The Haret (The Haret Series) (29 page)

             
Raine hadn’t spoken the entire way and for that matter neither had she. She didn’t know what to say other than to ask him a ton of questions about their situation but her inquiry could wait for now; she was simply much too tired to drum up conversation. She shivered in the dampness and leaned closer to Raine to try and keep warm. She yawned and allowed her head to rest on his back.

             
“You’re tired?”

             
He broke the silence.

             
“Uh huh.” Her reply was barely audible.

             
“Take your rest then we still have a way to go but mind you to wrap your arms around my waist so I can hold your hands. I do not want you slipping off the horse while sleeping.”

             
She wrapped her arms around his waist; he glanced down at her hands and touched them gently.

             
“Your wrist looks broken are you in pain?”

             
“Yes.” She yawned again.

             
He said nothing else so she drifted off to sleep dozing off and on for about half an hour while the horse continued to trot through the wetlands. The trill and caw of various birds and wildlife soothed her spirit and allowed her to relax even more. Her mind drifted to Esther hopping she made it out of the woods okay. She was pretty sure she had since Raine had told Ian that they had killed all his men. Then her thoughts drifted to her mother and she wondered if she knew what happened to her and wondered how they must have felt when she never showed up at the homecoming game. Then she thought of her sisters and questioned when or if she would ever see them again. The thought brought tears to her eyes and suddenly she felt very alone and frightened and the idea of being so far away with no clue how to get back home was almost more than she could bear. Her body trembled in the cold and in fear of all the things that were transpiring around her.

             
The sun had almost set but there was still enough light for her to see the trail end at a set of secret stairs descending down a steep slope. She could not see where the steps led because they disappeared into an overgrowth of ferns, hanging vines and moss covered trees.

             
Raine climbed from the horse and helped her down gently grabbing hold of her elbow to help her maneuver the narrow staircase. She didn’t protest this time. Her legs were tired and wobbly and she feared she might slip and tumble all the way to the bottom.

             
They must have descended over a hundred steps when they arrived at still lake with black waters reflecting the glow of the moon. Several rustic boats with wooden paddles floated near the shore. Raine helped her into one and then pushed off the bank guiding the boat through the dark waters their vessel zig zagging amidst the many moss covered trees growing out of the lake. Frightened bull frogs jumped from their lily pads diving into the lake splashing and making ripples in the quiet water as their vessel drifted by.

             
Raine paddled the boat deeper into the wetlands cutting his oar into the water without making a sound. The only audible noise was the croaking of frogs and the song of crickets and cicadas and the continual trill of birds. Felicitas watched Raine move the boat along his azure eyes fixed straight ahead peering through the waves of his hair sticking to his face in perspiration. The seriousness of his expression revealed that his mind was obviously occupied on critical matters.             

             
Her stomach tightened as warmth burned inside and as annoyed as she was she couldn’t deny the attraction.

             
They glided along in silence for another half hour when she thought she heard the sound of a harmonica playing softly in the distance. That was strange to her because it seemed impossible for anyone to be anywhere near where they were yet the music continued and the sound of it was beautiful yet lonely and made her a little homesick.

             
“Where is the music coming from?”  She asked.

             
Raine pointed her attention to glowing lights up ahead. As they neared the source of the light she saw many little bungalows built on stilts standing out of the water. Some of the homes were dark and some were lit with the golden glow shining through the windows and reflecting off the water. She wondered what kind of people lived in this watery neighborhood and as they past one of the homes her curiosity in the matter was met when she saw a man sitting on his porch playing the lazy tune. He acknowledged Raine as they floated past and Raine nodded back.

             
Raine maneuvered the boat in front of a rustic cabin hidden just beyond two giant trees. He secured the boat to one of the supporting post, stepped out and helped her onto the front porch.

             
He lit a lantern dispelling the darkness allowing Felicitas a look around. The cabin was equipped with a small kitchen, a fireplace, a comfortable sitting room, two small bedrooms and a nice sized bathroom. She could see the place was well kept and stocked with plenty of food and supplies.

             
              She watched Raine move about the cabin with ease and she guessed he had been here many times before. He made small talk telling her he chose the wetlands as a defense against the fire breathing drakes. Many parts of Haret were burned out due to the Draco’s search parties incinerating entire villages while looking for the royal descendants from the two kingdoms. It was impossible for them to burn anything in the wetlands.

             
When Raine told her the bath was ready she eagerly went into the cozy restroom closing the door behind her. She removed the cursed dress and sunk into the sudsy tepid water. Raine had treated the bath with lavender and various other stimulating oils and milky potions. She washed as best she could with one hand and shampooed her hair and submerged herself under the waters to rinse it. While she soaked in the tub she smelled the delicious aroma of the food and smiled at the thought of Raine in the kitchen cooking for her. She had to admit he had been extremely kind by drawing a magnificent bath and as she relaxed in the milky water she decided to apologize for the hateful things she had said about him.

             
He tapped on the door and pushed it open bringing her a thirsty towel and a soft buccaneer type shirt.

