Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) (25 page)

“I went to immediately begin the search, as did everyone else. We began our quest at the berry patch where the child had last been seen. Her mother had been picking some of the first berries of the season, and the child had been playing happily at her feet. When she went missing, her mother assumed she had simply crawled into the dense leaves and hidden from view. After a half hour of frantic searching, however, she had to send for help.

“I broke away from the others to extend my search area. I headed towards the cliff wall that borders the beach on that side of the island, never dreaming the baby could have gone so far, but willing to check all the possibilities, nevertheless. I called and called with no luck, then, as I was about to head back, a flash of yellow caught my eye. I dropped to my stomach and peered over the edge. The baby had come this way, alright. She must have seen the little cluster of sweet berries clinging to the side of the rock face, for she had slithered over the edge and perched on an outcropping not more than ten inches square, to get to the tasty treat. I had no idea how she managed to get so far down, but there she was none the less.

“At the moment I first saw her she was sound asleep. Berries stained her mouth and cheeks, one leg dangled over the side of the precipice, and the yellow ribbons in her hair fluttered in the breeze. I couldn’t reach her while she was lying down, and I couldn’t go to retrieve her, the only foothold being the space her body lay on. The only thing I could think to do was call out to her, to wake her gently, so as not to frighten her.

“‘Carly. Carly. Wake up, little one,’ I crooned as gently as I could. I’ll never forget the way she sat straight up and swung around to look up at me. I thought the heart would burst from my chest, she frightened me so badly. She, however, seemed completely calm and at ease.

“She looked right at me, her berry stained lips curved into an enchanting smile, and she said, ‘Hewo.’

“I told her, ‘Stand up baby,’ and she did, calm as you please, and held a tiny hand out to mine. I lay flat on my stomach and reached towards her outstretched arm, but I couldn’t quite reach her. Then, I don’t know, I must have shifted just enough, for I felt her tiny hand in mine, so I pulled her up, and proudly swung her onto my neck. She gripped my hair, and I held both of her little ankles as we headed back to her relieved parents where I was surrounded by admirers.

“The women warriors looked at me adoringly, the men wished to be me. And then, in my moment of triumph, just before I reached to hand the child to her mother, Carly decided to thank me in her own special way…and wet on me.”

No matter how many times he told the story, the response was always the same; gales of laughter filled the room. About thirty other people had joined them, once word got out that Daniel was telling The Story.

Carly simply crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a brow at the unrepentant Daniel.

“On that note,” Daniel said, “I believe I need some wine.” People took that as a cue to get something to eat or drink, and to stand and stretch their legs.

“Did you want something?” Dearra asked Darius.

“Some wine, thank you, Dearra.”

“It’s hurting you isn’t it?”

“No, truly, it’s not bad at all today.”

He lies; it’s killing him.

“Thank you, Brin,” Dearra said with a smug grin.

“Meddlesome sword,” Darius complained.

“Just the same, I’m having Catherine put something in the wine for the pain.”

“Dearra, I just got up. You’ll have me back in bed before sunset at this rate.”

“Not a bad idea, really,” Dearra said with a wicked gleam in her eye. “Okay, okay—I’ll be good. I’ll tell her just a little.”

“You had better be careful, Dearra,” Darius said quietly. “One of these days that playful teasing you do is going to get you into trouble. You can’t expect me to keep behaving myself if you won’t.” He flashed a wolfish grin at her.

Dearra’s eyes went wide at the sincerity in his tone, and she scampered off in search of Catherine.

“Good for you, Darius,” Carly said, coming to sit on the bench closest to him. “She needs to know that teasing has its consequences.”

“She would never act on those thoughts, Carly. I think she just enjoys having the power to drive me to distraction. We can’t show how we feel for one another, and it frustrates her. Surely, you understand. It must be hard for you as well, hiding your love for Daniel.”

Carly shot an anxious glance at the chair where Marcus sat.

“Peace, Carly. He’s asleep,” Darius said, trying to ease her panic.

