The Binding (38 page)

“Ziri’
s strong and fast, but he doesn’t have our speed or know this area as we do,” I respond.

“Why hasn’t he climbed the wall yet?”

“Your shield prevents him from finding us.
H
ave you forgotten their limitations?”

“
No ,” Tolan says , “
I know the Lit hi are kin and closely resemble the Sidhe. They’re strong and fast, hunters and thieves, but Ziri…Ziri is different. Unlike his people, he has the ability of drifting . And, like you, he can see and speak with others in that state.”

Changing the subject, I ask, “Alorn, can he move on his own?”

“No,” he answers , not f ooled by the change of subject.
“I think the best route to take is to send Mellis and Phoris ahead, taking Alorn with them. Without Lily and Julia hindering them, they can make it to the border in only a few hours. Once within the realm, they can find help from the healer Mili. This way we can concentrate on carrying Lily and Julia at a safe pace. We should make it to the realm in half the time.”

I nod agreeing to his plan adding, “Once in the realm we’ll have friends we can call on and maybe get to the Oak Tower in a day, maybe a day and a half. Still, it’ll be dangerous.”

“We all
knew the risk when we agreed to come with you, Tharin. That was our choice.”

I turn from him. I know what he’s telling me and I’m ashamed to look him in the eye. I accused Lil y of putting all of us at risk, but the truth is it was our decision. We knew the danger. I knew the risks and could have let Tolan and the others retrieve Lily, but I felt hon or—
bound to bring my betrothed home myself.

I finally glance at Tolan and nod. We walk back to the cave deciding that a few more hours to let Lily and Julia rest would be okay. Mellis back on his feet is not just good news because he survived the dagger, but because he’s one less person we have to worry about.

Tolan heads back to his sleeping bag near the fire and lays on top of it, his eyes already closed. I stand looking around and then finally call Cessa to me. She strolls in from behind the draped blanket and comes to my side. I st r oke her large head and ask for her help. Cessa yawns and moves to the cave’s opening, finds the shadows and disappears. Even though I can’t see her, I feel her settling in between the entrance and the fire. Having Cessa out gives me some comfort, but I still can’t bring myself to lie down just yet.

I walk over to the draped blanket and quietly slip in. Julia’s snoring welcomes me and I find it comforting. I feel the tension leave me as I walk over to where Lily is sleeping. Her hair is loose and I remember how it hung down when she was propped up on her elbow as I yelled at her. Her beauty angered me even more at the time because all I could think of was how Ziri looked at her. To have the Lithi see Lily only in a blanket, her hair down around her shoulders , inviting anyone to touch it, nearly drove me insane.
That’s what really bothered me, not that she just took off, although it was still a stupid move on her part.

I sigh, knowing that protecting Lily is the toughest challenge I’ve ever had .
I gently move a stray hair aside and trace the outline of her cheek. She opens her eyes briefly and I notice their swollen lids. A pang of guilt hits me and I want to kiss her eyes to close them back to sleep. She blinks once before closing them on her own .

I bend down and gently kiss her forehead . I turn from her quickly and walk out before I give in to my urges. I promise myself as I make my way to my own sleeping bag that the wedding will happen as soon as we reach the Oak Tower .

*

Riding on a speeding elf is like being trap ped in a Ferris wheel that has broken free from it s re straints and is speeding out of control. Actually, that sounds a little tame.
It’s more like riding one of those fast, sl eek Japanese motorcycles that has gone way over its capacity to maintain its own speed limit. I kept my head down for the first part of our journey, but once we stopped to rest, Julia and I found ourselves on the ground throwing up , dizzy with nausea .

Before leaving the safety of the cave , while it was still dark, Tolan had given us something to drink . He said it would steady our equil ibrium and help to control the nausea. He was wrong ―
it didn’t do either . We felt seasick with the never ending snow as the cursed sea.

Mellis and Phoris were already gone by the time I was up, taking Alorn with them.
Julia and I dressed quickly and ate something that looked and tasted like oat meal. It was the best breakfast we ’ve had in a long time. Throughout our preparations to leave for the borders, Tharin had not said a word to me .
Julia and Tolan did their best to keep things light . Despite their efforts , by the time we were ready to leave , I had become more withdrawn , and Tharin’s mood grew darker.

Before taking off again, Tolan gave us something he said would make us feel better. In feeling better, he means it would knock us out. We gladly take it from him. As a precau tion, both Tolan and Tharin tie us to them , allowing us to make the next part of the trip in an unconscious state .

Julia
, of course, has no problem being tied to Tolan . The same can’t be said for Tharin and me . I climb onto Tharin’s back for the second time today. I wait patiently while he binds my arms togeth er as he did before and secures the straps around my knees. I w ince as he tightens the straps, but I hold back from gasping out loud.

We start off as we did before, with them moving at a slow trot. If the circumstances were different, I might have enjoyed the ride. The rural landscape is tranquil and covered in a white blanket. S
tark bare trees scattered along it s edges , while lush pine s spread out toward the mountain s and beyond. I rest my head on Tharin’s shoulder and feel whatever it was that Tolan gave us start to take its e ffect on me. I sigh, wishing that instead of running for our lives, we were walking hand in hand in this breathtaking place.

As I feel my eyes start to close I see shadows among the trees keeping pace with us. I blink at the shadows as I make out their shape between the trees. Wolves! I try to warn Tharin, but whatever Tolan gave me is already taking me under and my shout of warning comes out as a heavy sigh.

