The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil (77 page)

Clutching the sides of the window frame he ducked onto the ledge, his foot finding a hold on a weathered board that jutted out from the side of the building. “Hold onto me,” he gestured Aiva toward him with his head. “Just… try not to choke me. I can get us to the ground faster if I can breathe.”

She needed to free her hands. Frantically she wrapped her belt around her hips to secure her sword. Her bodice and skirt fluttered down to the ground, allowing her to slide across the ledge, arms wrapped tightly around Callum’s shoulders. After her time in Tunir, she found it less strain for the one climbing to hook her legs around his waist, relieving some of the pressure from her weight. With careful placement, Callum made his way down from the window, deep in concentration. Aiva admired his strength and skill. If he had left her to make the climb on her own, she doubted her ability to complete it with the same precision. He would have had to pick her up off her back at the bottom.

The final distance he took in a single leap. Aiva released her hold, scrambling to pick up her clothes while Callum retrieved their bag, the sound of splintering wood echoing from above. “Go, quick!” Callum waved her forward. She knew nothing of the city layout, her steps hesitant as they ran deeper into a maze of alleyways, some wider and more traversed than others. If they could just find somewhere to hide. Odell would give up the search soon enough.

They turned down a tighter corridor, forcing Aiva to keep her posture straight. Callum slid in behind her, his hand clasping hers to make sure she didn’t move too far ahead.

“Do you think he’ll find us?” Aiva breathed, struggling to catch her breath. Her heart pounded wildly against her breast. She wasn’t sure how much more her poor body could take. It had been put through its paces since she left Tanispa.

Callum shook his head, eyes searching from side-to-side, listening intently for the sound of footsteps. “I doubt it,” he replied softly. “We won’t be in a location for him to. It will be dawn soon. Our ship is already at the docks and ready for departure. He won’t think to look for us there.” His words were comforting. It was hard to know if he meant them or if they were spoken only for the sake of soothing her mind. Regardless, she appreciated the effort.

She stared at the dust-covered wall in front of her. Despite the danger of their situation, she felt oddly at ease. With her hand in Callum’s, everything felt safe. Under control. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. The only discomfort she suffered now was the realization that she was standing in an alley, covered by nothing but her underclothes. This seemed the worst city to wander around in her state of undress. There were too many scoundrels in the streets that would take pleasure in her humiliation than she liked to think.

They stood in silence for a long while, the streets devoid of noise which would indicate an approach outside the alley. When they first came to rest, shouts had echoed from the direction of the inn. Everything was quiet now. Aiva was afraid to let herself believe they had escaped.

Keeping close to the building Callum pulled Aiva with him, peering around the corner to investigate the corridors. Convinced the coast was clear he motioned for Aiva to follow. She tiptoed along the gravel, unaware that she was holding her breath until she noticed white specks floating about her vision, lightheaded from lack of air. Heavily, she exhaled, hand on her chest, relieved to discover they had reached the outer alleys near the main street.

Still tucked in the shadows, Callum turned to Aiva, helping to dust away the dirt that had gathered on the white fabric of her chemise. “We should get you dressed before taking to the street. A half-naked woman would draw more attention than we need.”

She chuckled to herself at the thought. Pressed against the wall, she tried to make herself invisible to passersby. Her hands carefully worked her legs into the silken material of her stockings in order to secure her boots onto her feet. If they had need to run, it would be best if she had something to protect against the hard gravel. Callum slipped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, noticing Aiva’s fingers fumbling over the laces of her bodice. He moved to help, close in front of her, drawing the strings taut, their shimmering strands held in his hands. They jumped at the sound of a startled cry from a woman on the street. She backed away from the alley, mumbling something to the man at her side. Aiva watched them walk away, confused by their strange behavior until she heard Callum start to laugh.