“How did you know?” Carly asked in a muted whisper.

“I have eyes and ears. I can see what is right in front of me.”

“No one else seems to have noticed,” she said.

“You have all known each other all of your lives. They see what they expect to see, or more accurately, don’t see what they don’t expect to see. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jacob is aware of your feelings for Daniel. He has not lived here so long.”

“Jacob!” Carly said, horrified at the possibility.

“He is no threat to you, Carly. There is no gain in it for him. Why would it be so bad for others to know? You are both well-liked and respected.”

“He is thirty-five, Darius; I am seventeen. They would never understand. I have enough trouble getting
him
to understand and accept my feelings for him. If only I could get him to notice me more. I have been working so hard to learn to use a dagger, just to get his attention. I think if he would only open his eyes he would truly know how I felt.”

Darius laughed quietly.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Carly said.

Darius held up his good hand in surrender. “There is nothing funny about your feelings, Carly. I said I was your brother now, and you can come to me with anything. It’s just that the thought of you trying to get his attention amused me.”

“Why?” she asked bluntly.

“If you get his attention any more than you already have, I shall have to start leading him around by the arm so he doesn’t trip over his own feet. And if Dearra is with you, may the gods help us, because we will both be in trouble then.”

Carly opened her mouth in stunned surprise. Daniel noticed her? He returned her feelings?

“Here’s your wine, Darius. Now be a good little Breken, and drink it down manfully,” Dearra said, unaware of the conversation she had interrupted.

Darius gulped the wine in one swallow, grimacing a little at the medicine’s bitter taste. Carly slid silently back to the spot she had previously occupied at the end of the bench. The others returned as well, resuming their places. Daniel seemed to find his seat uncomfortable and brushed the wooden bench as if looking for a splinter that was irritating him, then shrugged and took a seat beside Carly instead. Over the heads of the others, Darius raised a brow at Carly, who blushed prettily.

“You’re turn, Dearra,” Carly said, when they had re-settled into their seats.

Dearra paused for a moment, deciding which story to tell, and then began: “I remember the summer four years ago. Pip was four and becoming quite the little man.” Dearra had a wistful smile on her face as the memory came back to her, no matter how bittersweet. “Father had given him a small slingshot, his first real weapon. His pride was enormous, and he carried it with him wherever he went. It didn’t take him long to become skilled with his little stones, and no cup left unattended was safe from the tiny warrior. Eventually, Pip became bored with the unmoving cups and pots in the dining hall, and ventured out in search of more dangerous prey.

“One day he heard the flutter of wings, and without thinking, let a stone fly. The bird dropped from the air and landed with a thud on the hard packed ground. Pip told me how he ran to look. He was so surprised to have hit the bird at all, and to see it lying dead at his feet was very sobering for the little boy. I remember how tears of remorse streamed from his face as he told me how he stroked the feathers of the still warm bird, and how he had buried it, in shame.

“As he was leaving, head hung low, he heard the sound of tiny birds calling out in hunger. By the time he’d found the nest, he was scratched and bleeding from the brambles he had climbed through to reach the spot. Three little mouths were open wide in anticipation of the mother who would never return. Pip took off his already badly torn shirt and covered the baby birds to protect them from the thorns as he carried them, in their nest, back to the keep.

“Father had listened seriously as Pip recounted his story, tears of hurt from the painful scratches mixing with tears of grief over his actions. Father stood and passed judgment on Pip for his crime: he was to find the baby birds a safe, warm spot in his room, near the light of his window, and up off the floor. Then, he was to go into the bailey, and search the wood piles for small worms and insects so that he could provide a meal for the orphan birds. It would be his responsibility to see to them these next couple of weeks, until they were ready to leave their nest.

“I tried to clean away some of the blood on his injured back as he stood before our father, but he stopped me and said he would see to the birds first, as father had instructed. He marched from the Great Hall, head held high, and carried out his duty.

