The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil (94 page)

“I don’t believe that,” Aiva shook her head. She knew better than to think her injuries were the only reason her family had been against her participation in the battle. “You may have been more concerned about my physical condition. The rest of my family, however, simply doubted my ability to handle myself. My father cares deeply about my safety and his heart is in the right place, but I’m under no delusion that the argument was solely because of this little cut.”

“I wouldn’t call it little, Aiva. Do you realize that you will always bear a scar from this injury?”

“I’m not concerned about scars. This entire journey has been about much more than a few imperfections on my skin.”

His fingers traced over the swollen area of her stomach, his eyes focused on it, saddened by the sight. She tried not to giggle at the light sensation of his touch. Even through the pain it somehow tickled. It took all her willpower not to burst into a fit of laughter while Callum looked so somber. Unable to take it any longer, she flinched away from him, inhaling a deep breath to try and contain the laugh which threatened to come. He looked at her, confused at first, before finally realizing what caused her strange behavior.

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled, releasing his hold on her shirt to let the fabric drape over her once again. “I wasn’t even thinking…”

“On the contrary, you looked to be thinking rather deeply on something.” Aiva tilted her head to one side, looking him over carefully, curious what was going through his head. He always had a way of making her wonder. His thoughts were impossible to decipher. Stepping forward she rested her hand on his arm, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. He had been on edge since being reunited with their families. Just once she wanted him to look upon her the way he had during their time away. To see the joy in his eyes that had been there the night on the trade ship when he rushed to fetch Captain Bingham to perform the ridiculous spectacle of a marriage ceremony.

He shook his head, eyes downcast to stare at her hand where it touched the damp sleeve of his doublet. “Yes, I was thinking deeply on something, but I know there is no point in speaking it out loud.”

“No?” she peered at him, curious what he meant. “I prefer you tell me what troubles you rather than keeping it inside.”

“It will change nothing for me to waste the breath.”

“Nothing you say is a waste of breath, Callum. Just tell me. I’ll be more upset at your silence than I will be about anything you say.”

Defeated, he gave in to her insistent prying, reaching out to take her in his arms, drawing her into him as if afraid she might break if he applied too much pressure. He held her there, planting a gentle kiss on the side of her neck before speaking. “Aiva… is there anything I could say or do which would convince you not to fight if the pirates come for us?”

She inhaled, forcing down the initial anger that crept over her to hear him ask the question. It wasn’t his fault. She made him speak what was on his mind. But why would he request such a thing? After everything they’d been through! It was insulting. Yet at the same time, she understood. Whenever they prepared to go into battle, she wanted to ask the same of him. To beg Callum not to fight. Her worst fear wasn’t the pirates or anything they might do to her. It was what they might do to him. She didn’t want to lose him. Not when they had come so far. They were so close to being home. She just had to keep them both alive until they reached the docks in Siscal.

The tension in her muscles made her discontent more obvious than she wanted. Callum’s embrace tightened. In her mind she wanted to be mad at him but her heart wouldn’t let her. He loved her. It was reassuring to know that he cared enough to consider her safety above all else. “Is there anything I could say which would convince you not to fight as well?”

“You know I have no choice, Aiva,” he sighed miserably. “I swore an oath when I joined the military. It’s required of me to fight; however, you are not held to the same promise.”

“But why now, Callum? You were the one who supported the idea of me fighting beside you. Why do you change your mind? What is different about this fight?”

“The difference is that Ireni will come directly for you. I would be a fool to think otherwise.” Callum shifted his weight, watching Aiva carefully. “You know it the same as I do. Shaelyn was never her intended target. And with Osahar out of the way, her goal will be your destruction.”

“You overlook the fact that she seeks revenge on you.”

“I don’t overlook anything, Aiva. You and I will be her focus. She won’t stop until we’re dead. But you’ll be first. I know the way she thinks. She takes pleasure in the thought of making me watch you die. Our fathers have no idea what kind of trouble we’re in. They don’t know her like we do.”

“Do you think she and her men have a chance at defeating us?”

