Isaura (4 page)

“I appreciate the offer, but I don't require any men to
accompany me.” I didn't want to tell him I had help on the outside. I didn't
trust Henry and refused to risk Rane and Gavin's life. “I would appreciate a
look at the map, though. It might help in me finding my way to Haven.”

“Of course,” Henry smiled. “I can provide you with a map to
take with you. There is a price, though.”

“A price?” I asked, wondering what I had that I could trade
for the map. I had nothing of value on me, except for the ring Joshua had given
me. I moved my hands behind me, sliding it off and into my pocket. “I'm not
sure what I have of any value.” I couldn't give it up.

“You are of value, a rare precious commodity.” Henry smiled
again.

“I'm married.” I held out my hand showing him the stamp on
my finger, the tattoo that tied Joshua and myself together for eternity.

He looked at my finger strangely, “I don't know what this
means.” He pushed my hand away. “Marriage by Cabal is not marriage at all
Olivia. You should know that.” He eyed me skeptically.

“Agreed,” I answered curtly. “But Joshua is my husband and
he is the one I'm trying to rescue.”

Henry laughed. “You're rescuing your husband from Craynor?
Dear child, you'll be dead by nightfall. Please let me send two men of mine
with you. If not for protection then to ease my own mind.”

I didn't know what to say to that. If I told him no, he'd
wonder why not. “I couldn't trouble you. I'll be fine,” I insisted. “I took out
six outlaws yesterday. What's one more man?”

Henry studied my face curiously. “Six men? That's a tale if
I've ever heard one.”

“It's not.” I wished I hadn't confessed as much, but I felt
compelled to talk to him, to trust him. I couldn't explain it. There was
something about him, hypnotizing and mystifying.

“Then let me accompany you,” Henry offered, showing me his
hand. “I will make sure you find your way safely to Haven and in return all you
will owe me is a kiss.”

“A kiss?” I didn't like the offer. There was something
unsettling in it. “No deal.” I shook my head and Henry smiled.

“Are you sure, Olivia? It's just one simple kiss, and
believe me without the map you'll never find your way to Haven. Assuming that's
where Craynor is keeping Joshua.”

I paused my eyes narrowing. “Tell me what you know.”

Henry held up his hands. “Nothing I haven't already said.”
He sat down on the sofa beside me and I felt my insides recoil. I stood up. He
was cute, and if I hadn't been in love with Joshua I would have felt a definite
attraction to the dark brown locks and hazel eyes. He was muscular, taller than
me by half a foot and charming. I was married, though, and all other men were
off-limits. Besides I didn't care about anyone but Joshua.

“You're just playing games with me.” I was fed up and headed
for the door. “If you don't know anything, you could have just said so.”

“Fine, fine.” Henry sighed. “Let's go.”

“What?” I reached for the handle of the door. “You're not
coming with me.”

“I am, Olivia,” Henry insisted. “You need my protection. You
said it yourself there are outlaws running amuck and maybe you were lucky,
running them over or something.” He laughed. “But luck won't save you.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered beneath my breath. “Get the
map. I'll meet you by the gates. But I won't kiss you,” I retorted as I headed
out of his chambers and past the guards for the main entrance. How I would
explain this to Gavin and Rane?

“I see you made a friend.” Gavin's voice echoed as I stopped
the car and saw Gavin and Rane looking flustered. He seemed less than pleased
to see a new face joining us.

“Gavin, Rane, this is Henry. He's offered his services to
take us to Haven. He's also offered us some food,” I remarked, pointing towards
the bag of fruit in the backseat along with bottles of water.

“You brought the Grand Duke Henry of Spade,” Gavin remarked
with a laugh. “Really, Olivia? You go all out when you need help.” He shook his
head and I couldn't understand what I did wrong.

I gave him a quizzical look, but he didn't answer me. “Get
in.” I motioned towards the truck with the window rolled down. Rane and Gavin
climbed into the backseat before I took off towards the direction of Haven.

“So what's the price of this expedition?” Gavin asked Henry.
“I know you didn't just do this out of the kindness of your heart.”

“On the contraire,” Henry laughed. “I asked for her hand in
marriage. I am searching for my queen.”

Rane's jaw dropped. “What?” she exclaimed. “You couldn't
have!”

