Slumber (22 page)

“I think she is,” Wolfe whispered back and I felt my heart pound so hard it was as if the organ itself was sweling. My legs trembled, my toes curled into the marble floor.

Winter shook her head and turned back to gaze at him, her eyes flashing; her lip snarled in disappointment. “I’m such a fool.” She roled her eyes heavenward. “Even back then your eyes used to folow her everywhere. I told myself you were only doing your job, watching over her.”

“I’m sorry,” Wolfe repeated, looking helpless. I’d never seen him thus. I didn’t like it.

“Stop saying you’re sorry. So what? You’re going to give up what we could have again for a girl who doesn’t even like you?” That awful pang resonated again and again like a vibration in my chest as Wolfe flinched. I felt like crying out to him. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. It wasn’t that at al. I just couldn’t
be
with him.

“Rogan is confused.” He rubbed his forehead in that familiar way of his, and my heart beat faster. “But I’m wiling to wait.” Winter shook her head, as if she thought him a fool. Mayhap she saw something in me that he didn’t. “You
actually
love her?” My breath caught.

Wolfe sighed and walked over to the table. Slowly he placed his brandy snifter on it and then straightened, reaching for Winter in a comforting gesture. “I do. I love her.”

At his pronouncement I thought I might be sick. I felt the blood rush out of my face and abandon my body
.
No
. No.

Clutching my stomach in fear, I quietly backed away from the door and snuck down the halway, my legs not seeming to be a part of my body as they took me upstairs and back to my room. For a while I just stared at nothing, balancing on the edge of my bed, my heart fluttering wildly.

Wolfe loved me.

Wolfe.

Loved.

Me.

How had this happened?

I thought of the way I had hurt when he told me what Syracen had done to him, what the sight of the horseshoe brand did to my heart. Of the way I had come to enjoy arguing with him so long as it meant being in his company. Of the way my stomach flipped when he turned his wicked smile on me, and the way my body came alive when he kissed me. Of the ache, deep and gnawing in my chest when I thought he and Winter had resumed their affair.

Oh, haven no. I closed my eyes, frustrated tears clogging my burning throat. I couldn’t love him back. I just couldn’t.

There were too many obstacles between us. Too much history. Too much hurt. The blood of the man who had destroyed my family ran in his veins. I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t betray my family by marrying Wolfe. A Glava. I thought of Selene and her prediction. Wel, I’d prove her wrong.

From now on I was putting a world of distance between Wolfe and I. Soon he’d stop loving me. He’d be fine. He was a catch. He could have any woman he wanted.

And me?

Wel I only wanted one thing and Wolfe kept getting between me and it.

Focus. Utter focus on retrieving the Somna Plant.

Saving Haydyn. Just the thought of her name. I knew it would help me keep Wolfe at a distance and give me the strength to go it alone.

He knew what I was doing. The frustration and anguish on Wolfe’s face when I gave him formal, clipped responses to his queries almost undone me. But I chanted
Haydyn
over and over in my head to keep me strong. And after the third hour, Wolfe finaly glowered at me like he realy hated me and sped off in front. Feeling Lieutenant Chaeron’s curious gaze, I stared straight ahead, my eyes blank, features expressionless. The quicker Wolfe disliked me the better this would be.

Despite the horror of the significance behind our journey across Phaedra, despite the terrible close cals I’d already had with the world’s less civilised creatures, and despite the turmoil my entire body was undergoing being near Wolfe, I actualy looked forward to venturing into the coal mining district of Daeronia. I’d heard the people were close knit and friendly. So as we trotted into the first vilage on the main trade road, I was more than a little surprised by the chil in the eyes of the vilagers as we passed through. It was dusk, and people strode quickly to their homes, covered in soot and grime. Others, clean and rugged, headed in the opposite direction towards the mine. But al of them stared up at us with hard eyes and bristling bodies. I gaped at them in confusion, my eyes drinking in their squalid little homes and their grey little world. No one stopped to greet us, and Wolfe, who rode a few metres in front, made no attempt to stop to speak with them. The lines of his own body were stiff and I noted his hand sat on the hilt of his sword. Swalowing nervously now, I kept my eyes front, my mind whirring with bewilderment. We were in the southern most vilage in Daeronia. It was more than possible that the evocation was gone from here. Shuddering, and sharing a glance with the Lieutenant, we shifted the horses forward at a faster trot. Wolfe crossed a little wooden bridge on the other side of the town and stopped in the clearing beyond it. He turned and the Lieutenant and I did the same. None of us said a word. We just waited for the entire Guard to make it through the vilage. When the last two men trotted over the bridge and joined us, I finaly let go of my breath.

