Anathema - The Song of Eloh Saga, Book 2 (14 page)

“Reychel and Mark have enlisted some help,”
Johna said. “Mark has contacts in The Sons of Silence and they were
visiting them when all of you arrived. Let’s hear what they’ve
learned.”

“For starters, I am moving in with Roc,” I
said.

“Roc! What does he have to do with this?
Don’t tell me he’s in The Sons,” Johna moaned.

“He is,” Mark said.

“That man cannot control his mouth,” she
said. “He’s going to get himself arrested.”

“That’s part of the plan,” Mark said. “He’s
known for being outspoken, so I’m going to arrest him and take him
to Kandek.”

“That sounds helpful,” Gerrold
harrumphed.

“It will be,” Tania said. “It’ll get him
inside, with those

prisoners. Am I right?”
I could see Tania’s eyes sparkling. I knew my friend loved a good
intrigue.

“Exactly,” Mark said, smiling.

“In the meantime, I’ll be staying with Roc’s
wife and two daughters. I’ll be helping out around the house until
the day before the wedding,” I said.

“Working in a house? Isn’t that below the
Prophet?” Nemison asked.

“I was a slave up until a couple months
ago,” I reminded him. “Helping out one woman and her two kids isn’t
a big deal.”

“I’ll certainly miss you, child,” Johna put
an arm around my shoulders. “You’ve made my life much more
interesting lately. I knew you would have to leave eventually,
though.”

“I’ll miss you too, Johna,” I hugged my
mentor. My chest tightened. I breathed deeply, holding back the
tears I knew were forming against my will. I wouldn’t cry in front
of these people, no matter how afraid I was of the changes I was
about to make.

“How can we help?” Tania asked.

“I was hoping you would say that,” I said,
turning to her and glad of the distraction. “Can we borrow your two
cloaks? The ones you used to rescue me the day of my birthday?
You’ll have to teach me the spell, though. I don’t know how to make
them work like you did.”
“Of course! I just wish I was in one of them,” she said.

“You’re going to be,” I said. “If you’ll say
yes, that is.”

“Really? I would love to help out,” Tania
exclaimed.

“Since you’ve already rescued me once, I was
hoping you’d do it again. Once I get back in the castle, I’ll need
a way out. You’re the only person other than me who knows the way
and I can’t carry the cloak with me when I’m arrested. I need
you.”

“I am more than happy to help,” Tania said.
“It won’t be too hard. Jon and I have been contracted to bring
fresh vegetables to the castle the morning of the wedding. I’ll
already be in the gates.”

“Fantastic,” Mark said. “That morning, I’ll
meet you outside the kitchens and let you know where they’re
holding Reychel. Then you can get her out just like last time.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Tania snapped her
fingers. “Hard would have been fine too.”

“How is Reychel going to turn herself in?”
Nemison asked. “We can’t risk anything happening to her.”

I grabbed Mark’s hand again, taking a deep
breath.

“Mark is going to take me in the morning of
the wedding. I’ll be his prisoner.”

Johna raised an eyebrow. “Can you do that
Mark? Can you hand her over to Kandek so easily?”

“I have to.” He squeezed my hand. “I can’t
imagine letting anyone else do this. It has to be me.”

“We’re also hoping that taking in both Roc
and me in one week will give him a place of honor at the wedding.
He can always make a distraction in case something goes wrong,” I
said.

“It’s a bold plan,” Nemison sighed, “but it
won’t work.”

“Why not?” Mark challenged.

“Your feelings for each other will get in
the way. One of you will make a mistake,” he said.

“We’re just friends,” I insisted.

Nemison let his gaze linger on our clasped
hands.

“Just advice to children from an old
man.”

“I’m not a child,” Mark said. “Neither is
Reychel. People our age marry every day.”

“Most people your age don’t have such
complicated lives,” Johna said. “Neither of you has ever been
normal like two kids from neighboring farms who’ve been betrothed
since birth. Nemison is only trying to protect you.”

“We will take your opinion into
consideration,” I said, letting go of Mark’s hand. Now wasn’t the
time to show affection, even if I felt like I needed reassurance.
“But it won’t be a problem. I promise.”

