Songbird (13 page)

As he mulled over his options, he remembered the
sym
he’d taken from the body in the waste. It was nestled in another pocket, and if his luck held out, it would still be there. With bated breath, he rummaged inside and found one of the cylinders pushed into a corner.

Relief coursed through him that it was unbroken and full of crimson liquid. He’d never taken
sym
before, but if it would heal him for just a few hours, he could get the grove water he needed. More important, he could get back to Teya.

Not daring to wait any longer, he sat up on one elbow and pulled out the cork with his teeth, then raised the vial to his lips. The liquid tasted slightly coppery, but he drained the cylinder in one gulp and fell back to the ground, waiting for a miracle.

The seconds slowly passed, each with a new wave of anticipation. How long would it take before he knew it worked? So far, nothing seemed to change. The seconds turned to minutes and Bran blew out his breath in frustration. That was when he noticed his ribs didn’t hurt. He took another breath, deepening it until his lungs were full. The pain was gone!

In wonder, he smiled and realized that his lips weren’t cracked and bleeding. His hands and wrists moved with ease and his vision cleared. With a racing heart, he stood and breathed in the cool night air and a sense of awe came over him. Part of him had never believed that the
sym
would work. But now he knew otherwise.

He also knew it wouldn’t last long, so he focused on the task at hand and found the trail that took him through the woods and back to the edge of town. He squelched his first impulse to get Teya, and headed toward the inn for the horses instead.

Precious time slipped away before he found the inn, but he managed to sneak into the stables unnoticed. Relief coursed through him to find his horses and supplies still there. He found a bucket of water near the stalls, and washed the blood from his face and hands, then saddled both horses, pausing to take a long drink of grove water to sustain him. As quietly as possible, he took the horses out of a side entrance.

He breathed easier with the inn behind him. Now, all he had to do was find Teya. He hoped she was still at the house, but if not, it was the best place to start. He found a secluded place in the woods not far from Jesse’s house and tethered the horses.

Needing a weapon, he rummaged through his saddlebags and found a knife, grimacing that Jesse had taken his gun. He perversely hoped Jesse would shoot himself trying to figure out how to use it and save him the trouble.

As he headed back, he kept to the walls and shadows, being careful not to make any noise. He entered the outskirts of town and followed a street that led toward the area he remembered. At the end of the block, he turned the corner, and there it was.

A single candle glowed through a window, and he wondered how many men he would have to fight to free Teya. Thoughts of another fight tightened his stomach, but this time, surprise would be on his side. He watched a few moments from a shadowed corner. Satisfied that no one was coming, he hurried across to the building.

He glanced through the window and relief swept over him to find Teya sleeping on a bed. Her hands were tied in front of her, and roped to the bedpost. A gag was tied around her mouth, and his heart lifted to see that they hadn’t put a
kundar
around her neck. One of his attackers lay sprawled in a chair across the room asleep, and there was no sign of Jesse.

Knowing he had to hurry, he crept noiselessly to the back of the house. He found a large rock and edged to the door. To his surprise, the knob turned and he pushed the door open. Stepping inside, the man stirred, but remained asleep. Bran made his move. In three strides he reached the man and hit him over the head with the rock, knocking him out with one blow.

He turned to Teya and found her staring at him in wide-eyed wonder. Her eyes filled with tears and he hurried to her side. “Shh…I’m here now. It’s going to be all right.” His fingers shook as he loosened the gag and pulled it away from her mouth.

“Bran...I thought you were dead,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

He pulled out his knife and cut through the ropes binding her hands. “I got lucky,” he said. “Where’s Jesse?”

“He’s meeting someone, but he’ll be back any minute.”

Bran helped Teya stand, and she threw her arms around him, surprising him with her strength. He held her tightly, enjoying the feel of her body against his. With closed eyes, he breathed in her scent, then reluctantly pulled away. “We need to get out of here.”

Teya nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and they started toward the door.

“I have the horses tethered nearby. Can you run?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Bran opened the door a crack and glanced out. Seeing no one, he opened it wide. With Teya’s hand in his, they dashed to the other side of the street, pausing at the corner. They continued in this manner, waiting in shadows and listening for signs of people, until they’d cleared the streets, and the woods lay before them.

As they entered the copse of trees, the shadows seemed to wrap them in a cocoon of protection and Bran let out a breath, relieved to have made it this far. He forged ahead, but it was hard to keep moving in the dark. Teya sang a soft note and a tiny circle of light appeared in front of his feet. He squeezed her hand in thanks, and kept up the pace until he felt it safe enough to rest.

“We can stop here for a minute.”

Teya’s breath heaved in and out, but she wouldn’t let go of his hand. Once her breath slowed, she caught Bran’s gaze. “You were right about Jesse. I’m so sorry. How could I be so stupid?”

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “You didn’t know. It’s not your fault.” Her regret hit him hard and he hurried to comfort her. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” She relaxed against him and he felt her guilt float away and something else take its place, a feeling of tenderness and warmth.

He sucked in his breath realizing she was like a breath of fresh air after rain, and all at once, he never wanted to let her go. He lifted her face in his hands and gently wiped the tears away. The small light she’d created reflected in her luminous eyes. With sweeping tenderness, he lowered his lips to hers.

In that moment, their hearts beat in perfect harmony, and something sparked, flying from her into Bran. It seared through his lungs and into his heart, tying them together in some part of his soul.

Bran pulled away with a gasp. What the hell? His heart raced. It felt like a powerful bond had formed between them. All at once, he could feel her presence somewhere in the back of his mind, and it took his breath away. Shock reflected in Teya’s wide-eyed gaze and her body trembled.

