The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1) (24 page)

I gazed at the green moon, lost in its light, then sat up. I almost slid back to the
ground, but Adam kept me upright. A dull throb pulsed behind my left temple, and I winced. My mind was so fuzzy.

“What happened?” I asked, rubbing the side of my head. It seemed to lift the fog on my thoughts, and I snarled. “Why did you walk out on me like that?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been here the whole time,” Adam said. “We were walking along, when you fell to your knees and started screaming.” He shuddered. “I never want to hear you make that sound ever again. I thought you were going to die.”

I frowned. I didn
’t remember any of that, but my throat was tight and painful. I must’ve been screeching my heart out. I glanced to the iasometer, which Adam had set at my elbow. The readings were sitting in the green zones. Nonetheless, the darkness and unbridled fear stuck in my memory. Had everything else been an hallucination?

A lump rose in my throat.

Oh no.

The Parting.

“I guess you were right.” Adam’s voice was quiet. He reached for my hand, and despite the ugly feelings it generated, I tensed my fingers around his. “You really are Bound to Ryan.”

I cast my head down, wounded by his disappointment. It was the revelation both of us dreaded. But for once, I had never been so unhappy to be right.

“Told you so,” I murmured, staring at my boots. This would only be the beginning. Even if I came to terms with being forced to fall for a stranger, the issue of Parting had become much more problematic. Travelling around with Ryan had made it easy. Now he was stuck at home, and I was banned from the estate. I was trapped. I’d have to spend the rest of my days roaming around the manor, lest I turn into an Unbound. A lonely vagabond torn from my family, my friends, my life.

Execution was suddenly starting to sound not so bad.

“Eliza, don’t.”

I glanced at Adam. His face was full of concern.

“I know that look. You’re giving up.” He rubbed my shoulder. “You can’t.”

“What else is there to do?” I growled, shrugging off his hand. My harsh words to
my sister Fiona all those years ago came flooding back, and I bit my lip. I had been much too hasty to speak against her. Now I understood why she had withdrawn into herself, why she had never smiled again. She hadn’t lost her will to fight; only known it had been a losing battle from the start. For all my bravado, my determination to beat the curse, it had broken me within a month.

I
’d been a fool to think I could stand up to it.

“You need to talk with Ryan,” Adam said. “If you suffered Parting, he must have too.” He hesitated, before adding: “And if what you said about him is true, he
’s not going to let you go like that. He’ll find a way to catch up, even if Lord Glenford tries to lock him in the manor.”

“So what?” I spat, wiping at the bitter tears. “It won
’t change anything. You saw what Lord Glenford did. Ryan will be like a bird in a cage, under constant guard. If his father sets eyes on me again, he’ll kill me without question.”

Adam
’s brow creased. He hauled me back to my feet. I was still dizzy, but while he didn’t let me fall, his grip was a little too tight to be merely supportive.

“Listen to yourself, Eliza!” he snapped. “Has the curse affected your personality, too? You went all the way to Dhjerba to find a way to free yourself, and now
that you’re faced with the truth of being Bound, you’re going to submit to it?”

I gave a cold laugh.

“Face it, Adam. We tried to be careful, we tried to outsmart the magic, but it beat us in the end. And I wasn’t lucky like Fiona. I’ve become Bound to a noble’s son; a noble who’s sealed him away and I have no means of staying with. So if I have to choose between death and becoming Unbound, then I choose…”

Something sharp stung my cheek. Clutching my face, I stared at Adam in shock. His eyes blazed.

“I didn’t promise your parents I’d protect you to hear you whimpering like this.” He gripped my shoulders. “I might not understand what the Binding’s done to you, but it’s clouding your judgement. You’ve got more options than you think. You need to get Ryan to explain everything. If he managed to escape a Binding, then why can’t you? It’s obviously possible, and he knows how.” He clenched his teeth. “And you’ll get an answer, even if you have to beat it out of him.”

I sighed, averting his gaze, but he held my chin. His expression softened.

