Chapter 12 #2
“From here on,” Drew said, “we’ll be in groups of two. No names or titles will be used once you step foot out the door. Make sure everyone stays spaced out so we don’t attract unwanted attention.”
Two men exited the back door. Sabine and Harper waited a minute before leaving. The two women walked arm-in-arm, laughing and chatting as they made their way along the back road. They passed a few people but no one paid them any heed.
Sabine knew the rest of her guards followed in groups of two, but she made sure not to look back at them.
Harper chatted about the fabric her aunt had received, a recipe for bread she wanted to try, and about the family party for her niece’s birthday that would be held in a couple of days.
After about a mile, they turned and began to descend the mountain on a steep, dirt path.
“Two of your guards will remain in town to keep an eye on things,” Harper explained. “We want to make sure no one else comes this way or tries to follow you.”
It took nearly an hour to reach the bottom, and by the time they did, Sabine was hot and her legs ached from the descent.
“Another two guards will remain here,” Harper whispered.
The two of them continued on, following a narrow path into the jungle. At a large boulder, Harper stopped and whistled a bird call. A matching whistle sounded back.
“This is as far as I go,” Harper said. “Continue on straight ahead. Follow the trail. I’ll be here with Drew and Erikin. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
“You’re not coming with me?” Sabine asked.
“Nope. It’s safer this way if none of us see what you’re doing or who you’re doing it with.”
She squeezed Harper’s hand, then headed along the narrow trail. After about a hundred feet, the path curved to the left. Up ahead, Evander stood leaning against a tree trunk.
Even though she didn’t see anyone, she knew he could have guards hidden nearby. “Are we alone?”
He pushed off the trunk. “I am. And it appears you are too. When Harper and Drew told me their plan, I was impressed at how well thought out it was.”
They stood facing one another. “So,” she said, wondering what they were going to do. Maybe they’d just sit and talk for a bit.
The corners of his lips pulled into a grin. “Shall we?” He gestured to the dirt path ahead of them.
“Where are we going?” She had no idea where this trail led.
“You’ll see.” He smirked.
“How is it you know where we are and what’s around here?”
He tapped his head. “Assassin, remember? Before I came here the first time, I memorized over a dozen maps of the area and the terrain.” He left the trail, heading deeper into the jungle, past lush vegetation.
“This is quite different from Avoni,” Sabine said. The humidity was so thick it was almost hard to breathe.
“That it is.” After a moment of silence, he glanced over his shoulder at her. “How come you didn’t tell me you hadn’t consummated your marriage?”
“In the beginning, I didn’t know you. Otto insisted I keep it a secret.” She stepped over a skinny tree that had been uprooted. “Then I was afraid.”
“Afraid?”
There had to be a way to explain it so he understood. “I was afraid that if we were together, then Rainer would know.”
“I hadn’t thought about that part.” He scratched the side of his neck.
The trees abruptly ended revealing a crescent shaped beach spread out before them. The white sand met crystal clear water. The waves were small, only a foot or so.
“This is beautiful,” Sabine said. “How did you find this place?”
He eyed her sidelong. “Seriously?”
She rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked. Of course you know every beach along this coastline, oh mighty assassin who knows all. We should all be so lucky to have your knowledge.”
He nudged his shoulder against hers. “These past few weeks have been so peaceful without your sarcastic comments.”
“You missed my sarcastic mouth,” she said, teasing him, glad for the light mood and bantering.
“You have no idea how much I missed your mouth,” he mumbled, sending a jolt of warmth through her, making her toes curl.
Peering up at him, she examined his lips, remembering the feel of them against hers.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I’ll end up doing something that will get us in trouble.” He plopped on the sand, stretching his legs out and folding his hands behind his head. Lying there, he focused on the light blue sky.
Sabine sat next to him, watching the waves curl before crashing onto the beach, the sound calm and peaceful. They didn’t have beaches like this in Bakley. There, the water was frigid and the coastline covered with rocks and cliffs.
Evander closed his eyes. “I do enjoy the sun on occasion, and this is one of those occasions.”