“If you need us,” Nemison said, “you only
have to call. But until that day, I think we should all go
home.”

He turned towards the only wall that wasn’t
covered with herbs and waved his hands in the air. A portal
appeared on the wall, just high enough for the tallest person to
duck through.

My eyebrows rose as I glanced at Mark. It
seemed there was much more to learn. I looked forward to seven days
from now when this mess would be over and I would begin my training
with Nemison.

As the gifted began to file through the
portal, Tania ran over and hugged me.

“I’ll see you in six days, my friend,” Tania
said. “Until then,

stand strong. It will work, I know it
will.”
“It has to,” I replied. “And you, try not to be too excited.”

Tania laughed as she ran through the portal.
After the last of the eleven visitors left, I turned to Johna.

“I always wondered why there weren’t any
herbs hanging on that wall. I thought it had something to do with
humidity.”

“Things are not always as they seem, child.”
Johna laughed.

“I didn’t know that anyone could do that,”
Mark said. “Read Reychel’s mind and create a portal, I mean.”

“Most of us can’t do anything that grand,”
Johna said. “Nemison is very strong. Reychel will probably equal if
not surpass him.”

She stared at Mark.

“Drop those walls. I want to see how gifted
you are,” Johna demanded.

Mark sighed and looked Johna in the eyes. He
blinked and I saw the spark appear.

“You are very strong too,” she said. “Very
strong.”

“I’m more interested in the strength of my
body and my steel,” Mark said.

“Very well,” Johna shrugged. “No one’s
asking to train you anyway. Reychel is special. But you already
know that.”

“Yes, I do,” Mark smiled at me.

I couldn’t believe it, but a light blush
crept across my cheeks.

Chapter Seventeen

“I love you,” he said, gently kissing her
cheek. The tears spilled down, but she ventured a smile.

“I love you too. Come back soon.”

“It’ll only be a few days.” Roc stroked the
hair on his infant daughter’s head. She was lying in her mother’s
arms, unaware that her father was about to voluntarily put himself
in prison.

“Da, why do you have to go?” Sara asked.

“It’s for work, baby girl,” he said. “I’ll
be back in a few days. Just like I told your ma. I promise.”

Sara flung her arms around Roc’s legs. “Miss
you Da.”

“Miss you too. Now you be a big girl and put
away those tears.” He peeled her off of his leg and wiped away one
tiny tear. “Just think, while I’m gone you’ll have Lena here to
play with. She’s fun. You’ll have a great time.”

Sara looked up at me with her big, trusting
eyes. I’d taken the name Lena to protect my identity and Roc’s
family. Everyone would be searching for a Reychel. We hoped my new
name wouldn’t cause people to look twice at the new servant girl.
If they didn’t care enough to look at me, then they wouldn’t see
the amber of my eyes. Roc assured me they wouldn’t have many
visitors. They were a quiet family and kept to themselves.

“Are we friends now?” Sara slipped her hand
in mine.

“Of course,” I said. “I’m your friend and
I’m going to help your ma while your da is away.”

Roc’s wife, Bree, glanced up at me. I nodded
my head slightly, but Bree couldn’t quite look me in the eye. I
felt bad that Roc was walking into danger because of me and that
Bree would have to live without him for a few days. It couldn’t be
easy. I would have to find a way to reward her sacrifice when this
was all done.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Sara. She
let go of my hand and turned back to her mom and baby sister. “I’m
going to walk them out.”

I followed Mark and Roc out the door. My
hands shook as I grasped the handle to close the door behind
me.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Roc.
“Once you turn yourself in, there’s no going back. If something
should go wrong…”

“Nothing will go wrong, Reychel,” Roc said.
“I think we have a great plan. I can’t imagine what could mess this
up. Trust us.”

“Neither can I,” Mark said. “Everything will
go according to plan. Kandek will let the prisoners go when he has
you. Roc will escape with them, Tania will let you out and I’ll
meet everyone back in here a couple days later. What could go
wrong?”
“Everything,” I said.

“Or nothing,” Mark said, trying to reassure
me.

“Okay, I’ll stop now.” I held up my hand in
surrender. “You two be careful.”