“Don’t go the same way Fiona did, Eliza,” he said. “You’re not her. And deep down, I know you don’t want to give up, either. You’ve already fought the spell for so long. If you need more strength, take it from me.” He kissed my cheek. “Cursed or not, you’re still you. Don’t let the magic sap you of yourself.”

I rested my hand on his, and let out a long breath. He had a point. I couldn
’t let despair take hold, not yet. My focus had to change. What it would change to, I wasn’t sure, but the first step was to find out exactly what Ryan had done.

“What would I do without you?” I said, managing a half-smile. “Thanks, Adam.”

Adam pulled me into a hug.

“Well, that
’s a first. You’re actually thanking me for something.”

I elbowed him in the ribs.

“Don’t push it,” I said, withdrawing slightly. “We’re still not out of the woods yet. I’ve got to find a way back into the manor, for a start.”

“Oh, that won
’t be a problem.” Adam had a mischievous glint in his eye. “Just follow my lead.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

‘
They kissed beneath the midnight moon, knowing fate would forever be against them...’

—
Tale of the Binding

Adam led the way up the hill, and I stuck close. We were crossing from the east side, well away from the dirt track we took earlier. The Glenford manor flitted in and out of the mist, like a half-remembered image of a murky dream. I sighed. If only my problems could be that insubstantial.

I focused on Adam
’s footprints, following in his exact steps. He insisted we make it look like just one person was walking, and since he was more experienced in these matters, I didn’t argue. While it wasn’t the stealthiest approach, the other route was more than half a mile away, so we were limited in our options.

I was
not
going to go through Parting again.

Adam halted some feet from the estate wall, and I bumped into him. He didn
’t even acknowledge the jolt as he dropped into a crouch, ushering me to do the same. Rubbing my nose, I bent down, wincing as my knees sank into the ice. Goddess, couldn’t I have been Bound in the spring?

Adam tapped my arm and pointed to the wall. A clear patch appeared in the mist, and I caught sight of the courier
’s gate. Ah, so this was how he planned to get in. The narrow arch provided an entrance to the servants quarters which by-passed the main rooms. It would be much easier to broach than the front doors.

One
guard was on duty, armed with a crossbow. He looked woefully disinterested, stamping his feet to keep warm, but it would only take a tiny error and he’d be onto us in a flash.

“Plan?” I whispered.

“Simple enough.” Adam nodded to the frosted bars. “This guy won’t be hard to get past. Once I’ve got him out the way, all you have to do is walk through the gardens and find a window.”

“Really? What if there
’re more guards waiting inside?”

“If there are, they
’ll be at the main gate,” Adam said, “and you’ve only four more to worry about in the manor itself. I’m pretty sure they’ll be busy keeping watch over Lord Svendmar and Ryan, anyway.”

“How in the Goddess
’s name can you be so sure?” I blurted. “If I’m caught, Lord Glenford will have my head off my shoulders faster than you can say ‘peasant girl’.”

Adam playfully flicked my forehead.

“Unlike some people, Little Miss Daydreamer, I was paying attention when we were taken inside.”

I pulled a face. I
’d always loathed that nickname. No matter how accurate it was.

“The only things I can
’t count on are Aronzo and Sergeant Vale,” Adam went on. “They might make things trickier. But I’ve played hide and seek enough times with you to know you’ll be able to handle it.”

I licked my lips, wishing I could feel as confident.

“What about you? Even you’re not fast enough to dodge crossbow bolts. And if they’re more guards in the garden…”

Adam rolled his eyes.

“Eliza, what did I say about positive thinking?”

“I know, but…”

He pressed his finger to my lips.

“Don
’t worry about me.” He flashed a toothy grin. “I’m not arrogant enough to think I can dodge crossbow bolts. I have a backup plan in mind.”

“And that is?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Adam replied. “Just be thankful it’s misty tonight.”

I grumbled to myself. I hated it when he did this. Just because I was a girl didn
’t mean I couldn’t understand evasive tactics. I knew he only did it to tease me, since I always boasted about my healing knowledge, but still…

“Wait here,” Adam said. “I
’ll signal you when I’m done. Don’t make a sound.”

