Beloved (14 page)

“You’re a jerk.” She punched him in the shoulder. “Now get me out of this tree.”

A mischievous grin crossed his face. “You need to learn how to do that as well.” Then he disappeared, leaving the small branch they both stood on twisting under her feet. She fumbled for a firm hold so she wouldn’t fall.

It took her a while, but her feet finally hit solid dirt. Her legs and arms burned which meant her muscles definitely needed the workout. But she wasn’t about to tell Blayde. She found him waiting in the clearing. Mahli, who’d taken a liking to him, sat at his feet.

Traitor
.

“Do you think you can stay out of trouble while I am gone today?” He’d finally put on a shirt and looked more suitable for blending in with the people who lived in whatever village or farm he intended to pillage. He moved closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Can I get you anything special today?”

He’d never asked that before and it threw her off guard a little, so the first thing that came to mind was a burger and fries. She snorted at that thought. What she wouldn’t give for a pint of ice cream and a large pepperoni pizza. “Do you deliver?”

His brow furrowed and his face twisted into an expression of pure confusion. “I can bring it to you, is that what you mean?”

She laughed out loud. “Never mind. Nothing special.”

He shook his head and rubbed Mahli behind the ears. “Do me a favor, girl, and keep her out of trouble today.”

Kira shoved him aside and took back ownership of her cub. “Very funny. Now go and try not to get caught. Your attitude doesn’t exactly blend in well.”

Blayde bowed at the waist. “Yes, my lady.” Then he disappeared.

“Sheesh.” Kira crouched down and gave Mahli a good rub behind the ears. “You still love me the most, right?”

A very rough, wet tongue bathed her cheek in response.

“Good.” She stood and glanced around, noticing for the first time how busy the clearing was today. Everyone, even the children, seemed to have tasks that needed their urgent attention. Nigel and Brenna were eagerly engaged in conversation, so Kira decided to join them to see what the ruckus was about.

“Is everything all right?” Kira asked as she approached.

Brenna changed her focus from a very frustrated Nigel to Kira. “Oh, there you are. I looked for you earlier, but your pod was empty and no one had seen you.”

“Yeah, your brother decided I needed another lesson before he left.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that. Nigel has asked that I take up the slack and work with you while Blayde is gone. It is crucial that you can take care of yourself and know what to do in case of an intruder or a dangerous situation, especially with the new moon approaching.”

Kira had noticed the moon the night before and made a mental note to ask Blayde or Brenna where she would go, but leaping to the top of a tree and hanging upside down had scrambled her thoughts a little. “Where do the commoners hide when the moons are new?”

Nigel shook his head and huffed out the air in his lungs.

“We do things a little different here. The commoners who do not have a place to stay, remain here and keep to the trees, while the Royals go as far away as they can to hunt. They stay away for two or three days to insure the safety of the others, but that leaves—”

“No one to protect us or gather food,” Kira finished.

“Exactly,” Brenna continued. “There are only nine commoners and five have places they can stay in the village, so that means leaving you here with three others. Nigel insists on staying to protect you, but he’s not sure if he’s lost all his cravings and I think that is too dangerous. He seems to think he is strong enough to fight it.”

“So, that’s what you two were arguing about when I walked up?”

“Yes. Well, a one-sided argument anyway.” Brenna rubbed a spot on Nigel’s back. “He is more than a little protective of you.”

“Tell me about it.” Kira untied her shirt, re-buttoned it and tucked the hem into the waist of her pants. “So, what do you plan to teach me today?”

“Balance. And you’ll need your bow.”

Kira’s next training exercise consisted of her balancing on a thin branch while Nigel moved the target around. He’d tied a chunk of wood to one end of a rope and threw the other end up over a limb so he could pull it up and down to make it harder for Kira to hit. It was difficult, but she still had more hits than misses.

Nigel’s leg was completely healed, so he had no problem helping out with the lesson, which seemed to please him very much. Brenna, on the other hand, could have done without his constant suggestions, especially since she didn’t really understand most of what he was trying to tell her.

Next, it was Brenna’s turn to play with the rope while Nigel took hold of the branch Kira stood on and wiggled it from side to side. After several failed attempts to stay on, three of which resulted in her face planting in the dirt, she finally got the knack of it and was able to keep her balance and still hit the target.

By this time, an audience had grown—and Jaya was at the head of it. She cheered Kira on, her joyful mood intoxicating as it spread through the entire group, including Nigel. Kira had never seen him smile so much.

Kira jumped down, planting her feet firmly on the ground. “Now what?”

Brenna gave the rope a yank and the target went flying up over the branch and down to land at Kira’s feet. “We build a swing.”

“A swing?” Kira didn’t like the sound of that. She sat next to Jaya and watched as Nigel and Brenna tied a rope to both ends of a log that couldn’t have been more than six inches across and three feet long, the split side up so she had a flat surface to stand on. Brenna vanished, then reappeared a moment later straddling the lowest branch of a nearby pine.