It struck her then how odd they must look to anyone unaware of their situation. They stood in a darkened alley, pressed against one another, half-clothed. Her face flushed with warmth to consider it. “Oh, my,” she breathed, her hands coming up to cover the pink hue of her cheeks. “Do you think that woman believed – ?”

“She did,” Callum grinned, giving the laces on Aiva’s bodice a final, firm pull. “Can you blame her? What would you think if you saw us like this?”

“I suppose I would think we were up to no good,” she sighed. At her words she felt Callum press in closer, his lips lightly brushing the skin of her neck. She giggled, embarrassed at the possibility of anyone else happening by. “You scoundrel,” she laughed. Playfully she pushed at his chest, applying little force for it to have any effect in distancing him from her.

“Me? A scoundrel?” Callum snickered. “You’re the one standing there with no skirt. I suggest you finish dressing yourself unless you are trying to distract me.”

“You appeared to be doing a good enough job distracting yourself.” She inhaled deeply, a shiver coursing through her to feel Callum so close. His smile was intoxicating. In his arms it was too easy to forget there was a group of pirates somewhere in the city, looking for them. He gave a slight wink before stepping away to allow Aiva room to dress, his fingers fastening the buttons on his own shirt.

Aiva did a quick search of her wardrobe to make sure everything was intact. The weapons provided by Uttae remained on her person or in the bag Callum carried, the sword secured at her waist in case they crossed paths with Odell. They weren’t far from the docks. She prayed silently that they would be able to reach the ship without trouble.

They remained close to the buildings to avoid notice. Callum led the way, his familiarity with the city somewhat better than Aiva’s. Up ahead she could see the docks coming nearer, Captain Bingham’s ship still moored at the pier. The crew bustled up and down the loading ramp to carry the last of their goods on board, crates and boxes littering the surface of the docks. Bingham stood with his parchment and quill in hand, just as he had been that morning, counting every item brought on by the workers. Callum swiftly moved along the final stretch of street to make their way onto the wharf. “Good morning, Captain!” he greeted cheerfully. “I hope we’re not too late.”

“Not at all, lad,” Bingham nodded, adding another mark to the parchment before looking up, his face softening at the sight of Aiva. “Ya folks go on aboard. Find yourselves a room in the barracks. We be finished shortly and ready to set sail,” Bingham turned his attention to Callum once again, the expression on his face more somber than before. “Keep close watch on the lass, boy. I wouldn’t let her out of ya sight if I was you.”

“I don’t plan on it,” Callum smiled, his hand resting lightly around Aiva’s waist to pull her closer. “She’s not the type of woman a man can take his eyes off anyway.”

Bingham laughed, eyes sparkling jovially in the light of the rising sun over the water. Aiva gave a charming smile while Callum led her up the ramp onto the main deck of the ship. “It feels strange to be back on one of these again,” she mumbled. Her memory of their last excursion at sea was burned into her mind, causing a reflexive shudder.

“It won’t be so bad this time,” he assured. Tightening his hold on her hand he led her toward the stairs, moving quickly to keep out of the way while the men continued to load their merchandise. “Let’s go ahead and get settled into a room,” he said calmly. “We can enjoy the ship better once we are away from the port and no longer in danger of being spotted by anyone on shore. Best not to destroy our chances at reaching the mainland before we even get started.”

.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Below deck Aiva could hear the sound of laughter coming from the barracks. Up above, the sun had set over the sea, casting a starry reflection upon the water. Three days had been spent on the ship without sign of a divastru or pirate vessels to create a threat. It was unnerving, the lack of anything visible around them in the water. She tried to picture what the journey must have been like for Edric and Gadiel. Traversing the water in nothing more than the lifeboats taken from their sinking ship. The seeming endlessness of the voyage would have driven her mad. She had no doubt about that.

Footsteps along the deck pulled Aiva from her reverie, turning her head to see who approached, a smile crossing her lips to see Callum’s familiar face. “Have you grown tired of losing your money to those men?” she smirked. “How many games have you lost now? Ten? Fifteen?”

