The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (65 page)

They were interrupted by a small sound. Both looked over when they realized Lily had cleared her voice to get their attention. Aiden had almost forgotten she was there.

“Oh yes,” Moose said, dryly. “I suppose you should actually be thanking your girlfriend over there. She was the one who got me and brought me here.” The term girlfriend made Aiden’s face heat, but he pretended not have heard it. He just smiled thankfully over at her.

“I saved
just
Aiden?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Moose sighed. “She saved me too,” he said reluctantly.

Aiden walked over to her and grabbed one of her hands in both of his. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I don’t know how you knew, but I’m glad you did.” She shrugged, lowering her eyes as if she were embarrassed. By his touch or his gratitude, he didn’t know, but he didn’t care either. He had never been so happy to see anyone in his life.

“Your arm,” she said softly, nodding towards the cut. Little droplets of blood were still falling to the floor, but the bleeding had slowed.

“It will heal by tomorrow,” he answered, nonchalantly. They still stood there, her hand in his until Moose interrupted loudly.

“Will you love birds quit it already? We have to go tell my father what has happened, and make sure the army from the north is gone.” He was already moving towards the front door, his sword ready in his hand.

Aiden turned back to look at Lily. “Are you going back to the forest?” he asked, a sense of worry rising in him. He didn’t want her near the fighting. He knew she was strong, despite her tiny frame, but that didn’t mean she should be involved in a war. He was surprised enough that she had come for him. Or was he? He’d have to think about it another time.

She hesitated a second before answering him. Her eyes looked up to meet his, then down at the floor again. “I think I would like to stay with you,” she replied. “I’d rather not let you out of my sight. Just in case.” She added the last part quickly, letting the words rush out. A smile slowly spread across his face. He gently lifted her chin so she would look at him. She was so beautiful, so fragile-looking. Everything inside him screamed to send her away, but another part was begging to keep her close. There was some kind of connection between them that he couldn’t begin to understand

“Okay,” he said, searching her face to make sure she really wanted this. “But stay behind me when we go out there, and don’t go too close to the fighting.”

She smiled back. “Okay,” she mimicked. “The fighting is over anyway, otherwise I might have argued with you.” He let out a surprised chuckle. “I don’t let anyone tell me what to do,” she added.

“I’ll remember that,” he said dryly. He turned then, still keeping her hand in his as they left the gloom of the cottage out into the sundrenched afternoon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The conditions for their voyage since first leaving the shores of the north had been, almost inconceivably, in their favour. Rose had heard some of the men on board whispering that it was the sorcerer Aziz who was making it possible for them to travel so fast. The waves seemed to propel them forward, aiding in their travels. The wind blew the sails, as if it was blowing especially for them. Callum had muttered once how odd it was, but Rose was no expert and could not comment. What she did know, unfortunately, was that despite the favourable conditions, she was still horribly ill. The waves beneath them were small, and for each one she felt her stomach roll. The child within her was not happy, and neither was she.

Each morning she found herself drenched with sweat, hair stuck to her forehead and down her back. And every morning, without fail, she rolled over and vomited in a bucket at her bedside. Only once a day would she venture outside to breath in the fresh salt air, but even that did little to settle her ill feeling.

She could see the worry in Callum’s eyes every time he looked at her. They were well supplied on the ship, so there was plenty of food, but she could barely hold it down. It wasn’t just her safety he feared for, but their child’s. Before they had left he had expressed his desire for her to stay, but she had insisted that they not part, not even for a little bit. Now it seemed he had been right to ask her to stay. The journey was clearly too much for her to handle in her state. Still, she was happy to just be close to him; to have him lay with her at night, and hold her through til morning. Without the obligations of the court back north, they were able to spend almost all their time together. He was all hers, except for a couple of times throughout the day when he would leave to check on the men.