“That was chily,” I said quietly to Chaeron.

He answered with a brittle nod and looked over at Wolfe questioningly.

Wolfe sighed. “It’s nearly dark. We should camp here. I think we’l be fine as long as we don’t ask them for a place to sleep.” He flicked a glance at me before staring straight ahead again. “I’m afraid it’l have to be a campfire bed for you, my Lady. I hope that doesn’t distress you too much.” Oooh, I wanted to nip back at him. He had said it loudly to needle me in front of his men. I looked at him, sensing the anticipation about him. He
wanted
me to nip back. He wanted something, anything from me. Trembling a little, I turned away from him. “I think I can manage wel enough, Captain.” Feeling his questioning gaze on my face, I slid off my horse, letting my hair fal and cover my burning cheeks.

“Tyler, Szorst!” Wolfe caled out to two of the men. He slid from his horse and approached them, holding out a bag of coins. “Go back into the vilage and procure us some coal. It should keep us warm at camp and perhaps soften the locals to us.” He nodded in the direction of the bridge to some of the vilagers who had come out of the vilage to peer at us making camp. Their entire bodies radiated with hostility. As the two men started off on foot I worried my lip between my teeth, watching them. Remembering the looks on the coal miners faces I decided that sending the men in alone was a bad idea. But I couldn’t very wel say that to Wolfe and I couldn’t rush off alone – that had not worked out wel in the past.

“Lieutenant.” I approached Chaeron quietly as he settled the horses with some water.

“Yes, Miss Rogan?”

Teling Chaeron I thought his men were in danger wouldn’t work. The Royal Guard were somewhat arrogant about their prowess and didn’t take lightly to having it caled into question. I’d have to go about this a different way. “We’ve been riding al day and I realy would like to stretch my legs. Would you walk with me into the vilage?”

He frowned at me, suspicion in his eyes. “Miss Rogan, you saw how unfriendly the people were.”

“Then perhaps a few of the other men would like to stretch their legs with us,” I used my take no prisoners tone that Haydyn hated. She could never defy me when I used that tone. I usualy brandished it on her when she was daydreaming during her tutorials or refusing to get out of bed.

I blanched at that last thought. Shaking off the familiar growing panic that thrummed continuously beneath my skin, I raised my eyebrow at Chaeron as he just stood there. As my look intensified he finaly drew himself up. “Of course, Miss Rogan.”

As we passed two men, Chaeron caled to them to come with us, and then informed Wolfe that he was escorting me into the vilage. Discerning the coming argument by the look on Wolfe’s face, I drew out my heaviest artilery and stiled him with a look so cold it made him pale.

I gulped down my guilt and hurried on, my skin prickling and muscles twitching at the feel of his eyes on my departing figure.

As soon as we crossed the bridge I felt the charge in the air, a sense of violence and anticipation. Chaeron and his men must have felt it too because suddenly we were hurrying back into the town and through the narrow streets, to get to the main vilage courtyard we’d come through. Sure enough, Tyler and Szorst stood with their hands on the hilt of their swords, surrounded by a group of angry coal miners, spitting and shouting at them. Just one spark, I thought. That’s al it would take.

“Halt!” Lieutenant Chaeron belowed and I flinched in surprise. He sounded terrifying and intimidating, and looked it too, as he strode forward with the two guards at his back. The vilagers stumbled a little but did not move away from Tyler and Szorst who looked relieved to see us. “An attack on the Royal Guard is a high offence and wil result in imprisonment!”

Some of the vilagers seemed to deflate, their faces drawn and wary. Others grumbled but slumped away. Others grew even more aggressive. One man, a tal stout man with a round face hardened with hatred, stood forward from the group to face Chaeron.

“Who gives a damn about the Guard?! We’re left to stew in this forsaken place, working our fingers to the bone in 18 hour shifts in the mines under order from management! Three months ago we worked good hours, decent hours, until management started adding an hour here and there until eventualy we exist on no sleep, bad food and broken bodies. Our children grow sick! Our wives grow weary! Where is the Royal Guard in that, I ask you?!” Chaeron was as shocked as I at the explosion, and the rebel rousing yels of agreement. What on Phaedra was going on here? What this man said, it couldn’t be true? But as I looked around at the desperate faces, I found the truth in their eyes.