“What was that?” he asked. Teya’s brows furrowed together and she swallowed before lowering her gaze. “Do you know what happened?” he asked again.

She nodded but wouldn’t meet his gaze and Bran could actually feel her dismay. Now he understood that the feelings of regret and tenderness he’d felt earlier had come from her. Somehow he could sense her feelings. Bran pursed his lips. Was this the secret she’d kept from him? Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to find out.

“You’ll have to tell me later. Right now we’ve got to keep moving. Do you know what Jesse’s plans are?”

Chewing on her bottom lip, she answered. “He... uh... left to get a
kundar
to use as a threat so I’d cooperate. He wanted me to take him to the grove, but... he also talked about taking me to the king, so I don’t know for sure. I’m so sorry Bran. I can’t believe how stupid I was. When you didn’t come back with him, like an idiot, I waited for an explanation instead of attacking him first. He gagged me so I couldn’t use my magic and then tied me up. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Again, he felt her guilt, but this time, a wave of protective anger surged through him. “I’m here now, and I won’t leave you again. Let’s go. The horses aren’t much further.”

Taking her hand, he continued down the path with the tiny flicker of magic lighting the way. They soon entered the clearing and found the horses where he’d left them. Relieved, Bran pulled a waterbag from his pack and handed it to Teya. “Have a drink.”

He drank some as well. The grove water had a calming effect, and helped restore his jumbled wits. “We need to find a place to lay low for a while, preferably far from here. It will be rough going through the trees, but I don’t want to use the main roads. Let’s go.”

He didn’t give Teya a chance to respond before mounting his horse. She followed meekly behind, leaving him plenty of time to think about that current of energy that pulled him to her. It was almost like she was part of him. Maybe it was linked to the
sym
he had taken? But it couldn’t be, not if Teya knew about it. What did it mean?

The night sky gave way to dawn and still they traveled for several hours through the forest. Bran listened for sounds of pursuit, and tried not to think about the magic that tied him to Teya. He needed to wait for an explanation from her before he jumped to the wrong conclusion.

By late afternoon, Bran could go no further. All at once, his body ached and no amount of grove water seemed to help. He knew he needed to tell Teya what had happened before the
sym
stopped working. He stopped his horse and waited for Teya to come to his side.

“We’re headed south toward the city,” he began. “But I don’t know exactly where we are. The map should help, but before we go any further I need to tell you something.” He took a deep breath, and hoped Teya could handle what he had to say. “Jesse’s men beat me up pretty bad. Luckily, I had a flask of grove water that helped a little, but I used something else. Remember the body we found in the waste?”

“Yes.”

“I found two vials of
sym
in the coat pocket. I drank one earlier, and it healed me enough to come find you. The problem is, I don’t know how much longer it’s going to work, and when it wears off, I’m going to be a mess.” Already his ribs hurt and his fingers began to swell.

“Oh, Bran, I’m so sorry. Is it wearing off now?”

“Yes.” He took short breaths, no longer able to disguise the pain. “We need to find a place to stop.” He swallowed, and realized his lips had swelled and he couldn’t see out of one eye. The
sym
was wearing off much too fast.

“Over here,” Teya urged him. “There’s a small clearing.”

He followed her, hoping he could stay on his horse long enough to reach it. He couldn’t seem to hold the reins with his swollen fingers. Teya reached up for him and he managed to swing his leg off the horse. He stumbled and she wrapped her arm around him. He leaned against her and hobbled to a space under a tree.

At that moment his ribs gave way and his gasp of pain made it worse. Unable to stand, he sank to the ground in an agonized heap. Teya’s sharp intake of breath and startled cry was the last thing he heard before darkness claimed him.

****

Teya knelt beside Bran in shock at the sight of his discolored and swollen face. When he told her they had beaten him, she didn’t expect it to be this bad. She swallowed her tears and tried to think. She carefully straightened his legs so he was lying flat on his back, and wished she’d been able to get a blanket under him. He moaned softly and a knot formed in the pit her stomach. This was all her fault. Without the grove water and
sym
, he would be dead.

He seemed to have trouble breathing and she unbuttoned his shirt. His chest was black and blue with bruises, and the broken bones of a few ribs protruded through his skin as jagged pieces of bone. If the grove water had helped, she hated to think what he had looked like before. She closed his shirt and got the blankets out. As she placed one under his head, his eyes fluttered open.

“Are you crying again?” he slurred.

She dashed the tears from her cheeks and tried to sound confident. “Just rest Bran. I’m going to see if I can fix this.”

His brows drew together, but the effort seemed to hurt. “You can do that?”

“I think so.” Then as an afterthought she added, “Is that all right with you?”

“Hell yes,” he croaked, then added through cracked lips. “I’m sorry I ever told you not to use your magic on me. Please feel free. Anytime soon would be good.”

She smiled in spite of the gravity of the situation. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the basics her grandmother had taught her. In this case, she needed tones that brought completion and wholeness. A small doubt assailed her, but she pushed it away. She had to believe that she could do this, and knew it would be easier because of the bond they shared. With a deep breath, she began.

The music softly unfolded, gently covering Bran in a smooth blanket of protection. She wove the strings of magic to settle above and beneath him, until he was completely encased within it. Slowly, the threads began to sink into his skin. First, mending his bruises and then sinking lower to the deep wounds within, and finally knitting his bones back together.

Teya didn’t know how long she sang. Only that she had to keep going until he was whole again. As the last of her healing tones faded into silence, it was dark with only the moon and stars for light. Bran rested peacefully, his face unmarred by cuts and bruises. She let out an exhausted breath. It had worked.