Currently he was on the upper deck speaking with the ship’s captain. They were making better time than they had anticipated, so Callum wanted to find a place to drop anchor, before the Nysan army saw them. It was strange for Rose to be sailing towards a place she had only dreamed of as a child. Now she would see it, from a boat, but still she’d be closer than she had ever imagined. And yet she was heading there with a group of men with a mind to destroy it. To ruin the beautiful fountains she had heard of, the tall buildings that blocked out the world around them, but opened up to a starry sky above. The people who were olive skinned and beautiful, carefree and fun loving, not sharing in the hardships found north of them. They were separate from the rest of Eden. An island of paradise, people said. And Callum, her one true love, wanted to bring that all to an end.

The inner conflict never subsided. She felt no ill will towards those she was fast approaching, and yet by all appearances she was on the wrong side. Or were they? Sometimes she just didn’t know. A part of her still hoped that Callum would change his mind, and show the compassion in him that she knew existed. Even though she understood the hurt and betrayal Callum felt, and his desire to rule people fairly and justly, she still knew what they were doing was wrong. Innocent people had been killed for his quest, her family included. The idea of her parents looking down at her and seeing what she had become made her feel almost more sick than the ocean did. Part of her prayed for their forgiveness, but another part, the more rebellious part, didn’t care what they thought. She had found a man that loved her more than anything. And she him. How could anyone see any wrong in something as beautiful as that? Callum was the most patient and gentle person with her. He made her feel special. No one had ever done that before in her life. Her being with the north seemed okay in her mind, because she was doing it for love. Didn’t love conquer all? Were Callum’s motivations not also for love? The love of his land?

It was early morning now. She had been lying in bed for almost a whole hour, her thoughts a twisted mess. When Callum finally returned, Rose knew immediately that something was wrong. His eyes looked darker, and his face was void of any colour. Without realizing she had done so, she soon found herself sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice raw. Callum slowly lowered his face into his hands, then dragged them through his dark, dishevelled locks.

“Aziz just spoke to me,” he said, softly.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise and disbelief. “How is that possible? We are in the middle of the sea!”

Callum shrugged, collapsing into a chair near the door to their small cabin below deck. “He is a sorcerer, he can do things we think impossible. His voice came from nowhere, as if he were standing just beside me. Almost gave the Captain a heart attack,” he answered. Rose remained silent, hoping he would continue. Aziz must have told him something bad. She hadn’t seen Callum this down before. Her heart raced in anticipation. Slowly his dark eyes rose to meet hers. They were endless pools of chocolate brown, full of worry and sadness.

“Tell me,” she pleaded.

“He’s gone,” he said softly. “Brutus is dead. He was killed this morning during the fight with the Riders.” Brutus. Dead. Rose’s eyes filled instantly. She placed one hand over her heart, as if she expected it to actually break from the news. He was feared, a legend in his own time, and the one who had killed her people and burned her village. And yet she had loved him. He had treated her well since the moment they had met. Even now she could picture the way his eyes would crease when she said something to make him laugh. The way his laughter boomed, filling the room with his pleasure. They had liked each other, grown to mutually respect the other, and eventually care for each other’s well-being. Callum had seen him as another brother, a true brother who stood behind him no matter what. They were similar in so many ways, yet also different.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice breaking. Silent tears stained her face. Callum stood up and came to sit beside her. In one motion he had her sitting on his lap, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. She tucked her head under his chin, listening to the soft beat of his heart.

“I doubt Aziz would be wrong on something like this,” he answered finally.

“What will you do now?”

“We continue with the plan. The survivors will return home, if there are any, and wait for us there. Until then we need to gain control of the south. If we do that, we can still attack central Eden from both sides. It’s what Brutus planned since our failure last time.” Rose grew cold as he discussed their plans. She hated the thought of more death, but didn’t have the heart to remove herself from the situation. A life without Callum would be far worse than the one she lived now.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Callum began to stroke her hair silently. Neither spoke for a long time. He held her like that until, eventually, she fell asleep. When she woke up, hours later, he was gone.

