The Scent of Lilac: An Arrow's Flight Novella (8 page)

           
When
she’s halfway down the opposite wall of the Pit, I slip back inside the cave.

           
“Are you
ready?” I don’t hide the anxious sound of my voice... or the sudden gleam of
excitement, either. I don’t know who this girl is that has suddenly cropped up
inside my skin, but she thrills me and terrifies me all at once.

           
Chad
grabs for my hand. His grin has returned, and in it, I find myself. A sudden calm
settles over me. We step out.

           
The
jailers are tucked inside the barracks, and the guard, at the far end of the
Pit now, isn’t even visible. Moving ahead of him, I watch for others. The ground
crunches beneath our feet, the ladder comes into view, and my heart feels as if
it may climb up my throat to burst out of my head.

           
I climb
the ladder with
Chad
close on my heels, and my excitement grows with each rung. And one badgering
question batters my brain:

           
What are
you doing, Mia? WHAT ARE WE DOING?

           
I don’t
want to analyze the answer, so I don’t. Like before, I simply act.

           
At the
top of the ladder, I check for more guards, see none. I hoist myself up over
the top and spin, scanning the Pit while
Chad
clambers over the edge. The guard is lost in the darkness below.
 
Quickly, I take
Chad
’s
hand and hurry toward the tree line that hides the river. As we near it, the
comforting sound of the rushing water eases my fears, and the excitement floods
in full force.

           
I don’t
pay much attention to
Chad
’s
reactions as I hurry him away from the Pit, but once we’re under cover of the
trees, I turn to him. His eyes are glazed with wonder as he takes in the wide
open space surrounding him. He reaches out, dragging the tips of his fingers
over a rough, tree trunk. He picks up a rock and runs a thumb across its smooth
surface. A light breeze lifts a tuft of his hair, and he raises his face to the
sky, eyes closed, just feeling. Tears threaten me; I strain to push them away.
No tears. Not tonight.

           
“Where is
the Village from here?” he asks, and I point in the general direction.

           
“They’re
all sleeping by this hour,” I whisper. “Which means we’re the only two people
awake in the world.”

           
The
statement floods me with a strange happiness, and my grip tightens in his hand.

           
“I would
like to see it again,” he says. “I saw it outside of the nursery only once,
when I was taken to the Pit. But—I don’t remember very much about it.”

           
I don’t
say anything. I can never take him to the Village. But I can take him to the
very place where Kate, Diana, and I spent so many lazy afternoons. When we
reach it, we sink beneath a tree close to the edge of the river and simply sit
in comfortable silence. All the while, his mouth hangs open in awe.

           
“So much
water,” he breathes.

           
Laughing,
I pluck a long stem of grass and position it between my lips. “I’ve spent
countless hours here. It’s the most beautiful place on Earth.”

           
“It is?”
he asks. He lets his gaze fall over me for only a second before it’s drawn back
to the waters.

           
“I like
to think so.” I grind the blade of grass between my teeth. “Of course, I have
very little to compare it to. But it must be.”

           
Chad
scoots to the river’s edge, rolls onto his belly, and hangs a hand over.
Smiling, I join him, hanging both my arms over the side. My fingers barely
graze the surface of the water. After a moment, he plunges a fist in with a
grin. I laugh.

           
“Do you
want to go in?”

           
He swivels
his head toward me, surprised. I leap to my feet and tug on his arm.

           
“Come
on.”

           
I scuttle
a few paces away to an area I know is safe for entry, inhale deeply, and jump.
The cold water takes my breath away, and my skirt billows up around me. But the
water only comes to my chin, so I slip beneath the surface, letting the river swallow
me up. A few seconds, and I push off the sharp, rocky bottom with the tips of
my toes and resurface.

           
Chad
stands on the bank, staring down at me with a look of shock distorting his
features in the moonlight. I laugh, tossing my wet head back.

           
“It’s a
little chilly at first, but you’ll grow accustomed,” I offer. I cut through the
water and splash at his feet. He takes a step back. “Hurry,” I urge. “The night
won’t last forever.”

           
He raises
his brows, but soon enough, he tears off his vest and leaps without a second
thought. The water rises up in a torrential gush as he plunges in, and I wince away,
coughing on a mouthful of uninvited water. In the next moment,
Chad
is beside me bare-chested and grinning.

           
I giggle
and push away, floating on my back.
Chad
swishes through the water, walking carefully over the scattered rocks beneath
us, amazement lighting his eyes. He can’t swim, obviously, but the water only
reaches his chest.

           
“So what
do you think of the outside now?” I ask, moving in to wade beside him.

           
He simply
grins. I splash him in the face. He sputters, and returns a harsh wave of
water. I scrabble backward, choking, but soon we’re both laughing.

           
When our
shivers turn dangerous, we climb out and lay shaking together on the bank. But
before long, the heat of our intertwined bodies chases away the cold, and we
lie breathless in each other’s arms, and everything in this moment is perfect.
 
    

           
“Is it as
amazing as I described?” I ask. I feel him nod against the top of my head, and
a satisfied sigh causes his chest to sink inward beneath my cheek.