“He's joking. He asked for a kiss,” I clarified. “And I said
no,” I reminded everyone, including Henry. “I'm already married.”

“Olivia, a kiss is like asking for a hand in marriage, it's
a proposal in Spade.” Gavin's eyes locked on me from the back of the truck.

“Well, I'm not marrying you,” I glared at Henry. “I'm
already taken.” I shoved my left arm across my body, pushing my hand into his
face. The tattoo showed on my finger. “I can't believe you! See this. Taken!” I
reminded him.

“Relax,” Henry said. “I'm not in the habit of stealing wives
from their husbands. Truly, all I asked for was a kiss. Although Gavin is
right, I am looking for a wife.”

We drove southwest, the car silent for hours as I hoped
Joshua remained alive. He hadn't spoken to me since the previous day. I didn't
know what that meant. Was he still alive? Were we too far away to connect with
one another telepathically? It was the one secret I still hadn't shared with
Gavin and Rane. Now that Henry had tagged along on the journey, my abilities
had once again become a secret.

We had finished our morning breakfast, courtesy of the Grand
Duke Henry of Spade. It was a mouthful. I was just glad he let me call him
Henry. I had a feeling that was unheard of in Spade. I glanced at Henry, unsure
if now was the time to bring it up or not. They'd killed, Margo. I couldn't
ignore it. My stomach lurched at the memory of her funeral. Finding the courage
I asked, “Are you in charge of the guards?”

Henry studied me for a moment, but gave me an honest answer,
“I'm in charge of all of Spade. Why do you ask?” He was gentle and warm in his
speech. I couldn't understand how they'd shot at Margo without reason or cause.

“Your men killed a friend of mine.” I glared at him, long
and hard, momentarily taking my eyes off the road. It wasn't much of a road
considering what the world had turned to in recent years.

“Olivia!” I heard Gavin's voice and glanced ahead, doing my
best to avoid the rubble as I hit the brakes, slamming the truck to a stop. The
seatbelt restrained me from hitting the steering wheel or being thrown through
the windshield. The city was in ruins.

Henry sighed. “I've killed a lot of men in my days. Nothing
I'm proud of. There is a high cost of war and a higher cost to protect those
you care about. Those who look up to you. Your citizens,” he reminded me
coolly.

“You killed a friend of mine: Margo.” I didn't suspect he
remembered her or her name. “She came to Spade last February. She and another
friend of mine came to make an alliance with a town in the far western region
of Cabal. You shot and killed her before she could say anything, tell you who
she was.”

Henry didn't answer for a long moment. Was he trying to
remember Margo or just unsure how to respond? Finally he spoke, “I don't
remember that day, but we had a traitor from Torv pretending to be one of our
soldiers. He had protected our borders a little too violently. Something I still
don't fully understand, unless he was concerned his cover might have been
blown. Eventually he had to be put down.”

“Put down?” Rane quipped. “He wasn't an animal.”

Henry spoke gravely, “You didn't know him. Most of our men
are to be trusted, but occasionally things don't go as planned. It doesn't
excuse any of what happened and I am sorry for your loss,” Henry told me. “But
I can assure you, we are not like Cabal. We are not evil or the outlaws you
imagine us to be. We've survived this war and the government for decades. I've
done all I can to protect my people and those who enter the gates from the
government. I don't claim to know what's best for the world outside of my city
walls. I can only claim to want to try, to want to understand and find peace among
men.”

I wasn't sure what to believe. I sighed, unable to answer
him. “We're here,” I remarked stepping out of the car. “Everyone split up. If
you see anything, don't approach Craynor. Meet back here in twenty minutes.”
The doors of the car all opened and closed. I headed down to the left while we
all split up in different directions.

I tried to push all thoughts of Henry, Margo and the
uprising aside. I needed to find Joshua. He was the reason I was here in Haven.
Joshua?
He didn't answer. I surveyed the damage left behind. Haven
looked nothing like it had when we'd lived within the city gates.

The barbed wire was crushed to the ground by brick and
stone. It looked as if vehicles had driven over it. I walked through the
streets, sifting rubble and grimacing as I found decaying bodies left behind.
There'd been no burials, no ceremonies for the dead. I choked back a sob and
refocused on Joshua.

