The Redwood Rebel (The Redwood War Book 1) (8 page)

‘Your Majesty, I mean this with all due respect, but given all that has happened to you the past few days, do you not think it for the best that you’re aware of the truth now?’

Before she had finished speaking, he snapped back around to face her, shock heavy in his features. She sighed again. ‘I’m sorry if I’m being callous, but you have to understand that whatever my part in this was initially, your marital problems are your own. If you mean to punish me for my actions, then by all means, you may certainly try. If you wish for me to write a statement of what has passed to relieve you of any guilt that may be directed towards yourself, I will do it gladly. Otherwise, I don’t see what further business we have, and my time is incredibly valuable.’

The surprised expression he wore twisted then into abhorrence. ‘That is the most I have heard you speak, and it was by far the worst sentiment you could have expressed. Did it mean nothing to you?’

She almost felt sorry for him.

‘Oh, gods. Do you want me to say that you moved the heavens for me? That I can’t sleep for thinking of you?’ She laughed humourlessly and shook her head. ‘No, Sire, I’m sorry. It meant nothing.’

She had angered him, she knew she had, but she didn’t know what he expected her to say. The truth was kinder in the long run, and she was quickly running out of patience. His actions made no sense. What did he want with her? She watched him stalk back towards her and readied herself to defend if she needed. He stopped, but didn’t sit, and the smile on his face wasn’t a friendly one. Naomi met his gaze without fear.

‘Unfortunately for you, in Koren it means a great deal.’ He snatched her left wrist up, and spreading her fingers, slid something heavy and cold onto her fourth digit. ‘And despite what you may believe, my marital problems now have everything to do with you.’

Staring at the all too familiar ring now on her wedding finger, the yellow diamond glittering almost as accusingly as King Arun’s eyes, she shook her head slowly. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, couldn’t even begin to process it. He might as well have told her she was the Goddess Ager.

‘No, I don’t think so…’ She tried to take the ring off again, but his hands stopped her.

‘I’m sorry, but it’s true.’ He didn’t let go of her hand. ‘In Koren, our wedding ceremony takes place in the bedchamber. In private.'

'That's your problem.' She dismissed his words easily, trying to tug her hands out of his. 'By my customs, it was just sex and you're married to Adrienne.'

'That marriage was not consummated, as well you know,' he all but glowered at her as he spoke. 'Even with things in Koren so much different than here, that nullifies that problem, at least. As far as I’m concerned, I am married to the woman who shared my bed, and we both know that woman was you.'

‘Well, I’m not staying,’ she said with a shrug. ‘You just have to deal with that, I’m afraid.’

‘They forced you to do it.’ His voice was suddenly gentle as he retook his seat so he was no longer towering over her. ‘Used you as they planned to use me.’

She scowled, annoyed by the implication that such an admission would somehow make everything better. ‘No one forced me to do anything. I had a choice.’

It hadn’t been much of a choice, it was true, but she could have just as easily gone back to the dungeons to await death. He finally released her hand and she tried not to let her relief show.

He crossed his arms and moved back slightly, contempt in his voice. ‘If they don’t give you all the information, can you still claim the choice was yours, I wonder?’

Resisting the urge to immediately rip the ring off, she took a very deep breath and closed her eyes. Finding some semblance of composure, she sighed. ‘Look, I’m not trying to be difficult or insensitive to your predicament, but you have to understand that I did have the information I needed. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I expect the reason Cygnus didn’t mention your marriage ritual is because you were supposed to be dead by now. His harpies attacking you only confirms this. Your personal belief system had no bearing on anything under those circumstances.’

‘I’m supposed to thank you, is that it?’ Arun snarled.

‘No, I’d much rather you didn’t, actually,’ she admitted. ‘But I do think it’s worth some consideration, don’t you?’

He seemed to accept this, if a little begrudgingly, and she felt relieved. Her energy was draining fast, and she wanted this sorted out as quickly as possible.

‘You still don’t understand,’ he sounded as tired as she felt. ‘You can’t go. You’re as much stuck with me as I am with you, and there’s nothing to be done about it. The magic can’t be broken.’

Naomi blinked, suddenly lost. ‘Wait, what magic?’

