Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) (16 page)

Hugh supported Dearra as she stood to speak. “I am very happy to be among you again,” she said, “and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make me well, especially Ann, who rarely left my side, and surely deserves an award for putting up with my temper these many days and weeks.”

Laughter ran around the room. There were a few nods of agreement from those who had heard Dearra’s more colorful speech, especially in the last week when she had begun to feel like herself again.

“But there is one who I have yet to thank. Darius saved me from the male wolf after I killed the female. I would surely have died if not for his brave actions.”

Darius looked as though he were trying to disappear into the wall behind him. Heat spread to his face as everyone turned to look at him.

“Darius came among us as an enemy. I tell you, now, I am proud to call him my friend.” Dearra sank to her chair again.

The people of Maj were stunned to silence at Dearra’s confession.

Damn
, thought Hugh. But what could he do about it?

He spoke his next words loudly, so all could hear. “Darius, you have saved my daughter and she names you friend. I welcome you to share my table as our honored guest for as long as you are with us.”

Damn
, thought Darius, but what could he do about it?

He stood and walked to the head table.

Dearra beamed at him and nodded to the chair by her side.

The people of Maj had finally found their voices and roared their approval.

Darius sat, staring at Dearra in awe. In one swoop this tiny, wonderful warrior had named him friend. They still might not trust him, but they no longer looked at him with contempt and fear. Nothing could mar this perfect moment for Darius, not even the sight of Jacob, who stood against one wall, arms folded, and a look of pure hatred upon his face.

Darius looked away from the people in the hall, away from Jacob, away from even Lord Hugh, preferring to lose himself in the sparkling blue eyes of Dearra instead.

Well, girl, are you feeling better, then
? 

Brin’s haughty tone did nothing to dim Dearra’s enthusiasm. It was a glorious fall day, and she was going to enjoy it. “Yes, thank you, Brin. I’m feeling wonderful,” Dearra said aloud. She still felt funny speaking to the sword only in her thoughts, and she was alone, besides.

“You know, Brin, I was thinking.”

How very unusual. Did you enjoy the experience? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you started to make a habit of it
?

“Ha ha. You’re just too, too funny today. What I was going to say is that I was thinking about when the male wolf was attacking me.”

Yes
?

“Well, you said my name. You called me Dearra.”

I most certainly did not
!

“Yes, you did. You said, ‘Dearra, behind you,’ but maybe your memory isn’t as good as mine,” she taunted.

I suppose it’s possible that in the heat of the moment, and all that was going on, I may have slipped. You know, just for a moment.

“You know what I think? I think you like me and didn’t want to see me get hurt.”

Now, now, let’s not be hasty. I may have had a slight concern for you for a moment, but it had absolutely nothing to do with me liking you. I simply don’t wish to return to that musty old box. I was bored stiff. You may be a nuisance, but at least I can get out and about a bit. It’s as simple as that.

Dearra paused to reflect on Brin’s explanation before saying with certainty, “Nope, you like me!”

Humph
.

“Now that we have established, beyond a doubt, that you
do
like me, maybe you could be persuaded to call me by my name?”

I’ll see what I can do, Fuzzy
.

Dearra laughed aloud at the stubborn sword and bounced from her room.

***

Darius was waiting for her in the Great Hall as usual. The rapid growth of the little, white ball of fluff that was the wolf cub amazed her. Most of the people of Maj would keep a respectful distance from such an animal, but Dearra saw him and rushed to greet him. The wolf stood on his hind legs and put his paws on her chest. She stroked the top of his head in greeting.

“Who’s the most handsome wolf ever?” she crooned “Who’s the bravest, most special, most—”

Oh, sure! The wolf she praises! But do I ever get a kind word? Noooooo. I’m just the sword who hangs around all day waiting to protect her life, and at great risk to my beautiful blade, I might add.

Oh, Brin, you know I think you’re wonderful. Who saved me from the she-wolf? Don’t pout now.

Darius chuckled from his place at the table, probably amused by the way she spoke to the puppy. “Come on, pup. Get down now,” he said.

“Oh, Darius, leave him. He’s so cute.” Dearra smiled and scratched behind the wolf’s ears.

“How cute will he be when he outweighs you by forty pounds?”

“Okay, down, now,” Dearra said. She sighed. “You know, Darius, you need to name him. He can’t just be Pup for the rest of his life.”