             
“I’m sorry this is all I have for you to wear. I will see about getting you more appropriate clothing tomorrow but for tonight you will be comfortable in one of my shirts.”

             
He laid the tunic on the vanity then opened the towel and draped it across the edge of the tub. The milky water hid her body from his view so she waited until he left the room before standing. She toweled off and then massaged the sweet scented lotions on the vanity into her skin then slipped the soft shirt over her naked body. The hem stopped high on her thighs revealing much of her long ivory legs. She found a comb and ran it through her wet hair. Before leaving the bathroom she took a final look at herself in the mirror. Aside from her swollen lip and the nasty cut near her eye she looked presentable. She smiled at the thought of what her father would say should he see her in the buccaneer shirt with her naked legs exposed. He would be livid; especially if he knew she was in a cozy little bungalow alone with a very handsome young man. Her heart raced at the thought and the warm feeling filled her stomach again as she wondered what the rest of the evening would bring.

             
Raine prepared a delicious soup, warm bread with butter, a tray of fresh fruit and a steaming mug of a spicy cream drink she thought might be some type of tea but wasn‘t sure. He placed the meal on a tray so she could recline on the soft sofa while she ate. She noticed he stole a glance or two at her legs while bringing her the tray.

“I’ve summoned the doctor. He will be here soon and attend to your wounds.”

              She smiled for the first time in hours and the stretching of her split lip caused an agonizing pain. He touched her lip.

             
“Does it hurt to talk?”

She swallowed hard not expecting the warm feeling that rushed into her stomach.

              “Um…yes, sort of. I’m sorry I’m not very talkative right now.”

“You do not have to explain.” He said quietly.

She took the last swallow of the creamy beverage, placed the cup on the tray and dabbed at her mouth with the linen napkin then decided now would be a good time to apologize for her hatefulness earlier.

             
“I’m sorry…for the things I said. I don‘t really hate you.” Her words softened even more. “In fact I don’t really know you.”

             
He didn’t say anything while he took the tray back into the kitchen.  Felicitas wished she hadn’t added the last statement and was afraid she had offended him even more but she couldn’t deny her words; it was true, she didn’t really know anything about him. All her memories were like a foggy mist that rises into the air and then fades away, disappearing into nothingness. Her heart felt suddenly heavy and for the second time today she felt utterly alone and frightened not knowing where she was or who she was with or if she would ever find her way home again and for a brief second panic set in and she wondered if she was actually dreaming all of this and would soon wake in her bed unable to remember any of it. The thought was overwhelming and made her claustrophobic. She needed air so she walked to the front door and stepped out onto the porch and gazed down the watery path. The man with the harmonica was joined by another at a neighboring house playing a dulcimer and across the river, a few houses down; a woman sat strumming a harp like instrument.  At almost every little home people were sitting out on their porches enjoying the late evening orchestration. A young woman began singing along with the instruments. Her song was in another language and the sound of it was soothing and beautiful. The woman turned to her and smiled while she sang and it was then Felicitas felt Raine’s hands on her shoulders coaxing her back indoors. He acknowledged his neighbors with a nod of his head before escorting her back inside then closed the door behind them.

             
“I’d rather you stay hidden.” His voice was firm as if it were a demand instead of a favor. “You should get some rest now while you can. Word will travel fast that you are here and we will have to move again.”

             
“Who are they?” She asked motioning her head to the door.

             
Raine escorted her to the bedroom and pulled back the blankets for her.

             
“They are the remnants….they are good people, some are friends, some family, some royalty some common but all good, all awaiting the arrival of our child.”

             
Felicitas climbed on the bed and sat up curling her legs underneath her showing Raine by her posture she wasn’t quite ready to turn in.

             
“Do they know…that the child has been conceived?” She asked him and for the first time in front of Raine she rubbed her hand over her flat stomach.

             
He smiled and sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

             
“I’m sure they are confused…this is not the way we thought it would happen.”

             
“I’m not supposed to be here am I?”

             
He shook his head.

             
“Not yet.”

             
She sighed and lay back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind and she had a question for every one of them. Unconsciously she stroked her stomach as she thought of the child she was carrying. Until this moment she hadn’t had much time to actually dwell on the idea.

             
“He’s in there, even though you can’t tell yet. He’s there.”

             
“And what makes you so sure the child is a boy?” Raine asked. “It could very well be a girl.”

             
The thought was a bit foreign to Felicitas that a daughter could re-unite the two kingdoms putting an end to the Draco’s rule.

             
“Maybe.” she shrugged.

             
He smiled again.

             
They looked at each other for a moment before Felicitas broke the silence.

             
“I wish I could remember my dreams of us. My only knowledge of you is a cloudy dream, there are only a few defining moments and those have begun to fade. I wrote things down after I would wake up but then when I read them the next morning they didn’t make sense.” 

             
Raine looked down at her lying on the bed; her copper hair fanning across the pillow and spilling onto the sheet and the way he looked at her caused the warm feeling to fill her stomach. He removed a leather cord from around his neck. The end of the cord held an ornate vial that had been hidden beneath his shirt. He gently lifted her head from the pillow and placed the thin rope around her neck letting the vial hang between her breasts.