Whisper and Rise (20 page)

Darian’s voice was close to my ear. “You’re not terrible.”

“What did you say?” I lifted my head; it felt heavy and sore.

“You said it,” he answered. “In your sleep. I don’t think you are.” He nudged closer.

“Sleep?”

“You talk in your sleep. Did you know that?”

The darkness swirled around me. I couldn’t see anything, but I felt the cave spinning.
I didn’t sleep. Did I? If so, why had the night been so short?

“Is it morning?” I asked.

“Listen.”

Delicate chirps of birds, announcing daylight, had replaced the men’s yells from the forest. I stood up, dizzy, and immediately missed the warmth of the blanket—and Darian. I staggered for a moment before walking toward the sounds.

What had happened?
The gate at the entrance of the cave was ajar, confirming that I hadn’t dreamt the trouble last night. I found the rusted old lock and kicked it against the wall.

“They never came back.” Darian stood closer to me than I expected.

I turned to question him with my eyes. He looked back but didn’t answer. I rubbed my forehead and caressed my hair with my fingers. It was still damp in places. The cave. The night. The lake. Every memory that found its way to my vision seemed to be one mistake after another.
Oh, the lake.

“What was I thinking?” I whispered.

“Are you okay?” Darian tried to put an arm around my shoulder, but I shuddered and stepped through the gate to escape. He didn’t follow me.

“Did anything happen?” I asked. “After the men left?”

Darian offered a smile. “You slept,” he said, “while I watched and waited for the night to pass.”

I stumbled to the sunlight and stared at the forest. Somewhere out there, Gwenn was a victim of the cruelty of men. Then I remembered my family.

“No!” I stepped into the trees, wishing I could look past them and see Leila. I wanted to warn her. I wanted to be there, protecting her from danger. “We can’t stay here.” I rushed back into the cave. “We need to go to my family.”

I brushed Darian aside and stepped into the darkness, searching for my supplies. When I found the sack he had stashed, I tossed it over my shoulder.

“You’re right. We can’t stay here.” Darian had followed me. “But don’t go home.”

“Why?” I flashed a glare that I knew he couldn’t see.

“Because of the men,” he answered.

“That’s right. I need to warn my family. They’re in danger.” I struck him with my shoulder as I passed him, heading for the forest.

Darian ran past the open gate. “You’re not thinking smart,” he said. “I just told you we can’t go there.”

“You can come with me if you want,” I told him, “I’m going to sneak across the Trader’s Trail and find my father.”

Darian slouched against the cave wall. “I’m not going.”

“Come on, we’re wasting the morning. Cael’s men might already be there.”

“Another reason I shouldn’t go.”

“Stop being stubborn!” I tossed the bag into a bush, returned to the cave, and pulled on Darian’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“The last time I was in your village, I was bound, gagged, beaten, starved and kept in a dirty hut. Then your villagers shot me in the arm with an arrow, threatened me and tried to drown me. Finally—finally I escaped, thanks to you. I’m not going back.” He allowed me to pull him up. “You shouldn’t either.”

I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue speaking.

“Your family is in danger. I understand.” Darian nudged my back but I didn’t move. “There’s still a threat, whether you go to them or not.”

“That’s why I need to warn them.”

“You’ve spent the last few days telling me how dangerous it was for you in Aisling, how there were men in charge who wanted you dead, how you didn’t know who to trust. Is all that going to change if you stroll back into your village and tell everyone that your family was threatened?” Darian moved around to face me. He lifted my chin so that I could see his eyes. “If you go back with only a story, you’ll be in more danger than your family. Let’s find the scrolls you’re looking for. Where you find them should answer all the questions about who you can trust. Return home with the missing scrolls and your story. Then people will trust you.”

“What if it’s too late?” I fought back tears. “What if my family has been hurt before we find the scrolls?”

“Then let’s find them fast.” Darian caught my tear with his finger. “There’s only one reason to go after your family. Every other reason says don’t. If you go, I’ll understand, but this will be our last moment together.”

I forced a smile as another tear trailed down my face. “I’m not strong,” I said, sniffling. “I can’t let my family get hurt.”

“You are stronger than those men, stronger than you give yourself credit for. Make the bold choice and clear your name.”

Darian pulled me into his chest and squeezed me. I took a breath as he exhaled. He smelled like soap.

“I will help you,” he whispered.

There weren’t many options left for us. Despite my stubbornness, Darian insisted that we stay away from the Trader’s Trail and Owen Dorsey’s home. He was right. Only after we had wandered there yesterday, had our captors come close to finding us. We decided to hike up the mountain and take the main road back down. From there, we would head for the Bauer well, where I was certain we’d be protected. Besides, Earl needed to know what his son was involved with.

~ O ~

Taylor’s Ridge felt crisp and cool, even for Sun Season, even during the day. It was a refreshing change from the cave, and a welcome one. I took deep gasps of air, filling each breath with filling mountain air.

While we climbed higher, I found fascination in the hoof marks that dotted the forest soil. Horses. Dozens of tracks crossed back and forth below and between the trees. We discovered where they had grazed, where they drank from the stream, where they walked single file between large pines. The higher up the mountain we walked, the more excited I became.
What if Maeia was with them?
I wished we hadn’t left my saddle hidden back in the cave.

Our first view of the herd came after Darian chased a rabbit he chose for a meal. I was hungry too, but I knew better than to try to pursue a quick little rabbit. He dropped the sack he carried and scampered around the trees, leaning low to the ground like a fool as he chased it. After passing a cluster of large granite stones, he returned, yelling and waving his arms.

“What happened?” I asked with a laugh. “Did the bunny bare its fangs?”

