Fate War: Alliance (14 page)

“I know, father. But we’re suffocating in the castle. I need to be in my home. Samantha needs to be in
our
home with fresh air and a little more space. Besides, it’s just as safe at the Manor. Maybe even more so considering recent events.”

The King’s final plea to Cole failing, he tried to convince Samantha.

“Lady Samantha, surely you can convince your husband to stay.” The King had addressed her. The question had been like dry tinder tossed on a flame she didn’t know was lit. How dare he ask her to contradict her husband in public, or at all? The intensity of her response had surprised her, but she managed an appropriate reply.

“My King, I defer to my husband’s judgment in these matters.”

“I’ll keep her safe, Father. She won’t be out of my sight. The Binding Time will be adhered to,” Cole interjected.

“It must.” The King stepped closer to Cole and his brow furrowed in warning. “All concessions from our earlier discussion must be abided by. You cannot put the Alliance at jeopardy for fresher air.”

“Yes, Father.” Cole and the King clasped hands amicably, but the underlying tension remained. The King kissed her hand and bid them fair journey, striding off to attend his never ending duties.

Samantha became even tenser as they approached the carriage. A commotion arose behind it. She looked to see Octavious and Freedom tethered behind their coach. Freedom snorted and tossed her ebony mane. She pulled at her lead trying to break away. The stable hands had a hard time calming her. The row made Octavious nervous, and he pranced in place.

“Looks like Freedom is anxious to be on the way,” Cole remarked and patted Samantha’s hand which tightened on his arm. “It’s good to see her with a little spirit after so many years.”

Samantha silently willed Freedom to calm down. Thankfully, as they entered the carriage, she did. Freedom would be an amazing mount. It saddened Samantha to know that she would never ride her.

As the carriage jostled along, Cole sat opposite her and stared relentlessly, making her even more uncomfortable. She could swear, as each new wave of heat pinked her cheeks, she could hear him chuckling over the din of the carriage.

“Let’s play a game.” The suddenness of his voice after a half hour of silence startled her into looking at him. The grin on his face, and the mischief in his gaze set her on edge. She narrowed her eyes as if it might help her ascertain his true motives.

“What kind of a game?” she asked skeptically. Her voice caught as the carriage hit a particularly nasty hole.

“It’ll be easy. I’ll ask you five questions. If you answer them completely and in all honesty, I’ll give you this gift.” He indicated the package the woman in the courtyard had given him. She flushed again, this time in embarrassment. She had jumped to conclusions earlier and made more of a fool of herself than even she believed she was. Luckily, Cole had taken her accusations in stride. The incident, however, left her more confused than ever.

“All the questions will be about your favorite things. Come on, it will help pass the time,” he urged.

Samantha had no favorite things. This would be harder than her husband thought.

“All right,” she acquiesced, hoping that it would at least make him take his eyes off her.

“Good.” If possible, his smile became even more devious. “What’s your favorite food?”

For the first time all day, Samantha smiled. Maybe she did have some favorite things. This question was easy.

“Chocolate mousse. I’d never had it before, but it’s my favorite now.” She looked out the window, still unable to meet his unending gaze. She spotted a few houses along the mostly wooded road.

“I really can’t believe you’ve never had chocolate mousse before,” he said, still in shock.

“We weren’t served dessert at the school. I don’t really remember anything like it as a child.”

Cole was quiet for a moment as he pretended to think of another question. She had no doubt, however, that he knew exactly what all five questions were already. She chanced a look to find him still staring at her. This time she didn’t look away. The moment stretched, and she studied his eyes. She had forgotten their uniqueness. She wondered if they were, in fact, a biological improbability. Two colors. Green along the outer rims fading to blue near the pupil. The in-between color, like a tide pool swirling together sky and sea.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue…green like the sea.”

Samantha’s mouth had spoken on its own accord, and her small hope that Cole hadn’t realized the muse to her response was dashed when those sea green eyes wrinkled with mischief at the edges. He could be so cocky. She broke the trance and looked out of the window again, desperately trying to hide the grin that threatened to devour her face.

“Next question,” she said behind a giggle.

“What was your favorite subject in school?”

Her smile faded, but she forced it back. Why did he have to make her think about that?

“Flower arranging,” she said. The land slipping by her window now was forest and field. No signs of the city remained.

“No. You’re lying, and now you can’t have your present.” She was shocked he would call her a liar, but when she faced him again, his bottom lip stuck out like a pouting child. He held the package in a bear hug. She couldn’t help but laugh at the site of him. He broke the pose and encouraged her.

“Tell me.”

Trust. She should trust him. He hadn’t given her reason not to. Even the incident in the courtyard was a misunderstanding. Just trust him. Taking a breath to steady her nerves, she said, “Accounts.”

“Can you explain?”

“Balancing ledgers, household finances and the like.”

“So, mathematics.” She looked at him through her eyelashes waiting for his response.

“That is…” He paused for drama’s sake. “Extraordinary!” Her shoulders shook with quiet laughter at his animated responses.

“That you could find something to enjoy in that awful, awful school. I bet you could keep the accounts for the entire kingdom down to a single coin.”

She should have known. He had never shown anything but respect and awe at her love of science and reading. Why would he be intimidated by her skill in mathematics? Suddenly, he leaned forward almost touching her nose with his. The roguish gleam in his eye was back. She backed up a bit in order to focus on him.

“What’s your favorite part of me?”

