The Garnet Dagger (7 page)

“Let me fix your arm.”

She bit her lip, but nodded.

This hurt her, I knew. I eased her limp arm up and forced the shoulder joint back into socket. Felt the joint jolt into place. Her skin paled and sweat glistened on her forehead.

She pushed past me and proceeded to climb down the tree using her good hand, careful not to use her fingers. It was awkward at best. Any moment, and she could lose her footing and fall. After she passed the next limb, she glanced up at me.

“Are you going to wait till they burn the tree down with you in it?”

In answer, I skipped down the tree past her. Landing with a thud, I heard the wooden door above us in the tower crash open.

“Good thanks to you lass, but I must be on my way.”

Her foot slipped on a branch. “You promised.” Catching herself, pain shifted over her face as she braced herself despite her injury. But I could not linger to play nursemaid to a girl. Besides, she was a distraction to me. I could not afford to delay my mission.

“Promised nothing. But thank you for your help just the same.” I made my tone neutral.

The men in the tower yelled for us to stop. Celeste paid them no heed and continued her climb down.

Snatched up my pack and placed it around my shoulders. I turned to run toward the forest and disappear.

Instead, guilt plummeted into my gut. She had helped me.

Traitors, my feet refused to flee and leave her to her own devices. If not for her, I’d still be strapped to that table.

Her escape of the chambers scorched my heart too. For her trouble, I’d broken the bones in her hand. My eyes drifted to her form, struggling to climb down. At her pace, she’d take all day to reach the ground or fall. And she had the dagger.

After a sigh, I raced back up the tree to her.

Her arrogant lift of her head made me smile.

“Hold on to me.” I assisted her to get closer to me among the branches. Her good arm around my neck.

She was lighter than air. And again, I thought of angels skipping along clouds.

Used one hand to climb, my other clasped around her waist.

Within seconds, my boots thumped on the ground. She moved to break free, but I heard the men racing down the stairs. Moments and they’d be upon us. I could not take her with me on my journey no matter how much I wanted to make sure she was safe from her captors. I owed her for helping me escape. At the very least I should return the favor.

“Nay, fair lady. I will rush you to safety before I leave.”

With a nod, she tightened her grip. I tore through the valley and into the forest with dogs and men on our trail.

Miles I ran with her in my arms. I dared not stop. Leaping over a boulder I felt her suck in a breath, for I bumped her injury.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. No longer did I smell the mangy stench of the dogs they’d sent after us. But still I ran. When I knew they couldn’t track us, then I’d stop.

Relief settled in my shoulders at hearing the sound of rushing water. Rounding a cluster of bushes, I waded into the river. Stinging cold numbed my legs, but I pressed on.

Her teeth chattered after I slipped and dunked her halfway underneath the water. But she never complained. I smiled, despite my resolve not to let this slip of a girl get underneath my skin. Liana would have ripped my head off if I’d slipped with her into water. Remembering my dead love, I felt my throat tighten.

Trudged a mile or so north in the river, before I allowed my soggy boots to tramp across the snow covered ground.

Surveying our distance, I judged would take the dogs at least a day to catch up. If they found our trail at all.

I moved with ease into the dense forest. Limbs stripped bare of leaves scratched the sky above us. Seeing a boulder had burst from the snow, I set her down upon the rock.

As if she’d come from a carriage ride, she dusted off her brown robes. In the sunlight, her short hair glowed like a golden aura around her head. Lifting up the edge or her robe she squeezed out the excess water with one hand.

“Let me see your injury.”

She stretched out her arm. Three fingers colored green and lined in purple.

Wincing, my fingers pressed gingerly against her flesh. A tingling coursed through me. I stepped back, dropping her arm.

From the escape of the torture chamber, I knew my curse. Never could I touch another. With emotion, good or ill, my power reached out, snatching
kajh
, the life essence.

No longer would food sustain me. Death fed me.

My shoulders slumped. Never would I taste a woman’s kiss. Liana’s pale face flooded through my mind again. Her innocent kiss had brought her destruction.

