The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil (93 page)

With speed and grace she spun to face Ireni again, finding her and Callum locked in a tight hold, neither one able to force the other back, teeth gritted from the effort it took to maintain their grasp. A firm toss from Ireni sent Callum tumbling to the ground, his hold shifting to her shirt to pull her down with him, foot positioned squarely in her chest to throw her over his shoulder. Aiva was to his side instantly, prepared to fight. To her surprise he took her hand, dragging her toward the door and away from Ireni where she was quickly working her way back to her feet.

“Callum, we have to kill her!” she gasped, hindering their progress forward. They couldn’t leave her alive. It would be only a matter of time before Ireni brought her men back to Tanispa. There was no telling what she would do then. Her jealous rage would be out of control… even more than it already was.

He didn’t waste time arguing. In a fluid motion Callum swept Aiva’s legs out from under her, taking her in his arms, feet pounding along the ground at full speed. Ireni was on their heels. At the front door Callum paused, turning to face the broken pieces of wood which continued to hang from the hinges. Callum’s foot lashed out to kick at them, sending the splinters backward into Ireni’s face. She cried out, hands lifted to defend against the debris. Callum took advantage of that brief distraction to increase the gap between them, racing along the road toward the docks.

Aiva didn’t understand. Why would he not stay and fight? Ireni needed to be taken down. If not killed, at least captured and brought in for trial to receive punishment for her crimes against their people. “If we don’t kill her, she will only come after us again. Let me fight!”

“No, Aiva!” Callum exhaled through broken breaths, the water of the port coming into view up ahead. “Every second we waste fighting her here is another second Osahar’s men have to take chase after Edric and Shaelyn onto our ship. Our duty is to get Shaelyn home safe. We can worry about revenge later.”

Mouth open to protest again Aiva found herself without argument. He was right. By now their attack had reached the ears of Osahar at the meeting. Every pirate under his command would be after them. They would have no choice but to reach the ship and get it away from the docks before anyone could get to them. She only hoped that Varik had the vessel already unmoored and prepared to sail immediately upon them boarding.

The docks weren’t far now. She recognized their ship, already pushed away from the pier, her father anxiously standing watch at the rail for her and Callum. At the sight of their approach he began to wave them onward, urging them to move faster. “We’re going to have to swim for it,” Callum stated matter-of-factly, lowering Aiva’s feet onto the ground without slowing his pace. She stumbled to try and keep up, nearly falling flat on her face, kept upright by a solid pull from Callum to steady her, their speed hindered only slightly by the misstep.

Under their boots the wood of the pier creaked and groaned. Aiva held tightly to Callum’s hand, afraid to let him go in fear of falling behind, aware of Ireni closing in on them from the street. They gave no pause at the end of the dock. With a loud splash they dove into the water, ignoring the cold in their haste to get to the ship. Aiva gasped at the frigid temperature, a mouthful of water invading her mouth, causing her to cough, choking on the salty liquid. Callum gave a persistent tug on their clasped hands to guide her onward. She floundered for a moment, spitting and gagging until finally she had enough breath to resume her fluid strokes, kicking in attempts to increase their speed.

Thade and Edric were at the rail, releasing a rope ladder over the edge, their voices calling for them to hurry. Barely to the base of the rope, Callum grabbed onto Aiva’s waist to lift her closer to it. Her hands waved wildly in fearful excitement, missing the rope at first, almost causing them to fall backward into the water. At the last moment she managed to wrap her fingers around the bottom rung to catch their balance. With another heave Callum helped her to gain footing on the step. She pulled herself up, weighted down by the water soaked into the doublet she wore. Her body trembled uncontrollably. They’d made it. Ireni’s angry shouts could be heard from the end of the pier. Her threats were unimportant. What mattered was that Shaelyn was on board and safe.

Halfway up the ladder Aiva felt it grow taut under Callum’s weight as he pushed out of the water. Fighting against her shaking limbs, she forced herself to keep a tight hold of the sides, grateful for the outstretched arms of her father and brother, easily supporting her drenched body to guide her over the rail and onto the deck. Seeing that she was safely in their father’s hands, Edric moved to help Callum up the final few steps, water splashing onto the floor where he landed.

