Noble Falling (9 page)

Kahira finished her story as Taewin dropped his head toward a patch of grass. Leaving her horse to his dinner, Kahira turned her attention to me. A haunted glint flashed in her eyes.

“I would love to have a horse like him.” Without the large animal for us to focus on, my nervousness began to return.

“You’d be surprised. He can sure carry a lot of weight, but his gait is not as smooth as what you can find in the breeds around here. It took me a while to get used to.” Kahira looked toward Taewin’s saddle and the rest of his tack. “Took me even longer to get used to heaving that onto his back.”

Ori’s shout, informing us our dinner was ready, killed my response to the woman in front of me. Turning toward Ori, I realized his blade was at his side, ready to come to my aid had Kahira given any indication she might hurt me. However, I was not foolish enough to believe he could have done anything had she wanted to harm me.

“Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.” The harsh tone I first heard in Kahira’s voice started to return.

I tried to offer Kahira a smile before I walked away from her but could barely manage one. Ori raised his eyebrows to me when I reached the campfire. His mood had obviously not improved in the time he spent alone. As I sat next to Ori, accepting the warm porridge he handed to me, I struggled not to whimper at the pain in my side.

He must have noticed the clenching of my jaw. “Milady, are you well?”

“Ori, just call me Aleana.” I checked over my shoulder to make sure Kahira had not heard the honorific. “I was kicked in the side earlier. I’m fine, though, just sore.”

The lie had slipped out with little thought.

“How is your head?”

“I’ve had far worse.” Ori reached up to touch the now bruising cut on his brow.

Kahira’s appearance at our fire interrupted the easy conversation between Ori and me. Even with the large dog at her heels, the woman seemed much less threatening without her leather vest and vambraces. Still, the simple undershirt she wore with pants and leather boots made her more intimidating than most people could achieve even when trying. Her choice in attire made me realize two things: she would look out of place wearing anything else, and even though she’d be able to hide it, Kahira chose to display the scarred flesh of her arm.

“You two managed to tempt me here, but I hope feeding me is not too much of a strain on your supplies.” Handing one of the two bowls she had retrieved from her saddlebag to Ori, she let him signal that we had plenty to eat by filling it to the brim. “Thank you, Ori—it was Ori, yes?”

“You are correct.” The guard’s voice had not eased in the slightest, but then again, neither had Kahira’s now that she was talking to Ori once more.

Kahira sat, pouring a hearty portion of her porridge into the second bowl and placing it before Enza. She caught Ori’s look and, shrugging her shoulders, she explained, “Why should I eat if she does not?”

I smiled without knowing entirely why and let silence fall on us as we ate. After several minutes, when our stomachs were full and drowsiness began to seep in, Kahira spoke.

“So, you’ve obviously been trained well enough to stay alive when facing three armed men. And you”—Kahira shifted her gaze from Ori to me—“have not learned how to injure brutish men grabbing at you, meaning you definitely are no peasant girl, for if you were, you’d know a well-placed kick would have freed you. All I know is there were men in the uniforms of a Halvarian noble carrying Dakmoran blades in lands they should have no business in, asking questions about a man and woman. I’ve heard things about political shifts of late, so now I’m curious as to how you two fit in.”

“Political shifts?” I tried to keep my voice even, but I knew I sounded worried.

“The Meloran family in Eniva tried to start a war, from what I hear.” Kahira stretched herself out and scratched Enza’s ear. “The men I overheard talking said the duchess decided to secede her lands rather than marry the future king of Halvaria. However, there were apparently too many guards loyal to the Halvarian kingdom, and so they started a rebellion, removing the duchess from power—probably by sticking her head on a pike on the city’s walls—and placing their captain in charge. There were also whispers that whoever is leading Dakmor now sent troops into the duchy as a show of good faith to Halvaria and to stomp out the last of those wishing to start another war.”

Kahira raised her eyebrow as I shot up from my seat, despite my body’s protests. “Look, the only kingdom I am remotely familiar with is Dakmor, and I stopped paying attention to the noble families years ago. I’m sorry I can’t give you more information.”

“That’s not true!” I began to pace. “Dakmor attacked my convoy. I never tried to start a war!”

Ori tensed and Kahira sat up, amused at my outburst.

“Ah, so there’s the missing piece. You’re the duchess. Not dead at all, and that makes you the loose end Dakmor is trying to tie up in their most recent scheme.”

I
WAS
still pacing—a vain attempt to sort through my thoughts. The fire barely illuminated the inky black night. Ori had tried to calm me, but quickly gave up after I sent a piercing glare his way.

“Tallak knows I would never attempt something as bold as entirely removing my lands from Halvarian protection.” I finally stopped, turning to directly address the two figures by the fire. “My father served this kingdom loyally! Tallak knows the wealth associated with my father’s glory is fading now that he’s dead. There’s hardly enough left that would be able to raise an army, let alone one large enough to try and establish a separate kingdom.”

“So you are actually meant to marry him?” Kahira’s eyebrow arched.

“Yes,” I snapped at the woman, hardly seeing how my engagement was relevant. “I have been promised to King Tallak for most of my life. It is a marriage meant to continue my family’s legacy and strengthen the Enivian lands within the Halvarian kingdom.”

Ori interjected, “Your Grace, he would never suspect you of starting a war. These are just rumors being spread by the very traitors who attacked you. Kahira’s information could very well be wrong.” The woman was growing visibly more annoyed with Ori, and at his tone, she flashed a quick glare in his direction.

“Ori, you and I know that is true, but unless Tallak learns the truth from me, he is likely to believe whatever rumor reaches him. Especially since the traitors are under the command of Dalric.” My voice betrayed none of the panic I felt pulsing through my chest. “And what Kahira is saying is exactly what is spreading through the kingdoms, which means it is most likely what will reach Tallak’s ears. Even if there are other versions of the story weaving their way from tavern to tavern, people always have a habit of believing the worst.”

