“First, Lady, perhaps you should stop speaking your guardian’s name,” Maruk said, shifting his weight back onto his heels with a wary glance at the front of the tent that remained in impenetrable shadows. “Second, one cannot choose what they are born as. No one holds you responsible for that.”
“Er’it does,” Aida said as she tossed the apple core to the tray with a delicate snarl. Surprising herself with the ember seated within her chest, the heat so unlike the one she felt with Er’it she fanned the riotous thoughts creating it until they sparked and flared. A trembling flame of anger. “He blames me. It is my fault, just as it was with Otaso. No matter what I do or say, it will always be wrong!”
“Lady, please,” Maruk said, smile tight and thin as he pushed at the air. “You must not upset yourself now. Too much is changing and—”
“Everything has changed,” Aida cried, slamming her hand down onto the tray to send the metal plates skidding in every direction. “Within a fortnight I have gone from being locked up in my tower with none but Immari and Otaso to keep me company, to being poisoned and near ravaged by that self-same guardian who then threw me in his dungeons and swore I tried to destroy him. Then another bloody mage comes and destroys everything I have ever known, tells me I’m his, and takes everything Otaso ever wanted from me and worst of all he makes me enjoy it, Maruk!”
Chest heaving as she stared with parted lips and wide eyes at her would-be friend, Aida shook her head. Unable to believe she had let loose such a tirade, her shoulders climbed high to her ears, expecting the blows that would come at her outburst. When Maruk brought up his hand, Aida whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the retribution she deserved for such disobedience.
A scuffle erupted in the darkness. Muffled growls and snarls, boots sliding over pebble strewn dust swamped the close quarters of Maruk’s tent. The shadows lifted for a moment, Aida’s eyes finding the gleaming topaz of his gaze before it was shuttered away. The violent rage held within them in that fleeting glance enough to send Aida scuttling away with the meager shield of the furs held up in defense.
Betrayal sluiced through her, leaving a slimy trail in its wake that slithered around her heart, her lungs. Making her stomach heave as she swung her terrified gaze to Maruk. Back to her, arms spread wide, he kneeled by Aida’s legs. A paltry barrier from the roar that echoed through the night and battered against the canvas of the tent.
“He was there the entire time,” Aida asked in a wavering hush.
“Not the entire time, no, child.” Maruk glanced over his shoulder at her, brows knitting before he faced the opened flaps of the door again. Waiting and watching the quiet shadows.
“Why did you not tell me?”
“I cannot defy my king, Lady.”
“No, of course. You can only betray me.”
Surprised at the acrid bite of her words, Aida shoved the tray away from the warm nest of blankets and furs. Tugging the lot to her ears as she gave Maruk her back and let her silent tears seep through her closed lashes. Listening to him in the dense quiet as he righted the things she’d knocked over, his weary sigh pummeling her spine as she pretended to sleep.
Slumber evaded her. Long after Maruk snuffed the candle and the scent of smoke drifted out of the tent, Aida remained awake and alert. She heard the rustling outside, the mutters and growls as someone paced the perimeter of the tent. Threatening but never entering each time the grinding footsteps neared the still open door.
Huddled against the chill in the air, Aida watched the sun rise against the canvas she could peek between the heavy hangings. Their patterns now discernable, she saw swirling loops and arches, flora she’d never seen before picked out in knotted wool. The rich colors she’d thought little more than blotches turned into an intricate pattern. Worming her hand free of its fuzzy prison, Aida trailed her fingers over the rough texture of a cream and gold flower edged in blue.
“That is from my homeland,” Maruk said, tone gentle and smooth.
“Where are you from?”
“Hasij, a land deep in the desert, where the sands stretch from one horizon to the other. So dry, the plants themselves must store water in their flesh or perish. Beautiful and terrifying in the same breath.”
“But where is it?” Aida shuffled upright, hugging her middle as she rubbed at her raw, gritty eyes with the heel of her palm.
“A month’s hard march from Denath.”
“And where is that?”
“Another two from here.”
“To the West?”
“No, South.” Maruk finished rolling his simple sleeping mat, rising to store away his few personal effects. “The caravan went West for the break in the mountains that would be an easier trail, though a bit longer. From there they will go South.”
“How long have I delayed them,” Aida asked as she struggled to fold one fur into some semblance of order.
“Not at all, Lady. His Majesty sent them on once we had you settled.”
“What?” Aida muffled her squawk behind a palm, but it still made her cringe. She’d kept him from his caravan, delayed at least some of them. Er’it would be so angry again.
Lashes fluttering, her hand slid down her face to slap against her lap. Did it matter that much to her? He would be angry no matter what she did. Planning to kill her, he could stand the inconvenience, if only to give her a little more time to appreciate the sunshine and cool breeze of the valley as she hadn’t done since being dragged from Otaso’s castle.
“A small group of us are heading North
