By Force (15 page)

“So, Isame, did you grow up in the castle?” Sam asked me. “You are awfully young for a guardian.”

“I am indeed,” I replied. “Started training at thirteen. That’s when I moved to the castle, you see. After my parents died.”

“Oh! Dear child!” Ursula cried.

Nole lifted his brows and Otis covered his laugh with a hearty cough.

“Is there somewhere we could rest for the night?” Nole asked, probably trying to steal me away before I slipped up.

“We don’t have much,” Sam said. “There’s a loft in the barn that you’re all welcome to. I don’t imagine it’s as comfortable as what you’re used to, but it’s a roof over your heads. Isame can stay in the house, of course.” He smiled at me and moved to a standing position.

Sam escorted the men to the barn. Remmie hesitated, but in the end he followed, leaving me alone with Ursula.

“My, they are quite the lookers.” Ursula moved to the door to watch the men walk away.

The corners of my mouth lifted. “They are indeed.”

“Don’t see too many people in these parts. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, someone other than the boy.” She returned to the table, taking the seat opposite me.

“Now that we’re alone, why don’t you tell me why you’re really in their company,” she said with a wink.

“It’s a long story.” I ran my index fingers around the rim of my cup. Was my fake story really so unbelievable?

“I like stories. It gets pretty mundane ’round here, ’specially considering Sam’s not much of a talker—just like his father, he is.”

I felt relaxed in her company and wanted to tell her everything, but I knew how stupid it would be to share my real circumstances with her. It would only place her and her son in danger. Plus, and I knew it was extremely warped, but I didn’t want her to think badly of my Daentarry friends. I knew, deep in my heart, that they would do whatever they could to help me and keep me safe, and I cared for each and every one of them.

“I’m very tired,” I told her, placing my hand on hers. “Could you show me to my bed?”

She let her question go unanswered, though I could tell I’d disappointed her. She walked me across the room and opened one of the two doors that led into a small bedroom. In it sat a wooden bed with waist-high bedposts, a small nightstand, and a dented dresser.

I thanked her for her kindness and after she shut the door behind her, I fell onto the bed and released a considerable sigh. I thought sleep would come easily, but it did not. I tossed and turned for hours before getting up to look out the window. What time of day was it? I figured I had at least three hours before sunrise. Hoping a walk might help me sleep, I quietly exited the house and took up a seat on a thick tree stump at the edge of the yard.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Remmie said from behind me, causing me to jump. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Remmie,” I said, after taking a breath. “No, you’re fine. I just wasn’t expecting company.”

“I could leave,” he said, pointing to the barn.

“I wish you wouldn’t.” Without thinking, the words fell from my mouth. I wanted to be near him, and yet I was filled with guilt each time that I was.

The full moons allowed me to see a dopey smile cover his face. He took up a seat on the ground beside me and nervously picked at the grass.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” I told him.

Butterflies danced wildly in my stomach as he reached up and stroked the back of my hand with his own. “You forget I’m to be married.”

“And that’s what you want?”

“No. It was never what I wanted.”

“What do you want?”

I laughed. “This.”

Remmie frowned. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Of course he didn’t. How could I communicate to him that I’d seen and lived more in the last few weeks than I had in my entire life? I wanted more travel, more adventure. How ridiculous was it for me to have to be kidnapped to realize my dreams, and also…to find a man I cared for. “Nothing,” I said with a smile. “I’m just glad I got to see more of this island, that’s all.”

“And what of your fiancé?”

“Who knows? Perhaps he might not have me after all this trouble. But even if he did, I’m not sure I could accept him anymore, no matter how much the town will disapprove.”

“That’s important to you?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because my family will be devastated by it and everyone in town will torment them.

“I’d kill anyone that tormented you.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Thanks, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“If you should change your mind…” Remmie said with a small smile.

“You’ll be the first to know.”

He looked up at the sky as if lost in thought. What occupied his mind? I wanted to know.