She was certain her face could be used to light the entire castle it glowed so fiercely. He didn’t back up, and she sputtered. Samantha wanted to say she had already answered that question. He finally leaned back a bit, and she had space to think. Playing along with him, she tapped her chin with a finger and looked him up and down. Not to be outdone, he posed for her, showing off different muscle groups and features. She laughed at him, not with him, for a moment.

Finally forcing her voice to cooperate, she replied, “Your hands.”

The carriage lurched, and Samantha slammed back to reality with a jolt. Every nerve in her body and mind screamed this behavior was not tolerated; playing games, giggling, gawking. Cole married a woman not a child. It wasn’t right.

“Can I sit next to you?” Cole’s face was tight with concern. She gave a nod of consent, feeling the familiar sense of properness settle over her again. He slid across the carriage slowly and sat sideways facing her.

“Can I take your hand?” he asked.

“Of course.”

He placed both her hands in one of his palms and covered them with the other. Warmth flowed through them, a stream of strength and peace. She closed her eyes, but he placed a finger under her chin urging her to look up at him. She reluctantly met his gaze. He searched her eyes as if reading her life story there. She could feel his thumb on the back of her hand, imparting courage with each stroke.

“What just happened?” He asked gently, but there was no room to refuse an answer in the tone.

She tried to answer, but she couldn’t make any words come out, not certain what the words would be if she could make them anyway. He would have to settle for shaking her head. It was the truth. One moment things were fine, the next it all felt wrong, or right. She just didn’t know.

“Okay. Alright. Why don’t you tell me why my hands are your favorite?” He let her eyes go, and she watched his thumb glide back and forth over her knuckles.

Those beautiful, terrifying hands. How could she put into words how it felt when he reached for her? The first night after the Verification, when he had cared for her, she knew she could trust them. But her body betrayed her heart when they reached out. Her eyes still saw him above her, and her most secret places still ached from the pain of his entry. Still, it was the truth. She loved his hands because they healed. Not just that first night, but healing was what he put them to. Even now, somehow, they were a conduit of energy that was breaking and resetting her fractured soul.

A single tear escaped to track a rivulet down her cheek. He wiped it away and kissed her forehead.

“Shhhh. It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re done. You answered. Last question, okay?” He waited for her to come back to him, and when she felt she could speak, she gave him a nod.

“What was your favorite activity as a child?”

She should say needle point or sewing, or dancing. Her heart knew he would not chide her if she told him the truth, but it was Samantha’s mind that betrayed her now. How could such a simple game be so hard! She realized that he still held her hands. She siphoned strength from them again and whispered.

“Horseback riding.”

Without unlocking their eyes Cole reached up and pounded on the ceiling of the carriage, signaling the driver to stop. A smile spread to his eyes, and Samantha couldn’t help but copy. Finally he broke the gaze and pulled his hands from hers. For a moment, she thought she had made a terrible mistake. He must be upset that his wife would admit to such unladylike behavior. He grabbed the package and handed it to her, his face alight with excitement. He began lowering the curtains on the carriage.

“Open your present, and get dressed. And here.” He handed her a canteen of water. “Clean that make up off.”

He finished lowering the curtain and leaned down, planting a kiss on her forehead again. He backed out of the carriage, still watching her and made to shut the door.

“Thank you for playing my game.”

“Samantha, please!” Cole begged, “Come out.”

He’d been waiting outside the carriage for half an hour. At first, Samantha refused to even dress in the clothes he gave her. Exasperated, he ordered her to put them on, and now she wouldn’t come out.

“I told the driver and escort to take a walk. They’ll be back in a little while. No one but me will see you. Please.”

Still nothing. Maybe he shouldn’t push her anymore today. He hadn’t expected the little game to be so hard. At first, she had laughed and played along, opening her world to him just the smallest crack. He would give his kingdom to hear that melodious sound again.

Then something happened. During their game, the carriage lurched and her humor dissolved. This time he was sure it wasn’t just a trick of the light. The color in her eyes had gone almost completely black. She turned into a shell of the woman she had just revealed and acted confused. It was simply an oddity the first time, but this was the third time he’d seen such a reaction. Twice now with Samantha and once in the military debriefing with the prisoners of war.

The once loyal, highly trained soldiers now spent their days in small cells. They did not remember the attack on the King, but releasing them could not be chanced. It was determined that they had been tortured into their assassination attempt, brainwashed.

Samantha wasn’t Fate, of that he was certain, but something had happened to her. No one engaged in such self-deprecation unless under extreme duress. He wanted to both know and deny the possibility in the same breath. A whispered word and the clink of metal brought him back to the predicament at hand.

“Are you okay?” he called to Samantha through the door.

“Yes,” she squeaked. She must carry daggers with her. He’d heard that sound on her before. Quirking a smile, he thought of his mild Samantha turned dagger-wielding warrior woman. The image faded quickly. It would never happen.

“All right Samantha. You leave me no choice. I
order
you to come out.”

The latch clicked immediately and the door crept opened. She placed a booted foot on the carriage steps.

Cole stopped breathing at the sight of his wife. How could he have been so lucky?

The brown leather riding pants clung to her slender legs. These legs were not as boney as a few weeks earlier, but could still use some good meals in them. The hem of her flowing white peasant top covered, what Cole could imagine, would be a nicely rounded backside. Her delicate face was now devoid of makeup and the constellation of three beauty marks along her jaw stood in stark contrast to her porcelain skin. She had untangled the configuration of curls on her head and arranged them in a thick braid that hung over her shoulder. The only thing he would change in the vision before him was the gold roach brooch clasped to her chest. He was speechless.