My feet climbed atop the rubble, the only way to get further
into Haven. The city was in shambles. Nothing looked to be standing from where
I was situated. Rane had made it out alive. It was possible wherever she'd been
hidden, Craynor could have taken Joshua. I wished I'd asked her more about it.

My boots crunched metal and glass,  this had once been the
dormitory. I had remembered escaping from it. I walked further into town,
glancing to the far right and seeing Henry sorting through the rubble at his
feet. He eyed me, shaking his head. Nothing yet.

I couldn't see Rane or Gavin. They must have been farther to
the right. The rubble was higher in spots with buildings that hadn't fully
fallen to the ground but their foundation had become weak. Could Joshua have
been in there? It worried me. If I went in, it was possible I wouldn't come out
again.

I headed across the rubble, scraping my legs and arms, but
ignoring the pain as I made my way past Henry. “Where are you going?” he asked,
keeping his voice down in case Craynor was close. We didn't want to alert him
we were nearby.

“See what's in there.” I pointed towards the building that
had shifted its balance months ago and no longer looked three stories but an
oddly shaped two as it slanted to the side.

“That doesn't look safe,” Henry remarked. “Let me go in
there first.”

“I'll be fine.” I wasn't afraid. It still stood after months
it wasn't likely to fall on me today. At least I hoped so as I climbed over one
last pile of rubble and walked inside.

It was dark inside and I wished I’d had more light, a
candle, something to help me maneuver through the floors.

“Olivia?” I heard Henry's voice calling out from the
entranceway.

“You're blocking my light,” I called, glancing back at him. “Do
me a favor and check out the building across the street.” I gestured towards
the other similar structure left standing. “If he's anyplace, it'd be somewhere
he could lock Joshua up.”

“Sure,” Henry agreed and disappeared. I breathed a sigh of
relief, finding a little more light as I wandered through the building.

Joshua?
Again there was no response. I hadn't had an
answer from him for hours now. I'd hoped as we reached Haven we'd be in close
enough contact to connect. It worried me now that I hadn't heard from him and
he didn’t respond.

“Joshua?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice down but
unsure what else to do. Maybe he couldn't speak with me telepathically. I
walked from room to room, searching the entire building, careful as my arms
gripped the wall as the building slanted and I slid further downhill. “Joshua?”
I called again, this time louder. I heard a creak and glanced around, wondering
if it was the building making the sound or me.

He didn't seem to be in here and I needed to get out before
more damage was done, with me inside. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the
darkness and I moved towards the door of the small room, trying to find my way
through the entrance where I'd come in. I'd barely reached the foyer when I saw
Craynor standing there with a knife in his hands.

“Where's Joshua?” I demanded, staring hard at him. My eyes
noticed blood on the knife and my stomach somersaulted with the thought of
something terrible having happened to him.

“You'll find out soon enough.” Craynor smiled wickedly,
throwing the knife in my direction. It came at me and then stopped mid-air as
Joshua had done that one day in training. The blade fell to the floor. “How the…”
his words trailed off in shock. The surprise gave me enough of an advantage as
I ran past Craynor, trying to escape.

“Help!” I screamed. “Craynor's here!” My voice betrayed me
as I croaked and felt a blade cut into my back. My body slumped to the floor,
and before I had time to crawl away, he covered my mouth with a towel as it
welcomed me to darkness.

Slowly I began to wake, unsure how much time had passed. My
back ached but I was still alive. My stomach grumbled in protest. It had been
awhile since I'd eaten. Fruit and water wasn't satisfying enough for an only
meal. I tried to move realizing my arms were bound behind me. I was tied to a
chair. “Joshua?” I breathed, opening my eyes and glancing around as I saw Josh
tied to a chair with his back to me. “Josh, wake up.” I nudged the chair
forcing him to move slightly as he grimaced.

“Owww, stop that,” he mumbled. “My head hurts.”

“Sorry.” The room was dark and though a frosted window was
at the top it wasn't more than a few inches to let light in. There was no way
we could use it to escape. I had no idea what building we were in, but we were
in Haven. At least that was something. Henry, Gavin or Rane would find us. They
had to. I screamed when I'd seen Craynor, I was confident they must have heard
me. Henry was the closest to me. Though he'd gone inside the next building
over, perhaps that's where we were? I didn't see Craynor. I felt Joshua's
presence as he was tied to me from behind. “We have to get out of here,” I told
him.