“I won’t allow them to give you to the king,” he said, out of the blue. “No matter what the gypsy says.”

I took his hand in mine and turned our hands over so my palm was facing down. When I stretched my fingers, he did the same. My hand was so small in comparison; my fingers barely reached past the edges of his palm.

“I know that,” I said, “but that’s not what troubles me.”

“Your father and brother and fiancé?”

“Yes.”

“I already told you I was sorry. What more can I do?”

“Could you ever allow yourself to care for someone who broke your father’s leg on purpose? And if you did, wouldn’t you feel incredibly disloyal?”

He attempted to let go of my hand, but I refused to let him. Not touching him made the nagging pain in my chest and my heart hurt all the more.

“I should have just reasoned with the others and convinced them to let you and your family go.”

I shook my head. “Would they have listened?” I frowned at him, feeling very doubtful. Nole wouldn’t have agreed to it. “And who knows what James would have done if you’d allowed me to leave? Things might have been worse. Nole was still set on my being taken to the king at that point. He might have sided with James.”

“No, never. We are all brothers in arms. We would never turn on one another, and James was an outsider and a spy.”

“Yes, but who’s to say what James would have done to my family and me if you turned me loose. He might have separated from you and the others and killed my brother and father. He wouldn’t have let it go; I think we both know that for certain.” I spoke the truth, but it didn’t erase what Remmie had done to my family, and it didn’t ease my conscience. No matter how desperately I wanted it to.

With that, we passed several wordless minutes together, my hand still in his. I looked up to the heavens and begged the gods to help me work through my feelings and to watch over my family. I also prayed for them to watch over my savages—Remmie, perhaps, more than the others.

“Why didn’t you keep running, Isame? What made you come back?”

“I had every intention of leaving. I knew there were monsters in the mountains and I said nothing. I planned on escaping, but when it became reality, I just couldn’t force myself to leave you. I would have hated myself if you and the others were killed. It would have been my fault. As much as I wanted to hate all of you for taking me and hurting my family, I just can’t. I’ve become…fond of all of you.”

“All of us?”

“Yes. All of you.” Some more than others.

I shivered as Remmie inched closer to lean against my legs. His body heat and my feelings for him instantly warmed me from the core out. I sighed without meaning to. The wind ruffled the hair that had fallen from my braid, and an owl hooted from a nearby tree. I half smiled at the sound of the men’s snores radiating from the barn; the noise comforted me somehow.

“I need you to promise me something,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine.

I nodded.

“Do what I say without question until this is over.”

I furrowed my brow. I didn’t want a man to have such power over me, especially this man who already had more power over me than I wanted to admit. I knew I should say no.

“Please,” he said, surprising me.

“Why?”

“I’ll keep you safe. That’s the only thing that matters to me right now.”

The desperation in his shimmering eyes softened my heart and when I opened my mouth I couldn’t force myself to say no.

“Don’t make me regret it, Remmie,” I warned him, but a feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I would.

Chapter Fourteen

After a feast of eggs, and armed with a dozen bottles of rum punch, we headed for Lipsis. My parents barely spoke of Lipsis, so I had no idea what to expect. I imagined a port town would be rather big and industrious, quite dissimilar from Haevene, but when we arrived I could hardly make the comparison in the dark.

As we approached it, the tops of the buildings made the town look like an uneven wall of black. Gray smoke curled from chimneys to meet the clouds. The smell of fish and saltwater filled the air so completely that I could taste them. Rows of streets were aglow with fat, blazing torches, and the faint candlelight in windows hinted at life. Since the boat we would travel on did not set sail until the morning, we followed the noise of laughter and music, certain it would take us to an inn.

The music led us to a poorly constructed two-story wooden eyesore. It looked more like a falling down barn than a pub or an inn. The wood was rotting in parts and was blackened from a previous fire. The dented door was wide open and the sound of drums, a flute, and bagpipes flooded through it and filled the streets. An old man hiccupped as he crawled along the mud at the base of the building. “Lost me hat, I has.” He reeked of feet and sweat.

