Breathe (The Destiny Series: Book 1) Read online

  Nice save.

  “Oh! Of course. I can sit if it will make it easier.” He lowered himself gracefully to the floor.

  “It’s looking much better,” she said as her fingers skillfully checked the wound. “Hardly any bump at all now, and I think the danger of infection has passed,” If Darius noticed her hand strayed a bit too long in his soft locks, he didn’t give any indication.

  She stepped abruptly away, and he lifted his eyes to her, expectantly.

  “Darius? What’s wrong with you?” Dearra asked without preamble.

  Lovely, just lovely, the voice in her head chided. You’ve been holding out on me, girl. You’re a true diplomat at heart, aren’t you?

  Darius tilted his head, as he tried to reason through what Dearra was asking him.

  Darn, thought Dearra, that wasn’t very good, was it? “What I meant was, you seem very different from the other Breken who came here,” she said. I have never heard of a Breken warrior who hesitated to kill an enemy. You seem quite in control of yourself and…well…kind of…nice, even.”

  “I don’t have the same…ambitions as the rest of my people. And to be honest, I couldn’t quite bring myself to kill a little girl with no defenses. It seemed somehow… unsporting,” he said, his tone, mocking.

  In a flash, Brin was in her hand and at Darius’s throat. “Hardly defenseless,” she said, her words as sharp as the weapon she wielded.

  Nice temper, Fuzzy. That will surely win him over.

  She ignored the statement and held her ground. To his credit, he never flinched, but reached out a slow hand to push the tip of the sword away from his throat and in a slightly safer direction.

  “My apologies, Lady Dearra.” He got to his feet, his face unreadable. “I’ll not doubt your ability to defend yourself in the future. I had forgotten that even a kitten has claws.”

  “I…You…How dare you! I am not a kitten!” The words were lame, even to her own ears, but she was unable to take them back now.

  “Was there anything else, Dearra?” he asked in a bored voice.

  Unbelievable! He was dismissing her! How dare he? She would have liked to storm from the room, but that would be giving him exactly what he wanted. So, instead, she sheathed her sword and adopted an imperious tone. “No. I also came to inform you that my father will be coming to speak with you this evening after supper. He will decide the best way to deal with you.”

  Now that she had had her say, she did turn, and left the room without a backward glance.

  That wasn’t very nice, girl, Brin said, his tone disapproving. You made it sound as though his fate was going to be quite grim. Your father has no intention of harming the boy. Darius has been quite kind to you.

  Huh! Serves him right, she thought. Kitten, indeed! And how come you use his name when you speak of him, and I am always just girl or Fuzzy? Plus, what’s with letting him touch you to push you aside? One little sizzle would have killed you?

  Respect.

  “Respect!” Dearra blurted aloud. “Respect for him?”

  Yes.

  It seemed the sword had decided that was enough talk for one day, as no further explanation was forthcoming. The silence following gave Dearra plenty of time to replay her own actions and words over in her mind. She really had made a mess of things. She wasn’t a cruel person, and felt the need to go back and apologize. She wanted to tell Darius there was nothing to fear from her father, but her pride pricked at her, and since it wasn’t really that long until supper, she decided she had best leave well enough alone for now.

  She had planned to spend a large portion of the afternoon with Darius. Now that those plans had been so inconveniently altered, she turned, instead, to go to Daniel’s room and spend some time with the weapons master. The sight that greeted her when she entered took her by surprise. She had expected to find Daniel quite alone. Instead, the room was filled with several dozen Maj warriors and ship builders. At the center of the group stood Daniel, Lord Hugh, and Carly. Carly must have just returned. Dearra was about to run to her friend and embrace her in welcome, but the sharp words being spoken halted her steps.

  “No help? No help at all?” Hugh’s tone was angry and disbelieving at once.

  Carly shook her head. “His majesty believes, at this time, it would be too dangerous for the mainland to spare any ships to help with Phillip’s recovery.”

  Dearra was taken aback. With everything that had happened lately, she had been unaware that a runner had been sent to Carly with news of Phillip’s capture, and to request assistance from the king.

  “We give our lives for them and he will not render aid in return?”

