Ripples (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 2) (18 page)

     “Zale, stop!” I yelled.

     I grabbed his wrist and held it with all the strength I could muster, the blades close to piercing my own skin. My eyes flickered to his face and roved over the unseeing, cloudy gaze and bloodied skin. He was confused, but something, some sort of clarity must have filled him, because he retracted his blades and shut his eyes, his head rolling to the side again.

     We worked in silence, all of us intent upon getting him cleaned up enough to deal with the wounds. Once all the old blood and sand had been washed away, I realized his head was not nearly as bad as I had thought. It turned out he only had one large gash over his left eyebrow that was constantly spewing blood. I breathed a little easier knowing his head hadn’t taken a major blow.

     Sean ran down to the docks and retrieved the First Aid kits, they had stashed on the boats. He was back within minutes and I tried not to watch as they prepared to stitch him up. How they ever dealt with this sort of suspense on a rolling ship was a mystery to me.

     Derek took the sterilized needle and began to sew the wounds together. Zale groaned weakly and once again I lifted his head onto my lap, not knowing what else to do. I held a thick cloth to the open wound on his head and watched as he twitched when the needle threaded its way in and out of the wounds on his chest. I brushed his head and talked to him softly, not knowing if he could hear me or if he even knew who we were. Yet, I kept talking, it gave me a sense of purpose, at a time when I was helpless.

     “That should do it for his chest,” Derek said after working in silence for an hour, and looked at his twin. “Let me take care of the gash on his head and then he can rest.”

     I nodded, even though I knew he wasn’t talking to me. I removed the thoroughly bloodied rag from Zale’s forehead and watched as Derek carefully stitched the wound shut. When he was finished, I took a deep breath in the silence.

     I don’t know how long I sat there while my brothers cleaned up the rags and the tools, but it seemed like a long time.

     “What happened?” I asked, my voice thick from unshed tears.

     Sean placed the large bucket of red tinted water back on the floor. “We don’t know.” I raised my head, confused. “We were headed out to our truck, after having dinner with Dad and Jillian, when we heard a strange noise. We went around the house and saw him trying to struggle up the hill from the beach; you know the place where you practice throwing your knife? Well, he passed out on the path right before we reached him, so we put him in my truck and then I called you.”

     “He was attacked.” My voice shook slightly. I knew it had to be true, but how could that be? He was popular among the Hyven. Morven considered him higher than everyone else, why then would they attack him? Maybe, it was because they knew what he did to save me. Or maybe, it was something else entirely.

    
Lathmorians
, the thought ran through my mind and I shied away from it. It couldn’t be possible. I had to be wrong. 

     “That’s what it looked like,” Derek spoke from where he was sitting, his back leaning against some of the unpacked boxes. “But I think he won the fight because we didn’t see any others around.”

     I nodded and looked back at the tired face in my lap. It was so strong and yet so soft and peaceful at the same time. My heart swelled slightly and I took a large breath, pushing the tears back again. Until now, I hadn’t truly grasped who he really was and how I felt toward him. If the Lathmorians were trying to kill him, was I becoming the enemy too? Shaking my head, I tossed the idea aside and hurried to wipe the tears from my face before they could fall onto my soiled dress.

     “Don’t worry, when he wakes up, he’ll be able to tell you what happened.” Sean spoke from the doorway. I glanced at his kind smile and bobbed my head once more.

     Derek got to his feet to follow his brother, “He should be fine for the night, but if anything changes, wake us up.”

     “Okay,” I said, and he turned to the door, “Derek?”

     “Yeah?” He asked, and I saw the deep shadows under his eyes..

     “Thanks,” I said, unsure of how to tell him just how much I appreciated what they had done for me. He nodded and smiled sleepily. “And do Jillian and Dad know I’m here.”

     “Sean’s calling them,” Derek confirmed and walked out of the room before I could thank him again.

     I turned my eyes from the half closed door and rested my back against a stack of boxes. Hours later, once Zale’s breath had become deep and normal, I felt my eyes close slowly and I drifted off to sleep, my fingers still brushing the dark golden hair that was in my lap.

     “Lissie?” A confused and crusty voice broke through my sleepy mind and I opened my eyes slowly. I grimaced as I moved, there was a throbbing pain in my back and my legs were tingling as though they had been stuck in a strange position for a long time. I looked down to investigate the damage my legs had endured and saw two very dark brown eyes staring up at me.

     “Ahh!” I cried and jumped to the side knocking the person’s head out of my lap. It hit the floor with a thud, and I dashed over to the wall, trying to get my stiff body to move. My heart was hammering heavily in my chest and I stared at the large man that lay on the floor. He was swearing under his breath and holding a large scratched hand to his forehead. As I looked at him, something in my sluggish brain triggered.

     “Zale!” I gasped happily and couldn’t stop the huge smile from spreading over my entire face. The hand fell to his side and he looked at me, his eyes taking in my entire appearance in one glance.

     “You look like you had a hell of a night,” he said, a small half smile tugged at the side of his mouth and I looked down. I gasped, as I saw what I was wearing. It was my prom dress, well not really a prom dress anymore. A large spot of dried blood covered the stomach and hip area, while streaks of red continued down to the bottom of the dress. I looked as if I had just made it through the climax of a horror movie.