‘Can you really not feel it?’ he frowned. ‘You’ve been using it to keep yourself conscious since the Bond was forged, and this morning when we spoke through our minds. I was certain you were aware of what you were doing.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no magic of my own. I assumed your ill-mannered rummaging through my privacy was entirely your own doing.’

She believed what she was saying completely, but the nagging remembrance of her suspicions of being under a spell began to nudge irritatingly at her. She had noticed a presence, and she had been surprised that even when she believed him to be a dragon, Arun had been able to communicate with her in such a way.

‘If you don’t believe me, see for yourself,’ he challenged softly.

It had been a long time since Naomi had used magic, or apparently realised that she was, and it took her a moment to remember how to go about finding it. She was sure there must be some kind of mistake, but as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her mind took her to the deep well that she knew had been empty for the whole of her imprisonment. Instead of the familiar void, however, she was shocked to find swirling power there, filling her up with an unfamiliar gold light, so unlike the deep green she had been born with. Confused and a little panicked, Naomi tried to explore it, to find its source, and realised at once that what Arun had told her was right; this really was all that was keeping her conscious at the moment. She was somehow drawing on it, using it as fuel to fight off her own drained energy, and she hadn’t even noticed.

Remembering her lessons as a child, she tried to pull back slightly to get a better view of the magic. She was out of practice, but after a few attempts, she finally managed it and was alarmed to find it was like a tangle of a thousand threads, tying her tightly. Every inch of her, inside and out, was wrapped in the golden web, binding her like a bug waiting to be eaten. Trying to keep calm, but knowing her breath was coming out in short, panicked gasps, she traced the threads carefully and found Arun at the other end, tied just as tightly as she was. She could feel his anger, his hurt and betrayal, and suddenly realised that she had been sensing his emotions with little to no effort since he had entered the tent, just as he had probably been experiencing hers.

Afraid of what this might mean for her and almost desperate to be free of it, Naomi tried to force her way out of it. The magic only glowed as though warning her off, and her concentration was immediately broken. Breathing heavily, she pitched forward and stared with unseeing eyes. Just what the cuss was this? She looked up at Arun, unable to formulate any kind of question, despite her mind being dizzy with them.

‘It’s a Bonding spell.’ He sighed, walking away from her to a small table in the corner of the tent and picking up a silver pitcher. As he poured himself a goblet of wine, he continued to speak in a much more civil way than he had all evening. ‘It means we share each other’s thoughts, emotions, and magic. It can only occur when both parties are pure, as it’s reminiscent of the dragon mating ritual, and there’s no way to sever the tie.’

Digesting this information, Naomi found herself wondering just how many more awful things could happen to her. Her mind was her sanctuary, the only part of her that had been free for the last four years of her life. She wasn’t about to share it with anyone, least of all a complete stranger that had once again imprisoned her against her will.

‘Why would you do something like that?’ she asked at last, her voice quiet. ‘It’s horrific.’

‘Is it?’ he replied coldly. ‘More horrific than tricking your way into an unsuspecting man’s bed? You’ve done substantially better out of this arrangement than I have, let me assure you. I now have to go home to my people and explain that I’ve accidentally married a criminal and a whore.’

It took her less than a heartbeat to react to this. Grabbing the small glass of cha on the table at her bedside that had been cooling while they spoke, she flung it furiously into his face. He yelled in surprise and fell backwards, but Naomi wasn’t about to stop now. Anger burned inside of her as she threw the sheets and furs from her body and practically jumped up from the bed. Completely disregarding her state of undress, she made a beeline for the exit, fully planning to grab the first horse she could and fight her way out of this godforsaken place if she had to.

She had felt the Bond, knew it was strong, far too strong for her to break, but she wasn’t about to stand and take that kind of abuse. Not from anyone. There had to be a way for her to get free. She wasn’t going through all of this just to be a prisoner again.

There was an explosion of magic, and Naomi was enraged by the familiar spell that kept her body completely immobile. The fact that Arun had once again resorted to using the same tactic as Cygnus to keep her prisoner only fixed her hatred for him more firmly in her mind. She didn’t scream, despite the almost blinding rage she was feeling, but instead concentrated on trying to get free. The magic might not be hers, but she could use it. Perhaps she could manipulate it enough to let her go?

