To Stand Beside Her (34 page)

“I’m right here
kitten
,”
Marx
said as he stood next to Nalick.

“Do you have a way to get across the river?” she asked though she could not see him.

“Yes, a boat is waiting.
Once we get you fixed enough to travel, Matthew and Ian can take you to Roger,” Marx said.
He watched as she shut her eyes again. She was losing too much blood.

“Good,” she replied and
nodded her head slightly
.
“Then we better get going now.”
She felt her leg being lifted.
Even though it was quite painful, she did not have enough energy to protest.
Marx carefully set her leg with the boards Theo brought.

“Nalick,” Leila said still with her eyes close.
Nalick
moved closer and held her hand.
“Send Anatolio with Marx
to divert anyone who may be following me.
Then Matthew and Ian can get me to Roger’s quickly wit
hout having to worrying about l
osing anyone.”
Nalick nodded while gently touching her face.
“Take the army you have with and retreat to Dria.
Wait there for me
,
and I will return as soon as Roger can fix me up.”
Leila opened her eyes to see the worried expression on his face.
Straining
,
she lifted her hand and touched his lips.
“Don’t worry.
Roger has not failed me yet.”
Nalick took her hand and gently kissed it.

“I’m going with,”
Nalick
said to the men standing with her.
“Anatolio will go with Marx.
Theo and Macarius will take my army back to Dria
,
and I will go with Matthew and Ian.”

Leila
slowly was
lo
sing
conscious again.
The five men carried Leila to the boat Marx had waiting. As soon as they were across the shore, Theo and Macarius quietly marched the army back to Dria.
After they were in the
North Country
, Marx stayed behind first.
Anatolio continued with the group until he noticed they were being followed
more
.
Anatolio
led the trackers astray as Nalick and the two men took off full speed to Roger’s.
Using several short cuts, the
group
w
as
able to get Leila to Roger by
noon
the next day.
Leila
had
a
w
o
ke
n
once during the trip
in Nalick’s arms.

Roger saw them coming and rushed to meet them.
“What’s wrong?”

“Her leg is broken, there is a deep gash on her thigh that has continued to bleed, and Marx said something is in her shoulder that is making her weaker,” Nalick replied carr
ying
Leila up to Roger’s medical room.
As he laid her on the cold table
,
she opened her eyes.

“Hi Roger,”
Leila
said with a faint smile.

“You couldn’t just hurt one thing,”
Roger
scolded.

“You know me,” she said.
Roger began mixing a white powder in a small
vial to drink
.
He handed it to Leila as Nalick helped her balance while sitting.
She drank the mixture and smiled at Nalick.
“See you in a while
.
”
S
he clos
ed
her eyes.

“Did Marx say what this was?” Roger asked
looking at her back
.

“No, it was
injected
before Marx found her at the castle,” Nalick explained.
“Will you be able to save her?”

“She is a fighter,” Roger replied as he began to work with his son at his side. “She will be fine.”

Chapter
20

“We can wake her now if you
’d
like,” Roger said to
Nalick
.
Roger left and returned with a cup of tea.
Gently
,
Roger
propped
Leila
up in a sitting position and asked her to drink the tea
.
After the small glass of tea was gone, Roger laid her back down.
“She should be a bit groggy, and maybe a bit angry after that, since I didn’t wake her last night, but then she should be fine.
Please try to keep her from moving too much
.
” Roger left the room.

Nalick held Leila’s hand wait
ing
for her to wake.
He had not slept much through the night
.
Everyone could reassure him she would be alright, but until he heard it from her, he was finding it hard to believe.
Leila
had lost a lot of blood.
Nalick closed his eyes and pressed her hand to his mouth as he waited.

“Did Roger not feed you?” Leila asked quietly.
A startled Nalick opened his eyes and smiled.
“So how much damage?”
S
he rub
bed
her eyes.

“
Just like you said.
A
cut in you
r
leg,
some sort of poison
stones in your back, and the broken leg
,
” Nalick replied.
Leila didn’t exactly remember telling him about anything.

“What time it is?”
Leila
asked
,
finally
noticing it was light outside.

“The morning,” Nalick replied not sure himself.

Roger appeared in the doorway.
“Just keeping an old man on his toes?”

