22 Nights (16 page)

MERIN
was awakened by sunlight pouring through the window. Sunrise fell upon his face, as it did every morning. Today he was surprised to find Bela already awake and dressed. She must’ve gone about the task with great care not to wake him during the process. He did not normally sleep so deeply that she could jostle the bed and the rope that bound them without awakening him. He was not normally comfortable enough with any woman to sleep when she was in his bed, but he had, by necessity, learned to sleep well enough in Bela’s company.

“We will not take on any worthless assigned task today,” he said as he sat up. “There’s too much to be done.”

Amazingly, Bela smiled at him. “Good morning to you, too.”

He found himself studying her face for a moment. She was very pretty in the morning, fresh from sleep and bright-eyed. “Good morning. There’s too much to be done for us to spend the day digging a useless hole or helping a farmer prepare his fields.”

“Of course you are correct,” she said. “I thought today we might travel to the place on Forbidden Mountain where Clyn found Kitty. He took me there once, and I’m certain I can find it again.”

Merin shook his head. “There are plans of defense to be made, weapons to be readied, a traitor to find . . .”

“My father and my brothers are capable of handling those tasks,” Bela interrupted, a tone of conviction in her voice. “Some of the questions you had last night made me think, and I decided that perhaps if we knew more of Kitty’s making and purpose, we might learn why Nobel desires her so much. There are a number of caves near the place where she was found, and one in particular where Clyn found her. There might be clues to all we need to know in one of those caves.”

“Or there might be no clues at all, and we will waste a lot of time when we need to be here, readying the village for attack. Besides, didn’t you say that no one is allowed to travel on that mountain?” Even though apparently she had been there, and so had her brother. Twice. “Hence the ominous name,” he added harshly.

Bela shook her head gently, and strands of fine, unbound hair swayed across her cheek and her shoulder. Before they left the cottage, she would braid it with swiftness and precision, but he liked it this way, loose and soft. “That is a valid point, but I still think we should at least try to learn what we can. Nobel would not go to so much trouble just for me, I assure you.”

They both heard Kitty’s voice, and Merin turned his attention to the sword, which hung upon the wall. It glowed dimly and seemed to throb with excitement. “Kitty, can you not simply tell us what we need to know? Who is your maker? Does Nobel wish to possess you, or is it truly Bela he desires?”

He took the resounding silence as a negative response. After a few moments Bela said, “I tried to ask while you were sleeping, but either she does not remember or she simply won’t tell.”

“What if there’s nothing to find?” he asked, frustrated at the possibility. “We could waste days on that mountain and come away with nothing of consequence.”

“We won’t know if we don’t try.”

“Fine.” Merin rolled up and swung his legs over the side of the bed so he was sitting beside Bela. It was strange to feel so comfortable there, half-naked and bound together. Unwillingly married. Unwillingly attracted. He would have to fight the attraction, which was surely so strong only because they had been physically close for such a long time. “How far?”

“A three-day walk, if we do not tarry along the way.” Merin nodded his head. That was longer than he’d like but was acceptable, given their time constraints. It would take six days to travel—three to the site and three back to the village—and if he allowed two days for searching the caves in the area, that would put them back in the village six days before Nobel’s scheduled arrival. He would still have time to help with the defense of the village. “We’ll pack supplies and rations and leave here as soon as possible.”

“All right.”

He looked into Bela’s eyes. That was a mistake, one he quickly corrected by glancing away. “If we do not find answers which will help us, we’ll leave Kitty there.”

The only response he received was a screeching whine which cut through his brain. Kitty did not like that idea at all. Judging by the expression on Bela’s face, she was no happier than the sword about that suggestion.

“We cannot risk such a treasure falling into Nobel’s hands, can we?” Merin asked logically.

The screech stopped abruptly. Was that Kitty’s way of agreeing with him? It was impossible to tell.