‘Don’t bother, you’re wasting your time.’ He pulled her back until he was standing before her, but she refused to look at him or give up trying to break the spell. ‘If I have to drag you every step of the way back to Koren, I will, but you’re coming with me whether you like it or not. In the meantime, I suggest you learn to live with it and behave as a wife is supposed to.’

‘I would rather be a whore than your wife!’ she bellowed, losing herself to her anger at last. ‘How dare you stand there and judge me unworthy when you were perfectly willing to marry that… that… vile bitch! If that is the kind of woman you find appealing, then I’m
proud
to be a disappointment!’

The ensuing silence was heavy, broken only by her ragged breaths. She daren’t look up and did her best to keep up some kind of mental defence and keep him out of her head as much as possible. It didn’t even bear thinking about that she wished she’d just left Ffion while she had the chance, wished she’d let the harpies kill him. Her anger was unfathomable, but her sorrow at again being so chained deep and abiding, and she wasn’t about to let him see that. She wasn’t going to reveal this weakness, and whatever it took, she was going to get away. She would be free, and fulfil her oath of honour.

The magic suddenly released her, and she was quick to land on her feet, though stumbling a little in the process. Before she could even think to try and make a break for it, Arun spoke up again.

‘Thirty paces. If you try to go any further away than that from me, the magic will restrain you.’

There was no point in struggling, at least not yet. She had to learn how to use this magic, or the same thing would happen over again. For now her best plan was to figure out how this Bond spell worked and how she could turn it to her advantage, as he had.

Without so much as looking at him, she yanked the ring from her finger violently and threw it to the floor. She heard him inhale, then after a long silence, walk quickly out of the tent without another word.

She would bide her time. If years in darkness with nothing but the shrieks of tortured souls to keep her company had taught her anything, it was patience.

Chapter Eight

Not for the first time that morning, Arun tried to stifle a yawn. He hadn’t passed a particularly pleasant night. After Esta had come to tell him his new wife had fallen asleep, he hadn’t really known what to do with himself. He’d watched her for a while, her empty energy reserves causing her to be all but dead to the world, and then grown irritable. He’d started about fifty letters to his uncle Darius to explain the situation, all of which had ended up in the fire, and beyond tired and in a foul mood, he had very carefully slipped into bed beside the sleeping woman. Why should he sleep in a chair, after all? She was his wife, and it was his bed. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was going to touch her.

Still, it had been difficult to relax, and while he was sure he must have dozed off at least a few times, most of the night had been passed staring at her and going over their predicament.

If he could have let her go, he would have. She was blunt and rude, and frankly, not cut out in the least to be his Queen, let alone his wife. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to be easily won over, and the thought of spending the rest of his life with someone who despised him wasn’t an appealing one. No one had ever spoken so flatly to him before except his uncle. She had absolutely no desire to be wed to him, and had actually found him lacking. To her, he had simply been the means to an end and that was all. It was insulting.

Part of him knew he had lost his temper and taken it too far, but he couldn’t help himself. Some of the things he’d said had been terrible, and the fact that he was now in a position where he had to restrict her movements in order to keep her in line wasn’t any way to begin a marriage.

Still, he was furious. He couldn’t help it. She had been very forthright about none of it meaning anything to her, and he knew she was telling the truth. The problem was that it had meant something to him, no matter the mess that had come out afterwards. The fact remained that if it had been Adrienne in that room he wouldn’t have gone through with it. No matter the cost to his country and his people, no matter if she had indeed been pure for the marriage, he wouldn’t have joined himself to her.

It was talking to this woman, the woman that had cursed at him and stamped on his booted foot with her own bare one, who he had known was afraid but still full of courage, that had made him decide to finish the wedding ceremony. He had felt such hope for their future. Even now, her determination and strength echoed around their Bond. Even when she had yelled for all to hear that she found the idea of being his wife a disgusting one, when her desolation at being so tied had been choking her, when she had thrown his ring to the floor without any regard, some small part of himself had admired her. It galled and infuriated him, made his thoughts chaotic and his words cruel. He knew it was wrong, but he wanted to hurt her as she had so callously hurt him.

Dawn had come, and still at a loss, he had forced himself up, not wanting to be there when she woke. Esta thankfully seemed to be perfectly happy to take care of her, and had turned up just as he saw her starting to shift her way to consciousness. He had waited outside, and felt a mixture of anger and misery when he heard her make a snarky comment about expecting to be tied up with the rest of the livestock.