“We will.” Roc nodded towards his house. “I
have too much to live for to screw this up.” He looked at his front
door as if he was reconsidering his decision. “Okay, let’s go now.
Before I change my mind.”

Roc laughed and patted Mark on the back.

I watched them walk off, my heart
pounding.

***

After a few days of changing dirty diapers,
preparing meals, and cleaning up after Sara, I needed a break.
Keeping a house was more taxing than being a slave. It required me
to be alert every moment I was awake and even when I was sleeping,
I’d hear baby Marie wake up to feed. Bree was exhausted. I could
see that much so I tried to do anything I could to help ease the
burden. It was the least I could do after taking her husband away
from her. She didn’t even know the reason I was staying with her.
Her trust in Roc was enough of a reason.

Sara, on the other hand, felt I was her new,
twenty-four hour playmate. Not that I minded, Sara was a joy to be
around. But Johna would be arriving soon to take over my duties
until we brought Roc home. In the meantime, Mark and I would be
making our way back to Kandek’s castle.

Though we had grown closer, I was a little
worried about being alone with him. We hadn’t been truly alone
since the night we’d accidentally met in the dark and I’d learned
his secret. Since then we’d been surrounded by people like Johna
and Roc or even just groups of villagers in the town.

It had been easy to focus on everything but
my feelings for Mark in the last few days. I knew I felt something
for him, but what exactly I wasn’t sure. It was different than what
I’d felt for Grey. Unlike Grey, I knew Mark returned my feelings.
He’d been honest about how he felt. There were no games, no
flirtations. It was real, honest. It scared me.

I was also anxious to rip the wig off my
head. Since Bree didn’t know who I was, I couldn’t take off my wig
for one moment, not even when I slept. Bree might be up and about
the house at any time of the day or night taking care of the baby.
Luckily she trusted Roc enough not to ask who I was, but accepted
me and my help without question.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts
and I smiled as Johna poked her head through the doorway.

“Anybody home?” she called.

“Johna, come on in.” I pulled my friend into
the house.

We embraced and I buried my face in her
hair. I’d missed her so much. In many ways she had been like a
mother to me, the first woman to love me unconditionally. We pulled
away and she nodded at me, a twinkle in her eye.

“You look tired.”

I laughed. “I am. I never knew how much work
went into keeping a family running. It’s been a busy week.”

“It’s time to take your leave now,” Johna
whispered. “Mark is waiting for you at my cottage.”

Nodding, I walked into the next room where
Bree sat with the baby.

“
I have a family emergency
and have to go back home,” I explained to Bree, “so Johna’s going
to stay with you until Roc gets back.”

“There’s more going on than you’re telling
me.” Bree cradled little Marie in her arms. “I know that Roc’s work
isn’t always legal.”

Johna glanced at Bree, her shoulders tense.
She gazed into Bree’s eyes, presumably reading her mind. She must
have not found anything threatening because her shoulders relaxed
back to their normal position.

“Aye,” Johna answered. “He isn’t gone
looking at a horse as he told you.”

“Can you tell me what he’s doing?” Bree
asked.

“No, we can’t,” Johna said, “but he’ll be
home in a few days.”

“Is he safe?”

“We’ll make sure he is. No man should leave
behind a wife and two daughters, especially not one as good as
Roc.” Johna sat down across from Bree. “You’ve got a good man
there.”

“I do.” Bree nodded. “I trust him to come
back to me.”

“Good woman,” Johna said. She turned to me.
“Go back to my cottage. There’s someone there waiting to escort you
home.”

“Bye, Bree.” I hugged her and the baby.
“Tell Sara I love her, okay?”

“Sure you don’t want to wait for her to wake
up from her nap?” Bree asked.

“I can’t. I have to go now.”

I waved as I walked out the door. Pulling my
hood over my wig, I took a deep breath as I walked back to Johna’s
cottage. I knew there wasn’t any going back now. Mark would be
waiting for me and we would start our trip back to Kandek.

Trying not to let my nerves get the best of
me, I walked slower. There was no need to draw attention by running
through the village. Everyone would wonder where the fire was and
then they might start asking questions.

When I walked through the door of Johna’s
cottage, I saw Mark sleeping with his head on the table. I walked
up behind him quietly and placed my hand on his back.