“Twelve. But I won three,” he shrugged. Casually he came to stand beside Aiva along the rail, elbows propped along the wood to stare out into the distance. “I missed your laughter when you disappeared from the table. Thankfully, there are only so many places for you to go, which made it easier to find you. Is something wrong?”

“What makes you think something is wrong?”

“The fact that something has been troubling you for a long time now.” Callum glanced at Aiva out of the corner of his vision. “I catch it in your eyes from time to time. You might argue your distress to be over the conversation you wanted to have with me, but I find it hard to believe that was what brought the tears to your cheeks.”

She heaved a sigh, dejected. He knew her too well. “I was just thinking about… a lot of things,” she frowned. The tears she cried the night she went to Callum in Vailetta had been for him, though she couldn’t deny the underlying reason. Fear. An unbearable fear of losing someone she loved. Ever since she held Kaemin in her arms and watched him take his final breath… The image would never leave her. The sound of his voice, pleading with her to tell Calie he was sorry. And she was so desperate to console him! To tell him that everything was going to be okay. She had lied to him in his final moments. But what else was there to do for a dying soldier? It would have done no good at all to tell him he would never see his home again. The consolation had been for Aiva just as much as it had been for him.

Thinking of it brought the moisture to her lashes again, tears twinkling in the moonlight, threatening to fall. She grimaced, lowering her face to stare down at the water, the salty tears descending into the depths of the sea. At her back she felt Callum’s hand come to rest, gently rubbing her in attempts to ease whatever pain she suffered. “You cry again. Tears aren’t like you, Aiva. They never have been. What thoughts trouble you to this extent?”

“The desert,” she sniffled. “I can’t get the memory of that beach out of my head.”

“Ah.” Callum’s expression melted into one of complete understanding. “You are thinking about Kaemin.”

Aiva shook her head, shifting her gaze to look up at Callum sadly. “Not just about him,” she sighed. “I think of your sister. And Kaemin… he cared so much about you. For us. All he wanted was to see you and I work through our differences. Not long after we left Eykanua he asked me something. It has stuck with me ever since.”

“Something about us?”

“In a way,” she nodded. “The night Phelan was killed we took pause to perform the funeral rites. I don’t know if you remember, but that was also the night you first offered me the annulment.” At her side she could hear Callum’s steady breathing, his hand on her back remaining while he brought the other across his body to clasp hers tenderly. He said nothing, giving only a slight nod to indicate his remembrance of the night she spoke of. “I was an absolute fool and I was too stubborn to admit it. I knew I didn’t want the annulment. Kaemin approached me in concern for my well-being. He feared you were ill and believed I may be as well.”

“Did you tell him of our conversation?”

“I did. It saddened him. More than I expected.” Aiva closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. She didn’t want to cry. It would be more difficult to say the things she wanted to say if she was blubbering on Callum’s shoulder. “Just before we were ambushed by the Feh Noq, Kaemin spoke to me about regrets. About how there was no guarantee we would make it back to Tanispa. He was so confident that his only regret, if he didn’t survive, was his inability to see Calie one last time. He asked if I would feel remorse in losing you.”

“Can you tell me what you said to him?” Callum whispered.

Aiva frowned to think on the truth. “I never answered,” she frowned. “I’ve never stopped thinking about it, however. And when he died… it hit me so much worse. In my nightmares I would see you there, dying in my arms, and in your final breaths, there was so much I wanted to tell you… and then you were gone. You are such a brave and… foolish boy, Callum. When I saw you run off to that lifeboat, knowing what you intended to do – I panicked. I thought my nightmares were coming true. My list of regrets was so long; and it remains so.”

“I think Kaemin’s death reminded us all of our mortality,” Callum said quietly. “I watched many of my fellow soldiers die while in Siscal and even then, it never strikes you with the same sense of finality until it happens to someone you really care about. In that moment, you realize life is fleeting. Not just your own, but those of the people we love as well. You may be surprised to learn that my list of regrets may be longer than yours.”