Merin looked again at Bela, expecting an argument. Surprisingly, she nodded in compliance, though she was clearly not pleased with the idea. She knew as well as he did that Kitty could not fall into the wrong hands. He had a feeling they had seen only a small sampling of Kitty’s capabilities. They had seen only what the sword wished them to see. What an odd and potentially frightening thought.

Yesterday afternoon Bela had stood before him in the creek and touched him. She had been very close to offering more. He had looked into her eyes and seen more than he’d wanted to see. Beauty. Depth. Promise. He longed to touch her again, to feel her writhe and hear her scream. He wanted, so much, to be inside her. But suddenly those longed-for pleasures seemed like a very bad idea. Bela was a sweet trap he might never escape, and neither of them wished to remain married. She wanted to return to her life of freedom, and he wanted nothing more than to return to the palace at Arthes to resume his position and perhaps take his time choosing a suitable bride, as the emperor was attempting to do in his own ridiculous way.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said.

Bela’s eyes seemed to brighten. “Have you?”

“When Nobel has been taken care of and the marriage is officially dissolved, we’ll still have to make our way to Arthes so you can be presented to the emperor.”

Her face fell, and Merin tried to comfort her by taking her hand.

“But I know the emperor well,” he said, “and I know what he likes in a woman and, more important, what he does not like. Along the way I can instruct you on what to say and do and how to dress, and in that way we can assure that he will not choose you. When that is done, you can return home with a clear conscience and resume your life as you wish to lead it.”

She looked a little stunned, and then a little hurt.

“I will of course provide a proper escort,” Merin added quickly. “I wouldn’t expect you to travel home alone.”

“Of course not,” she said coldly.

“And if you’d prefer, one of your brothers can travel with us. Clyn has a family and Tyman has responsibilities of his own, so I thought that might be impractical. But if it is what you’d like, we’ll make it happen.”

“Impractical,” she said shortly.

“Yes. Most other chaperones I could think of would slow us down, and I don’t wish to arrive late. Once the marriage is dissolved, we’ll have to travel hard to make the Summer Festival deadline.” What had he said wrong? Something, obviously.

“Get dressed,” Bela snapped, her mood suddenly darker as she reached up and began to braid her hair. “We have a long day ahead of us.”

Merin had the unpleasant suspicion that it would be
very
long.

 

WHEN
they’d run across this place last night, Leyla had been very glad of the shelter the shallow cave provided, and even more, she was now grateful for the few hours of sleep she had managed to take. It was hard to sleep with Savyn so near. It was impossible not to be physically close in the confines of the small cave, even though he tried very hard not to touch her any more than was necessary. But her body and her mind remembered what it had been like to press her body to his, in search of pleasure and comfort. She remembered having her lover inside her, screaming his name, making him shudder and shout and whisper sweet words of impossible love.

He remembered nothing.

She’d hated to stop, but they both needed rest, and they hoped the attacker might’ve gone in the wrong direction. The silver-haired killer could not have followed their trail, not on horseback, and if he’d remained on his horse, he would’ve had to go a much longer way around before intersecting their path. She could not imagine any horse making the climb up this slope without falling. It was too steep in places, too unpredictable.

Maybe they were safe, for now. Maybe.

“Good morning, My Lady,” Savyn said as he came awake. He worked diligently to keep his body away from hers as much as possible. It was not an easy task.

“Good morning, Savyn.” She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. “Perhaps you should call me Leyla.”

His eyes grew wide. “I could not. It would not be proper.”

Because she was older and of another station. Because they could not, should not, have any relationship other than lady to craftsman. “Perhaps it is not proper, but if we run into strangers along the way, we will draw too much attention to ourselves if you call me My Lady. I will call you Savyn, and you will call me Leyla, and if we do run into other travelers, we will not rouse any suspicion. And if the killer asks about us . . . perhaps we will not be memorable to those we have passed.”

“You are always memorable, My . . . Leyla.” Savyn blushed a little, as he was prone to do on occasion.