“We did it,” Edric beamed, rushing over to wrap Aiva in a warm embrace. Water squeezed from her doublet into his, drenching them both. He laughed, making no move to pull away, instead hugging her tighter, droplets spraying around them as he spun her jubilantly. “You and Callum gave me quite a scare. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time.”

“I am a princess. It is usual for us to be fashionably late,” she chuckled.

Thade moved to her side, cutting between her and Edric to get an unobstructed look at her. “Were you injured? Are you alright?”

“Father, I am fine,” Aiva smiled. She let her gaze drift over his shoulder to where Callum remained standing by the rail, alone, soaked through from the sea. Once again she had him to thank for saving her life. It pained her to think of all the things he’d done for her that went unnoticed. Seemingly unappreciated. She refused to let that be the case this time. If not for him, Shaelyn would still be in the hands of those dreadful pirates – and there was no way of knowing what would have happened to the rest of them. “Why do you linger there by yourself, Callum?” she asked, her hand stretched out to him invitingly. “Do you not wish to celebrate this victory with your family?”

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. At Aiva’s words Thade turned to face him, offering his own arms to Callum. “Ah, yes. My dear boy. It seems I have had two daughters and two sons returned safely to this ship. There is much to be thankful for.”

Callum looked almost uncomfortable at first to accept Thade’s embrace. Seeing him there with her father, Aiva stepped forward, arms extended to wrap around them both, overcome with joy to have her family back, safely aboard the ship and on the move away from Luquarr. Despite the celebratory mood of the others, there was a distance which remained in Callum’s eyes. He lacked the joy at the victory shared among everyone else on the ship. “What is wrong?” she asked him quietly. He looked at her, solemn, discontent at some thought which continued to trouble his mind.

Straightening his shoulders, Callum clasped his hands tightly in front of him. He opened his mouth, the words hanging on the tip of his tongue, a long pause leaving them in silence before he finally forced himself to speak. “This is only the beginning of the battle,” he stated, somewhat detached. “Ireni will not accept defeat. By now she is likely already preparing a ship to take chase. Knowing her, the worst is yet to come. We should make sure the ship is prepared for an attack. Her men will not stop until our ship is at the bottom of the sea.”

“We expected as much,” Thade nodded in agreement. “For now we are focused on getting the ship moving quickly to cover ground before they can prepare their vessel. My concern is that one may already be docked and ready. They were somehow privy to our plan, which leads me to believe they would have arranged a means to take chase if we were successful.”

“What makes you think they were aware of our plans?” Edric questioned, coming to stand beside the three of them. Thade frowned, a slow shake of his head revealing his frustration despite his otherwise calm exterior.

“Osahar was not willing to negotiate,” he sighed. “He repeatedly accused us of intending to betray him and forced us into combat rather than business.”

“Do you think Osahar will accompany them into battle?” Aiva asked. After what they had done to his men, it only made sense that Osahar would seek revenge personally.

Thade’s eyes grew distant at the question, a faint smile slowly taking shape. He seemed amused by something, though Aiva couldn’t be sure what. “No, I do not think he will come with them,” he chuckled, lowering his gaze to Aiva once again. “The General had the final word in our conversation. It ended with Osahar at the end of his blade. Our concern now lies in the woman who will take control in his stead.”

Ireni. So she had her wish after all. Osahar was dead. There would no longer be anything standing between her and the jealous revenge she’d sought since first taking Shaelyn away. She had no one to answer to for her actions. It would make her more of a threat to them. To Aiva. She had been Ireni’s true target from the beginning. “We’ll have to be careful,” she replied quietly. It was a frightening thought to consider. How could she possibly explain that concern to Callum without causing more worry than he already endured? If he believed her to be in any direct danger, he would be less inclined to allow her to continue fighting. She would be confined to the barracks below with her sister.

“Let us try not to think on it for now,” Thade stated calmly, giving Aiva one last glance before making his way toward the Captain’s cabin. “I need to check on Shaelyn. Gadiel is on lookout for possible attacks. Edric, you should have the General examine that eye of yours. It looks awful.”