She leaned her head against Callum’s shoulder, gazing up at the stars overhead. They were so beautiful. Each one sparkled like brilliant diamonds against the cloudy backdrop, a sliver of the moon casting a faint glow over them all. Karana’s watchful eye. Nearly veiled once again to signal the approach of Diqun’s night. It was hard to imagine how much had happened since she saw Karana’s eyes covered before. That had been the night Gadiel first explained the truth behind Dacian’s rumors regarding Callum and Ireni.

I was such a fool
. No matter how many times the thought crossed her mind, it only seemed to become more true. After all the mistakes she made, the gods had seen fit to give her this night with Callum while Calie and Kaemin, the most beautiful of souls, were left separated forever. She felt undeserving. “Do you think Kaemin is up there?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

“The stars?” Callum followed her gaze to stare into the nighttime sky. “I have no doubt.”

“At times I think I see him.” She felt ridiculous admitting it out loud. It was impossible for anyone to know which spirit belonged to any given star, but she was certain she had seen Kaemin’s the night their ship sank. Lying there on the debris, afloat in the frozen water. It would have been so easy for her to give up and let life slip away. Something had urged her to move. To find Callum and fight to get them ashore. “You might think me crazy…” her voice trailed off. Maybe she shouldn’t say anything. He would think she’d lost her mind.

“I won’t think you’re crazy,” he replied tenderly. His hand lightly brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, watching her in solemn admiration.

Exhaling a deep breath, she gave a hesitant nod. “I think I saw him the night the divastru attacked.” If she didn’t get the words out, she was afraid she would lose her nerve. “I was lying in the water, my body numb, and I thought for sure I would die. Just when I was about to give up, I saw a light in the sky. It pulsed, as if to get my attention. As if it spoke to me. Urging me to keep going. Had it not been for that, I cannot say I would have had the strength to seek out your body. It’s hard to explain why I believe it was Kaemin, but somehow – I just knew.”

Tears fell freely from her eyes now. Not that it mattered. There was nothing wrong in mourning the death of a friend. Everything had been so complicated since the ambush on the beach. Aiva realized there had been no chance for her to come to terms with it. On occasion she allowed her mind to wander over that night. It felt good to talk about it with someone. To express her grief without having to worry about anyone judging her for the tears.

Callum drew her into him, arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. He was so comforting. There was no need for words when he held her. The sensation of his arms whispered to Aiva that everything was going to be okay. As long as he was there, she would make it through.

His own grief was obvious while holding Aiva to him. She sensed it in the air. The somber energy that enveloped them on the open deck. “Kaemin wouldn’t want us to be sad,” he said quietly, his fingers running gently through Aiva’s hair. “If you look into the stars right now, I bet you will see him smiling to see us standing here together.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. It had meant so much to him for Aiva to reconcile with Callum. “He’s probably wondering what took us so long,” she chuckled through her tears. “We’ve gone about things a bit backwards. Our courting, falling in love, and getting married were all done a little out of order.”

“That’s the story of our lives, it would seem,” Callum hugged her tighter, pulling away slightly to look ardently into her eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. However,” a grin crossed his handsome features, “if you prefer, I can rectify things.”

“What are you talking about?” She looked at him, curious. He wasn’t making sense. The sparkle in his eyes told her he was up to something.

“Well, let’s see,” he considered. “If you count the lunch we had at the tavern in Vailetta, and the day we spent sightseeing around town followed by your admission of being madly in love with me, that leaves only one thing left to be done.” In an ostentatious display he took a knee before Aiva, his motions exaggerated while taking her hand in his. “My beautiful Princess, Aiva Levadis, will you honor me by accepting my hand in marriage?”

