Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) (9 page)

“I don’t know what you mean,” Dearra said in startled wonder, as a betraying blush crept into her cheeks.

Carly laughed again, and the two friends draped arms around each other’s waists as they exited the room.

Together, the two of them made their way out of the keep and found the lesser used trail that wound west and would take them to Carly’s family. She wanted to see her mother and father before heading back out, and she was badly in need of a change of clothes and a quick bath. As they walked, the two friends exchanged waves and pleasantries with the many people they passed. August was drawing to a close, and families were busy harvesting much of what would see them through the winter months.

“So? Tell me about our Breken visitor,” Carly said baldly.

“Not one for small talk, are you?” Dearra teased.

“Well, I don’t have a lot of time. I saw the blush, Dearra, and I’m dying of curiosity. What man could make my Dearra turn colors? The thought intrigues me.”

“You’re terrible, Carly. I would never allow anyone else to speak to me like that. But you’re right; you don’t have much time, so I guess I had better soothe your curiosity before it gets the better of you and distracts you on your next vital mission.”

Carly let out an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes skyward.

“What do you want to know first?”

“What’s he like? He must be handsome to tempt you away from the training fields. Is he as horrible as all the stories? Isn’t he dangerous? Aren’t you afraid he may turn on you and snap your neck in a fit?”

“That’s more than one question,” Dearra chided.

“Just tell me!”

“Peace, Carly.” Dearra giggled. “Yes, he is handsome, but it’s so much more. You’ve never seen eyes like his!”

“Yes, I’ve heard. Black as the pits of hell, cold, and lifeless. Makes me shudder just thinking about it,” Carly said, and a delicate tremble did run through her. Even the air seemed to chill for a moment.

“Are you going to let me tell you, or did you just want to imagine it all by yourself?”

“Sorry, Dearra. Go ahead.”

“It’s not like that at all. The other Breken who came had eyes just so, but Darius has eyes the color of…the color of…well, I don’t know exactly, but they’re dark brown, with beautiful, golden highlights in them that dance and sparkle when he teases me. He isn’t mean at all. He can be so…almost kind, unless he’s trying to irritate me. He’s quite good at that. Oh, and Carly! You should see the way he looks at me sometimes! It’s like he…well…like he sees me differently than I am. He looks at me like I’m some pretty little doll. Sometimes it annoys me no end, and others, well, I get this strange kind of warm fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach, and those times are kind of wonderful.” A new blush found its way to her cheeks, and she turned to Carly to better judge her friends reaction.

Instead of the amused expression she expected to see, Carly’s face was painted in horror.

“What? What’s wrong, Carly?”

“Oh, Dearra.” The words were barely a whisper. “A handsome distraction. That’s all I thought he was. I never dreamed—”

Carly stopped walking and put her hands on Dearra’s upper arms, and to Dearra’s surprise, Carly actually shook her.

“What are you thinking, Dearra? He’s Breken! You can’t love a Breken!”

“What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? I’m not in love with…I mean, there’s no way I could…I would never…” But Dearra was unable to complete even one of her sentences. “Oh no,” she squeaked.

I believe I already told you how this would go. Don’t listen to me, though. What do I know? I’m just a magical weapon of unsurpassed power. No, no you’re right. Please continue to rely on your own pathetic intuition. I’m sure that’s for the best.

“Would you please be quiet?”

“I’m sorry, Dearra.” Carly’s head dropped at her friends harsh words. “It’s just that I was so stunned.”

“Oh!” Dearra cried out. “Oh, not you, Carly. I wasn’t telling you to be quiet. I was talking to Brin. You’re right. I guess I do…um…care for him. I was as shocked as you to discover it, though. This is terrible, Carly. What am I going to do now? What would everyone say? What would Father say? What would Darius say if he knew? Well, I can kind of guess the response I would get from him, some condescending remark about how I can’t control my little female instincts around his Breken manliness. What am I going to do?”

Dearra paused in her tirade to allow her friend a chance to speak, but when she did, it wasn’t exactly what Dearra had been expecting.

“Dearra?”

“Yes, Carly.” The look in Dearra’s eyes begged her friend for understanding and acceptance.

“Who’s Brin?”

The walk back to the castle from Carly’s house was much quieter than the journey there had been. Carly accepted the news of Dearra’s new companion with her usual calm. From time to time she would ask a brief question, but otherwise, she was quiet, merely shaking her head to herself or nodding in acceptance of some statement or other Dearra had made.

“Well, I can’t say I’m that shocked, Dearra. You’ve always been a little bit different.”

“Thanks a lot,” she said, dejected.

“You know what I mean, Dearra, and you can’t deny it. If the spirit of Cyrus chose you to wield the sword, he must know what he’s doing. I’m not going to question it,” Carly said with conviction, the whole matter settled, as far as she was concerned.