* * * * *

Callum had gently laid her down, admiring how peaceful and beautiful she looked while she slept. The baby added some weight to her face, making it rounder and softer. She no longer looked like the young, underfed girl he had first stumbled upon. She had curves now, looked healthier and happier, but was still his Rose. He had never expected to love someone as much as he found himself loving her. She was everything to him.

Leaving silently, he climbed the steep wooden staircase to the upper deck. There were men all about now, discussing the fall of their fearless leader. Anger hovered in the air. The men were ready for revenge. Callum was now their leader, and with that, he would need to exact proper retaliation. Even if he had wanted to be merciful before, it was out of the question now.

Avoiding the crowd, he made his way to the stern of the boat, looking as far west as he could. Brutus was gone. It still didn’t feel real. To Callum, Brutus was an unchanging, indestructible force. The thought of someone bettering him was almost laughable. Yet it had happened, and now Callum was left to carry on without him. He didn’t know how this would affect the future, couldn’t manage to wrap his head around it. So for now he focused on the present. He had to beat whatever Markus threw at him, and hope to the God and Goddess their planning would prove fruitful this time.

The ship’s captain cleared his throat behind him. “Sir, we are coming up to the spot we discussed,” he said, wearily. Everyone was being extra cautious around him today. What they didn’t understand was that Callum wasn’t angry about Brutus’s death. He was sad. Brutus had been a major figure in his life during an important time, and now he was gone.

Callum turned to look at the old, weathered man, his skin tanned and wrinkled like soft leather. “Drop the anchor,” he instructed. “We won’t attack at night. Let us stay here until morning, then move out so they will be able to see us.”

“Very good, sir,” he noted, bowing his head and returning to the wheel. Callum turned back to the west, lost in memories. He didn’t know how long he stood like this until two small arms circled around his chest.

“You left me,” Rose said, accusingly, but with no real anger. He looked over his shoulder with a smile. Every time the woman appeared his heart raced. That hadn’t changed during the time they had been together. He had never grown tired of her or her company. Red waves now hung loosely around her face. She had a healthy glow, despite how sick she had been since they left. Callum hated that he hadn’t been able to help her these past days. Was it too much to ask that she always be healthy and happy? He didn’t care so much about him, just that Rose never have to suffer in any regard.

“I apologize,” he said mildly, moving her to stand in front of him. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.” He wrapped his arms around her growing belly.

She remained silent, looking off towards the west like he had. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her. “I will find some way to honour his memory, and that will give me peace.” She turned so they faced each other, but he didn’t dare take his arms off her.

“We could name the baby Brutus, if it is a boy,” she suggested. Gods, he loved this woman. He smiled down at her, gathering a strand of hair in one hand that had blown into her face, and tucked it gently behind her ear. Leaning down, he kissed her slowly, tasting her. She wrapped her hands around his neck, deepening the kiss, opening her mouth for him. He moaned in surprise and delight. All too soon she pulled back, casting a quick embarrassed look at the men around them.

“I’ll take that as yes, you like the idea?”

He chuckled. “It’s perfect. He would have expected nothing less, especially from you.” They both shared a sad smile at their friend’s memory. “Come, I want you to see something.”

* * * * *

Rose placed her hand in his, feeling the familiar hardness of his calloused skin. She loved his hands. He walked them towards the front railing. There they stood in silence as the ship slowly turned around a bend, keeping close to the land on their right. Suddenly ahead of them in the distance was a beacon of light shining towards the darkening sky. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. They had arrived.

Before them, like a jewel in the sea, sat the city she had always longed to see: Nysa. There, on the shore, where even now she could see multitudes of ships waiting for trade and passengers, would be a war. Rose couldn’t help but think of her brother. Would he be among them? Would Jameson send down his troops to aid in the Sun People’s defence? Her heart picked up speed at the thought of being reunited with him. What if he wouldn’t accept her now that she was with Callum? Would he be excited at the thought of being an Uncle, or disgusted?