“That night, he sobbed in my arms as I bathed the wounds, and he cried again when one of the tiny birds died in the nest. But two of the birds had survived, and one beautiful sunny day he swung his window wide open, and the birds hopped from the nest, fluttered to the sill, and took wing and flew away. One of the birds still returns from time to time and will even hop on Pip’s finger for a moment if he offers it a bit of bread.

“I wonder if it will return this summer, or if perhaps those days are gone forever.” 

Everyone took a moment to remember the little boy, and their determination to have him with them again burned brightly inside each of them.

January’s bluster kept everyone indoors when temperatures dipped as low as anyone could remember, even old Marcus. Tempers grew short and boredom set in. Darius had taken to stealing away to the men’s barracks. He was widely accepted now; though not all were fully comfortable with the formidable Breken, most seemed at peace in his presence. William joined Darius as often as his duties would allow, which Darius suspected had helped further his entry into the Maj world.

Carly and Dearra spent hour after hour in practice. Carly’s skill grew at a surprising pace. The dagger was not Dearra’s weapon of choice, and she had not trained with it as often as she should have. Carly was delighted to find Dearra back on her heels with growing frequency. Dearra grew increasingly irritated with her own clumsiness, and Brin’s constant chiding did little to improve her mood.

Hugh spent much of his time alone, preferring solitude to the company of others. His heart ached for his missing son, and the weather that stopped even the simplest of preparations on the needed ship was like a wound that festered. He longed for something to keep his mind focused on what needed to be done. The constant sitting gave him too much time to brood, and he became more and more short tempered with each passing day.

Reo and Royce continued on, much as they had in the past, with one exception: play time for the two had been limited to the bailey or the Great Hall. Royce’s brush with death tempered his desire for adventure, at least for the time being. It was a good thing Royce scampered and played with the growing wolf pup, as Reo had become the favorite of many who lived at the keep. Catherine—as well as others—often slipped the animal prime pieces of beef or mutton. And though Darius had asked her to be a little less generous with the animal, and Catherine had agreed, he knew she continued to spoil the wolf when she thought no one was watching. Darius doubted whether Reo would have been able to move at all if not for all of the exercise he enjoyed on his romps with Royce.

Daniel continued his training with the men who were to go on the mission, but he often slipping away to the Great Hall to supervise Dearra as she trained with Carly.

When February finally came, it brought with it a warmer wind. The difference was slight, but the people took the opportunity to escape the confines of their homes and the stuffy keep.

A group of people had gathered in the bailey. They were going into the forest to replenish the wood that had been burned over the last several weeks. There was really no need for this as the wood piles were well stocked, but the Maj detested idleness, and the outing was a chance to stretch legs and take advantage of the crisp, clean air of the island. Darius and William decided to join the others, but Daniel remained behind, as did Carly and Dearra.

The island was small enough that people got where they needed to go without the aid of horses, the only draw-back being, that carts and sleds needed to be pulled by the sturdy people of the island. That was fine with them. Most of the islanders were uncomfortable with horses, Dearra included.

Dearra and Carly thought they would be more of a hindrance than a help, and so had volunteered to work in the kitchens instead, so that some of the men who normally did the cooking would be able to get out for a bit.

“Jacob has decided to join us?” Darius said to William, surprise in his voice.

William glanced over at Jacob, and he, too, was astonished to see Jacob among them.

“It could be he regrets his actions. He could be trying to join in and find ways to become more accepted again.” Darius wished, rather than believed, this to be true.

William rolled his eyes at the Breken, indicating he doubted the veracity of the statement.

“Oh, well,” Darrius said, “a man can hope. You can’t blame me for a little wishful thinking, can you?”

William smiled, clapped a hand to Darius’s shoulder, and picked up a pole attached to one of the sleds that would carry the wood back to the keep.

The trek to the forest took longer than Darius remembered, but he supposed the deep snow and cumbersome sleds had a lot to do with their slow progress. The day was sunny, however, and temperatures mild, putting the men in high spirits as they marched along.

