The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Read online

  Callum paused, glancing back at them before turning slowly. He looked mildly confused by Aiva’s comment, though his uncertainty was nowhere to be found in his speech. “I appreciate your suggestion, Lorand. Regrettably, the Princess does not fall under my command to order about.” He turned to Aiva, his expression completely unreadable. “Your Highness, while it is to your discretion what you choose to do, I must implore you to remain behind me while we approach to investigate.”

  She was taken aback by his demeanor. At the start of their journey when he referred to her by formal title, it had been degrading. Almost insulting. Now she sensed nothing but respect in his tone. An honest recognition of her right to make her own decisions. His courtesy toward her would hopefully set a better example for the other troops. “I will concede to remain behind you, though I must admit my concern in that I lack a weapon in case of an assault.”

  Reaching down to his waist, Callum unclasped his sheath from the belt, offering it to Aiva, his eyes catching sight of the confounded expressions worn by the other men. “Some of you may not know, but your Princess is a very skilled swordswoman. We need all the fighters we can get, and she is more than capable, however, keep her well-guarded. I’m sure you all understand the reasons why.” Callum released his hold on the sword, letting it drop into Aiva’s hands with an apologetic nod. “I mean no offense, Aiva. But you know it is our duty to keep you safe.”

  “None taken,” she replied, unsure of how to react to his sudden kindness. Skillfully, she attached the sword to her own belt, testing its ease of draw, satisfied with the fit. “What will you use to fight, Captain? I should not leave you without a weapon.”

  He tapped a strap which crossed over his shoulder. Aiva felt warmth flood into her cheeks to realize that he had another blade harnessed behind his back. “My long sword will suit me well enough. Is everyone else armed and ready? If the pirates are anywhere nearby, we may find ourselves in combat sooner than we think.”

  With a few scattered affirmations from the men, Callum turned toward the front once again, waving for the troops to move. They were coming up on what looked to be a ravine from Aiva’s viewpoint, the rocky edges dropping off into a deep valley, the sound of rushing water reaching her ears from somewhere below. A sturdy rope-bridge connected one end to the other, wide enough for a team of horses to travel across, though Aiva hesitated to test the weight of their entire unit combined with the supply wagon on it. Callum seemed to read her mind, already giving the order, directing the men to lighten their load as much as possible.

  A sudden crack at Aiva’s feet caused her to stumble back. Several of the men were at her side in an instant, Callum’s hand reaching down to retrieve an arrow which protruded from the ground near where Aiva had been standing. Laughter echoed through the ravine from the other side, drawing Aiva’s attention. The distance was too far for her to make out many details of the figure at the opposite side of the bridge. It appeared slight, feminine; its arms lowering, the outline of what looked to be a bow visible from in its hands.

  “Her aim is a bit off today,” Gadiel mumbled, positioning himself protectively in front of Aiva.

  Callum shook his head, tossing the arrow aside, contempt written over his angular features. “The arrow wasn’t intended to kill. It was to get our attention.” He gathered a shield from atop one of the bags, fastening it to his arm. With confident steps he strode closer to the bridge, his voice ringing out over the ravine. “Why don’t you fight with some honor, Ireni? You keep your distance like a coward!”

  Someone was approaching the bridge from the other side. A burley figure, carrying a bundle in his arms. It was moving. Struggling against his hold. Aiva’s stomach lurched to think of it being her sister. She moved out from behind Gadiel, desperate to get a better look at the figure standing there. She couldn’t deny the sight before her. Though she couldn’t make out the details of the face, she recognized the colors of the dress Shaelyn had been wearing the night of the wedding. A wave of tousled black hair could be seen, an occasional scream escaping before muffled again by the hand of her captor. “Shae!” she shouted, legs carrying her toward the bridge. They had to get to her. She was right there!

  “Aiva, wait!” Kaemin’s voice sounded from behind her.

  Desperate, she glanced over her shoulder, not wanting to stop, noticing the disapproval in Callum’s eyes from where he stood next to Kaemin. “They have Shae,” she grimaced, pleading with her eyes for him to do something. Anything. They couldn’t just leave her there.

