was still hot under my bare feet in places.

I settled down under a pa
lm tree, watching God paint the evening sky in a muted array of evening colors. The moon and stars emerged, sparkling against the indigo sky. I decided to swim for a bit, one last time. I wore my bikini under my dress to conserve space, so I peeled it off and waded into the gentle waves that were rolling into the calm cove water. I walked in to where the swells rose to my neck and enjoyed the warmth that still clung to the evening water after a day’s sunshine. I closed my eyes and floated as the waves moved me up and down in the gentle current.

Looking to the shore, I saw
Cain standing at the shoreline with his arms crossed. I stood up and yelled, “What are you doing here?”

“Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?”

“Yeah. I’m just going to camp out here.” I dipped my hair back into the water to smooth it out of my face.

“No. You can’t stay out here a
t night. It’s not safe. You can sleep in my guestroom or on a cot in the loft, but you’re not sleeping out here.” He walked over and picked my bag and dress up and started back toward me. “Come on.”

I exited the water begrudg
ingly and grabbed my dress from him and quickly covered myself. “Look, I’ll be fine.”

“No. If you want me to take you to the mainland,
you’ll listen to me tonight,” he said, turning his sky-blue eyes toward me. His lashes were sandy like his hair, and his skin was bronze. My pale skin grew jealous.

“Okay. Fine. I’ll take the loft. B
ut only if you’re sure. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything. I know you don’t know me or anything.”

“It’s fine. Let’s get back. We n
eed to rest. Big trip tomorrow. Hope you don’t get sea sick.” He laughed.

If he only knew.
Of course, in a matter of hours, he would be introduced to my incessant heaving. As much as I dreaded the feeling, I laughed at his ignorance of my queasiness.

I ran through the forest, branches scra
tching my arms and face, briars clung to my skirt and cut into my legs. My breath was frantic. “Don’t look back.” I reminded myself. “Just run!” I saw the trees thinning ahead and heard the water. If I can just make it to the shore, I’ll be safe. I’ll be okay. They won’t find me in the water. I can hide behind the rocks. I forgot how fast he was. I heard his footsteps. He was gaining on me. I push myself to run faster but tripped over my skirt and fell hard on the ground. I stumbled to right myself and take off once more, my knees bloody and throbbing now.

I looked back to make sure he w
as still behind me and then I’m lifted into the air, legs kicking and dangling precariously. “Gotcha!” A deep voice hissed into my ear.

I woke up panting and sweating,
trying to catch my breath. Cain ran from his room and took the spiral stairs two at a time until he crouched in front of me. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I just stared wildly around the room trying to remember where I was.

“What’s wrong, Lara?”

“We need to go. Now! Can we go?”

“It’s not dawn yet. It would
be difficult, but I suppose we could. Why? Are you in some sort of trouble? I kind of figured that you were leaving an abusive husband or something, but this seems bigger than something like that. What are you running from? Why the urgency?” He scanned my face, trying to read me.

“I have to leave the island. I d
on’t want to put you in any danger. I just think we should slip out now. I’m worried that they’ll find me. Can we leave, and can you make sure to sail as far from shore as possible until we pass the palace?” I threw my clothes and brush in the bag and tied my hair back with a ribbon.

“Wait,” he sat down on the
cot while I rushed around. “The palace? You need to explain. I can’t get involved in anything with the palace. This is my home, Lara. I need to be able to return with honor.”

“I know. Um. I’m running from
Martus and his sons. I need to get back to the mainland and keep running. They can’t find me. Can I just borrow your boat or something? You can stay here, and I’ll tie it up at the mainland and send word to you about where I leave the boat. Then you won’t be involved. You can just tell report your boat stolen and won’t even have to mention that we met.”