The King's Executioner (16 page)

Paine was yanked back off his feet. He immediately flipped himself over and grabbed at the rope, digging his heels into the dirt to stop from being dragged. Once he had balance and firm hold, he got to his feet, keeping a taut hold on the rope. His heart pounded against his chest, then slammed against it when he saw Anin was gone. The end of the rope she was attached to disappearing down a hole.

He shouted for her. “Anin!”

His worry grew when he got no answer. He wanted to hurry and pull her up and out of the hole, but without knowing if she was hurt or that anything stood in the way of harming her if he did, he remained where he was and called out to her again.

“Anin!”

“Paine!” Her shout was strong.

“Are you hurt?” he called out as he turned slowly letting the rope coil around his waist from where he held.

“I do not think so.”

He shut his eyes a moment, hoping that was true and, keeping the rope taut, started walking toward her. “Is there anything around you that could cause you harm if I pulled you up?”

Her answer was a terrifying scream.

Paine pulled the rope hand over hand while yelling out her name as he rapidly approached the hole. Once he got to the edge, he quickly peered over it.

Anin thrust her arms out frantically to him.

He reached down, grabbed her arm just under her shoulder and yanked her up and out of the hole. She threw herself at him, burying her face against his chest as her arms went around his waist, hugging him as if she would never let go.

His arms circled her and feeling her tremble, he held her tighter. Her scream had pierced him as painfully as a spear piercing his heart. He had feared the worst and he was never so relieved to hold her in his arms. “You are safe now. There is nothing to fear. I have you and I am not letting you go.” He was not sure if his words were meant to calm her or him.

His words cut away at her fear to settle deep inside her and ease her trembling. Paine was there with her. He had saved her. He would keep her safe. He would always keep her safe. She was so upset that she was not sure if it was her feelings she felt or Paine’s.

When her trembling had subsided, he eased her face away from his chest and lifted her chin to look at her. “What frightened you?”

She shuddered. “Dead Drust warriors surrounded me, sitting there with their spears in their hands.”

Paine did not want to think of what could have happened if she had fallen on one of the spears. It also troubled him that a Drust death trap had been uncovered so close to Pictland. All battle with the Drust had been fought on their land during the conflict, so what was one doing here?

Paine explained what she had seen. “After a battle, the Drust bury some of their dead on enemy land. The Drust feel that as long as a Drust warrior has a weapon in his hand that he will continue to fight even in death.”

She gripped his arm. “A battle with the Drust has recently been fought here?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

“I screamed because at first glance I thought the Drust down there,” —she pointed to the hole— “were alive, for they have yet to rot.”

Paine did not allow his surprise to show. “I need to go down and have a look.”

“Why would you want to do that?” she asked, gripping his arm tighter as if somehow she could stop him.

“To see if any of them are the ones who attacked us.”

“That would mean—”

“That the Drust still battle the King.” He loosened the loop around her waist and did not want to think what would have happened if he had not placed it there.

Her hand quickly grabbed his. “I want to stay tethered to you.”

If only she could
, he pushed the impossible thought from his mind. “And you will, after I use the rope to go down in the hole and have a look.” He kept an arm around her waist as he stepped away. “Are you all right to stand on your own?”

She suddenly felt ashamed. She was the daughter of a Lammok warrior. She should fear little. “I am fine.”

He stepped closer. “There is no shame in fear.”

He understood, which made her feel all the more inadequate. “My mum would be appalled by my actions.”

“You are not your mum, Anin. You are who you are and should not be ashamed of it. Now we have wasted enough time. We need to see this done and be on our way. The clouds grow heavy overhead. Soon the rain will come and we need to reach shelter before then.”

She cast a quick glance to the sky and saw that the clouds had darkened considerably. Rain was not far off, though she hoped thunder did not come with it.

“What can I do?” she asked.

“Stay by the rope in case I should need help and keep a watchful eye. If you see anything that causes you alarm let me know.” He hurried to tie one end of the rope around a nearby tree and the other remained around his waist, then he lowered himself carefully down into the hole.

Paine did not take long. It took little time to see what he needed to see.

Anin waited anxiously and was relieved when he emerged from the hole.

“They are the ones who attacked us.”

“They send a message to the King that they still war with him?”

“The King must be made aware of this immediately,” Paine said untying the rope around his waist to fasten it around her waist once again, wondering as he did who of the King’s warriors had betrayed him and sided with the Drust. “We must be on our way,” Paine said, securing the loop firm around Anin’s waist. “We need to reach shelter before the storm breaks.”

Anin nodded, the wind having picked up and the clouds having grown even darker.

They took off and as the sky continued to darken, Anin begged the sky spirits to keep the thunder away and it did, though not the rain. It started with only a few sprinkles, grew heavier, and then it seemed as if the sky opened and dropped buckets full of rain on them.

It was dusk before they came upon the dwelling Paine had mentioned. She was drenched and shivering when they entered and Paine saw to setting a fire in the pit. She immediately held her wet, chilled hands out to the flames to warm them.

With the glow of the flames, Anin was surprised to see that the dwelling had a raised sleeping pallet with blankets piled at one end. A small table and bench sat on the opposite side of the fire pit, and Anin wondered whose home they had intruded upon.

“Get out of those wet garments and set them to dry by the fire pit while I go make certain no one lurks about,” Paine ordered and he and Bog were out the door before she could respond.