  Coming to Aiva’s side, Callum stared out across the bridge. “We don’t have to fight,” he called out, his tone oddly calm. “If you return the girl to us, we will leave you be.”

  “Where is the fun in that?” a female voice echoed in return, the slender figure holding the bow coming to stand on the bridge beside the man who held Shaelyn captive in his grasp. “You owe us a ship, Callum. Your darling wife here will fetch a high enough price one way or another to replace that which you took from us. If you want to negotiate a ransom, then we might be willing to talk. Otherwise, we’ll be on our way.”

  Wife? Puzzled by the statement, Aiva peered into the distance, her anger rising. They thought Shaelyn was her? Drawing her sword, Aiva stepped onto the bridge, ignoring Callum’s protests. She was too focused on the image of Shaelyn. “How can you have his wife when I am right here?”

  The woman’s laughter stopped short, fading to a soft echo until they were left in silence. Behind her Aiva could hear footsteps joining her on the bridge. “Give us back the girl, Ireni,” Callum’s voice came from only a few feet away. Less calm than before, though steady.

  To Aiva’s horror, she saw the man holding Shaelyn start to back toward the grassy ledge. “Not this time,” Ireni called back, clearly angered, yet cool. “You had better consider what this one is worth to you. We’ll discuss her release when you are more willing to negotiate a price.”

  “You will give her back now!” Aiva cried out, charging forward across the bridge. She had never killed anyone before, but she wanted this woman’s blood. No one threatened her family and got away with it.

  Her feet had only traveled a few steps before a snap rang out from underneath her. She had no time to register what was going on, aware only of the fact that she was no longer standing on solid ground, the wood of the bridge splintering, sending her plummeting to the river below. Her screams filled the ravine. From overhead Callum’s hand wrapped around her forearm in an attempt to keep her from dropping further, the harsh jerk of her shoulder slamming against the bridge sending a searing pain through her arm. Terrified by the sensation of her legs dangling, helpless in the air, she realized too late what had happened. It was a trap. Callum had been right to be cautious. The wood had been tampered with. If the unit had tried to cross, they would all have ended up in the river below.

  Shouts were coming from Callum’s men. Something was wrong. Beyond the obviousness of her predicament. Through her scattered senses Aiva could vaguely make out their words. Calling for her and Callum to move. They had to get off the bridge.

  Staring upward, she could see Callum’s determined gaze, seeking a means to pull Aiva to safety. His fingers remained tight around her arm, his free hand latching onto the thick rope of the rail just as a loud crack filled the air, suddenly sending them both downward. The bridge’s supports had been cut. They were powerless to stop the fall, Aiva’s screams growing wilder. The feeling of weightlessness was awful. Every passing second brought the rocky side of the ravine closer, their momentum building.

  Calling upon a surge of strength, Callum pulled hard on Aiva’s arm, lifting her upward, closer to his dangling body, the burning sensation excruciating through her shoulder. Frantic, Aiva grasped at Callum’s waist with her free hand, wrapping it desperately around his hips, clinging to him.

  Upon impact with the side of the ravine, Callum’s pained cries mingled with Aiva’s. Flashes of red blurred within her closed eyes. Bones jarred by the blow, she
was thankful that she hadn’t fallen through further toward the center of the bridge. Any more distance would have been death to them in smashing against the rough rocks. Miraculously, they were alive. Unfortunately, their path to Shaelyn was destroyed. The pirates would get away.

  They hung from the rope for several moments, dazed from the pain and confusion. Above, the men were shouting to them. Aiva was afraid to look. She didn’t want to see the distance they would need to cover in order to reach the ledge, nor did she wish to know how far below the river was, racing along its current, just waiting to swallow them up if they were to lose their hold. Callum’s body was the only thing between her and certain death; and he was slowly slipping downward on the rope under the extra weight she added.

  “Can you keep hold of me if I release you?”

  Aiva’s eyes opened wide at the thought of Callum letting go. He couldn’t be serious. “I don’t think I can move my arm,” she winced. The pain was getting worse under Callum’s tight hold. She feared her shoulder would snap off at the joint if he moved at all.