Ask any wife and she will tell you, a man, no matter his age, is a boy at heart. With no women to cast disapproving glances, the men—Jacob included—let down their guard, threw snowballs, and told ribald jokes.

When at last they reached the woods, the men spread out in search of trees that had been downed in previous years. Fresh cut timber did not burn as well as wood that had seasoned. Besides, the island had finite resources, and care had to be taken in what was harvested.

Darius and William worked with the others to cut the trees into more manageable pieces, before loading them onto the sleds. Even Jacob put his back into it, with no complaint, and the work was done much more quickly than any had anticipated.

None of the men were anxious to return to the confines of the keep, and they lounged or walked about the woods, taking time to rest from their labors and enjoy the day. Darius chased the silent William deeper into the woods; a large snowball was held in one hand. He had received more than his fair share of the icy missiles, and he was determined to repay William for his “gifts”.

“Hide if you want, my brother, but you are hunted by a Breken warrior now,” Darius yelled into the still woods. “I will share with you the wisdom of my first instructor: ‘Don’t bother running. You’ll just die tired.’” Darius laughed heartily and continued stalking William.

Darius heard the soft crunch of a branch as it snapped behind him. He spun and fired the snowball. His smile vanished when he saw Jacob throwing a weapon of his own; not a harmless snowball, but a knife, hurled with deadly accuracy. Had he turned a moment later, the knife would have found his back, but Darius dropped low, and it embedded itself into the tree behind him. The men stared at each other for a moment, ran headlong at one another, and crashed to the ground.

“Maj! Maj!” William called in a voice strong and true, and the men, hearing the call for aid, ran toward them from all directions to pry the combatants apart.

Six strong men were needed to hold Darius in check. “Darius?” William asked.

Before Darius could answer, Jacob said, “Of course you would ask him first! Your brother, indeed.” He spat into the snow at Darius’s feet.

The two men struggled against the men holding them to get at one another again.

William sighed. Seeing there was only one way to placate Jacob and get to the reason for the fight, he shrugged at Darius, turned to Jacob and nodded, indicating he should begin.

“I was walking through here and heard a strange sound. Looking up, I thought I saw a wolf. We all know them to be dangerous and vile beasts, and I could not allow one to roam so close to the homes of my dear friends, so I used the only weapon I had available to me in defense of my home. It was only a moment later I realized my error and that the filthy animal I thought I saw, was instead Darius.”

William turned to Darius, waiting for what was sure to be a more believable version of events.

“Jacob saw me plainly before throwing the knife. We looked at one another for a moment before he acted. It was only a moment, but it was enough. He knew it was me.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” Jacob shot back.

“Yes.”

The men around Darius cleared their throats and shifted from foot to foot. For one man to call another a liar was a serious thing, one that demanded immediate action. Either the accused or the accuser must admit his mistake, or the other would demand satisfaction for the insult to his honor. None doubted the course this would take. Darius would not retract his statement, and Jacob could not let the accusation lie without losing face. The men holding Darius and Jacob released them, and stepped away to form a loose ring around them in the snow.

Jacob and Darius circled slowly around one another until Jacob jabbed out with a left hand that impacted squarely with Darius’s jaw. The Breken shook his head to clear it, and continued his slow circling. Again, Jacob lunged, this time with a right to Darius’s the eye. Again, Darius shook it off and continued the slow dance.

William nodded his approval at Darius’s behavior. Rather than striking out in rage as Jacob had, Darius accepted the hits in order to judge the strength and style of his opponent.

The next time Jacob swung wildly, Darius dodged easily aside, frustrating the young man across from him further. As swing after swing hit only air, Jacob began to tire, and when, without warning, Darius landed his first and only blow, the power behind it stunned Jacob, sending him to his knees. In one fluid movement, Darius came behind him, clamped a vice-like arm to Jacob’s throat, and held the position until the lack of blood and oxygen rendered him unconscious. Darius released his hold and let Jacob fall to the snow before he turned and stalked back to the sleds. The rage that surged through him had no outlet with Jacob so easily disposed of, and he picked up one of the sleds’ leads, leaned into the load, and began to drag the heavy burden back to the keep.