Anin was too cold to even think to argue, the storm having brought a sharper chill with it. She shivered as she peeled her wet garments off and draped them on the stone surrounding the fire pit to dry. She quickly wrapped a blanket around her and shivered again from the warmth that settled over her chilled skin. She remained close to the heat of the fire pit and worried what the night would bring. Sending out blessings to whoever would listen, she begged for the thunder giant to stay away.

~~~

Paine looked about, not so much for Drust since they had crossed over the Pictland border and he doubted the Drust would follow, at least not yet. He wanted to make certain the sentinels saw him and knew he had returned. They would report his presence to the King and an escort would be sent for them. But it was impossible to see anything in the slashing rain.

He wanted to give Anin time to get out of her soaked garments. He had learned that remaining in wet garments could bring illness and his task was to protect the future Queen from all things and once again reminded himself that that included him as well.

He shut his eyes a moment not only at the thought of her naked, but at the thought of how he and she had enjoyed the kisses they had shared. How much she had wanted to kiss him. How much he wanted her kiss. Her blue eyes had been heated with such strong desire, her lips so moist and inviting that he could not deny her.

He shook his head. He had betrayed the King by kissing the woman who was to be his Queen, but if he confessed he would not only be condemning himself, but Anin as well. That he could not do. This would all be over soon. He would deliver her to the King and it would be done. He would see her rarely. The thought troubled him more than relieved him. He would miss her. Miss her curiosity, her smile, her touch.

The thunder struck so hard and unexpected that Paine jumped, startled, and Bog cringed as if in fear, a rare response for him. Then Paine realized why, more thunder was about to follow.

Anin.

Paine took off running, Bog trailing.

Another clap of thunder sounded as if it split the earth in two and his insides twisted.

Anin.

His only thought was of her alone and full of fear. He ran faster.

~~~

Anin stood frozen in place. The small dwelling shook from the thunder or was it her shaking with fear.

Paine.

Where was he? Why had he not returned yet?

Stop, Anin, you must stop this! Thunder cannot hurt you!

Her mum’s scolding voice rang in her head. How many times had she heard it? How many times had she tried to fight against it? How many times had she tried to tell her mum how the sound of the thunder made her feel? It was as though the thunder itself rippled through her and she could feel its urgent need to strike the earth again and again. She envisioned an angry giant pounding the earth over and over until his temper abated. But no one would listen and her mum would scold her repeatedly until finally she would run and hide from the angry giant.

Another clap of thunder had her cringing and her body trembling badly.

“Paine,” she whispered, “Paine, please, I need you.”

She covered her ears at the next loud clap of thunder, the blanket falling away from her as she did, leaving her naked. “Paine!” she screamed not only for him but to stop the endless pounding that echoed through her.

The door burst open and Paine rushed in along with Bog.

Anin did not stop to think, she stretched her arms out to him.

Paine gave no thought as well. He rushed over to her and threw his arms around her and her slim arms went around him, pulling him tightly against her. Her trembling worsened and Paine realized his wet garments were doing her no good. He pushed her away, but she fought against him, refusing to let go.

“My wet garments. I need to get out of them.”

Reluctantly, she released him, but remained so close that the rainwater from his garments splashed over her as he hurriedly pulled them off. She was back in his arms as soon as he was naked, pressing her body against his before he could grab for the blanket. She was far too frightened for him to push her away again. She needed comforting. She needed to feel safe.

His arms tightened around her and held her firm.

“Do not let me go,” she begged.

“Never.”

His voice was strong and confident, his body solid against hers, and his arms snug around her. Never. Never would he let her go. Nothing could harm her when he held her, not even the mighty thunder giant.

Thunder broke again, sounding louder than before and Paine ran his hand soothingly down along her back and up again. He continued stroking her back and it was not long before he felt heat returning to her chilled skin. It was then he realized how smooth and soft her skin felt and how delicate the slight curve in her back. If he allowed himself to follow it all the way down he would...

He warned himself to stop, not go any further, but the need to touch her intimately warred with reason. It took all his strength to ease his hand off her.

Shortly after, she began to shiver once again and his hand returned to stroke her back without hesitation. Another warning echoed in his head and if he did not pay it heed, they both could very well lose their heads for betraying the King.

He pushed her away so quickly that she had no time to protest. He reached down and grabbed the blanket and hastily wrapped it around her. He left her for a moment and grabbed the other blanket on the sleeping pallet and tucked it around his waist.

She was back in his arms as soon as he did and just in time, for another clap of thunder sounded. She buried her face against his naked chest and he was relieved that she hugged her arms tight against herself. Her hands and arms would dig into him rather than her breasts that tempted.

He stroked her back again, though through the blanket this time, all the while thinking King Talon must never learn of this. The King would find nothing unfitting in Anin seeing Paine naked, he and his warriors, women warriors included, having gone into battle naked at times or practiced on the practice field naked. There was nothing like
painted people
, as the Picts were called by others, rushing at their enemies naked, screaming, and weapons raised high, to instill absolute fear and complete confusion in them. But Paine, holding the future Queen naked in his arms, was not something the King would abide.

He waited until the thunder rolled off in the distance and felt her body ease before stepping away from her. She did not want to let him go and he had to be more forceful than he cared to be as he pushed her away from him.

“The thunder is far off now. There is no more to fear,” he encouraged firmly, though felt a twinge to his chest when he saw the fright that continued to linger in her eyes and how pale she had grown.

She nodded and stepped reluctantly away from him, though not as far as Paine would have liked.

“We should eat.”

“I am not hungry,” Anin said her insides upset as always when a thunderstorm rolled around.

“You should sleep. We leave at first light,” Paine said. “We are on Pictland land now and the King’s warriors will spot us soon enough and an escort will be sent to take you the rest of the way.”

“You will leave me?” she asked the thought sending a fright so strong through her that her legs weakened.

“Once I present you to the King, you will see me rarely.”

She stepped away from him and though it was not far, he felt as if there was a chasm between them and this time he felt as if his insides were being torn apart. He turned away from her and saw to feeding the fire, keeping the flames plentiful and the small dwelling warm against the chilling rain.