“Oh, come on, Carly! The spirit of Cyrus? Chose me? You’re joking right?”

“Yes, Dearra. I’m joking. I’m sure that a magical sword…who can speak and think, got bored after a thousand years and picked someone at random to take him out for a walk. You know, to pass the time.”

I like her! She can stay.

“Must you do that?” Dearra snapped.

“Do what? Tell you the truth? I thought you liked that about our friendship.”

Dearra let out a frustrated sigh. “Not you!” she said. “It’s Brin again.”

“Oh, sorry. What did he say?”

“He said he likes you,” Dearra half grumbled. He delights in tormenting me, and when you stated things so…plainly, he was amused.”

“Well…tell him I like him too. Anyone who can keep you safe is okay with me. Plus, he is very beautiful, and he must be so intelligent to keep you on your toes.”

She really is a very delightful girl, isn’t she?
Brin’s tone oozed contentment and pride.
So very perceptive.

“I don’t need to tell him. He understands you quite well, annoying, arrogant, obnoxious thing that he is.”

Carly could tell Dearra’s temper was reaching its limits and wisely changed the track of the conversation. “So, your father is speaking to Darius tonight after the meal, then?”

“So he tells me.” Dearra huffed. “I have been anxious to hear his decision, but now, I must admit, I’m a bit nervous.”

“I’m sure your father won’t hurt Darius, Dearra. Probably he will send him to the king. That would be the best place for him.” Carly saw Dearra’s frown and ignored it. “It would be what’s safer for everyone, Dearra. I should suggest it to Lord Hugh, myself, really.”

Dearra’s voice was desperate. “You wouldn’t! Please, Carly!”

Carly was worried about her friend. This was so unlike Dearra. She had never shown even the slightest interest in any of the Maj men before, and now this, and a
Breken
of all things. But she couldn’t, or more accurately wouldn’t, intentionally cause Dearra pain. “All right, Dearra, but please promise me you’ll be careful. He
is
a Breken, after all.”

The air seemed to explode from Dearra’s lungs. “Thank you, Carly.”

Carly wasn’t entirely sure she was doing the right thing.

“Come on, Carly! I hear the bell calling us to dinner!” Dearra sprinted ahead of her friend back to the keep.

Carly shook her head, knowing it wasn’t the meal that had inspired such enthusiasm, but the event that followed.

***

Dinner seemed to drag. Dearra picked at the food on her plate. She had already completely mutilated a piece of goose, browned and dripping with rich gravy, and the small yellow potatoes on the plate had been speared so many times they resembled a pile of shapeless mush more than the firm and tasty vegetables they had once been. She was a bundle of raw nerves, and any time someone spoke to her she jumped a little in her seat. Had she not been so preoccupied with her own thoughts she would surely have noticed the way Jacob’s eyes stayed glued to her throughout the meal.

Jacob watched her every move. So consumed was he with her every action, he couldn’t bring himself to look away. When Bryan approached her to offer bowl of fresh berries he had picked from his fields that very day, Jacob scowled, and almost shot to his feet. He would have liked to smash the berry bowl in Bryan’s face, but he knew he needed to watch himself around Lord Hugh if he ever wanted a chance to win the prize he sought. Oh, how it annoyed him to watch the clumsy Bryan making advances to his Dearra. He had come over three years ago to visit the island, and having seen Dearra, never left. But she had been only fourteen to his twenty, and so he waited. Now that she was seventeen, he saw himself within reach of his goal, and no lowly farmer was going to get in his way. True, she had her faults. The sword would need to go, and he would need to teach her some manners around men. After all, men were her betters and deserving of her respect. As far as Jacob was concerned, the whole notion of equality between men and women was a cruel joke. Let them play at battle if they wanted, but no wife of his would ever carry a sword.

Dearra refused the sweet berries, claiming she had filled herself to the brim on Cook’s good meat and bread. Jacob knew she hadn’t taken more than one or two bites, but was happy she had turned away the offer, all the same. The glum look on Bryan’s face as he nodded and walked away helped to soothe Jacob’s pride, and he went back to silently watching his perfect beauty.

When, the meal was concluded, Hugh rose from his chair, turned to Daniel, and said, “Well, Daniel, shall we deal with our guest?”

“Certainly, Lord.”

As they began to walk away, Dearra feared she would be left behind to hear of the outcome after the fact, but then her father turned and nodded his invitation. Dearra didn’t need to be asked twice; she practically leapt from her place at the table. In her haste, she missed the disturbing glare Jacob had aimed in her direction.

It seemed like her father was deliberately strolling—was his pace always this slow and measured? As they neared the door to Darius’s makeshift cell, Dearra felt the blood pounding through her veins. They relieved the two guards, sending them in search of their own dinners, and Hugh, Daniel, and Dearra entered the room.