“Throw me the rope,” she yelled to Nigel.

He tossed both ends up and she tied them off, before sliding down their length, placing her feet on the log. It creaked and swayed beneath her.

Piece of cake.
Kira moved to the swing and sat down on the log, expecting to shoot her bow while someone pushed her from behind. She’d already figured out she could wrap her arms around the ropes and still cock the arrow. She loved swinging when she was a kid, so this would be easy.

“Stand.” Brenna said.

Kira twisted in the swing so she faced her. “What?”

“You heard me. Stand on the log while Nigel gives it a gently shove. And the ropes are off limits.”

Kira jumped to her feet. “Are you crazy? There’s no way I’ll be able to balance on that thing, especially if I can’t hold on to the ropes.”

“I can do it.”

Kira scanned the crowd to find who’d said the words, but nobody seemed eager to volunteer to prove themselves. Then the crowd parted and she saw him. Blayde. She should have recognized his voice, but he was breathing hard and looked like he’d been dragged behind a horse. He handed a large bundle over to Lessa and stepped forward.

“What happened to you?” Brenna asked.

He waved her question away. “Let me show you how this is done.” He held out his hand. “May I borrow your bow, my lady?”

Kira gladly handed the bow and quiver of arrows over to him and couldn’t wait to see him fall flat on his butt. She sat back down next to Jaya. “This I gotta see.”

Jaya giggled, making Kira snort and the man next to her release a laugh that reminded her of the sound a donkey made.

Nigel hung a red piece of fabric on the side of a tree for a target while Blayde jumped up on the swing. Blayde rode the log like a surfboard, with one rope behind him and the other in front. The swing began to sway and Blayde bent his knees, pumping them up and down in a steady rhythm until he looked like a pendulum dipping and rising from side to side.

Then he let go, and to Kira’s surprise, his feet stayed in place. At the highest point of his ascent, he pulled back his bow and fired. The arrow sailed through the air toward its goal. While it flew, Blayde jumped off the swing, did a fancy somersault in the air, and landed on his feet at the same moment his arrow sank deep into the target.

The crowd cheered.

Blayde stretched his arms out to his side as if to say, ‘look how wonderful I am’ and then bowed. He walked over to Kira and returned the bow and quiver with a wink. “Your turn.”

“Show off.” Her stomach twisted into a knot. No way would she be able to pull that off, not even if she practiced every day for a year. And it didn’t help that the entire village of Lairdor watched from the sidelines.

Kira took in a deep breath and approached the swing. Nigel sported a determined look, motioning for her to give it a try. Now, more than ever, she wished he could speak and give her the encouragement and instruction she needed. Where Blayde just wanted to show off, she knew Nigel had her best interest at heart and he wouldn’t allow her to be hurt. Wounded and bruised, yes, but not truly hurt. It was his way of letting her fend for herself, as he always had. Now that she’d seen how he lived, she better understood the reasons behind his actions.

Nigel held the swing steady while she climbed on and found a good place for her feet. It felt so unnatural and awkward and took her a few seconds to get her balance. He let go and she managed to stay on for about three seconds. The instant she let go and tried to notch an arrow, her foot slipped off and she tumbled to the ground.

“Crap!” She smacked the ground with her fist.

The clearing fell silent as everyone watched her get to her feet and try again. This time she threw the bow over her shoulder and held on to the rope. She had to get the swinging part down first, then she would try shooting her bow. Nigel stepped away to give her some room and for several seconds she was able to do it. She only went half as high as Blayde, but she counted it as a success. Then she let go with one hand and the next thing she knew, Nigel had her cradled in his arms. The crown laughed and cheered as if she’d done as well as Blayde, but the look on Nigel’s face said he was angry with her. He dumped her out of his arms and onto her feet with a little too much force for her comfort.

“What’s your problem?” She tucked her shirt back in and picked the arrows up that had fallen out of the quiver. She adjusted her bow across her shoulder and planted her fists on her hips. “Well?”

He made several hand gestures toward her and the swing, then huffed the air out of his lungs with a grunt.

A grunt—
which wasn’t possible if he was truly mute.

Kira dropped her hands to her sides. “You can talk?”

He took a step back, shaking his head, but she could see it in his eyes. Deceit. Shame. Sorrow.

Brenna stepped to her side and clamped her hand over Kira’s shoulder. “Drop it, Kira. You do not want to provoke him. Not about that.”

Kira turned to face her. “All this time not being able to communicate with him and he can talk?” Provoke him? She wanted to punch him right in the face. “That’s not cool.”

Brenna leaned closer and spoke softly, “Later. Please.” Kira could see deep sympathy in her lavender eyes and it spoke to her heart.

Kira turned back to Nigel. “You owe me.”

He nodded, then stepped closer and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, lifting it so the Crystor was in full view. He touched it, then pointed to her heart.