When she had eventually come out, she still refused to look at him, something that bothered him a lot more than it should have given the circumstances, and was apparently glad to get as far away from him as the spell he had put her under would allow. She had gone straight to the corral and begun to help groom and saddle up the horses alongside Esta. He’d tried to keep busy himself while they packed up camp, but found his eyes wandering over to her all too often. He had never met a woman like her, and he was sure it was just a simple interest in trying to work out exactly who he had married. He hadn’t even asked her name yet.

The fact that she seemed perfectly content to work hard made him think she was probably a commoner, but the way she spoke made him wonder. She was used to being obeyed, if not respected, and she held herself with a pride and self-assurance that he hadn’t seen in many younger women, let alone commoners. He noticed that when she walked that she strode, but if anyone got too close she would become very tense. Still, he knew that despite her small stature and apparent malnourishment, she was perfectly capable of defending herself. He had never seen a woman fight with the prowess she had already displayed, and it made him wonder if that was normal here in Ffion.

That said, after spending the night staring at her, he had contemplated the fact that she was obviously part Tsumetese, too. It was apparent that she seemed to favour their culture in respect to how she presented her attitude, and it might even go some way to explaining her open disdain for him, with the Pirate Wars causing a great deal of tension between nations even now. Female warriors were very commonplace there, which was probably where she had learned her skill at fighting. Her eyes, however, were a different matter, and he knew the bright emerald wasn’t a Tsumetese trait.

Now riding a little way behind her and Esta as they again made their way through the seemingly never-ending forests of this land towards the Northern port, he tried to probe her mind through the Bond they shared. He was surprised to find that she had already worked out how to erect strong mental shields, and knew he couldn’t get through them without her noticing. The last thing he wanted right now was another confrontation, so he pulled back again.

It hadn’t escaped his notice that a lot of the soldiers had been looking at him strangely, probably speculating about all the shouting yesterday evening, and even Esta seemed to be very cold towards him this morning. It seemed she had already grown attached to his new wife, and had somehow come to the conclusion that this was all his fault. Currently, she was keeping her involved in small talk while working on some kind of sewing as they rode. Her companion in turn seemed a little concerned for her and kept reaching across between their mounts to take the reins to Esta’s horse.

‘Don’t worry so much,’ Esta smiled at her. ‘He seems happy enough to just follow the lead of the others.’

She didn’t really smile back, but her expression was soft. ‘It doesn’t matter how docile he might seem, if he gets spooked he’ll still throw you.’

‘The forest is so peaceful, though.’

This time she did smile, but only very briefly. ‘Don’t be deceived by appearances, Lady Esta. There are some quite horrible creatures that make their home here.’

‘Just Esta,’ she was corrected. ‘You don’t seem bothered by travelling through it.’

‘Well, that’s because I’m one of the horrible creatures, I expect.’

She winked while Esta laughed quietly and Arun felt oddly uncomfortable by their ease. Why couldn’t she be that forthcoming with him? It would certainly have made last night a lot easier if she had been.

‘You grew up in the forest, rather than the city?’ Esta questioned lightly.

‘I actually moved about quite a lot as a child,’ she admitted, then looked a little unsure. ‘My father’s, uh… work took us to all over the country. Still, the forest was always there. I’ve missed it.’

This last was spoken very quietly, but Arun was more interested in what her family had done for a living. Unfortunately, he wasn’t included in the conversation, and Esta decided to take it another direction.

‘How long has it been?’ Esta asked, sadness in her voice. He was confused by that and watched as his wife tried to shrug it off.

‘Too long,’ she replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes then changing the subject. ‘Is my face red?’

Arun almost interrupted them to press her further on the subject, but the surprised concern in Esta’s voice as she looked up gave him pause. ‘Yes, it’s very red. Whatever’s the matter?’

‘I think it’s sunburn,’ she sounded amused. ‘It was a little tender yesterday, but it’s really starting to sting now.’

Riding behind them, he was irritated that he couldn’t see, but also incredulous of anyone getting burnt in this damp, cold place. She was very pale, but it was almost ludicrous. She was going to shrivel up when they got to Koren.

‘Arun could probably fix that for you,’ Esta said, but the other woman shook her head very quickly.

‘I’m fine, I just need some beeswax or something.’