“The Breken don’t name animals. They are beasts of burden or weapons. You name him.”

“What’s the Breken word for ‘faithful’?” Dearra asked.

“There is no Breken word for faithful, Dearra. The concept is so at odds with who we are as a people we find no need for it.”

“Okay, what about ‘friend’? Do they have a word for that?”

Darius had to think back quite far to come up with the word. “I guess Reo would fit. My people mostly use the common speech, but in ancient Breken, Reo means ‘ally’. That’s about as close as we get to the word ‘friend’, and even that word is little used.”

“Reo,” Dearra said, trying the word in her mouth. “I like it!”

“What do you think, Reo? Is it a good fit?” The pup gave a yip and jumped on Darius, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

“I think he’s smiling, Darius,” Dearra said with excitement.

“Yes, but I think it has more to do with his anticipation over chasing rabbits than the new name we gave him,” Darius said.

“Well, I guess you would know best, but I still like the name.” Dearra sat beside Darius at the less formal side table, and stole a piece of toast from his plate.

“Dearra!” Darius’s scolded. “You’re eating more than that!”

“Oh, Darius, don’t spoil my fun! Tomorrow is Harvest Celebration. It won’t be a very joyous occasion without Pip here to share it, but it is an important part of our lives to give thanks for what we have. It’s also the time we celebrate the new additions to our community over the last year.”

“What has that got to do with eating this morning?”

“Nothing, really. I am just anxious to go down to see how the ship is coming along and check on the preparations for tomorrow’s feast.”

Darius sighed. “You win, Dearra. It seems I can’t deny you anything, but you are surely pushing this friendship thing to its limits. I may not be familiar with all the rules, but it seems you shouldn’t be able to win every fight.”

“Don’t be silly, Darius. There are no rules. And we’re not fighting. I’m just saying what I want, and you are realizing I’m right.”

He couldn’t argue with her, but even if he tried, she would find a way to twist his words and get her way. Instead, he shook his head and pushed another piece of toast into her hand.

Dearra jumped from the table, ready for her outing.

“Where to, then?” Darius asked with a resigned sigh.

“To the docks, please. I’m anxious to see the progress.”

***

Dearra skipped ahead. Reo followed closely behind her, darting off every few minutes to give chase to a rabbit or squirrel that had dared get too close.

They descended the slope to the harbor to a flurry of activity. Laborers scurried in all directions. The ship, when complete, would be a caravel. It would have a shallower draft than some of the other ships they normally used, which would make it much faster and more maneuverable. The special trees needed for the masts were not yet in evidence, but they would eventually tower from the deck to provide three sturdy masts to hold the sails. The foremast and mainmast would use square-rigged sails, and lateen (or triangular) sails would be used on the mizzenmast to help make changing direction easier and faster. The whole ship, when finished, would weigh around 200 tons.

Being fast was a necessity if they were forced to make a hasty retreat, but building a caravel would mean they had less cargo space, and could only take about twenty people, on board and that wasn’t very many when it came time to venture into unknown Breken territory, but if all of Maj came, there wouldn’t be enough to face the horde of Breken that would descend on them if things went badly. Their only hope was stealth, deception, and the knowledge Darius brought to them.

“I see Daniel!” Dearra said. “I’m going to hear what he has to say on our progress.” She was gone almost before she was done speaking.

***

Darius was happy to have a little time to himself as he and Reo walked down the sandy beach, toward the east. He needed to work things out in his head, and it was hard to concentrate on anything when he was around Dearra. Even when he was away from her, the memory of her blue eyes blazing with golden fire was distracting. What had happened to him? Things had changed so dramatically in such a short amount of time. When did this scrap of a girl worm her way so solidly into his heart?

None of it made any sense. She had gone from being his jailor to…well…something else entirely. When she had cut herself on the mighty sword and casually ignored the wound to pursue the threat to her people he had been impressed. When she had shown such courage against the she-wolf he had never been more proud. When she had fallen ill he had been terrified. When she had awoken after the long weeks of unconsciousness and asked for him he had been so relieved and filled with emotion, he thought his heart might shatter. And when she was well and had sent him away from her he had been lost, completely and totally lost, with no thought of where to go or what to do with himself without her by his side.

Oh, this was bad. Very, very bad. He absolutely couldn’t fall in love with a Maj.

