Noble Falling (10 page)

Swallowing an apparent lump in her throat, Kahira offered a slight grin. “In a manner similar to how you hurt yours.”

The way she spoke made it clear I would get no further explanation.

Not wanting the conversation to fade entirely, I hesitantly sought the answer to one of my many questions. “So, what about you? Do you really travel out here alone, or is there someone waiting for you?”

I suddenly realized I had no idea where this woman was even headed.

Kahira’s eyes grew more distant. “No, it’s just me. Along with Enza and Taewin, of course.”

The haunted look returned to the woman’s expression.

Enza made her way to us after hearing her name, deciding she wanted to lie down between us. Begging for attention, the massive hound filled the space between Kahira and me. Despite how relaxed she was, the dog still made me a little nervous, and I knew my apprehension was spread across my face.

“A dog is enough to scare you?” I raised my eyes to Kahira’s, ready to defend myself. I saw her slightly teasing smile, and instead of a harsh rebuke, I let out a small laugh.

I hesitantly placed my hand on Enza’s fur, carefully watching the dog’s movements. “I’m not used to calm dogs. The only ones I have been around were my father’s war dogs, which are understandably not the nicest creatures. When I was little, one of them actually bit me. I didn’t go around them again after that. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious, but it was enough to scare me.”

“Tell me about your father?” Kahira’s hand halted its path through Enza’s fur. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“The great Ivarin Melora, Duke of Eniva, savior of Halvarian lands, if you believe some of the legends. He led many men into battles against Dakmor and met his end in what would prove to be the last fight between our kingdoms.” I looked up, catching Kahira’s gaze in full. The green eyes blazed with the flame’s reflection, but for the first time, I fought the panicky urge to look away.

“I have heard the legends, except when I heard them, they were carried on the lips of men who cursed the Halvarian Kingdom’s ‘Duke of Death’. The Dakmoran nobility was particularly interested in finding a way to end your father’s power… I’m sorry they succeeded.”

Avoiding the painful memories her apology would bring forth, my eyes flicked to the marred flesh on Kahira’s arm, once again trying to identify the family crest that had been burned into her skin.

“You’ve spent time amongst royalty?”

Kahira’s verdant stare darkened. My scrutiny of her scar had not escaped her attention. She shifted her attention back toward the fire, venom seeping into her voice once more as she unconsciously raised her hand to the brand on her arm. “You’ll do well to forget whatever past you are creating for me.”

Thoughts fluttered through my consciousness as though they were butterflies escaping the grasp of eager children. She’d been around royalty, of that I had little doubt. She’d been marked as a criminal. And along with everything else, she had been branded with a crest I couldn’t identify.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke after a moment, “But yes, I was once familiar with some of the lower members of Dakmoran royalty.”

I wanted to ask something else, I wanted I find out more about this woman before she left, for it was clear she would not offer the information on her own. I watched her tracing the thick lines of her scar, and I started to speak, but hesitated. The hesitation was brief, but Kahira took advantage of those few heartbeats and commanded the conversation once more, leaving my questions to fade away unvoiced.

“So, tell me, do you think you’ll be happy with your husband-to-be?” Green eyes connected with mine once again, but they still held the same hard glint.

I silently chastised myself for missing my opportunity. Struggling to find a reason for my answer, I eventually abandoned my attempts.

“I think I will be happy enough. The grandeur of such a castle as Seyna’s will hold such wonders, and I will want for nothing.”

Kahira was bold enough to cut my answer short. “That does not tell me if you think you’ll be happy with your husband, only that you think you will be able to distract yourself with baubles and the novelty of being a queen.”

My bottom lip slipped between my teeth as I stared at the ground. “You mean to ask if I believe I will grow to love him?”

I saw Kahira’s nod out of the corner of my eye.