“Who sits on the throne of Dakmor now?” I was surprised by Kahira’s sudden outburst of interest.

“Well, the old king is still alive, but his daughter, Princess Zoriah, is the unofficial ruler.”

I tore my gaze from the fire and caught Kahira’s sneer a second before it faded. Ignoring her reaction, I continued. “Her motivations are still unknown—our kingdoms are not on the best of terms, and as I’m sure you can imagine, information is hard to come by. Whatever she intends, I just know her soldiers are in my land, and they fought alongside my own guards in an attempt to assassinate me.”

“Aleana, you should sleep. This changes nothing. We just have to make it to Ferrum.” Ori moved to sit beside me, draping his arm across my shoulders, a bold attempt to provide a small bit of comfort. “I’ll keep watch tonight.”

I knew Ori had glanced across the fire to the dark-headed woman; it was an action Kahira did not miss.

“You’ll have no trouble from me,
guard.
” I could not tell whether Kahira was more annoyed at Ori’s suspicion of her or amused.

“You never know who’s in the forest. I hear criminals are common in the area.”

I cut in before the tension escalated further. “Ori….”

The guard looked at me, silently begging that I not ask him to apologize.

Kahira took advantage of Ori’s brief distraction. “Enza would provide enough security, should you also decide to sleep, Ori.”

The sharpness in her voice was still present, highlighted by her accent and the hint of amusement that had slipped into her words.

“I think sleep would do well for all of us.” I glanced at the guard again.

Ori made a slight noise in protest.

“Are you sure, milady? The dog seems to be a heavy sleeper.” The guard turned his attention to the massive hound dozing at Kahira’s feet.

“I know of few dogs who would lie still when a stranger attempts to sneak up on its master.” A brief touch from the woman woke Enza.

I could see Ori struggling with how to respond to Kahira’s remark. Finally, he offered that he would sleep. Kahira accepted her victory with a smirk as she stood, walking away from the fire and toward her belongings without offering any parting words. She was still within range of the fire’s flickering light, but I could only see her vague outline as she readied her bed.

“Sleep well, Your Grace. Wake me should you need anything.” He threw another suspicious glance toward Kahira before handing me my blanket.

“Goodnight, Ori.” I hoped his unease would disappear by the morning.

I let the flames die a little more before I attempted to sleep. But, even when I finally rested my head in the crook of my arm and pulled the blanket over me, my thoughts would not stop racing enough for sleep to overtake me. I listened to the crackling embers mix with the sounds of hooting owls, and gave up on sleep when the haunting melody did not lead me to dreams. Standing, I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and gathered wood to rebuild the fire. Once I stoked the flames to a respectable intensity, I sat on the cool ground. With no reason to hold them back, I allowed a few silent tears to trail down my cheeks.

“So, is it Duchess Aleana, or do you prefer Your Grace?” I hadn’t heard her approach, and although Kahira’s voice was barely above a whisper, she startled me. “Should I bow before addressing you?”

I quickly wiped the streaks from my face as I turned toward the woman. I briefly debated asking her to refer to me by title, but the thought of an appropriate honorific being formed in her richly accented speech somehow seemed wrong.

“It’s still just Aleana.”

At the sight of my tears, the woman seemed to lose her confidence for the first time. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you be.”

“No, stay.” My hand shot out to stop her from returning to her makeshift bed. I felt Kahira flinch when my hand caught hers, but she slowly lowered herself to the ground next to me.

“Are you unable to sleep as well?”

Kahira shrugged. “I don’t sleep much, and I noticed you were awake.”

Her pause rested heavy in the silence between us. I listened as Kahira took a deep breath, as if she were trying to convince herself of something.

“And, though I might not provide a great source of comfort, it seemed like you might not want to sit in the dark by yourself.”

My response came immediately, my voice quiet and level due to my attention being focused on trying to answer why my hand was still burning from the brief contact with Kahira’s. “Thank you.”

Kahira waved in the vague direction of Ori’s snoring, her muscles slowly releasing their tension. “I’m surprised your friend there doesn’t hover over you when you’re awake.”

Hearing her tone as she spoke about Ori, I managed a weak smile. “You have no reason to believe so, but he can actually be quite pleasant when he’s not so intent on the role of noble guard.”

Kahira’s striking features were highlighted in the orange glow of the fire. “At least it’s nice to have someone watching your back.”

I wrapped my arms around my knees, only to let out a hiss of pain at the stabbing sensation in my side.

“Is something wrong?” Kahira had already moved closer to me.

I took a deep breath, fighting the pressure in my ribs. “I think I just bruised something when one of the men kicked me.”

“You might have broken a rib, Aleana.” Kahira’s voice was tinged with a note of concern. Reaching toward me, she hesitated before speaking again. “May I?”

I nodded, not sure if I would actually be able to speak any words I could manage to think of.

Kahira’s hands gently probed my side. Even though her touch was delicate, the pressure sent waves of pain through my whole body.

“Well, the good news is that I don’t think anything is broken, since you aren’t crying out in pain from me touching any specific bone. However, there isn’t much that can be done, whether there is a crack or if your ribs are just bruised.” Kahira looked at me, her apologetic gaze sending a flush to my cheeks.

I was thankful the light of the fire would mask my blush. “How long will it take to heal?”

Kahira finally sat back. “There’s a chance you’ll feel better in a few days if nothing is broken. If one of your ribs is cracked, it will probably take a couple of weeks. At least that’s how long it took for mine.”

“What happened?” There were a thousand situations running through my mind that might have explained a cracked ribcage for this woman.