  Carly was as upset as anyone about the loss of Pip. More, even, for he was like a little brother to her, but she also saw things from the king’s point of view. If the Breken were active again, it would be foolhardy to split up what few ships remained to attempt the rescue of one little boy. The King of Mirin Tor was nothing if not practical. He probably felt badly for the people of Maj and did appreciate their sacrifice, but he had to think of the greater good and the safety of all of his people.

  Carly spoke again, her words full of sympathy for the torment Hugh must be feeling, “He did send a dozen of his best shipwrights, Lord. Surely, with their help, we will be able to build a ship quickly and launch a rescue attem—” Seeing the dangerous look in Hugh’s eyes, she quickly amended her sentence. “A…umm…a rescue mission.”

  “Even with the assistance, it will take several months to get the ship built and ready, and that’s working through the winter. We will have to wait until the ice breaks in the spring to begin,” Daniel said solemnly.

  “That’s too long!” Lord Hugh raged. “Who knows what they will do to him in that time?”

  Dearra stepped forward and gave Carly’s hand a quick squeeze of welcome before making her way to her father’s side. “They will do nothing to him, Father. He is too valuable to them as a hostage. We all know the Breken thrive on power and station. Would they be so foolish as to throw away this opportunity?” Her voice softened to a whisper as she spoke only to her father, and said, “Think, Father…he is a brave, little boy, and you raised him well. He will know we are coming and he will do what needs to be done to keep himself safe until we can reach him. Even if we could leave now, it would be for nothing. By the time we retrieved Pip and started back, we would surely be trapped by the grip of the winter ice on our return. Then we would all need saving.”

  Hugh raised a hand to his daughter’s face and gently smoothed away a stray lock that had escaped her braid. Without looking up, he spoke to those assembled. “Begin the building at once. And…send our thanks to King Jaymes.” Though it galled Hugh to add that last, diplomacy was ingrained in him, and he knew that to anger a king when not strictly necessary was beyond foolish. Best not to close any doors so tightly they couldn’t be opened again.

  The group dispersed as plans were put in place, and Daniel and Hugh retreated to the far corner of the room. The two men planned an expedition into the forest to harvest and bring back the tall, straight trees that grew in only a few spots, surrounded by the more common gnarn trees. These would provide the masts needed for the new ship.

  Dearra drifted toward Carly and hugged her friend closely.

  “Oh, Dearra, I’m so sorry about Pip. I wanted to be here with you when I heard the news, but there was no way.” Carly gave a small sob and she hugged Dearra more fiercely.

  “I know, Carly. I wanted to be with you too. So much has happened, and I had no friend to confide in.”

  Carly sighed. “And now I can’t even stay. I have to go back again to relay the message to the king and see if there are any further instructions.”

  “You don’t mind, do you, Carly? My father relies on you so much in these matters.”

  “No, I guess not. It’s just that I feel so useless, Dearra. I want to fight by my people’s side, but I am too small and weak. Had I been here I could have at least looked after Pip and he w
ould be safe with us now.”

  Dearra shook her head at her friend’s words. “Don’t say that, Carly! You know how Pip is; he would have found a way. And you are needed! Who else could do what you do and do it so well? Can you imagine Father sending me, for example, to bring calm and rational messages to the king? What do you think my response would have been when he refused aid?”

  Despite herself, Carly couldn’t suppress the image conjured in her mind, and she let out a hearty laugh at the thought. “Peace, Dearra,” she said. “No more, or I will laugh myself silly.” She paused. “But truly, I have missed you. I see you have some stories of your own to tell,” she said, looking at the sword belted at Dearra’s side. “And I hear we have a visitor with us. A visitor you have taken it upon yourself to look after.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Dearra said in startled wonder, as a betraying blush crept into her cheeks.

  Carly laughed again, and the two friends draped arms around each other’s waists as they exited the room.

  Together, the two of them made their way out of the keep and found the lesser used trail that wound west and would take them to Carly’s family. She wanted to see her mother and father before heading back out, and she was badly in need of a change of clothes and a quick bath. As they walked, the two friends exchanged waves and pleasantries with the many people they passed. August was drawing to a close, and families were busy harvesting much of what would see them through the winter months.