     As I took in the sight, I remembered everything that had happened the night before, and how I had just tossed Zale’s head straight onto the floor. A slow blush crept into my cheeks and I lifted my hands to smooth my hair, which I assumed was as much of a mess as the ruined dress.

     “Are you feeling alright?” I said and walked toward him slowly. When I reached his side, I sank down to the floor, my knees stiff and protesting.

     “Well, I was,” he said and again the side smile lifted on his face.

     “Sorry,” I blushed and he chuckled, then winced. “What is it? What hurts?” My hands fluttered to help, but didn’t touch anything.

     “Pretty much everything,” he sighed and then swore under his breath. His eyes closed for a moment and then he turned his gaze to mine. “I’ll live though, don’t worry.”

     I smiled softly at his words and picked up his hand. There was a closeness between us I hadn’t felt before, and when I spoke, a smile spread over my lips which I couldn’t contain. “Do you remember what happened?”

     A cloud passed over his face and the eyes of the warrior stared up at the ceiling. His jaw flexed and I felt his grip tighten on my hand.

     “I came back to see you.” Zale’s words were deep and slow, as though he were trying to carefully control his anger. “I went into your room through the window and saw you were gone. I decided to wait for you to come back and left a note in your room, telling you to meet me down at the beach. But I was ambushed from behind while I was waiting for you. There were three of them and it was too dark to see who they were.”

     Zale took a large breath, winced, and continued. “I knew they’d seen me go into your room and come back out. They knew I had been lying to Lord Morven.” His eyes closed tightly as though he had done something terrible.

     “It’s okay,” I crooned, hoping he could understand. “Do you think Morven sent them after you?”

     “No, they were Bolrock’s men. They had to be.” He was so determined to believe it was true. “Bolrock wants to prove to Lord Morven I have been lying, he hates me, always has. If Bolrock were here right now I’d…” he was at a loss for words and trailed off.

     I stayed silent and watched as the anger consumed his features. He was so furious and his eyes were staring far away. I shuddered thinking about his thoughts and the kind of pain he was planning for Bolrock. At least it seemed as though the Lathmorians weren’t involved. My earlier fears about their involvement subsided.

     “Did they leave you for dead on the beach?” I asked, not really sure if he remembered he was speaking to me.

     His gaze snapped back to mine. “No, I killed two of them and the other swam away before I could kill him too. He was a coward, even though he was trained like the others. Those Hyven were brave, they didn’t complain before I dealt their final blow. They accepted I had beaten them and they were going to die.”

     So he had been ambushed by three trained Hyven, and after being pummeled to the ground from behind, he’d still won the fight. I sat for a moment staring at him, realizing how skilled in battle he really was. It was frightening and yet reassuring at the same time.

     “Where are we?” His question broke through my thoughts.

     “My brothers’ place. They heard you trying to make it up the pathway from the beach and you passed out before they got to you. They put you in Sean’s truck, called me and we brought you here.”

     He accepted all of this with a black expression and looked at the ceiling again. Then all of the sudden, he sat up with a soft groan.

     “Zale! No, you need to rest! You have no idea how much blood you lost last night,” I said, my voice strained with worry.

     “I’ll be fine. I just wanted to sit up,” he said and I eyed him warily, not really sure if this was a good thing. I glanced at his bandages and didn’t see any signs of the wounds reopening.

     “Fine,” I snapped at him. “But lean against this.” I got up and slid a heavy stack of boxes toward his back. He leaned against them and sighed louder than I think he wanted to.

     I walked back around the boxes and sat down in front of him. I could feel his eyes on me and goose bumps crept over my skin. Slowly, I raised my eyes to his and felt a jarring prickle in my stomach. The dark brown depths were slowly churning, making me feel dizzy.

     “There’s something I want to ask you.” His face was serious, but his eyes were still setting my heart into a hammering rhythm. He was talking more freely than ever before, and I wondered if it had something to do with his wounds. It was possible he might be slightly delirious. “The war between the Hyven and Lathmorians will end soon. Something is about to change tomorrow night. I want you to come with me, once it’s over.”

     I stared at him open mouthed. A part of me soared at his words, knowing they were the ones I had wished to hear. My feelings toward him had grown, maybe more than I cared to realize but to hear him want me was enough to make my once dead heart soar. Before I could get carried away, logical thought took over and I had to face what he was really telling me. My smile slipped slightly and I flicked my eyes to the floor.

     “How is the war going to be over so soon?” I tried to sound unconcerned, but knew my voice was coming off fake.

     “Lord Morven has a plan,” he said simply, and I saw a ghost of the warrior that was in him surface with a feigned grin. My stomach muscles tightened knowing whatever made Morven’s warrior smile couldn’t bode well for the Lathmorians.

     “What sort of plan?” I was cautious but worried, and doing my best to hide the disapproving emotions that were coursing through me.

     “We’re going to attack without warning. They won’t be able to handle a full scale attack.” Zale chuckled to himself and I stared at the wall behind his head. I’d thought he had changed, but I was wrong. He was still the warrior I feared, the warrior that would do anything for Morven.