Darius was standing with his back to the corner, his expression was calm, but his eyes remained cautious and alert. The room seemed smaller than Dearra had remembered.

“So, are you quite recovered from your wounds, boy?” Hugh began, blandly.

“My name is Darius, Lord, and yes, I have fared very well under your daughter’s excellent care, thank you.”

“So now we come to it. What to do with you now that we have you. I have a few options you may want to consider.”

“Options?” Darius said. He had never heard of a captor offering options to his prisoner before. “Well, then, Lord, I would ask that my death be in battle. Give me the chance to die with honor.”

“Are you so anxious to die?” Hugh’s voice was grave.

“You have me at a disadvantage, Lord. If you don’t mean to have me killed, then what are the options you speak of?” Darius was hesitant as he spoke, sure this was some kind of trick.

“It was never my intention to harm you, boy. Unless, that is, you force me to do so.”

Darius looked at Dearra and a smile played around the corners of his mouth. Dearra dipped her head to hide her embarrassment. He knew she had been toying with him earlier. If he ever got out of this, he was going to have to remember to show a little more respect for her temper.

“What are my options?” he asked.

“First, we can have you taken to the king on the mainland and let your fate rest in his hands. I must tell you, though, I can pretty much guarantee his decision will not be as…charitable as mine.

Hugh didn’t notice the way Dearra stiffened or the frown that flashed across her features, but Darius did. Her displeasure at that suggestion left him wondering, but he had no time to consider before Hugh spoke again.

“Second, you can remain in this cell until we go to retrieve my son from your kin. We will take you with us, and use you to bargain for his safe return.

“Or there is option three. You can agree to assist us. I will give you some measure of freedom on the island, and once we have secured my child and returned to the ship, I will set you free to return to your family.

“Which do you choose, boy?”

Darius took his time before answering, weighing Hugh’s words and Dearra’s reactions to them before speaking. “My name is Darius, sir,” he said politely. “Your offer is most generous, Lord. I could not have asked to be treated more fairly, but I would like to suggest a counter offer.”

Hugh was caught off guard. Surely he had been more than reasonable. What could this Breken think to demand of him now? “You may push too far, boy, but I will hear you.”

“My name is Darius.” This time there was a faint hint of annoyance in his voice when he repeated his name, but he did not look away from Hugh’s steady gaze as he continued. “My proposal is this: I will assist you with information on my homeland, as you have never been there and will be sorely in need of my help. When we get there I will also assist in your son’s rescue, as I feel badly such a little boy was taken from his home.” A small flash of pain crossed his features before he began again. “What I ask in return is this: I will not be left behind, but given passage back here when all is done, and given leave to go my own way. I have no desire to return
home
.” He spoke the last word with bitterness.

Silence descended as Hugh weighed the proposal in front of him. This Breken was different. While he found the young man interesting, Hugh did not like unknowns. Had he been a typical Breken warrior, Hugh would have been able to count on Darius’s own desire for self-preservation to override any family loyalty he might feel. But this man was going to take some watching.

“I have some conditions, boy, if we are to try this alliance—”

“Darius, sir.”

“As I was saying, some conditions. You will be allowed no weapons. Your sword will be kept until I say otherwise. If you so much as touch a weapon in passing, your life will be forfeit; the people of Maj will have instructions to kill you where you stand and ask questions later. If at any time you threaten anyone here, again, your life will be forfeit. You will spend your nights locked in a room of my choosing within the keep. If you attempt to escape—”

“My life will be forfeit,” Darius said, and a low chuckle escaped his lips, despite his efforts to control it. “I’m starting to sense a pattern here.”

Hugh couldn’t help but grin himself, but when he spoke again, it was in all seriousness. “And lastly, you are to go nowhere unless accompanied by Dearra.”

Both heads snapped up at once; Dearra and Darius stared at Hugh in shock.

“Father?”

“Daniel will be needed to start training the warriors to accompany us on the voyage, Dearra. Who else can I trust? I know it will be a burden on you, but I think this may be Pip’s best chance.”

“Of course, Father,” she said, her heart beating frantically in her chest at the overwhelming thought of spending so much time with Darius.

Darius collected himself quickly and nodded his agreement.

“Do we have a deal then, boy?”

Darius sighed at the use of the word “boy” yet again, but held his peace. “We have a deal, sir.”

Smiling widely, Hugh stepped from the room and held the door wide for the former prisoner to pass. “Well, then! Good!”

“Thank you, sir,” Darius said as he came, at last, out of the dark room.

“Go with Dearra, now, and she will show you where you are to sleep. Oh, and one more thing: welcome to Maj…Darius.”