  “So? Tell me about our Breken visitor,” Carly said baldly.

  “Not one for small talk, are you?” Dearra teased.

  “Well, I don’t have a lot of time. I saw the blush, Dearra, and I’m dying of curiosity. What man could make my Dearra turn colors? The thought intrigues me.”

  “You’re terrible, Carly. I would never allow anyone else to speak to me like that. But you’re right; you don’t have much time, so I guess I had better soothe your curiosity before it gets the better of you and distracts you on your next vital mission.”

  Carly let out an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes skyward.

  “What do you want to know first?”

  “What’s he like? He must be handsome to tempt you away from the training fields. Is he as horrible as all the stories? Isn’t he dangerous? Aren’t you afraid he may turn on you and snap your neck in a fit?”

  “That’s more than one question,” Dearra chided.

  “Just tell me!”

  “Peace, Carly.” Dearra giggled. “Yes, he is handsome, but it’s so much more. You’ve never seen eyes like his!”

  “Yes, I’ve heard. Black as the pits of hell, cold, and lifeless. Makes me shudder just thinking about it,” Carly said, and a delicate tremble did run through her. Even the air seemed to chill for a moment.

  “Are you going to let me tell you, or did you just want to imagine it all by yourself?”

  “Sorry, Dearra. Go ahead.”

  “It’s not like that at all. The other Breken who came had eyes just so, but Darius has eyes the color of…the color of…well, I don’t know exactly, but they’re dark brown, with beautiful, golden highlights in them that dance and sparkle when he teases me. He isn’t mean at all. He can be so…almost kind, unless he’s trying to irritate me. He’s quite good at that. Oh, and Carly! You should see the way he looks at me sometimes! It’s like he…well…like he sees me differently than I am. He looks at me like I’m some pretty little doll. Sometimes it annoys me no end, and others, well, I get this strange kind of warm fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach, and those times are kind of wonderful.” A new blush found its way to her cheeks, and she turned to Carly to better judge her friends reaction.

  Instead of the amused expression she expected to see, Carly’s face was painted in horror.

  “What? What’s wrong, Carly?”

  “Oh, Dearra.” The words were barely a whisper. “A handsome distraction. That’s all I thought he was. I never dreamed—”

  Carly stopped walking and put her hands on Dearra’s upper arms, and to Dearra’s surprise, Carly actually shook her.

  “What are you thinking, Dearra? He’s Breken! You can’t love a Breken!”

  “What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? I’m not in love with…I mean, there’s no way I could…I would never…” But Dearra was unable to complete even one of her sentences. “Oh no,” she squeaked.

  I believe I already told you how this would go. Don’t listen to me, though. What do I know? I’m just a magical weapon of unsurpassed power. No, no you’re right. Please continue to rely on your own pathetic intuition. I’m sure that’s for the best.

  “Would you please be quiet?”

  “I’m sorry, Dearra.” Carly’s head dropped at her friends harsh words. “It’s just that I was so stunned.”

  “Oh!” Dearra cried out. “Oh, not you, Carly. I wasn’t telling you to be quiet. I was talking to Brin. You’re right. I guess I do…um…care for him. I was as shocked as you to discover it, though. This is terrible, Carly. What am I going to do now? What would everyone say? What would Father say? What would Darius say if he knew? Well, I can kind of guess the response I would get from him, some condescending remark about how I can’t control my little female instincts around his Breken manliness. What am I going to do?”

  Dearra paused in her tirade to allow her friend a chance to speak, but when she did, it wasn’t exactly what Dearra had been expecting.

  “Dearra?”

  “Yes, Carly.” The look in Dearra’s eyes begged her friend for understanding and acceptance.

  “Who’s Brin?”

  Chapter 9

  The walk back to the castle from Carly’s house was much quieter than the journey there had been. Carly accepted the news of Dearra’s new companion with her usual calm. From time to time she would ask a brief question, but otherwise, she was quiet, merely shaking her head to herself or nodding in acceptance of some statement or other Dearra had made.

  “Well, I can’t say I’m that shocked, Dearra. You’ve always been a little bit different.”