William joined him, adding his strength to the task. They left the others behind and plodded forward in silence.

The trip home was slow and tedious, and not much of Darius’s anger had ebbed by the time they reached the bailey. Darius dropped the poles, entered the keep, and walked with speed towards his room, hoping to avoid detection as he passed the Great Hall, but he was sorely disappointed. Dearra had heard the now familiar heavy footfalls and ran to greet him.

When Dearra saw Darius’s eye had swollen almost completely shut, and the purple bruise that had blossomed on his jaw, her eyes blazed. “What now? Was it Jacob? It was, wasn’t it? I’ll kill him! Come, let me see to your injuries.” She set a hand on his arm, and tried to steer him into the Great Hall.

“Leave me be!” he bellowed. “I need no attention! The injuries are nothing. Must you forever coddle me?

“
You
will kill Jacob? Am I so useless I cannot defend myself? I am a man; a Breken warrior! I need no woman to hide behind, nor to defend my honor.

“Just leave me alone, Dearra!” He yanked his arm from her hand and made for his chamber.

Dearra stood in the hall, too bewildered to react. Two emotions warred within her: hurt at the rebuke she had received and anger over the perceived injustice. She took a step as if to follow Darius, but William was there to stop her.

“Let him go,” he said.

“But he accuses me of treating him unfairly. He says I coddle him too much. He acts like I make him less of a man!”

“You do.”

“I…” Dearra hesitated after the word, unable to think of a response.

Carly approached Dearra and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Come on, Dearra. The rest of the men will be back soon, and we need to have supper ready. Maybe if I get the soup finished, no one will notice your hideous bread.”

Dearra smiled slightly at her friend’s attempt to improve her mood, gave up, and went with Carly back to the kitchens.

***

Darius did not appear for the evening meal that night. The tray of food Dearra had left outside his door remained untouched the following morning. She tried to knock on his door at least a dozen times, but she was stopped by Brin each time.

Leave him be, Dearra.
Brin told her.
There’s more to this than you know. He needs to deal with this in his own way.

“Yes, I can see how starving to death while sulking in your room could be the answer to everything,” she snapped, but she left him in peace.

On the third day, Brin said,
Okay, enough is enough. Take me to Daniel. We’ll stop and get William on the way.

“Finally!” Dearra said, and she jumped to her feet and darted down the stairs.

Acting as Brin’s interpreter, she sat with Daniel and William in the weapons room of Maj Keep.

“Oh, for Cyrus’s sake! You’ve got to be joking!” Dearra said.

“Dearra,” Daniel said, “we can’t hear the blasted sword. What did it say?” He had been patient as much as possible up until that point, getting the story in dribs and drabs, but Dearra’s silent conversations with the sword were starting to get on his nerves.

“Evidently, tomorrow is Darius’s birthday. It seems that each year on their birthdays, the Breken have to undergo some test of manhood to prove they still deserve to be warriors and ensure their places in society. The Breken who are unable to prove themselves worthy, just go off somewhere to die, or some other such nonsense.” Dearra huffed at the absurdity of it, but William and Daniel seemed less inclined to dismiss the custom so casually. “It seems the whole chain of events with Jacob has Darius questioning his manhood, if you can believe that.”

William had not been privy to the events leading up to this moment, and he turned to Dearra with a questioning look.

“Jacob had him pinned against a rock when he first came here and was too weak to defend himself. Then they had a confrontation in the Great Hall when Darius was unarmed and unable to do much to defend himself. Then there was the time Jacob hurt me at Harvest Celebration, and I snapped two of Jacob’s fingers before Darius could intercede….”

“What?” Daniel said. “You led me to believe the time he slapped you was the first incident!”