He could tell she was very deliberately trying not to look at him and something in him felt challenged by that. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of just using his magic to fix it without her consent, but ultimately decided against it. Instead he summoned a small potion that she could use, and nudged his horse to trot alongside hers. Now next to her, he could see that she really was burnt, her cheeks and nose especially, and again wondered how she was going to cope with the weather in Koren.

He offered her the small pot and saw her eyes flick minimally his way, but stopped just short of actually meeting his gaze. Silently promising himself that he was going to get her to look at him before the end of the day, he held it out a little further towards her.

‘Don’t be foolish. It will help.’

He watched the struggle in her green eyes and the way her lips pursed as she realised he was right. Eventually sighing in defeat, she took the potion from him, and he was surprised when she spoke quietly.

‘Thank you.’

He hadn’t expected that. What was more, the part of him that had wanted her to thank him had believed forcing her into that situation would somehow make him feel better. Instead, the quiet gratitude made him feel strangely unreasonable. It irritated him, but he wasn’t sure if with himself or her.

‘You aren’t much to look at, but at least there’s something I can do about this particular problem,’ he said spitefully. ‘Still, there are some things even magic can’t fix.’

He waited for her reaction, but all she did was raise her eyebrows slightly. Esta, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked.

‘Arun!’

‘You know what I find funny?’ The small brunette woman looked up at the sky, her face completely placid despite what he had just said. ‘I actually miss my last gaoler. He didn’t care much for my health and occasionally forgot to feed me, but at least he didn’t talk.’

She pulled the reins of her mount and allowed them to continue without her. She still didn’t make eye contact, and at the look of horror on Esta’s face he became even angrier.

‘Don’t fall too far back,’ he snapped over his shoulder. ‘The spell will just drag you along behind us.’

There was no answer, but he kept riding. She was learning to use the magic; he had felt her exploring it throughout the morning, but not enough that she could escape his restriction spell. He looked back to Esta, who was frowning down at the sewing in her hands. She looked so disappointed in him, and it did nothing for his bad mood.

‘What?’ he demanded.

His old friend shook her head. ‘Do you even hear yourself? You’re not even trying.’

‘Of course I’m not,’ Arun scoffed. ‘Why should I? She’s made it perfectly clear that she can’t stand the sight of me, so why bother?’

‘Because she’s your wife, or so you’re supposed to be trying to convince her, and because you’re better than this. Because you’re taking the whole thing out on her even though it clearly isn’t her fault.’

‘Isn’t her fault?’ he repeated incredulously. ‘Have you spoken to her about it? Because she was perfectly happy to explain to me that she had made the choice herself, that no one had forced her into any of this.’

‘Oh, Arun, of course she had a choice, but did you stop to wonder what the alternative to this might have been?’ Esta looked sadly back at him as her question jerked something sharply in his gut. ‘Just look at the state the poor girl is in and tell me you don’t think she was a prisoner of that awful woman. Who knows how long she’s been locked up away from the sun? It isn’t normal for someone to burn like that, which means it’s been years since she’s been out under the sky. Years, and she’s only just twenty-something now. How old was she when she was first locked up? She’s just said her gaoler forgot to feed her, but you only have to look to see how underfed she is. She can barely eat anything because she isn’t used to it, and the fact that she’s so uncomfortable at being touched? Well. Who knows what they did to her?’

At a loss, Arun realised he already knew all of that. The facts, at least. He just hadn’t had the sense to put it all together the way Esta had. He had been too angry and wounded.

‘What should I do?’ he asked quietly.

Esta reached across and patted his shoulder companionably. He was glad to see her smiling at him again, at least. ‘Just be yourself. I know it’s hard, and I know you’re angry, but lay the blame where it belongs and give Naomi a chance. Let her be herself as well. She seems like a very decent person to me, as I know you are. She’s clever and fair-minded. I’m certain you’ll work it out eventually.’

Arun tried to concentrate on what his friend had just said to him, but only one word held any meaning to him. The Bond lit up strangely as he whispered it to himself. ‘Naomi…’

He couldn’t keep himself from looking back to where the small woman was riding a little way behind them. It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t used the potion he had given her, and had instead pulled the hood of her cloak up to shade her face as much as possible. She was absently stroking her horse’s mane, and saw that she was very deliberately travelling in the shade of one of the wagons.