Otis looked down at the man, frowning. “Looks promising.”

Was that sarcasm?

Cockroaches scurried about the hay on the floor inside, skittering under the tables and between our feet. There were a half dozen tables—all occupied—and a bar. A patron laughed and spewed whiskey from his mouth, igniting the candle in front of him. A crimson flame punched up toward the ceiling before settling back down to its normal size and regaining a faint orange hue.

This was the savages’ idea of promising?

To my surprise and absolute dismay, Nole secured four rooms on the second floor. One for each of the men—but none for me. I had hoped that the men trusted me enough by now to afford me my own room, but I was going to be sharing again. I wondered how they could risk everything for someone they still mistrusted.

Some of the men laughed loudly as a couple of them threw fists at each other in the corner. One of them collapsed to the floor, and a big, burly man grabbed the other man’s arms and dragged him toward the door. I’d never seen the likes of this place before and I hoped I never would again. The men here seemed so dissimilar from the men at home. I never realized until now how sheltered my life had truly been.

We weaved through the crowd in single file. I felt several pairs of eyes on me and I rounded my shoulders and folded my arms across my chest. Though all I wanted was rest and food, tonight it seemed I’d have to suffer through the noise and the chaos of drunken men. We impatiently waited for a table until Nole and the others decided they would surround one and stare down the locals until they got up and left.

“You need to work on your manners,” I told them.

Nole raised a brow. “Should we have stood around and waited?”

I glared at him and, after realizing he was completely serious, I nodded.

“An interesting suggestion. But no, I think not. We’re hungry and they weren’t eating. They can stand and drink, but it would be difficult for us to stand and eat,” he said innocently.

I shrugged and let it go. I hadn’t the strength to argue at lengths with him over his manners. I was too tired and too sore. It had taken us almost twelve hours of walking and six bottles of rum punch to get to Lypsis.

“Welcome to the Lion’s Den,” said the female server. “We have roasted pork and potatoes.”

I didn’t see the kitchen but the cockroaches were enough to put me off of the food.

“We’ll have five, and some ale too,” Nole said before I could decline.

The server curtsied and left us, but not before giving Nole a shy smile. She was pretty, young and curvaceous with high cheekbones and porcelain-smooth skin.

The savages talked and laughed and I tried to keep up with the conversation, but after a while the noise and the smoke made my head hurt, and my mouth felt as if I’d been chewing on sand.

“I’m going to get some water and some air,” I said, speaking over the noise.

“Are you ill?” Remmie stood when I did.

My stomach fluttered just thinking about the flash of concern in his eyes. “I’m fine. I’ll be back in a minute.” I patted his arm before walking away. When I looked over my shoulder, he still stood. Otis pulled him back down to a sitting position and slapped him on his back before his gaze broke away from mine.

The man behind the bar wore giant hooped earrings and had black tattoos of skulls and bones on his arms. He was pouring ale for another customer when I sauntered up to him. The customer leered at me and licked his lips, but I tried to pretend as if I didn’t notice. I prayed he wouldn’t talk to me. I didn’t think I had the energy for small talk.

I asked the man behind the bar for some water, but he didn’t respond. I wondered if he’d heard me. I shouted at him. “Water! Please.”

The barman nodded and turned to grab a mug. As I waited, two gentlemen came up on either side of me and stood so close that I had to cross my arms across my chest to fit in between them. It made me uncomfortable. As I tried, without success, to move, a hand planted firmly on my back.

“What’s a lovely lady like you doing in a place like this?” one of them asked me.

I wondered the same thing myself. “I’m here with friends. The savages over there.” Surely, mentioning the Daentarry would make the men leave me alone.

“Those men right there,” said another, pointing to my captors, who were already throwing back ale and had forgotten all about me.

I frowned.

“Cheer up, lass. You can count on our undivided attention.”

“Does it not scare you that I’m in the company of savages? Are you not afraid that you’ll anger them?