           
“The
stars are so—”

           
Chad
cuts off, unable to put into words what he’s thinking, and I toss my eyes
upward. The stars stretch out in all directions above the trees like a
sparkling blanket just for us. There isn’t a single cloud tonight, and I am
grateful that
Chad
waited until this moment to ask me to bring him to the river. Everything is
aligned so perfectly.

           
“I wish I
could bring you here in the hottest part of the day,” I whisper.
Chad
adjusts his arm beneath my head, pulling me closer.

           
“I would
like that. I don’t remember what the sun looks like.”

           
“Well,
you can’t look at it. It’s too bright. But you can feel it crisping up your
skin. It’s a wonderful experience, the heat of the sun.”

           
He nods,
and I suddenly have an idea. I prop up on one elbow to look down at him.

           
“You
know, you could step out of the cave during the day. Just to feel it. I think
you should.”

           
He
thinks, and his grin appears.

           
“I will.”

           
He says
it with such exuberance, as if it’s the greatest announcement he’s ever made—which
it very well could be—and I laugh. But when his grin fades, the moment grows
suddenly serious, and the next, and the next until I realize that every moment
we’ve shared tonight has been serious. And if we are ever caught in this
dangerous dance we’ve begun, the consequences will be fatal.

           
But at
this moment, as the warmth of
Chad
’s
skin arouses the warmth of my own, I don’t care. My nerves tremble as I think
it.

           
Chad
eases up to a sitting position, pushing me up with him. He never takes his gaze
from me, and I hold my breath. He presses in, and our lips lock together,
smooth and pulsing with the same warmth—belonging together.

           
I pull
away, run my hand down the side of his face, and let it rest alongside his
jawline. It is firm against my palm, his pulse thumping against my fingertips
where they touch his neck. A real heartbeat. Human.

           
“You
know, Kate told me something once,” I say quietly. He waits, his soft gaze
making my insides tremble. “She said… that her mate was from a village where
men and women were equals. They believe in something called—marriage.”

           
“What is
that?” he asks.

           
I shrug.
“I’m not certain, except that it begins with a pledge between two people. To
promise themselves to one another. For life.”

           
He grows
still, digesting all of this. With a half-laugh, I drop my eyes.

           
“It’s
silly—”

           
Suddenly,
he captures my hand that still rests against his jaw. “Okay.”

           
I look at
him. His fingers squeeze mine.

           
“What?”

           
“I will
make that pledge.”

           
There is
no hint of humor in his tone, and my heart begins to thump erratically out of
control. And again, I question what I’m doing, because this? This is a deadly leap—and
yet, it feels so… perfect. Everything about this night is perfect.

           
He waits
for my response, barely breathing. I study him under the bright moon that
floods its brilliance down over us, a witness to this moment. I raise my eyes,
and the stars accompany him, and I search uneasily for Scorpio, fearful that
his tail will swing out and lash me for my insubordination. But nothing
happens. The river rolls past us as
Chad
offers his eternal oath, and I can think of nothing I want more than for
someone to promise to be mine for eternity.

           
I focus
on
Chad
, this
male, this man who has taken a little piece of my heart one day at a time even as
I fervently fought against it, and I want his pledge. Only then do I allow the
tears to come. I run a hand through his damp hair.

           
“For all
time, I give myself to you,” I whisper.

           
A burst
of frenzied fear accompanies my words, but
Chad
is there, kissing me and making me forget the fear. I cling to him, cling to
this moment that should have never been.
       

“We should exchange something. A
token,” I say, and then I regret my words.
Chad
has nothing to give. I bite my lip at my lack of consideration. “I’m sorry.
That was thoughtless.”

           
“No it
wasn’t,” he says. With a smile, he pulls on the drawstring of his pants, and
taking a sharp rock, cuts off a four inch piece. He lifts my hand and ties it
securely around my thumb. I hold it up to admire his humble gift.

           
Quickly,
I fumble through my pouch and pull out a tiny bottle of lilac shampoo—the last
of mine and Kate’s final batch. I’ve carried it with me ever since she left,
but now, I twist it open and hold it beneath his nose. He sniffs and smiles.

           
“It
smells like your hair.”

           
“Yes. This
will remind you of me. Always.” I press it into his palm. “Even when I can’t
come to you, you will have it.”

           
He closes
his fist around the bottle and lets it drop to his lap with a frown. “Why
wouldn’t you come to me?” I swallow, dropping my eyes, but he lifts my chin and
repeats more swiftly, “Why wouldn’t you come to me?”

           
His
fingers are warm against my skin, and the tears return. My answer stretches on
a long sigh. “I’m pregnant. You’re duty is finished for a time.”

           
He’s
speechless, staring at me as if I’ve just announced his death. And then, he
shakes his head.

           
“Don’t
tell them.”

           
“They
already know.”

           
With a
slight inhale, he settles back, a clear pain crossing his features. It slices
my heart in half.

           
“I will
come for as long as I can,” I say quickly. “I will. But there may be a time
when I will be prevented. You need to understand this. And you need to know
that it won’t be because I don’t want to.” When he doesn’t respond, I grab his
hand. “Please tell me you’ll understand,
Chad
.
Please.”

           
He’s
quiet, but finally he nods. “I’ll understand.”

           
A sure
relief floods me, and I sigh and fall against him until his arms envelop me.
And when he squeezes tighter and lays his cheek atop my head, I’m assured that
his feelings have not changed.