Chapter 13
Horland ignored her request for the orb and shook his head, trying to shake Bree’s words out of his mind.
He couldn’t believe how close he came to kissing her again earlier.
The scent of apple on her neck and the way her closeness filled him with the need to kiss her still consumed his senses.
And he would have kissed her, but he’d seen her crying and his mind fought with his body.
It took great restraint, but he could not take advantage of her weakness at that moment.
He trailed a finger along his lips. He was glad she had shown her true self before he did something he would have regretted.
Not that he regretted their first kiss when it happened.
He did think he should have been more honorable, but the taste of her, the feel of his lips on hers were the only things that filled his mind.
And if he were honest, he’d gladly kiss her again.
But no, it was wrong. He couldn’t let his feelings for her overshadow the very fact that she was mad if she thought he would believe such a thing.
If she was using him, he didn’t know for what reason.
But there was no way in Pradwick that she could be Garlain and Patricia’s daughter.
He eyed her from head to foot. He didn’t know how old she was, but she was certainly no infant.
Briana stood glaring at him. “I said, Can I have the orb back now?”
Horland rubbed his chin. “The trinket stays with me.”
The amber flecks in her green eyes flashed in anger and pierced his heart. He frowned. “Be quiet and let me think.”
The king’s friends, Mark and Dianne, left soon after the wedding celebrations ended. Many a happy day was spent in the company of Garlain and Patricia. Horland had to admit he was envious of their love, but he was also happy for his friend.
Patricia was the best thing for Garlain.
He was once hard and believed marriages were for political and financial arrangements.
He would argue with Horland that there was no such thing as a love match, but Patricia brought him around when no other could.
He softened and even stopped searching for an arrangement for his sister, allowing her to lead her own life and not be subject to his commands on her time any longer.
Horland turned his gaze to Briana. She was watching him closely, as if she was following his very thoughts. He couldn’t think of a reason for her lies and the way she talked, she would have him believe the king knew all.
He knew Mark and Dianne were from a distant country, but surely, that country was still in the time of King Pradwick.
“The king knew Mark, Dianne and Patricia came from the future?”
“Yes, he and Leeta know all about us.”
Horland laughed. “Of course, they cannot say any differently at this time. Mayhap we should go to Frother and reunite you with King Pradwick.”
“He hasn’t exactly met me yet.” Bree turned to where the little girl was sleeping. She wasn’t there. “Sweetie! Where are you?”
Horland stomped through the bushes. “Child! Come to me.”
His heart lurched at the silence. If she were within hearing distance and able to do so, she would have obeyed his command immediately.
“Sweetie! Little girl!” Briana called out, her voice rising in tone with every word. “Where are you?”
Horland tried to rid his face of worry as he emerged from behind a tree trunk. “She might already be on her way back.”
“She should be here now. What if an animal has taken her?”
“No. I don’t think so. We would have heard something.”
She clasped her hands together in front of her. “You’re right, she might not talk, but she can scream.”
He noted her hands shook. She appeared in control on the surface, but he sensed her rising panic.
She swallowed. “We have to find her. You go that way and I’ll check this side of the clearing.”
Horland gently squeezed her shoulder, hoping to give her some comfort, and nodded.
They both went their separate ways. Horland trod ever increasing half circles and while he focused on anything that might show someone had passed that way, he found no trace of the child. His heart got heavier the further he went.
Briana was still shouting for the girl, so he was certain she hadn’t found the child either.
He stood still, shut his eyes, and listened to the forest. At first, he could hear nothing but his own mind lamenting taking his eyes off the girl, but he shook all thoughts away and concentrated on hearing.
An owl’s call drifted overhead, another answered somewhere in the distance. Small animals scampered across the forest floor, mayhap rabbits or lizards, but all too small to harm a small child.
His shoulders slumped. She hadn’t passed that way. A thread of hope wound through his chest. She must have gone the way Briana was searching. He returned to the small clearing.
Briana, tears streaming down her face, ran into the clearing and straight into Horland’s arms.