     “Just think how Tunder will feel when his wife suddenly goes missing.” He continued and laughed a little harder and then winced in pain, but I didn’t raise a hand to help.

     “Morven is planning on kidnapping Shaylee?”

     His face tightened in response to my question. “You’re so curious all of the sudden.” He acknowledged and I saw my chances slipping away.

     “No, I just wondered what Morven could be thinking.” I shrugged, trying to sound completely innocent. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to try and attack the Lathmorians on their own land?”

     He wasn’t fooled, and as his eyes glared into mine, I did all I could to not flinch away.

     The emotions played across his face so vividly, I wondered if he knew I could read them so well. Betrayal, mixed with grief and disappointment, flashed through his eyes and I wanted desperately to fix it but knew there was nothing I could do. He shifted his gaze and looked down at his hands.

     I felt the urge to say something to make this whole situation better, but knew there was nothing that could close the gap between us now. How had this conversation gone from so simple, to so serious, in just a matter of seconds? We had been happy to see each other when all of the sudden, he reminded me of who he really was.

    
Rejection and betrayal filled me, as I realized those emotions I had been keeping at bay, were a joining of what I had felt for Patrick and what I now thought I felt for Zale. They were the emotions that had warred within me the night we had almost kissed, and still, even now, I pulled away knowing I could never voice or act upon what I felt deep inside me.

     I heard a groan and watched horrified as Zale slowly moved his legs beneath him and stood shakily. He steadied himself, controlling his face into a mask that showed no pain.  “Someday you’ll remember this and regret your decision.” His voice was gruff and unemotional.

     Anger boiled in my veins and I stood up, tired of him standing so tall above me.

    “I already regret it,” I said. “But I can’t do what you want me to. I can’t be like you.” The tears rolled quickly down my cheeks as I stared back at him.

     His gaze never softened, though his mouth twitched slightly, the only sign he had heard me, then the callous smile appeared and he turned toward the door. He reached it on unsteady legs. I hoped he would faint from the struggle and would be forced to stay, but he kept moving.

     “Just stay here until you heal,” I pleaded.

     “You told me once that our fates were entwined,” his tone was taunting, vicious. “You were wrong; our fate is in your hands.”

     My head jerked up, wondering what he was talking about. His shadow stretched across the floor in the early sunlight, as the blood stained bandages on his chest slipped enough to reveal the freshly stitched wounds. With a swift movement, he tore the strips of fabric from his body.

     “I am one of the Hyven.” His words stripped me bare. “If you disrupt any of the plans I’ve told you, your life will be forfeit.” My blood pumped fast in my veins as I waited for the warrior to deliver the words that would rip out my heart. “And I will be the one to kill you.”

     The room seemed to spin as I watched him leave the room. I felt my knees buckle beneath me and I was suddenly aware of the pressure of the floor against my legs. The boxes moved up and down, and the little warmth my heart had attempted to find, was snuffed out. Out of the corners of my eyes I could see the darkness closing in, the boxes turned into stones and all I could hear was the crack of the whip and his pleading as I was carried away. And beneath it all, were the words I had blocked out of my mind since the day I’d left. His choked words, as he cried out to me, telling me he was sorry.

     But it wasn’t him, it was me. It had always been me. I held my head in my hands and let the tears roll over my fingers.

    
Patrick, I’m sorry
.

     And the fresh tears splattered onto the bloodstained lavender of my dress, soaking anew what had once been dry. Like fresh wounds, the little drops brought the blood back to its deep crimson and the throbbing in my heart stretched wider than it had the day I stood in that room, in Hyvar, and heard the words,
“There was no human.”

_______________

     “I just don’t understand.” Sean sighed as he drove the truck up the hill that led to Dad’s house. It was midafternoon and I was exhausted. “How could he leave like that?”

     I shrugged not really wanting to say any more about the situation. I knew Derek and Sean wanted to know everything, but I didn’t have the heart to tell them. All they knew was Zale had to report back to Hyvar, even with his wounds. It didn’t matter if they knew the truth, because he was never coming back.

     Realizing I wasn’t going to say anything more about it, Sean continued to drive in silence. Looking out the window, I watched the colors pass by and felt as though everything had changed in an instant. The future of what could have been was stripped from me and I felt naked without its assurance. It was a fear I had felt before and shied away from. For just a moment I had believed, had dared to dream, of what could be. But now there was nothing left, not even pieces to pick up and put back together. Like shattered dust, what could have been, was gone and blown away with his disappearance.

     “Well, here we are.” Sean shut off the engine and hopped out of the truck. I hurried to do the same.

     I felt funny moving in the oversized sweatpants that were held up by a ponytail at my hip, and the large t-shirt with a zip up coat. All of it belonged to the twins, and they had let me borrow them when I wanted to get out of my ruined dress and take a shower. Somehow I’d thought the water would help and make me feel some form of comfort, but the slippery skin of my body prevented any staying relief, and instead, forced the water to rush down my flesh without regard for my sanity.

     Hunching my shoulders into the large coat, I passed by Sean, who held the side door of the house open for me. I mumbled my thanks and he smiled slightly.