Darian leaned over, panting. He pointed toward the stones. “Horses,” he said. “There are horses over there.”

I left him sucking air and dashed to where he pointed. Twenty of our mares gathered casually in the shade, guarded by a stallion, Blaze. He was easy to recognize. His black mane and blaze were unmistakable. I scanned the herd, looking for Maeia, but she wasn’t with them. A few horses came close to me, and I thanked them with clumps of grass and kind strokes by their ears. When Darian returned, he climbed on a large rounded rock and watched from a distance.

“Come closer,” I told him. “I’ll introduce you to my herd.”

“Those are all yours?” He didn’t come.

I patted Blaze on the shoulders. “We care for them.” I left the horses and leaned my stomach on Darian’s round stone.

“So, we’re done?” he asked. “You found the horse you were missing?”

“No,” I answered. “You would know her if you saw her. She’s pure white. Let’s keep looking.”

Higher up, we found another group of a dozen horses. Then higher still, another five. I cried when I realized how many of them had escaped. Our livelihood, everything my family had depended on to support us since my father’s father, was roaming loose on the mountain.

Near the road, I found Maeia. Shaggy and unkempt, she looked wild, but was white where the dirt didn’t cover her. She grazed in the meadow where I had once overlooked the valley. While I stroked her mane, I saw the heart of Aisling for the first time since the solstice. Charred tree stumps and barren black spaces dotted my village. It was obvious—the fires were intentional. No natural flame jumped around as much, missing half the forest only to demolish the rest.

I cried again when I saw where my home had once stood. There was nothing left. The barn was standing, partially covered by tall trees. The stable was there. More homes on the south side of the road had also burned.

“I’ve never been up here,” said Darian. He wandered casually through the long grass, gazing in each direction. “This is quite a view.”

“If you enjoy what you’re looking at.” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. The flames of the solstice had been cruel to Aisling. “Then I suppose it’s a good place to watch from.”

“This road? Does it go through your village?”

I nodded and pointed. “It connects Aisling with DarMattey. We’ll need to go there once we decide to get your emerald.” Too late I tried to stop my words, but they had already slipped out. I had said too much.

“What did you say?” Darian ran to face me. “Where is my crystal?”

“I misspoke,” I answered, angry at the weakness of my deception.

He grabbed me by the shoulders. “You know where it is.” He pointed at the road. “Does that take me there? Why didn’t you tell me you knew where it was?”

“I needed your help,” I admitted.

“What have you been doing?” Darian radiated fury. “Lying to me, so I would help you?” He stomped toward the road. “When all along, you knew what I needed to return home?” He turned back and pointed again. “You were keeping me hostage, trapping me so that I would help you find your precious scrolls.”

“We never found the scrolls,” I yelled back, reacting to his anger. I was angry, but not with him—not exactly. The words flew out so fast that I couldn’t keep up with my own thoughts. “You never helped me.”

“Never helped you? What have I been doing? Were you going to drag me with you like a pet until you got what you wanted? When were you going to tell me you knew where the emerald was?”

“I wasn’t—I don’t know!” I screamed so loud that birds fled a nearby tree.

“Yes, you do,” he said, turning toward the road. “You weren’t planning to help me. I’ve caught you in your lie and there’s nothing you can say now.” He kicked a rock, sending it straight into the trunk of a pine, and stomped toward DarMattey. “I know the reason you’re not a faerie anymore. You can’t be trusted.”

His words goaded me past endurance, and my hand flew on its own volition. The slap made a satisfying retort. “Don’t ever say that. You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know!” I raised my hand to strike him again, but he stopped it mid-swing in an unbreakable grip.

I pointed toward Aisling. “My home is there, burnt to the ground. Didn’t you see it? My fiancé is dead, buried in Evermore. I lost everything—everything! Now, my family is in danger.”

Still gripping my wrist, he asked, “What about my family? You’ve kept me from them. You’re the villain. You call yourself innocent, but your hands are red like the dress you’re wearing. I’m following this trail and I’ll find my emerald.” He released my arm as if revolted. Turning around, he kicked another rock with a sudden violence, and began walking toward DarMattey.

“You don’t know where to look,” I called after him.

“I don’t care.”

“That town is more dangerous than Aisling.”

“I’ll be safe from you.” He kept walking.

I stood like an awkward sapling in the center of the road. I didn’t belong there. It seemed no one wanted me. I was useless, a nobody; rejected by my village, chased by my enemies, and left alone by my only friend.

“Please help me,” I said, barely above a whisper. “I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

“Your promises aren’t worth the breath you’re stealing.”

“No.” I ran to Darian, frantic. “No,” I told him. “Don’t say that.” I grabbed one of his hands and held it in mine. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I didn’t know about the emerald. Well yes, I knew about it, but—” I squeezed his hand. “—I’m saying this all wrong. Please, give me a moment to tell you.”

“You wouldn’t help me.”

“No,” I said, pulling Darian closer to me. “I was going to tell you.” I stopped talking and took a long breath while collecting my thoughts. “I know where the emerald is because a friend of mine found it. We didn’t know it belonged to you.”

“I’ll listen if you’ll stop squeezing my hand.”

I released my grip. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to go. Please, don’t go.”

“Tell me where the emerald is.”

“It’s in DarMattey. My friend sold it to a man there. She didn’t know either. We both didn’t know it belonged to you.”

Darian pointed down the trail. “DarMattey? That’s the town at the end of this road?”

I nodded. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to leave.” I grabbed his hand again. “I still don’t want you to leave.”

“I need the emerald to get back home.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, but I nodded again to show my agreement. “Where is your home?”