  “I need your help,” he urged through gritted teeth, his own pain evident in his strained tone. “I can’t climb the rope with one hand. If you can get your arm around my shoulders, then you should have a better hold and I can have both my arms to get us to the surface. We have to move quickly. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on like this.”

  The thought of moving terrified her. To let him release her would require a significant amount of trust in Callum which she wasn’t convinced that she had. But now was not the time to dwell on personal conflicts. Her options were to trust him or die. “Fine,” she gasped, finding air difficult to take in, breathless from the exertion it took to not lose her senses entirely from the pain and fear. Tentatively she slid her arm out from around Callum’s waist, wrapping her legs around his to try and use them for leverage, pulling herself further up his body. She could hear Callum groan from the discomfort her efforts caused him, an agonized grunt escaping as his hand clutched at the rope, failing to keep from sliding down another inch.

  When Aiva’s free hand finally reached Callum’s shoulders, she clung to him for dear life, nearly choking him under the pressure of her grip. He made no move to shift her weight, only taking the opportunity to release her arm, grabbing onto the rope with both hands to secure his hold.

  Their progress was slow. Daunting. It felt like hours before Aiva could see the ledge come into view, Kaemin and Gadiel peering from the top, arms outstretched toward her. It was Kaemin whose hands finally caught hold, guiding her the rest of the way to the top. She cried out in pain as he gripped under her arms, helping her onto the soft soil, far enough away from the ledge to allow Gadiel to assist Callum to his feet. Callum didn’t seem to take notice of Gadiel standing there. In a fluid motion he was at Aiva’s side, checking her for injury. “Aiva, are you alright? Your arm – ”

  Kaemin had his hands over Aiva’s right shoulder, forehead creased in concentration. “I don’t think it’s broken,” he murmured. Every movement made her arm hurt. Tears filled her eyes. She wanted it to stop. Why couldn’t he just leave it alone?

  “From the looks of things, it’s dislocated,” Gadiel stated, coming to kneel beside Kaemin on the ground. “I can attempt to set it. We shouldn’t leave it for long.”

  With a sharp nod of his head, Callum motioned for Kaemin to move out of the way to let Gadiel observe the injury. At her side Aiva could feel Callum helping her to sit up, squeezing her hand tightly in his. “If my hands were steadier, I would do it myself,” he frowned.

  Gadiel gave an understanding half-smile. Gently he placed his hands over Aiva’s shoulder, a warmth building around the area where their skin was in contact. Despite the pain, she was mesmerized by what he was doing. A soft green light enveloped his hands, similar to that which she’d seen when he communed with the land to track the pirates. His eyes glowed brighter from the use of his internal energy, directing it into the surface of Aiva’s arm to relax her muscles. After a few moments, she could feel one of his hands move to press just under her arm. Bracing it. “I do not want to watch,” she grimaced, averting her eyes to stare down at Callum’s hand joined tightly with hers. Whatever Gadiel was doing had eased the pain to a degree, though she had never experienced an injury of this nature before. She’d heard stories of the discomfort. Never did she expect to know it firsthand.

  “You’re doing great, Aiva. It will only take a moment,” Callum reassured her. She believed him. The concern in his voice told her that he had no reason to lie. He wouldn’t lie to her. If he was wrong, she would never let him hear the end of it, and he knew that.

  In a gentle motion Gadiel guided her shoulder, a soft pop sending a new flood of discomfort through Aiva’s body. She didn’t want to scream in front of the watchful eyes of the other soldiers. Callum had spoken so highly of her to them before they reached the ravine. She didn’t want to lessen their opinion over something so foolish as this. As the joint reset, Aiva could taste the blood in her mouth from where she bit into her tongue to avoid crying out. Once Gadiel released his hold, she sank against Callum’s chest, burying her face into his doublet, not wanting to let anyone see the tears which lingered on her lashes.

  “Did you see where the pirates went?” Callum asked Gadiel, keeping his voice quiet, lightly running his fingers over Aiva’s long hair, soothing her, holding her to him. He made no move to stand, giving her time to gather her senses.

  “Looked to be eastward, but tracking them is going to be a lot harder from this side of the divide.”