Impulsively, I strode forward past Chaeron, who tried to reach for me and missed. “There must be some mistake,” I implored to the man. “We didn’t know.” He looked at me with such revulsion I flinched. And then he made a groggy noise in the back of his throat and spat in my face. Chaeron’s blade was against his neck before I even could comprehend what had happened. Humiliated and ashamed, I wiped at the phlegm dripping down my cheek and glowered at the man who now stood stiff against Chaeron’s sword.

“Your name?” Chaeron growled in his face.

“Den. Den Hewitt.”

“Den Hewitt, you just committed a crime. Do you know who this lady is before you?”

The rebel-rouser paled somewhat as he realy looked at me, his eyes showing a little of his panic as he wondered who he had just offended. “No,” he replied hoarsely.

“You just assaulted the Lady Rogan of Silvera. The Princezna’s Handmaiden.”

The gasps of the people around us made me want to curl inside myself. Den blanched, fear turning his mouth white. Stil shocked at his treatment of me, a woman, a lady, I let him stew on it a while. They thought his punishment would be grave indeed. However, although stunned by his offence, I was more concerned by his accusations.

“I didn’t know.” He wilted a little.

“No. I imagine you did not.” Chaeron shifted the sword from his throat. “Den Hewitt, I charge you with assault against the Lady Rogan of Silvera. You wil be placed in my custody and taken back to Silvera for trial.”

“Lieutenant.” I shook my head, not wanting this man punished severely for an act of stupidity born out of frustration.

“But Lady Rogan?” Chaeron frowned.

“Al I want is an apology.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Hewitt looked between the two of us, his expression filing with hope as he waited for Chaeron’s decision. The Lieutenant finaly nodded, although his eyes blazed against the decision, and Hewitt breathed a sigh of relief before turning to me. “I am so sorry, my Lady. I am so sorry.” I nodded. “If you had merely told us your grievance we would have dealt with it, Mr Hewitt. I assure you that none of us were aware of these conditions you speak of. Let us return to our camp quietly and I wil speak with the Captain of the Guard. He wil investigate the matter.” It was perhaps obnoxious and forward of me to assume Wolfe would take care of this situation, but I couldn’t leave these people as they were. They were so volatile. Just one spark…

After thanking me and apologising some more, relieved at escaping a close cal, the men and I withdrew from Hewitt and turned back for camp. I could feel Chaeron’s disapproval simmering beside me, but I shrugged it off. I was the one who had been spat on. I should be the one to mete out the punishment.

Before I could approach Wolfe, Chaeron was charging ahead. He cornered the Captain and began speaking to him franticaly. At any other time I would have been annoyed, but I
was
trying to keep my distance from Wolfe.

By the time Chaeron was done, Wolfe’s face was hard as stone. With an efficiency and lethal determination that demonstrated just why he was Captain, Wolfe rounded up a group of ten men and they mounted their horses. As they cantered towards me, I stood to the side and kept my eyes on the grass. I saw Wolfe’s horses’

hooves come into view and then stop.

“Next time, ask me before you offer my services,” his harsh voice caught me by the back of the neck and tipped my head upwards.

I scowled at him. “Are you saying you would leave them this way?”

He frowned back at me. “You know I wouldn’t. But I don’t appreciate taking orders from you, Lady Rogan.” My apologetic smile was brittle. “Apologies. It won’t happen again.”

Again, seeming startled and disappointed by my compliance, Wolfe nodded and began to pul away. Just as I was relaxing, sure Wolfe would take care of the issues the vilagers had put forth, he threw over his shoulder, “I’m fining Den Hewitt for assaulting you.”

“But I don’t want that!” I cried, rushing to catch up with him. I could see the other men trying to look uninterested in our exchange. “You can’t do that!” Wolfe drew to an abrupt halt and glared down at me. “I can do anything I want, Lady Rogan. I am the Captain of the Guard.” He seethed, his face mottled red with anger. “He assaulted you, Rogan, and that I wil not stand for.” Abruptly he turned and jerked his reins, galoping over the bridge and into the vilage, unmindful of his surprised Guard who took off after him. Surprised by the abrupt departure? No.