Sabine wrapped her arms around her bent legs. “Thank you for bringing me here. I needed this.” Not only did she appreciate being outside, but she was glad to be away from the palace and the people there. Today, she could just be herself. It felt like a holiday.
“You know,” Evander said, his voice softer than before, “since your marriage isn’t consummated, it’s not binding.”
“I know. Which is why no one can find out.” It would ruin everything. Then there would be no one to stop Rainer from going to war. She reached out, splaying her hand on the ground, digging her fingers into the warm sand. Lifting her hand, she watched the sand slide off.
“I wish I’d known sooner. It changes things.”
She didn’t know how it changed anything.
Besides, next week, her monthly course would come.
Then she’d consummate her marriage. Her face flushed from what Lottie had said to her earlier—about her pretending Rainer was Evander when being intimate.
Would she have to do that to get through it? She had no idea.
“What are you thinking about?” Evander asked, watching her.
“Nothing worth mentioning.” Her face turned even redder. She was forced to think about how her marriage gave her the chance to stop a war. That had to be her focus—not her own wants and desires. “Let’s not talk about Rainer.” Today was supposed to be a break from all that.
“Your wish is my command.” Evander twisted to his side, his arm propping his head up as he faced her. “Are you in the mood for something adventurous?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Something dangerous.”
“I’ve had enough danger to last a lifetime.”
“Something thrilling.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I’m intrigued.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” She could use a little adventure and something thrilling right about now.
Evander smirked as he jumped to his feet and reached down for her hand, pulling her up. “There’s a cliff not far from here. If we climb to the top, we can jump into the water.”
“You want to jump off a cliff?” she asked incredulously, a smile spreading across her face. That sounded amazing.
“It’s a thirty foot drop,” he said, leading the way back into the jungle, his voice laced with excitement. “It feeds into a lagoon.”
She was about to ask him how he’d found the cliff but thought better of it. “Do you like to do these sorts of things?”
“I do. I assume you do as well.” His face was lit with excitement.
“You assume correctly. But how’d you figure that out?” In Avoni, they hadn’t done anything like this.
He shrugged. “The way you readily agreed to sail the boat, how adept you were at climbing that tree, the way your eyes lit up in the tavern.”
It always amazed her how well he seemed to know and understand her even though they’d only known each other for a short amount of time.
They traversed between the trees until they came to a rock wall, part of it covered with vines.
“There’s enough places to put your hands and feet for leverage,” Evander said as he began to climb.
Mimicking him, Sabine followed him up, easily able to navigate the rock wall since there were so many divots and grooves to latch onto.
When she reached the top, she found Evander a few feet away, peering over the ledge.
She joined him, gazing below into the small, black lagoon.
“Is it safe?” She couldn’t see the bottom.
For all she knew, it might only be a couple of feet deep.
“I checked it out and it’s deep enough. You just have to make sure to aim for the center.”
The lagoon was about twenty feet in diameter. “Great. You go first.” Then, once he survived, she’d take her turn.
He chuckled. “Nope. We’re going together.” Evander clutched her hand and stood with his toes over the edge, waiting for her to position her body alongside his.
She stood next to him, her toes also hanging over the edge. “All right,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I’m ready.”
“Are you a screamer?” he asked, a wicked gleam to his green eyes.
She laughed. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.”
“On the count of three. One…two…three!”
They jumped.
Sabine clung to Evander’s hand as they flew through the air, the wind rushing past them. It felt as if she’d left her stomach on top of the cliff. It was exhilarating—the freedom, the loss of control.
Evander whooped, joy radiating from him. He released her hand when they hit the water.
Sabine crashed into the water, darkness filling her vision. After a moment, she saw a faint light so she kicked, heading toward what she assumed was the surface. A moment later, her head came above the water and she sucked in a big breath. A laugh burst from her. “That was fantastic!”
Evander surfaced next to her, shaking his head, his hair spraying water in her face. “Your smile is infectious.”
It had been far too long since she’d let loose and had fun like this.
“Want to go again?” Evander asked as he headed to the side and climbed out.
“What kind of silly question is that? Of course I do.” She lost count of how many times she jumped from the cliff that day.