*

I watch as Lily and Julia both hit the ground, miserable and sick from riding on our backs. I knew that this woul d be the outcome, but it couldn’t be helped. With Ziri now in the picture, I want as much distance between us as possible. I know that the Lithi doesn’t possess our speed, but he’s cunning and clever .
I wouldn’t doubt that he could find a way to catch up with us before we reach the Oak Tower . There are only a handful of doorways to Velesi known only to the royal family of each clan. However, it’s not uncommon for a royal relative to sell information to the highest bidder. It would be easy for Ziri to pay for the location of one of the doorways. This portal is only known to Tolan, our father, our three cousins and me . If Ziri is on this side of the Velesi borders , he didn’t get here through this way.

I walk over to Tolan, who is watching Julia and Lily sympathetically.

“Will they be al l right?” I ask approach ing him.

“Yes
.
I’ll give them something to knock them out for the next part of the trip,” he answers.

“Will that be necessary?” I question.

“If I don’t, they’ll be unable to move on their own once we pass the Velesi borders.”

I nod, seeing his point.
It’s dangerous here, but once we pass the borders, we ’
ll have to stay even more alert.
I’m certain that word of the bounty h as spread across the realm , especially if each bounty hunter has a different reward offered to them. Every Velesi lowlife will be at our heels. I look over at Lily who is now leaning against a tree trying to pull herself together.

Ziri. I know what he wants and why he thinks taking Lily from me will help his cause. Maybe prior to seeing Lily he may have thought of her as a means to get my father’s attention . A ft er seeing her last night, I don’t think that i s the case any longer. I saw how he looked at her, surprised by her beauty. I also didn’t miss his challenge, the last look he threw me before turning away and leaving. I felt it in my chest , his sudden need to take her from me, and that feeling still lingers.
It will never happen.

Because of his lineage, Ziri is the only Lithi who is able to do the drifting among his people. His heritage is also the reason he’s able to see, hear and connect with others while they are drifting and he’s not. Thankfully, he’s unable to communicate telepathically as we do , but unfortunately , he’s aware that it’s one of Tolan’s and my abilities. A family trait.

I stand watching Lily .
I admit to myself that if I weren’t so angry at her last night I would have enjoyed admiring her in that old blanket. Instead, all I can see was how Ziri stared at her, taking in her features as if to stamp it into his memory. I must have been blind n ot to see what every male who has come across her path has seen upon first meeting her. I was so sure that Kalis was to be the one I b ind with. Now, as I watch Lily trying to shake off the nausea, I don’t believe there really was, is or will be any other choice for me. She accepted the Binding freely , and because of her human side she can’t remember, or maybe doesn’t want to. I think it’s time that I start reminding her, but how to go about it is the question . How do you make someone remember a lost dream?
It doesn’t matter , I tell myself. The wedding and vows are only a formality compared to the Binding. She belongs to me.

I make my way to her as we prepare to go. When she looks up at me I suddenly remember during the drifting that while Lily took my hand, she watched Ziri just as closely as he watched her. Did she find him attractive? I can’t believe that she’s shallow enough to only go for looks .
But, then again, I can’t believe she would go for someone who is const antly “manhandling”
her, either. Or someone who would make her cry…
I’ve d one that how many times since I’v e met her?

The thought of her and Ziri together eats at me . W
hen I turn my back to her so she can get on, I’m ready to kill him. I bind her arms around me , and then her knees tightly, as if this would keep her with me for good. She remains quiet . W
e start off slow to give her and Julia a chance to let whatever concoction Tolan gave them take e ffect. It only takes a few minutes before I hear her sigh heavily and go limp.

“Tharin,”
calls out Tolan.

“I know, b rother. I see them , t o o. It’s the old couple from the gas station , ”
I answer.

“What? What old couple ?
I’m talking about the wolves running along side us,”
he counters as he glances over at me.

I laugh
, “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you along the way. But, yes, I see them. They’ve been with us since we left the cave.”

“How’
s that possible? How are they able to keep up with us?”
he questions.

“They’re Sidhe. And before you ask, no, I have no clue how they change into wolves. They didn’t share that with me, but Tolan,”
I start .

“Yes?”

“From what I sensed , when I last communicated with them , they’re of royal blood. Which c lan they’re from, I don’t know. That, too, is something they didn’t sh are with me.”

“Royal blood,”
he repeats. After a moment of silence, he says, “As soon as we get back you have to tell f ather about this. He may know of a c lan of shape—
shifters , although I’ve never heard him or anyone speak of it.”

“Neither have I, ” I answer .

“What did they tell you?”

“That there ’
s an old evil behind the talks of war and pitt ing the clans against each other. The she-wolf gave it a name, Eathos. Supposedly, Falsad is only an underling of this Eathos. She also mentioned that he’s been here before and almost ripped the Velesi realms apart.”

Tolan reaches up for Julia’s hand and asks, “Did she say where we can find this Eathos?”

“No, and yes. She told me he’s among us at the Oak Tower , but wasn’t able to discover under what guise.”

“What? How’s that possible? Father, or you, or even Alorn would have sensed his presence,”
replies Tolan in disbelief .

“It seems that black magic is being used, which means this Eathos is either some kind of wizard, or wors e , demon.”
For a moment, we’re quiet, each lost in our own thoughts. Then I added, “Oh, by the way, Lucas wasn’t Lily’s real brother, Harlu is.”

“What?”
Tolan is so stun ned by this news that he almost lost his footing , which would have sent him and Julia crashing into a nearby tree.

“Oh, and yeah, he’s not just her brother, he’s her twin , ”
I finish.

“Wow. W
ell, ah, good luck with that.”
He glances over at me wit h an apologetic look of one who i s seeing another man walk to his doom. I shake my head back at him. A lot of help he is.