“Then….” I took a breath, renewing my attempts to offer a better answer. “No, I do not. There is this little voice that whispers to me every time I think of loving him, reminding me there is nothing there that will grow into the kind of passion my parents shared. Will I love him as a friend as the years go on? Yes, I do believe that is a possibility, and that is all I can hope for. I do not need passion, I need my family’s name to continue. And If I must ‘distract myself with baubles’, as you put it, then that is what I will do to gain whatever happiness I can capture.”

After a moment, when Kahira finally spoke, her voice was so laced with sorrow that it wound its way through my body and caused a tightening in my chest. “I have never envied the position of a royal; so few seem happy. It’s all just stories, and the peasants who dream of something greater have no idea what the reality is.”

I allowed the night’s sounds to float through the silence that had grown between Kahira and me, understanding I would receive no answers if I were to ask. Enza, deciding she had not received enough attention, rolled onto her side, nearly knocking me over in her attempt to remind us of her presence. The dog’s antics managed to lighten the somber atmosphere, allowing a smile to work its way back onto my face. When Enza yawned and placed her head on my outstretched legs, I suddenly realized how tired I was. While I petted the dog, a yawn escaped from me as well.

“I should let you sleep. There is still enough time to get a decent amount of rest before the sun rises.” Kahira was already making her way to her feet.

“You should sleep as well. You can’t have had enough.” To my own surprise, I sounded worried.

“I’ll be fine.” Kahira reached down to rouse Enza, but was met only with the dog’s warm chocolate eyes rolling toward her languidly.

“It seems like you might have some extra warmth tonight. If she becomes too much of a bother, you can try to push her off, but I’m not sure if she’ll obey.”

“She won’t bother me.” I smiled, moving my hand to scratch Enza’s ears, surprised with myself at the ability to be so calm around such an animal.

“Goodnight then, Aleana.” Kahira’s mouth curved into a genuine smile before she turned and walked toward her own blanket.

The woman was already farther away than my whisper would carry by the time I found my voice.

“Sleep well, Kahira.”

I
AWOKE
to find that the sun was already well established in the morning’s sky. I must have slept longer than I thought, but even with enough sleep, the soreness had not left my body. I had slept on my back in an attempt to ease the pain in my side. Until I tried to climb to my feet, I thought the pain truly had ceased. As I grew more alert, the smell of roasting meat drifted into my consciousness, distracting me from the discomfort I silently begged to go away.

When I finally stood, it took me a minute to realize the fire I had fallen asleep next to last night had been reduced to ashes. Nearer to her belongings, Kahira was sitting with Ori, neither of them even looking at the other, but their feelings were plainly painted on their expressions: a scowl on Ori’s face and that slight smirk Kahira seemed so fond of present on hers. Though she looked amused, Kahira’s leather armor was back in place, and a bow and quiver rested near her feet. In front of the two figures, a new fire was blazing. I briefly wondered if Kahira had gone through the trouble of creating another fire because she did not want to wake me.

Ori saw me first, and as soon as our eyes connected, I saw the wave of relief wash over him. “Good morning, Duchess. Did you sleep well enough?”

In response, I smiled kindly and placed my hand on his shoulder with a nod. He was still tense, but as I sat down, he seemed to relax slightly.

Flashing a quick smile my way, Kahira then pulled two rabbits from the fire’s heat. “I assumed, since you have nothing to really hunt with, it has been a while since your last meal other than porridge. You shared your food with me last night; I should only return the favor.”

Ori quickly took offense. “We have not had the luxury of time to spare for chasing down rabbits.”

Kahira’s gaze abruptly changed from pleasant to feral, but something kept her from voicing whatever thoughts were dancing behind the fire in her eyes.

Before Kahira could change her mind about her silence, I spoke up, hoping to shift focus from Ori’s continued impudence.

“Thank you, Kahira. It was unnecessary, but a welcomed change to our diet.” I hated to admit, even to myself, how welcome anything other than porridge was.