  “Thanks a lot,” she said, dejected.

  “You know what I mean, Dearra, and you can’t deny it. If the spirit of Cyrus chose you to wield the sword, he must know what he’s doing. I’m not going to question it,” Carly said with conviction, the whole matter settled, as far as she was concerned.

  “Oh, come on, Carly! The spirit of Cyrus? Chose me? You’re joking right?”

  “Yes, Dearra. I’m joking. I’m sure that a magical sword…who can speak and think, got bored after a thousand years and picked someone at random to take him out for a walk. You know, to pass the time.”

  I like her! She can stay.

  “Must you do that?” Dearra snapped.

  “Do what? Tell you the truth? I thought you liked that about our friendship.”

  Dearra let out a frustrated sigh. “Not you!” she said. “It’s Brin again.”

  “Oh, sorry. What did he say?”

  “He said he likes you,” Dearra half grumbled. He delights in tormenting me, and when you stated things so…plainly, he was amused.”

  “Well…tell him I like him too. Anyone who can keep you safe is okay with me. Plus, he is very beautiful, and he must be so intelligent to keep you on your toes.”

  She really is a very delightful girl, isn’t she? Brin’s tone oozed contentment and pride. So very perceptive.

  “I don’t need to tell him. He understands you quite well, annoying, arrogant, obnoxious thing that he is.”

  Carly could tell Dearra’s temper was reaching its limits and wisely changed the track of the conversation. “So, your father is speaking to Darius tonight after the meal, then?”

  “So he tells me.” Dearra huffed. “I have been anxious to hear his decision, but now, I must admit, I’m a bit nervous.”

  “I’m sure your father won’t hurt Darius, Dearra. Probably he will send him to the king. That would be the best place for him.” Carly saw Dearra’s frown an
d ignored it. “It would be what’s safer for everyone, Dearra. I should suggest it to Lord Hugh, myself, really.”

  Dearra’s voice was desperate. “You wouldn’t! Please, Carly!”

  Carly was worried about her friend. This was so unlike Dearra. She had never shown even the slightest interest in any of the Maj men before, and now this, and a Breken of all things. But she couldn’t, or more accurately wouldn’t, intentionally cause Dearra pain. “All right, Dearra, but please promise me you’ll be careful. He is a Breken, after all.”

  The air seemed to explode from Dearra’s lungs. “Thank you, Carly.”

  Carly wasn’t entirely sure she was doing the right thing.

  “Come on, Carly! I hear the bell calling us to dinner!” Dearra sprinted ahead of her friend back to the keep.

  Carly shook her head, knowing it wasn’t the meal that had inspired such enthusiasm, but the event that followed.

  ***

  Dinner seemed to drag. Dearra picked at the food on her plate. She had already completely mutilated a piece of goose, browned and dripping with rich gravy, and the small yellow potatoes on the plate had been speared so many times they resembled a pile of shapeless mush more than the firm and tasty vegetables they had once been. She was a bundle of raw nerves, and any time someone spoke to her she jumped a little in her seat. Had she not been so preoccupied with her own thoughts she would surely have noticed the way Jacob’s eyes stayed glued to her throughout the meal.

  Jacob watched her every move. So consumed was he with her every action, he couldn’t bring himself to look away. When Bryan approached her to offer bowl of fresh berries he had picked from his fields that very day, Jacob scowled, and almost shot to his feet. He would have liked to smash the berry bowl in Bryan’s face, but he knew he needed to watch himself around Lord Hugh if he ever wanted a chance to win the prize he sought. Oh, how it annoyed him to watch the clumsy Bryan making advances to his Dearra. He had come over three years ago to visit the island, and having seen Dearra, never left. But she had been only fourteen to his twenty, and so he waited. Now that she was seventeen, he saw himself within reach of his goal, and no lowly farmer was going to get in his way. True, she had her faults. The sword would need to go, and he would need to teach her some manners around men. After all, men were her betters and deserving of her respect. As far as Jacob was concerned, the whole notion of equality between men and women was a cruel joke. Let them play at battle if they wanted, but no wife of his would ever carry a sword.