At mention of the injury Aiva took notice of Edric’s face for the first time since their arrival on the ship. A large bump had started to form where Odell struck him, the skin already turning various shades of blue and purple. Aiva couldn’t remember having seen him injured in such a way. Her brother was always the perfect image of health. What would the ladies at court think if they saw him? She giggled to herself, sliding across the floor to where Callum stood. “Yes, it does look bad,” she agreed, unable to repress her laughter. Edric rolled his eyes, the tips of his fingers brushing over the area of his face with a painful wince.

“You should have seen the way you looked when you arrived in Targas,” he waved dismissively. “I’m going to find Cadell. You two should worry about your own injuries. And dry yourselves off. At the rate you are dripping water onto the ship, you will cause us to sink before the pirates even think to reach us.”

Aiva watched him move toward the helm, guilt creeping over her to think of the pain her brother suffered. His injury was caused by his attempts to help her. Why did everyone always get hurt while trying to save her? She was beginning to feel cursed. Callum had fallen prey numerous times. A part of her still blamed herself for Kaemin’s death, knowing that he met his demise while trying to save her from Ireni. He was successful, but to a far greater cost than she was willing to accept. And now she was dragging her brother into it. If she wasn’t careful, she would end up being the death of every man aboard their ship.

She and Callum stood silently at each other’s side, hands clasped, staring in the direction that Edric and her father had gone. After a long moment Callum let his gaze settle on her, motioning with his head toward the stairs leading into the barracks. “Edric is probably right,” he nodded. “I should take a look at the sutures on your stomach to make sure they aren’t torn.”

“If you insist,” she shrugged. The area of the sutures pained her significantly. It hurt to stand up straight, though she didn’t dare make her discomfort known for the sake of those around her. They doted on her too much. If she let anyone know she suffered, they would revert to treating her like a child again.

The thought of being alone with Callum was tempting enough to prevent her from arguing his decision. She followed him across the deck to the stairs and down into the lower barracks. Once in the privacy of a room Callum closed the door, coming to stand by her, a look of concern evident on his handsome features. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he asked, clearly worried. His hands ran along the back of her head where Odell’s hand had struck, searching for any hidden injuries. “You may have a concussion. We should keep a close watch on you for a while. Just in case.”

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” she argued. Her head felt fine. It was the pain in her stomach that had increased in the short amount of time it took for them to reach the room from the main deck. If Callum was going to insist on examining anything, she preferred it was the laceration there. The salt from the seawater did nothing to help its condition.

Her fingers went to work at the buttons which fastened her doublet in place, struggling with the stiff fabric, the design of the garment foreign to her. She wasn’t familiar with men’s clothing, despite the length of time she’d spent wearing it in the desert. She wasn’t convinced it would ever be something she was comfortable with. Thankfully, she wouldn’t have need to wear it again once they reached Tanispa. Seeing the difficulty she was having Callum came to her aid, chuckling quietly to himself while helping to undo the buttons. “I’m not sure I will ever get used to seeing you dressed like this,” he grinned through the uncertainty still visible in his eyes. “I have almost forgotten what you look like in the finer gowns of court. At the same time, I am concerned about how troublesome those garments will be to remove from you.”

“Is that all you can think of?” she laughed at the thought.

“No. I only referred to the fact that… oh, why do I bother?” he chortled. “It may not have been what I intended to say, but I cannot argue the truth in the statement. I am guilty, I suppose.”

She enjoyed seeing him smile. The expression changed everything about his face, softening the lines which were already visible on his youthful skin, revealing him for the young man he still was, despite the age and experience he exuded when in front of the others. He was not old enough to bear such a hardened appearance.

His smile faded somewhat as the last of the buttons were pulled away, blood having soaked through the thin white fabric of the shirt she wore underneath. The strain returned to his features, quickly lifting the material from where it was tucked into her belt to reveal the red and aggravated skin of the wound across her abdomen. Several sutures appeared to have been pulled loose while others were torn completely free. It explained the discomfort she felt. Ireni’s fist had done more harm than she realized. “We need to remove the damaged sutures and apply them again,” he frowned. “This is exactly why we were hesitant to let you fight.”