He would have to think on it later.

At least two things were in his favor: one, she only considered them friends, and two, her father was unaware of Darius’s growing affection for his daughter. Thank the gods for that. If Hugh knew, Darius imagined he would regret not killing him when he had the chance.

Darius returned to the ship to notice Royce sitting on a rock a little ways from all the activity. “Watching all of the excitement, Royce?” Darius asked him.

“Watching is all I’m allowed to do.

“Darius? Have you ever wanted something so badly it drove you crazy, only to have it withheld from you? Have you ever had the thing you wanted most in the world right in front of you, day after day, and not be allowed to touch?”

A look of panic crept into Darius face as he considered the boy. What did the child know? Were his thoughts that transparent? He swallowed hard and forced his next words to sound calm as he spoke. “I’m not sure what you mean, Royce.”

“All I’ve ever wanted was to go to sea! And now here they are, building a brand new ship and getting ready to make a voyage none have ever made before, and I am left out! It’s not fair!” Royce said, practically moaning in frustration. He was so caught up in self-pity he missed the relief that washed over Darius’s face.

“Well, Royce, everyone is so focused on getting this project done and preparing for Pip’s rescue that they may be blinded to what an asset you could be to them. Don’t be too hard on them. Sometimes people can’t see what’s right in front of them.”

“I suppose, but it’s a hard thing. Now, with Dearra well again, you don’t even need me to help with the pup.” A pout spread across his face.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Royce. I am very disappointed in you. Here I thought we were going to be partners in Reo’s training, and the next thing I know you’ve completely abandoned us.”

“Really! You really mean it? I can help train…uh…train…”

“Reo. It’s a Breken word. And you can absolutely help. I need you, Royce.”

“What do I do first, Darius?” Royce wore a serious expression on his face which did little to hide his boyish excitement.

“Well, mostly he will need to be exercised every day. He’s getting a little fat sitting at my heels all the time. You will need to be very firm with him, Royce. No passing off any bad behavior as simple puppy antics. He’s a wolf, and if we don’t teach him control now, he will become dangerous, and if that happens…” Darius let the sentence trail off so the weight of the consequences would not be lost on the young trainer.

“I understand, Darius. You can count on me! When can I start?”

“Right now, if you want. We’ve neglected him too long already. Take him for a good run and let him get to know some of the people. It will be good for him to be exposed to new things. But, Royce, no small children. He can look, but don’t let him too close. He may not understand too well about being gentle, and even a friendly pat from those paws could hurt a little one.”

“Yes, sir! Come on, Reo! Let’s go!”

Seeing the nod from Darius and sensing his approval, Reo tore off after Royce, and in full wolf puppy fashion, yipped excitedly the whole way.

Darius turned toward the ship and looked for Dearra everywhere, but he was unable to find her. When at last he heard her voice he was startled to discover it was coming from above him. His gaze went up, up, and up still higher, until he saw her hanging from the supports holding the ship’s frame in place with her one good arm. She struggled to get a better view of the progress, and his heart dropped straight to his toes.

“Dearra!” he called, and he really shouldn’t have, for his voice boomed with panic, and startled Dearra, who lost her grip and fell from her precarious perch. Darius caught her, nimbly, in his strong arms, and he felt his heart begin to beat again.

“Oh! Darius! You startled me!”

Scared the polish out of me, as well. Fool Breken!

“What were you thinking? You could have snapped your neck! Are you hurt? Does anything feel broken?”

The panic in his voice was completely lost on her, and her temper kicked in with a vengeance. “I wouldn’t have fallen at all had you not yelled like that! I
have
been around ship building before, you know!” Dearra’s face was red with embarrassment and frustration.

“You could have thought of me. If I return you damaged to your father a second time, he’s not likely to be as forgiving.” Darius felt an embarrassment of his own, knowing he had overreacted and caused the incident.

Dearra was suddenly aware he was still holding her. Surely he could have set her on her feet by now. His arms were tense, though she knew her weight wouldn’t be enough to cause such strain in his muscles. He held her protectively close, and she had a suspicion it was fear for her safety that was causing him to hold himself so rigidly. The revelation came as a pleasant surprise, and she found herself blushing with pleasure as he continued to hold her. It was really too bad he just wanted to be friends, she thought to herself.