“She’s gone. There’s no sign of her anywhere.”
He pushed her away but kept his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “There must be tracks somewhere, we’re just missing them. We will find her. Come, let us begin from where she slept.”
They stood over her sleeping spot. Briana dropped to her knees. “This looks like it could be something.”
Horland knelt and touched the sliding marks.
“It looks like she was on her hands and knees.” He pointed to the ground.
“See where her hands met the earth?” Briana nodded, her eyes bright in the fading light, and Horland continued, “And it appears her dress has dragged through the leaves, nearly covering her tracks.”
Briana stood up and followed them behind a large tree on the edge of the tiny clearing. “Sweetie?” she shouted as loud as she could. “Little girl!”
“I think she went this way.” She started forward but Horland grasped her arm. “Wait. Night will be upon us soon. You stay here in the event she comes back, and I will look for her.”
His shoulders tensed as he left. Mayhap the slavers had found the child once more.
He couldn’t remember hearing any sounds of wheels or voices or anything not of the forest. He frowned.
But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be in the forest; it could just mean they were careful.
Of course, he didn’t know how far the child could have gone, but he did know how far he could travel at that age.
He was fast and agile enough to go at least a few miles.
If the slavers were furtive, they could have caught her again.
Night fell quickly and Horland had only searched out about a mile before he could no longer see any marking on the leaf-littered floor.
He spied no wagon tracks and wondered if he was wrong about the slavers.
With that thought he returned to the clearing, deciding not to tell Briana he thought the slavers had taken the girl child.
He returned to the clearing where Briana was fishing out the blackened carrots. Her eyes glinted in the light of the flames but seeing Horland was alone, they darkened.
“You didn’t find her.”
Horland sat on the ground beside her. “It is too dark to see anything, let alone track which way she went. We’ll start out at first light.”
“But she’s out there all alone. She’ll be scared senseless. Why did she even go in the first place? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Mayhap she spied an animal and followed it. She is a curious little thing.”
“But even if she did, once she realized she was lost, she would have screamed so we could find her.” She shivered, crossed her arms over her chest, and hugged herself. “She wouldn’t have left us by choice. I have a horrible feeling something took her.”
“Do not think that way. I do not have those feelings. As you said, if an animal had taken her, she would have screamed. No, I do not think an animal has hurt her, I think her curiosity has led her into the forest and she has become lost. Mayhap she is too scared to scream. She is a bright child, after all—she would know that to do so would bring attention to her.”
Briana handed Horland a carrot. “I hope you’re right.”
Horland hoped so too.
Though they both tried to eat the carrots, neither had an appetite.
Briana wrapped the vegetables in a cloth and placed them into Horland’s pack. “The child will be hungry when we find her.”
Horland agreed with a nod as a big droplet of water fell on his head. He looked up. Rain was falling and while the canopy gave them some shelter, the large droplets forming under the leaves would still fall and wet them.
Horland quickly made a shelter of branches and foliage for them to sleep under.
THE NEXT DAY HORLAND awoke with Briana snuggled up against him. She was completely still, and he guessed, like him, she had only recently fallen asleep.
He knew he was being senseless, but he dared not move for fear he would wake her.
He enjoyed feeling her soft body against his.
The chilly morning air had him breathing out wisps of smoke and as she moved closer, trying to find warmth, he couldn’t resist pushing her fiery red hair from her face.
The freckles that had captivated him the first time he saw her had faded without the direct sunlight.
He hoped they would return to their full glory once they cleared the forest’s canopy.
He reveled in her closeness and gazed at what he thought to be the most beautiful face he had ever seen, even more beautiful than Patricia or Dianne.
The light grew brighter and he noted the wisps of vapor from his mouth became shorter and faster.
He wished at that moment that the child had not wandered away, that she was sleeping also, and he could stay with Briana like that for as long as she slept.
However, he could not let the child remain lost and alone for any longer than she had to be, so reluctantly, he nudged Briana awake.
She shook her shoulders and groaning, made a face.