I had no time to question further as he rose to his feet and headed for the courier
’s gate. Heart in my mouth, I clenched my fingers around my cloak. Goddess, please keep him safe.

“Is anybody there?” Adam called. He
’d started to walk with a limp. “I need help!”

“Who
’re you?” grunted the guard. The clack of metal soon followed; he must have adjusted his crossbow. “Where are you?”

“I
’m right here,” Adam said, though he made sure to stay in a pocket of mist. “I’m a traveller, and I got attacked by bandits on the road. Now I don’t know where I am.”

“You
’re on Lord Glenford’s land,” the guard growled, stepping to the bars, though from the way he turned his head he couldn’t pinpoint Adam’s location. “Off with you.”

“But I need help!” Adam begged, dragging his leg over the snow. He was very close to the gate pillar. “Can
’t you escort me to town?”

“I can
’t leave my post,” the guard said. He peeked through the bars, trying to get a better glimpse of his target. I crossed my fingers. Adam better know what he was doing.

Warily, Adam hobbled to the gate. He had a hand clamped over his thigh, and winced with every step.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” the guard barked, poising his crossbow.

“My wound will bleed again if I stop pressing on it,” Adam answered. His eyes were intent on the bolt aimed at his chest.

“I’ll give you another wound to go with it if you don’t obey,” the guard snarled. “Which leg is it?”

Adam hesitated. Then he sighed, and began limping again. I fought the urge to jump out and pull him back.

“They got my right one,” he said, holding said limb at an awkward angle. Though he had his hands up, he made sure to hunch over his thigh, obscuring the guard’s view for as long as possible. Come on, this had to work.

Once Adam was close enough, the guard gasped.

“Wait, that’s…”

His sentence became a muffled groan as Adam grabbed his coat and slammed his
temple into the icy poles. The guard slumped forward, out cold, but Adam kept his hold, stopping him from crashing to the ground. He reached through the bars, and unhooked the steel latch.

“Eliza, come on!”

I gathered my cloak and hurried through the gate. The guard lay face-down in the snow, still breathing, but oblivious to his surroundings. Adam prized the crossbow from its sling and tossed it into a nearby bush. He closed the gate, then knelt down. Tucking the man’s arms and legs together, he pushed him between the wall and a snowy shrub, making him almost impossible to see.

“Alright, let
’s go,” Adam whispered. “Keep following my prints.”

We wandered across a stone path, entering the hedge maze. It was actually one of several. The bushes towered to Adam
’s forehead, but the leaves had shrivelled in the cold, so it was easy to find our way through.

At last we came to the centre point, where the four mazes joined together. From here I spotted the banqueting hall; an oblong structure with a panelled window. Warm candle-light bathed its interior, and between the middle panels stood a glass door. That would be my best bet to get inside. However…

Adam hauled me behind a rose bush. I hissed, catching my arm on the thorns.

“What now?”

“Listen!”

I took a breath to silence my chest
’s heaving, and cast my hearing out. Panicked voices echoed from the courier’s gate, and I gulped. They’d found the guard.

“Goddess,
I didn’t think they’d be that quick,” Adam muttered. He squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll have to lead them away.”

“Adam, no!” I cried. “They
’ll…”

“I
’ll be fine,” Adam said. “Once I’ve got them away, try the banqueting hall. If that doesn’t work, search for an open window. Whatever you do, don’t let them see you! We have to make them think only one of us has broken in.”

“Adam…” I grabbed him in a quick hug. “Be careful.”

Adam winked, before he bolted back to the hedge maze. His boots crunched over the ice, and moments later the guards roared; they’d seen him. I heard a rush of footsteps as they charged into the maze. Adam sprinted east, stepping into a pool of moonlight, and then he was gone.

I stayed behind the roses as the guards fanned out to search. Two were armed with crossbows, and the last one had a rapier. My heart flopped to the pit of my stomach, only to leap into my throat again. The bricks pressed into my back, but I ignored the urge to shiver. If I kept still, they wouldn
’t see me. It was too dark, and they already had a culprit to blame the footprints on.