“On the water? Yes,” Callum’s frown deepened. “They are pirates. They spend most of their life on the sea. We, on the other hand, are limited. It isn’t like when our parents fought the Ven’shal and were on solid ground with access to the elements that empower the energy within us. While we could attempt to manipulate the water, it would run the risk of sinking our own ship if we tried to utilize it as a weapon aboard our own vessel. We have swords and bows. Equal ground to them. No advantage beyond our military training, but they’re not helpless. You’ve seen them fight. They are strong and incredibly skilled. Ireni could give my father quite a run if they went toe-to-toe… and he is without doubt our strongest soldier.”

“Have you expressed to him your concerns?”

“My father? What good would that do us? He’ll think I lack faith in our men. As the Captain, I cannot give that impression. The best I can do is advise him that she knows her way around a blade. You know how he teaches. Once you start to doubt, you have already lost.”

Aiva let out a long contemplative breath. “These are all reasons why it’s imperative I fight alongside you,” she replied quietly. “Everyone on board who knows how to wield a blade should be a ready soldier for an attack. We need all the men we can get if we want to defeat them. Which means the only person on this ship who should be hiding is Shaelyn.”

“I just don’t want to lose you, Aiva.”

“You’re not going to lose me. We’ve been over this before.” Aiva brought her hand to Callum’s face, resting her palm gently against his cheek. “When we were in Tunir, I promised you that I wasn’t going anywhere. The same that you promised you would not leave me again. We are both bound to our word. Nothing is going to happen to us. You’re going to have to trust me on this. So why waste our time discussing it when we could simply enjoy the time we have?”

With a painful grimace Callum nodded, his fingers weaving through Aiva’s hair, gazing at her in admiration. “You are an incredible woman. I’m not sure how I ever managed to earn your heart.”

“It was a long and tedious process, I’m sure,” she smiled. The expression on his face softened, his muscles relaxed to feel her in his arms. Seeing the opportunity, she leaned forward, her lips meeting his. She had wanted to kiss him for days. It had been pure torture being so close yet unable to show affection out of respect for their families. She almost missed their days in Tunir and Vailetta. When they didn’t have to worry about who saw them and what they would think of their actions.
Welcome back to the life of a princess…

Callum returned the passion of her embrace, clinging to her desperately, his lingering fear evident in the way he held her against him. Lost in the moment, neither of them heard the footsteps approach outside the door, caught off guard by the click of someone entering, Cadell’s voice ringing through the room, his words sounding before he entered.

“Son, I need to discuss a few – ” Clearing his throat Cadell quickly turned his back to them, making no attempt to leave the room, only providing them with enough privacy to separate to a respectable distance. Aiva’s cheeks flushed with warmth, embarrassed by the interruption. “My apologies,” he coughed awkwardly. “I am not used to… having to knock before entering my son’s room.”

“Yes, well… it would be a good habit to acquire,” Callum straightened his doublet uncomfortably, the wet fabric sticking to his skin. “I was just checking Aiva’s sutures. They took quite a beating today.”

“Right,” Cadell gave a short laugh. “Is it alright if I turn around?”

“We are both decent, much like we were when you entered. Do not worry about it,” Aiva tried to come across dismissive, finding her tone wavering slightly. Of all the people who could have walked through that door… the only worse possibility she could think of was her father. He wouldn’t have been so lighthearted about seeing them in each other’s arms. At least not while they were in the privacy of a room where a bed was readily available. Married or not, he wasn’t quite adapted to the idea.

Nodding his head Cadell slowly twisted his body back around. “You see, boy… this is why wives are not typically allowed to accompany their husbands when they are on leave for military duty. It creates a lack of focus.”

“I agree it creates a lack of focus, though not in the sense you imply,” Callum argued calmly, a hint of red still visible on his high cheekbones. “When in the field it is distracting to be constantly afraid of them getting injured – ”

“If your distraction is only when in the field, then you would not be concerned about whether or not your old man knocks before entering your room. Though the blood on her shirt does have me a little curious.”

“I told you I was checking her sutures. They need to be replaced or she is at risk of further infection.”