“I thought you could use some practice,” she replied.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Roger shook his head.
As Roger
expected
,
she
was not
happy with the extra sleep
.

“Well then do I at least get to head home?” she asked.

Roger sighed
,
“
C
an’t you sit still for even a moment?”
Leila waited for an answer.
“As long as you are still feeling fine by lunch time, I will take you back to town mysel
f
.
Now, get some rest
,
and I will check back later
.
You too,” he said to Nalick.
Both Leila and Nalick nodded their heads like young children being put to bed.
Roger left the room.
Nalick stood to follow, but Leila grabbed his hand.

“Stay a little longer,” she begged.
Nalick sat back down.
It hurt him to see her lying in the bed almost helpless
.
“I really will be fine.
This cast will limit how much I will be able to run around the next few weeks, but I will be fine
. Maybe I’ll even stay in the castle now.” Nalick didn’t laugh at her joke. “
Sorry I worried you,” she said apologizing for not returning to him quicker.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry about.
The priest ran immediately to my office and told me what happened.
We followed as quickly as we could.
We can talk later,” he said while gently stroking her face.
“Now get some rest
so we can go home.”

For the first time in her life,
Leila
had a place she truly called home.
Nalick noticed her smile and gently kissed her forehead.
Thank you
, she thought f
al
l
ing
back asleep.
Nalick left her alone and went into the kitchen where Roger was eating his breakfast.

“So this tracker, Anatolio,” Roger began to ask as he stared at Nalick over his spectacles, “is he the one?”

“Yes,” Nalick replied.

“And she doesn’t know yet, does she?” Roger replied.
Nalick stared at the middle aged man sitting in front of him.
It was expected, but none-the-less
Nalick wondered how
Roger
knew so much.

“Not yet.
I will tell her when the time is right,” Nalick said as the old man went back to studying the stone.

“I love her like my own child,” Roger explained
in response
to the
unsure
stare he received from Nalick.
“I make sure to know everything that can and will happen to that child.”
Roger set the stone down.
“
One
day you will have to tell her
. Now off to bed.
” Roger watched Nalick walk away.

Leila hobbled to the kitchen as soon as Nalick was asleep.

“Silly child,”
Roger
complained.
“I told you to rest.
You just can’t take an old man’s advice
.
”
He was actually surprised that she stayed in her room as long as she did.

“Broth is not dinner,”
Leila
complained as Roger heated the broth.
Leila picked up one of the stone
s
.
“So this is what was causing me so much trouble?” Roger nodded.

Roger returned to the table and gave her a cup of broth.
Leila wrinkled her nose, but accepted it anyways. “So who is this young man who is watching over you?” Roger asked.
“He doesn’t seem to be keeping you out of any more trouble than normal.”

“Trouble?
I just had a little misunderstanding with Jahangir.
See
,
he seem
s
to think I
am
a prized horse
,
not a fully capable woman.
”
Leila sipped her broth
while Roger chuckled
.
“Why are you interested in Anatolio?” She had never known Roger to ask ab
o
ut something without wanting direct information.

“Well, he isn’t too good, if he lost you while inside the guarded palace,” Roger commented
looking at the stones more
.

“It was not his fault.
He was drugged,” Leila defended
Anatolio
.
“And besides, he is only a boy.
He can’t be much older than s
ixteen
, which would give him at most three to four years experience.
He is not trained to keep up with me.”
Roger nodded.
He
was pleased to see she had some sort of relationship with the young man.
“Are Ian and Matthew still here?” Leila asked changing the subject.

“No, they both left after dropping you off.
They were going to check on Anatolio and Marx.
I figured Anatolio could stay at Lou’s until you return
.
So Marx came to the rescue yet
again?” Roger tried to analyze
Leila’s response
,
but all she did was nod.
“I’m sure I will get to give him my thanks in person when I drop you off in Cath
.
He did a good job with your leg so that no further damage could occur on the ride here.”
Leila nodded and continued to sip her broth as she waited to finally go back home to Lexia.

After Roger and Nalick had lunch, they loaded Leila onto Roger’s cart.
She sat leaning against the driver’s seat which Nalick and Roger sat together in. Leila could hear their conversation slightly, but she did not
take much interest
.