Blinded by the past, I stomped off. After I was some distance from Celeste, I stopped.

Built the rage within me, I punished myself with blows to my chest.

When my anger was appeased, I gathered twigs to set Celeste’s hand. Needed binding so the bones would mend straight, I rent the edge off my silk tunic.

At my entering, she stuffed a piece of flat bread from my pack in her mouth.

“Didn’t think you’d need it,” she said between chews. Her cheeks plumped out from the wad of food.

How she managed to speak with so much food crammed into her mouth was beyond me. I nodded and her eyes twinkled. She pulled out another piece.

Kneeling in front of her, I held my hand out for her injured one. I’d covered my hand in the torn silk from my tunic so as not to touch her skin with mine. Hopefully it would help.

Her fingers brushed mine, and I forced down the coursing ache to know her essence even through the silk barrier.

“This will hurt.”

“I know.” She looked paler again.

I felt along her fingers, feeling the bump of the bones already fusing together. Three breaks. I tugged each finger and set it straight.

Each time, she gagged but did not vomit. My hands shook, but the bones were straightened so they would heal properly. She was brave. Or perhaps she was used to such torture that this seemed bearable. I felt anger at what had been done to her flare inside my chest. Before my mind could conjure up bloody broken images of her body, I snatched up the two sticks I had gathered.

Quickly, I set the sticks along her wrist and hand. Then wrapped the silk cloth around. Tied it off and then she set her arm across her lap. Grateful that my curse seemed satisfied with the monks I had just killed and didn’t gravitate to her
kajh
yet.

It was too dangerous to risk a large fire, so I tossed a pile of sticks near her boulder while she continued to eat.

Winter wind wailed at us and I saw her shiver. Gripping two sticks, I rubbed them together, hoping for a spark.

Nothing.

Hearing her whimper with each gust of wind, I strained three more times.

“No use,” I said as her teeth chattered, “snows made the wood too wet.” Cursing, I brushed the fragments of the sticks off my hands. At least I could offer her dry clothes. I stalked to my pack and removed a clean tunic and trousers.

“Here, they’ll keep you warm.” Elvin clothes, woven from threads that cooled you during the summer, and warmed you during the winter.

Awkwardly, I set the clothes in her lap, then turned and walked off leaving her alone to change.

I yearned to watch her, but I kept my eyes locked on the clouds skirting above.

“Done.”

Dressed in my cream tunic and russet trousers, I trembled to touch her. Even though her frame was far too thin, her hips curved underneath the fabric.

Her brown robe tossed over a low limb to dry.

Struggled in my mind over her. Bring her with me or leave her behind?

In the end, I decided to take her to the nearest town. Make sure she fared well, and after I got the dagger back, leave. I promised myself it would only be until then and no longer, but it felt like a lie.

“When you’re up to travel, I’d like to find rooms for us at the nearest town.”

She tilted her head as if I told her I’d grow another set of ears. Thinking this, my fingers brushed over my hair to cover my ears.

Her voice reminded me of songbirds in the spring. “I believe a warm bath and bed would do us both good.”

Images of her naked as I dragged a soapy hand along her long legs made my mouth water. I shook my head. As soon as I could, I’d set my feet away from her.

I must find the witch. Pierce her heart and spill her blood.

Hours later, we arrived at a town. My cloak wrapped around her. Even so, shudders wracked her body with each gust of the wind.

Only the evergreen trees sprinkled among the bare branches showed courage against the freezing winter. They wore the snow and ice on their branches like trophies.

Without my cloak to at least draw my hood, I felt naked. My cap lost, left behind in the torturous village we fled.

Worried, my hands kept creeping into my hair pushing down the strands to cover my ears.

She walked beside me into the town. “No one will notice.”

“The last place did.” I kicked aside a pebble along the dirt road.

Late afternoon sun melted the snow along the ground. Patches of ice spread along the grass and clung to branches. Passing through the town square, the sun dipped into the horizon.

“Come with me.” She took a detour back to the line of pine trees.

“Forget something?”

“Aye.”

I did not like the way she stared at my hair.

