Eden-South (33 page)

“What do you want?” she asked, not hiding
the disdain in her voice. He rolled his eyes, having expected this
sort of reaction from her. Sitting down beside her, he looked out
at the river where she had been looking. The moons reflected off
the surface, casting a glow about the area. It was peaceful here,
with only the sound of water rushing by. He could feel her looking
at him, waiting for an explanation, her patience wearing thin.

“I just wanted to wish you luck,” he said,
avoiding her glare. “It didn’t feel right not saying it.”

She was quiet for a minute before she said
anything. “Thank you,” she replied quietly.

He sat there for another minute before
getting up. There wasn’t much else to say, and he felt better
having said at least that. As he walked away she called out to him.
He turned to look at her in the dark.

“You kissed me at the spring festival—did
you know that?”

“Yes.”

This seemed to surprise her. “W-why?” she
asked, faltering.

He shrugged his shoulders casually, but
didn’t say another word before turning to leave her by herself. She
didn’t call after him again.

Now, as he lay in his tent, he wondered
about her question, trying to understand why he had felt the need
to follow her that night at the festival. Sometimes even he
couldn’t make sense of his feelings. Rolling over, he closed his
eyes, trying to rest before the morning came.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

They had arrived at the field just as the sun
was setting. Callum said it was just beyond the forest, but that
they’d be setting up camp in the small clearing beside the
mountain. She had never been this far south, and wondered what the
Capital City would look like. Their tent was already set up when he
helped lift her down from the horse, letting her enter before him.
Every muscle in her body ached; they had pushed hard that day, not
even resting for the afternoon. Brutus had insisted that they
arrive before sundown, and they still had a ways to go, so everyone
was forced to move forward with all their energy. She could see in
the men’s faces how tired they all were, but no one would dare
complain out loud.

As she sat on the edge of the bed, she
realized that her brother would be beyond those trees. He was so
close now, and yet he still felt so far away. Each night now she
had slept in the bed with Callum; they didn’t even bother laying
out her blankets on the floor anymore. He would never touch her,
never made her feel uncomfortable, and for that she was thankful.
Throughout their whole ride that day he had been unusually quiet,
making her wonder if the closeness of battle was finally affecting
him.

Looking at his back as he read papers at his
desk, she spoke to him for the first time since that afternoon.

“Are you nervous?” she asked, causing him to
look back at her in surprise.

“Nervous for what?” he asked. “The battle?
Not at all. We’re well prepared, and we have Aziz’s creatures to
help us.”

The creatures were another matter
altogether. They hadn’t been with them for most of the journey, but
a couple of days ago they had appeared in a large mass, sent to
them by Aziz. Rose was repulsed by them, finding their eyes eerie
and unnerving. The beasts that looked like oversized hogs just
stayed near the edge of camp, never really looking at anyone. The
tall ones, however, could speak, even though their heads were those
of an animal. Their bodies were like a human’s; their movements
looked just like a man’s. They scared her, and if she was right in
her assumption, they made Callum just as nervous.

She shook her head, correcting what she had
meant by the question. “Not for the battle itself,” she clarified.
“Are you nervous to see your people? To see your brother, in
particular?”

The question seemed to have caught him off
guard. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t know,” he
replied honestly.

Lifting her legs onto the bed, she lay down
and started to doze off, letting the conversation end. Rose didn’t
want to pressure him to talk about it, feeling invasive if she
did.

Eventually, he came to bed too, climbing
over her gently like he always did, so he wouldn’t wake her. She
was still awake, though, finding the anxiety brought on from the
upcoming events of tomorrow filling her mind too much to rest.

“Rose?” he whispered. She murmured in
response, letting him know she was still awake. “I want you to
leave tomorrow.”

She looked over at him. “What do you
mean?”

“I don’t want you to stay in the camp during
the fight; it is too dangerous. I have arranged for a horse for
you. I want you to ride as far west as you can, along the border of
the trees, before you head south again. This way, you will be away
from any of the fighting.”

She lay there silent, a mixture of emotions
running through her. “I know how much you want to see your
brother,” he continued. “It is too dangerous for you to do so right
now. Promise me you’ll ride west, and not toward the other
army.”

Since the night he had taken her from her
home, until now, she had never actually believed he’d ever let her
go. It was as if she had just accepted this fate, finding whatever
comfort she could in her present circumstances. Even coming here,
with the hope to see Felix, was, for the most part, in vain. The
chance of her getting away on her own was little, and she wouldn’t
know where to go to find him anyway. Truthfully, she just didn’t
want to go back to the mountains, too scared to be by herself
there. Here she had Callum, and although a large part of her hated
him, he was better company than any of the old miserable women who
worked in the castle. The fact that he was willingly letting her
leave left her speechless.

He braced himself up on his elbow, looking
down at her. “Rose, can you promise me that?” Finding it impossible
to speak, and knowing if she did so she’d most certainly cry, Rose
simply nodded her head. He lowered himself back down, and remained
quiet for the rest of the evening.

When the morning sun filled their tent, the
reality of that day hit her like a ton of bricks. So many lives
would end today; so many things could change. She watched in
silence as Callum got his armour on, meticulously fastening
everything around his body. He didn’t look at her the entire time,
clearly lost in thought.

A man came by the tent, whispered something
to Callum, and then left just as quickly. He turned to look at her
for the first time that morning.

“Your horse is ready,” he said gently. “I’ll
take you to him.” Nodding her head, she got up and followed him out
of the tent. They walked through the camp. Every man there was
already ready for the battle. A mixture of anticipation and
excitement filled the air, and something else. Uncertainty, she
guessed. No one here knew if he’d live past that day. The two of
them walked until they were away from the others. Sure enough,
there was one horse, tied to a tree outside of the camp. He was
lazily grazing on the grass, unaware of anything going on around
him.