His face was rough with stubble, which was odd, since he was usually so meticulous about his grooming. Leyla wanted so badly to reach out and touch Savyn’s face, to soothe him, then to kiss him. She wanted what they’d had before she’d set him free from their memories. But her reasons for making him forget were still valid. He deserved a young wife who would have his babies, a girl who would love him without condition, a woman who could give herself to him entirely. Leyla was not capable of giving all of herself, not to Savyn, not to anyone. He deserved to have a normal and loving relationship, one which would not cause nasty whispers among his friends and neighbors, one that did not need to be concealed. She could not give him that, either.

“We need a plan,” she said softly.

“Beyond escape?”

“Yes. I think we should make our way to a village or a large farm and then”—she almost swallowed her words—“and then we can split up. You can go home. I will change my name and try to hide among strangers.” With her gift, she could make that work very well. She could convince the others that she was their sister or their aunt, a long lost relative come home to stay. She could make them believe they had known her for years, even forever. And when a killer came looking for a stranger, he would not find one.

“Do you think that’s wise?” Savyn asked, openly concerned.

“I do.”

Leyla was still determined to set her lover free. She would release him so he could have a good life. Nothing else mattered. She might live out her days as a housekeeper in a small village, but Savyn would have more. Savyn would be free of her.

 

THEY
traveled in silence, which gave Bela time to think. Thinking was horrid. Absolutely horrid.

She had given in to a previously undiscovered and totally feminine need for love. How embarrassing. She knew that there were many men who sought the company of women for nothing more than physical gratification. Why could she not do the same? Why could she not be satisfied with the pleasures Merin could show her? No, she had to moon over him and wish for more, which was absolutely mortifying.

He did not want more. He did not lie awake at night wondering if he could make
her
love
him
.

Given how quickly and entirely he reacted to her when it came to sexual desire, she knew she could seduce him, if she pleased. Could the physical interaction lead to all she desired? Could she seduce him time and again and
make
him love her? Would a man so loyal and good willingly take that which he believed belonged to his precious emperor? She could not be sure. Loyalty had not stopped him from touching her thus far.

Bela realized she did not have much time to make Merin love her. Time was crucial. She suspected he would fight giving in to temptation even more as they came closer to her presentation to that emperor. She could not wait much longer, if she decided to try.

Kitty whispered to her.
We need him.

“Why must you make things difficult?” she said softly. She still did not wish to need anyone!

Merin did not turn to face her as he spoke. “I apologize. Should I slow down?”

“No, you’re fine,” she said as she followed in his footsteps. Getting on and off a horse would be difficult, bound as they were, and a good part of the trip would take them into jagged landscape not suitable for animals—as if they could coerce even the most loyal animal onto this mountain. Their entire trip would be made on foot. “I was talking to Kitty. I don’t see why she can’t tell us more.”

“As you said earlier, perhaps she does not remember, or else she simply does not know.” He took a few more steps upward, and Bela could not help but admire the view from behind. “I certainly don’t remember my conception or my birth. Perhaps it is the same for magical objects which are made.”

“Perhaps so,” she agreed. Obviously Merin had not heard Kitty’s latest words, which was just as well. She might want and desire him, but she would never admit that she needed anything or anyone. It was not in her nature to display that sort of weakness.

Still, she was starting to care for this stubborn, handsome, dedicated man much more than she should. Perhaps this was love, the elusive thing Jocylen spoke of with such joy. If that was the case, why didn’t she feel joy? Why didn’t she bubble and giggle like her friend?

Because Merin did not return that love—or whatever it was that she suffered—she supposed. Because he was not, and could never be, a permanent fixture in her life. He was not Turi, and she would never leave her home to live elsewhere. This was all she knew. If she could convince Merin to love her, and he did concede to stay, what would he do? She could not see him as a farmer or a miner or a tender of animals. Her father was chieftain, and after his death or withdrawal it would be Clyn’s time to serve in that position.