  “We’ll have to find another way across and try to pick up their trail again,” he nodded. “On the bright side, this will allow us to keep our supply wagon and horses a bit longer. Not only will we need them, it will give Aiva a place to rest until her shoulder has a chance to recuperate. Tomorrow we should check it again to make sure there is no permanent damage.”

  Helping Aiva to her feet, Callum gestured for Kaemin to come closer. He did as directed, accepting her from Callum’s arms, being careful not to apply pressure to her shoulder. When Callum released his hold on her hand, Aiva felt something sticky on her skin. Moist. Turning over her palm she drew in a breath to see a crimson coating there, left behind from Callum’s touch. He was bleeding. “Callum,” she whispered.

  He shook his head to silence her. “Kaemin, can you see her to the wagon? We need to get moving quickly to cover as much ground as possible. Once the sun sets, we can set camp. Karana will be veiled tonight. Travel is not advisable.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Kaemin nodded, giving no hesitation to guide Aiva away. Worried for Callum’s injuries, she started to resist, thinking better of it before pulling completely from Kaemin’s grasp. Callum wouldn’t want the men to be made aware of his wounds. As the Captain, he would likely conceal as much pain as possible. He was supposed to be the strongest one there. She couldn’t do anything which would make him appear weak.

  The wagon was emptier than she remembered it from before. Several crates had been discarded in preparation to cross the bridge, leaving more room for Kaemin to help settle Aiva in at the back, out of view. Protected in case of stray arrows

  She didn’t like the idea of losing an entire night. It seemed foolish to allow their enemy to gain more ground simply because of some old myth told to their people over the generations. “Kaemin,” she asked, stopping him before he could make his way back out of the wagon.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you really think it is necessary for us not to keep moving tonight?”

  Kaemin smiled at her, his concern still visible in his eyes. “There are many reasons why it would be unwise for us to press onward in the dark,” he nodded. “While I do believe it would be placing us in Diqun’s grasp, if you require a mundane motivation, consider the darkness without Karana’s light and our enemy’s affinity for traps. We won’t be much good to Shae if we are all dead.”

  “I suppose.” Leaning back, Aiva relaxed into the cool
shade, grateful to be off her feet. Her head spun over the events that had transpired. Shaelyn was alive. That was a relief, despite everything else. And if they intended to demand ransom, it was less likely that they would do anything to harm her, though it did nothing to ease her anger toward Ireni. That despicable woman. She thinks she has me, Aiva thought, confused. But why her? Why would Ireni intentionally target her?

  Revenge. Ireni had said something about a boat. Callum was responsible for destroying her ship. Even with that, it didn’t answer the questions surrounding the circumstances. The pirates in Siscal were targeting the families of soldiers. If Ireni wanted to take revenge on Callum, why not Calie?

  She needed to speak with Gadiel. He had been there. He knew what happened on that ship off the coast of Siscal. If Dacian’s story was flawed, she needed to know how much of it was true. Something in that story would grant her an understanding of their enemy. All she needed now was a chance to get Gadiel alone. Perhaps the night off the road would prove useful after all. The others would have to sleep at some point. It would be the perfect opportunity to seek Gadiel out and demand the truth.

  Chapter Nine

  A heavy rain had started to fall around them by the time night came. It seemed odd to Aiva that they would experience that kind of weather so close to the desert. The pirates had led them away from the eastern roads, though as they recovered lost ground and pushed back eastward, the landscape slowly became more barren. Callum still believed Ireni would choose a path through Palinon. Despite having been unable to find a way across the ravine, their current path seemed the best route in hopes of catching up with their enemy. The tumult of the storm, however, made tracking more difficult.

  Thunder rolled loudly overhead, shaking the base of the wagon where Aiva remained, curled up tightly for warmth. Callum had offered her to share his tent. She adamantly declined, for more than the sake of his company. It would be difficult indeed to claim their marriage unconsummated after sharing sleeping quarters. And leaving him in the wagon while she took the tent felt selfish after what Callum had done for her that day. He’d saved her life. Had it not been for him, she wouldn’t be there. It was a frightening thought. One she knew with utter clarity.