“Now remember,” he said, turning to her.
“Ride west until the forest ends, and then you can head south
again. Eventually, you will hit one of the King’s highways leading
to the capital, and you can follow the road there. Make sure you
don’t stop for anyone, regardless of what they say to you. There
are many robbers along that road.”

She nodded her head, taking in the
information as best she could. Tears were filling up in her eyes as
he spoke. She didn’t know why, but they seemed to be forming
against her will. He looked at her gently, reaching toward her face
to wipe a tear away.

“Don’t worry, Rose. If the God and Goddess
are willing, you will see your brother again one day. This won’t be
an easy journey, but I know you can do it.” She nodded her head
again, too afraid to speak. The tears were now flooding down her
cheeks, and a part of her knew they weren’t for her brother.
“Remember all the moves I taught you if you do get into trouble,”
he continued, trying to ignore her crying. “I put a sword here for
you, and some water and fruit. Ride hard and fast, as best you can,
and you’ll reach the road by late afternoon.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice
coming out hoarse and scratchy. He put his hands around her waist
and lifted her up into the saddle. Going over to the tree, he
untied the reins and handed them to her.

“He’ll take good care of you,” he said,
patting the horse’s neck. She swallowed hard, too many feelings
stuck in her chest. “Good luck,” he said, smiling. She tried to
smile back, but only more tears came out.

He stepped back, letting her move the horse
in the direction of the west. She looked back once more, and this
time actually managed to make a real smile.

“Thank you,” she said again, finding no
other words sufficient. He nodded his head. Turning back, she
looked west and took a deep breath. She had never been on her own
like this, and wasn’t sure if she could do it, but Callum seemed to
think she could, so she would prove him right. The last thing she
wanted was for him to think her weak.

Before she kicked the horse forward, Callum
was beside her again—she hadn’t even heard him move from his spot.
Reaching up toward her face, he pulled her head gently down,
kissing her strongly on the mouth. It only lasted a second, but
Rose thought she would nearly fall off the horse. Stepping back, he
didn’t say another word, before slapping the backside of the horse,
sending her forward in a run. She didn’t even look back, too afraid
that if she did, she might not be able to leave. Her lips were
still warm from his.

Aiden looked at the other army, each side
lined up in front of the other. He wasn’t sure how these things
started, so he waited for some sort of command. It wasn’t like
these events had referees, he thought rationally. The northern army
scared him, and they scared Ty as well. He had to constantly
whisper into the animal’s ear, trying his best to keep him calm. It
was the beasts that put the horses on edge. There were many of
them, and they all growled from the other side of the clearing. The
tall ones were what scared Aiden the most. These ones wore armour,
making it even harder for them to get a hit. Logan looked nervously
at him. He was on his left side, and Felix was on the right. Wolf
sat on the other side of Logan. No one had seen Elisa that morning;
they all agreed she was probably up in her tree already. The other
archers were in front of them, spaced out to leave room for them to
get through when they advanced. He prayed they would be able to hit
their targets, and not one of their own men.

Suddenly, there was movement on both sides.
Aiden watched as the High King and the Captain rode forward, moving
toward the middle of the field. Two large men came forward from the
other side to meet them. He didn’t know what was happening, so he
looked at Logan for answers. As usual, he just shrugged.

“It is custom for the leaders of both sides
to meet first,” Wolf said. “I’m sure both sides want to have a word
before this begins, in case they don’t have another chance
afterward. It’s been a long time,” he said thoughtfully. They all
turned back to watch the two estranged brothers meeting for the
first time in ten years. “He’s changed,” Wolf commented.

The younger brother—Aiden assumed it was the
man who didn’t have flaming red hair—was large and muscular. He
could see that even from where they sat. His face was covered in a
dark beard, and he wore a serious expression. Something told Aiden
he definitely was not as easy-going as his older brother, who now
ruled the land he wanted.

Jameson rode toward the middle of the field,
his eyes locked on those of his brother. He couldn’t believe the
change in Callum; it was as if he were a completely different man.
In a different time, in a different world maybe, he would actually
have been proud of his brother, but not now. The four of them met,
staying a short distance away from each other.

“Ah, the High King at last!” Brutus the Red
exclaimed, a large smile covering his face.

“We finally meet,” Jameson greeted him,
mirroring his smile on his own face. If he wanted to keep the mood
light, then Jameson would oblige.

“I can see now why you’re called Brutus the
Red,” Turk commented dryly, making Jameson’s smile widen. Leave it
to his friend to say something so informal at a meeting like this.
He could see similar sentiments cross his brother’s features as he
stared at Turk. Brutus laughed loudly, causing them all to jump a
little.

“You know,” he said as he laughed, “if it
weren’t for the presence circumstances, I think I might have
actually gotten along with you two.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Callum commented
wryly.

“It is nice to see you again, brother,”
Jameson said, turning to face him. “Or it would be under different
pretences. You have changed.” Callum didn’t reply. He simply looked
back angrily at him.

“You’re bigger,” Turk barked, pointing out
the obvious. This elicited a laugh from Brutus.

“He is, isn’t he? I’d like to take credit
for that, but he’s worked hard for it.”

“Father would be proud,” Jameson
commented.

“I doubt it.” The two brothers just looked
at each other, as the other two remained quiet. Finally, Brutus
cleared his throat, interrupting their silent challenge.

“Well, I guess we’ve all said what we’ve
come here to say. Shall we get on with it then?” He smiled. The man
was simply enjoying the whole exercise, Jameson noticed. “May the
best men win.”

“We plan to,” Jameson said, keeping his eyes
on his brother’s face. Brutus laughed again, turning his horse as
he did so, and headed back to their ranks. Callum sat a moment
longer, looking at his brother.