“I’ll need a disguise. No one will give us a room if they think we’re slaves.”

At this my eyebrows lifted. How would they know?

“Slaves or criminals have hair short.” She touched one of her golden spikes with her good hand. “I need yours.”

“How much?” I dreaded her answer. Why didn’t I leave her back at the monk’s tower? But I had to know she was safe. Perhaps if I could protect one innocent, I’d redeem myself in my eyes. Would it make me less of a monster?

“Just turn around so I may cut enough for myself.” With my grumble, she added, “I won’t give you a tonsure.”

Before I argued, she spun me round. Then I felt the tug of the dagger on my hair.

“There.”

I inched my hand up to feel the damage. Nay, she did not make me bald by human standards, but now my hair hung to my shoulders. With a good wind, the hair would lift off my ears instead of concealing them.

“Hold this.” She handed me one end of my severed hair.

She rummaged through my pack and tore off the edge of one of my tunics.

Then she used the dagger on a nearby pine until the sap oozed out between the bark. With the blade, she stroked the sticky sap across the end of my tunic.

“Give me the hair, pieces at a time.”

As I did, she laid each piece along the strip until all my hair lined the inside. Since she could use just one hand, and knocked my offers to help aside, the sun dipped behind the trees.

Within an hour or less, dusk would color the sky.

“I’ll need your help with this.” She picked up one end of the strip. “Tie the ends together at the nape of my neck.”

Why we made this wig as the sticky sap stuck to my fingers I wondered why for the hundredth time since she chopped off my hair.

Then the strip, sap side against her head, was in place. If I’d not seen her put the piece together, would have thought was her own black hair hanging halfway down her back.

Then she used the snow to remove the excess sap from the dagger. Before I blinked, the dagger disappeared into wherever she hid it before.

“Now we’re ready.” Her strides to the village made me snatch up my pack and rush after her.

Disconcerted to see my black hair wave at me from underneath the strip as I followed.

Instead of going to the edge of town for lodging, she turned on her heel and into the nearest inn.

I snatched her elbow. “What are you doing?”

“Getting us a room.” Her smile almost made me smile back.

“We need to find an inn farther away.”

“Nay, if they come for us this will be the last place they’ll think to look. All will assume we went to the farthest inn.”

Appearing nonchalant, she pushed forward into the inn’s doorway.

Inside, greasy men snapped their stares on her. I heard their lewd whispers. Anger coursed through me and ignited the pressure of my curse within me.

But this time, I knew what this feeling was. My curse and hunger to feed on a living being’s essence.

My body fueled by this, and not food and water as before that cursed night. This thought brought the acid taste of bile up into my throat.

Still, anger to drain these men until their eyes sunk into their sockets for staring at her pulsed with each beat of my heart.

As though oblivious to her audience, Celeste marched to the bar. Then she rapped on the wooden counter. “Have you a room to rent for the night?”

“Got a room upstairs.” The innkeeper limped over. Wiry sprockets of red hair shot out from his head.

She clasped her hand on the counter and I noticed her nails, jagged and caked with dirt, before she hid them.

Did the innkeeper wonder how she stood balanced on such thin legs? Her knobby knees pressed up through the fabric of my trousers she wore.

“How much?”

“Three tronce,” he replied.

“Truly?” her breath came out raspy, “does the King himself wait upon us then?”

“Nay,” the innkeeper cleared his throat. “It’s a fair price.”

“Aye, if the Queen scrubs the floors.” She leaned in. “But at the looks of things, I’d say the other inn fairs better at their cleaning.”

“Three tronce or you can go elsewhere.”

His glare brought a shrug to her shoulders and she turned away.

“Wait,” he said after her as she rounded the nearest table to the exit. “Two tronce, and I — I, include a hearth, hot bath and one meal.”

“Two meals.” Not a step did she move until he nodded in agreement.

She nudged me as my mouth hung open. “Pay him.”

As she dipped into a curtsy, I fumbled for the coin pouch. A few copper coins jingled inside.

After I placed two coins in his palm, he gave the directions to the room.

“We’ll take the first meal in our chamber.”