I was met with a brief nod from the woman before she freed one of her daggers from the sheath on her hip, the predatory look now absent from her gaze. I watched her try to stifle a laugh as she saw Ori reach for his own blade. Ignoring the guard, Kahira began to cut portions of the meat for each of us. Ori said nothing, taking his portion when it was offered.

After we had all eaten our fill—Enza included—Kahira stood and began loading her things onto Taewin’s back. The sun glinted off the horse’s black coat, the same rich shade as Kahira’s braided hair. In the same way children cannot tear their gaze away from the glow of hot iron the first time they step into a blacksmith’s shop, I couldn’t help but watch as the woman expertly saddled Taewin. I knew she was dangerous, but that only made catching a covert glimpse of her life even more appealing. Fetching her bow and arrow, she draped the quiver across her back, an addition to her wardrobe that only served to make her more intimidating. Leaving Ori to pack our meager belongings, I fought my rising nervousness and walked toward the woman.

I took a breath to steady my voice. “Where are you heading from here?”

Kahira glanced over her shoulder, answering me as she walked toward her horse. “West, across the mountains so I can avoid as many people as possible, and then south along the coast.”

Ori appeared next to me, his packed bag thrown over his shoulder. “Which city?”

Kahira chuckled as she fastened her bow to her saddlebags. “You think I’d willingly spend time in any city here? Some soldiers don’t treat me as
pleasantly
as you, Ori.”

At Ori’s glare, Kahira offered a more concrete answer. “There is land southwest of here on the ocean, where the fishing is too poor to sustain any villages. For me, it just means a safe and warm area to stay for a while.”

“You could travel to Ferrum with us before turning toward the coast.” As soon as the words escaped, my heart felt as if it had stopped beating. My body devoted every ounce of energy into trying to figure out why I had offered such a suggestion.

Seeing the dotted tattoo on Kahira’s brow arch, I tried to swallow the lump quickly building in my throat.

I saw Ori out of the corner of my eye, every muscle in his body taut as he stared at Kahira, almost as if he were daring her to agree. I was not the only one who noticed him, for Kahira saw his posture, but instead of the amused look she usually offered in response to the guard, her own muscles tensed.

“Thank you for the meal, but a guard outpost is certainly not a place I should ride toward.”

Her body seemed stiff for the first time since I had laid eyes on her. Kahira began to climb into Taewin’s saddle. Each movement seemed like a struggle for the woman who was usually so graceful in everything she did.

“Kahira, I…
we
could use the added protection.” My heart was pounding. Each beat felt like a minute, forcing me to realize how much I wanted this woman to say yes.

I sought the right words to say. I was fighting with myself as I tried to determine just why I wanted Kahira to agree. Unable to answer any of the questions floating through my mind, I focused on Kahira, hoping my inadequate words would somehow manage to persuade her. When our eyes connected, I was not ready for the amount of pain contained in her gaze. Her stare made it clear she was battling something deep within, and as I watched the struggle move across her face, I hated that my request had anything to do with her reaction. Before I could try to find some way to take back what I had asked of her, Kahira’s expression hardened as she spoke.

“I am not a guard, and I cannot protect you.” Her voice was cold, and any hint of the woman I had talked with the night before was gone. “I wish you luck, Aleana.”

Whistling for Enza, Kahira kicked her heels into her horse’s sides. I watched Kahira disappear down the road that would eventually take her to the sea. She never turned to look back.

O
RI
had stopped trying to promote conversation soon after we stopped for lunch. I knew I was being unfairly silent—it wasn’t his fault I was distracted. Before I even realized it, the sun was setting. I remained silent, still engrossed in reverie as I nibbled on the thin porridge sufficing for dinner. Kahira’s dismissal had bothered me, and no matter how much I tried to rationalize it, I could not come up with an answer that felt right. The only answer that seemed logical was that Kahira was the first person to completely disregard my nobility. Such a selfish solution troubled me as much as any. No, that was not true, for I found I was most bothered that she had not even turned back to see my gaze so intently focused on her. It was something I could not begin to explain to myself.