She giggled at the ridiculousness of the show, her mouth covered by her hand to conceal the laughter. His smile was charming. Despite the clear attempts he made to force a smile to her tear-streaked face, she could see the genuine love in his eyes where he looked up at her from the floor. How could she possibly tell him no? “Oh, Callum,” she laughed. “Do you honestly think I would deny you?”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, I suppose it is.”

“You suppose? I need something more than that.”

Tilting her head back she blushed at his hopeful insistence. Returning his gaze, she smiled brightly, nodding to him in acceptance. “Yes, Captain Zerne. I will marry you.”

“Ah, then you will make me the happiest man alive!” Callum leapt to his feet, rushing toward the stairs leading to the barracks. She stared after him, confused by his strange behavior.

“Callum, what in the world are you doing?”

“I am fetching the Captain to perform the ceremony.”

“But we are already married – ”

“Trust me,” he grinned. “This wedding will be much better.”

Aiva stood on the deck, nervously twirling her fingers around the tips of her hair. Her heart fluttered, overcome with joy, although she couldn’t understand why. They were already married by the priest in Tanispa. So why did she feel such butterflies in her stomach now?

Because now you are excited about being his wife
. It was a simple answer. When she walked down the aisle in Escovul, she’d been a miserable wretch. Her dress had been far superior to the garments she wore now, but all the glittering jewels in the world hadn’t made that day any brighter. They didn’t need a fancy dress or expensive diamonds to express their love for one another.

A clatter arose from down below, footsteps pounding along the corridor where the men abandoned their cards and gambling to follow Callum up the stairs. Captain Bingham was at his heels, a joyful grin on his face.

“Captain, this lovely lady has agreed to be my wife, if you will grant us the honor of performing the ceremony,” Callum beamed in loving adoration at Aiva. Cheers erupted from the men now pouring onto the deck, drinks in hand, offering toasts and congratulations. Bingham clapped his hand on Callum’s back, gesturing him toward Aiva proudly.

“I be glad to!” he bellowed. “Don’t get ta celebrate weddings aboard my ship very often. In fact, I must say, I don’t think we ever have before!”

She was utterly flustered by the display. Heat rose to her cheeks, adding a rosy glow to their pale surface. Callum hurried over to her, taking her hand in his, anxiously awaiting Bingham to reach them at the rail. “The nighttime sky with the stars reflecting over the sea – I cannot think of a more beautiful place for a wedding,” he smiled.

Bingham raised his rum bottle high into the air, the action commanding the other sailors to do the same. “Dearly beloved!” he shouted. The men cheered boisterously, several lowering their mugs to take a celebratory drink before raising them up again. Bingham gave Callum a wink, leaning forward to nudge him drunkenly. “How much rum did she have ta drink ta say yes?”

“Surprisingly none, Captain,” Callum chortled. “I am the luckiest man on Myatheira.”

“There is hope for the rest of us yet if a lovely lass like this is willing ta marry a sailor in her sobriety.” Another roar of cheers came from the crowd, adding to the ever darkening crimson of Aiva’s face. Bingham cleared his throat, bringing the noise of the men to a minimum. “I don’t know how ya people do this, so I’m gonna keep it simple. Young lad. Do ya love this lass?”

Callum gazed soulfully into Aiva’s eyes, squeezing her hand tightly in his own. “With all my heart, Captain.”

“And young lass, do ya also love this lad?”

All eyes turned to her, expectant, unsure of what she would say. Her smile grew to see the happiness on Callum’s face, gazing at her in hopeful wonderment. The answer was simple. Unlike that day in Escovul, she could honestly say it without a second thought in her heart. “More than anything in the world,” she replied softly.

She didn’t think it was possible for Callum’s face to brighten more than it already was. His umber eyes glowed brilliantly like the stars overhead, leaning instinctively to kiss her. Bingham’s hand moved to stop him, pressing lightly against Callum’s chest to keep them apart. “Ah, not yet, boy. Not yet,” he grinned. “Ya getting ahead of things. Let me have my moment here and then ya can do whate’er ya want with her.”