A loud whistle—much like a hellersbird
’s chirp—rang across the garden, and the guards dispersed to follow it. Despite the danger, I smirked. Adam was certainly keeping them on their toes. I waited, tapping out the seconds with my foot. The minutes drifted by, and the guards didn’t return.

I let out a slow breath. Now it was my turn.

With my palms against the bricks, I inched across the wall, mindful of the spots of light and shadow. Still, I had to admire the garden’s design. The hedge mazes formed the cardinal compass points, and in their centre stood a marble fountain. Climbing plants and potted foliage plastered the buildings, and the former wrapped themselves around the banqueting hall. In the height of spring, it must’ve looked breath-taking draped in flowers and leaves.

The silence deepened, and I made it to the glass door. I crouched beside the branches, and wiped the frost away.

The hall was dimly lit, and I could make out two figures inside. One had messed up sandy hair, while the other was a more slender shape. I peered closer, and could not hold back my gasp.

Ryan hovered by the dining table, and beside him stood the most striking lady I
’d ever seen. Her tanned skin complemented her braided honey-gold hair, and she wore an elegant evening gown that glittered every time she moved. Her profile was flawless, her features even and balanced, her eyes thoughtful and sharp.

They were studying a parchment. Dark letters spiralled across it, but whatever it said remained a mystery. The lady
’s lips moved as she pointed to the scroll, but I couldn’t hear her words. She seemed intent for an explanation. Ryan looked more than uncomfortable, struggling to maintain eye contact. Heck, he’d looked happier when I told him to undress me at the lake.

I withdrew from the glass. The lady must be the one Ryan had been Bound to first. And as he
’d said, she definitely didn’t look any more Unbound than I was.

My fists clenched. This wasn
’t right! How could they be fine while I’d been thrown from compulsion to compulsion, then forced to face the most terrifying moment of my life the second I stepped over half a mile? It wasn’t fair, damn it! It wasn’t…

A sudden crash jolted me to the present, and I flung myself into the branches. Caught in my ranting, I
’d knocked over a flower pot. Ugh, why was I so careless?

The door shuddered
; someone was about to open it. Uh oh. I back-pedalled to the shadows, but I was too slow. A dusting of snow fell to the grass and Ryan’s head poked out. It didn’t take long for his eyes to meet mine. His face, so strained and concerned, went to puzzlement, and then relief.

“What is it?” The lady
’s voice drifted over like silk. Bitterness bubbled in my throat, and I had to swallow it down.

“Just a stray cat, Navinka,” Ryan said, flashing me a knowing look. He wanted me to wait. “It
’s getting late, you know. Don’t you think we should talk about things tomorrow? I’m still tired from the journey from Dhjerba.”

Navinka sighed, and approached the door. Ryan turned around, blocking her view so she wouldn
’t see me. I caught a glimpse of golden hair clips and a lily flower.

“Why are you trying to change the subject?” she asked. “You
’ve been giving me nothing but one word answers since you came home. Nor have you even looked me in the eye.” She stifled a sob. “Don’t you think I’m entitled to learn what happened? After you left me in the night without a word of goodbye, without telling me whether I would ever see you again or what would become of me…” Her voice became quiet, and she sniffed. “Do you think that little of me? Was I that much of a burden that you would do anything to escape?”

Ryan stepped forward, and took Navinka
’s hands in his. He lifted them, and planted a delicate kiss on the back of her wrist. I clung to the branches surrounding me, almost snapping them in half. What was this, the Binding’s jealousy? It was the curse’s fault the lady had feelings for him in the first place!

“It was never like that,” Ryan said, holding her hands level with his chest. “I wanted you to be free to make the choice I stole from you.”

“But I only wanted to be with you.”

I curled into a ball, shivering from head to toe. A tide of rage roared inside, and I was terrified it would break through any minute. Had someone so much as looked at me the wrong way, I would
’ve torn them to pieces. And with every passing moment, the curse was determined to set that fury on the woman before me. The hot anger was much harder to ignore than the spell’s usual compulsions of affection. I screwed my eyes shut, and silently hummed a melody to distract myself.