All sign of humor left Cadell’s face to hear the condition of Aiva’s injury. The initial discomfort of his arrival forgotten, he moved to stand in front of her, fingers grabbing onto the bottom of her shirt, looking at her inquisitively. “Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Not at all, though Callum already did,” she motioned toward it, thankful for the distraction from the previous topic. There was no reason for her to be so uncomfortable. They had done nothing wrong. It was the mere principle of the interruption. The possibility of what Cadell might have walked in on. To think about it only made her blush again.

“Yes, well, for my own peace of mind, I must see how bad it is. You know your father will ask once he has finished tending to your sister,” Carefully he lifted the shirt up, forehead creased in displeasure at the sight of the wound.

Aiva lowered her eyes to look down at it, nose wrinkled in disgust. It was terrible. No matter how many times she saw it, the shock remained the same. It was a miracle the man who inflicted the initial wound hadn’t killed her. A slight increase of pressure from his blade and she would not be standing there now. “See, it is fine,” she lied.

Cadell lifted his gaze to her, shaking his head in disapproval. “It’s not fine,” he argued. “Son, if you don’t mind, we should retrieve the supplies necessary to clean this before it gets any worse. I can ask you my questions while we walk.”

“Of course, Father,” Callum stated, glancing to Aiva apologetically. “We can finish our conversation later, if you like.”

“If you refer to the one you were having when I came in, I recommend you wait a few days,” Cadell chuckled. He patted Callum on the back in a teasing fashion, his smile broadened to see the discomfort on his son’s face.

“That’s not what I meant,” Callum started. His father brought his hand up to silence him, fighting the laughter that continued to come despite his efforts to prevent it.

“You are making this too easy, boy. There is no shame in kissing your wife. You are a man now. That means it’s time you start locking your door. Now, Princess,” Cadell let his eyes fall on Aiva, “if I could steal my son away.”

“By all means,” she gestured toward Callum. It felt strange for the General to ask her permission to speak with his son. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to it.

Ignoring his father’s watchful eyes Callum leaned in to give Aiva a brief kiss on the lips before starting to back toward the door. “We will fix the sutures when we return.”

“I will be easy enough to find,” she assured him. “If I’m not in this room, I will be with my sister.”

With a final nod the men walked through the door, leaving her there to stare after them. She felt awkward and alone, her clothes still clinging to her from the excess water. Slowly she peeled the doublet from her arms, wringing it out over the floor. It left a large puddle at her feet, though the weight of the garment improved significantly. There was plenty of time for it to dry before she would need to have it ready again.

Tossing the doublet onto the back of a wooden chair she stared at it absently. The last thing she wanted to think about was putting it back on.
It won’t be so bad once it’s dry
. The discomfort was worth it to know that Shaelyn was safe.

She let her gaze trail over to the open door where Cadell and Callum had disappeared. They would be gone for a little while. In Callum’s absence, there was no reason for her to stand around the tiny room by herself. She wanted to be with her sister. It had been months since they last spoke. Her heart sank in fear of the things that might have happened during that time. If only they had been able to catch up to the pirates sooner. Her frustration grew to realize how close they’d been on so many occasions. How had Ireni managed to slip right out from under their noses?

Keeping her hand strategically placed over the bloodstain on her shirt, Aiva made her way out of the room. If her father was with Shaelyn, she didn’t want him to see the mark. He would think it worse than it really was and Aiva had no desire to argue her health with him. Not while her mind was burdened with so many more pressing matters than a single cut across her stomach. He would find out soon enough. No need to send him into a panic now.

Anxious to reach her sister’s room Aiva hurried down the hall from the barracks. There was much she wanted to discuss with Shaelyn; most of which would be easier if her father wasn’t present.
Oh well
, she thought dismissively.
None of this will matter if the pirates seek revenge.
If her father was there, it would be a good opportunity to spend a few final moments with her family. Regardless of the promises made between her and Callum, Aiva knew it would be impossible to guarantee their word was kept. She wanted this chance to see them one last time. There was no way to know if or when they would have another.