Chapter 16
ARIANA
The horse stables were immaculate. Each pen clean, with fresh straw covering the floor. Stalls lined the stable, surrounding an open area in the center where several horses stood. Lysians moved around the magnificent animals, saddling them and securing packs of supplies.
We were always told that all animals fled from Lysians.
Birds flew away, horses turned unruly and bolted, for fear was uncontrollable when in the presence of one of them.
Even wolves avoided them. Yet there were many horses in the stable and many Lysians, and they appeared as comfortable as our own were around us.
The Lysian horses made ours look like simple ponies. I could not help but feel the sharp edge of disappointment, for not only did Lysians have physical advantages but even their animals were superior.
For all the stories our children were told of the horrors of the Lysians in order to scare them away from the border of our lands, I wondered why stories of their weaknesses were never also passed down.
Surely there were some flaws, for otherwise how did the Bavadrins stand their ground during the great war and not completely crumble out of existence?
We had one potential advantage: the Sparrows.
They could attack the Lysians before they ever even got close.
That was the only way I could see us standing against them.
We needed to fight from afar, not in close quarters.
No wonder our archers were so revered and loved in the past. They were our greatest defense until Fraser sent them from our city. What a fool.
“I know you have seen a horse before,” Kole mumbled, gently pushing me forward.
I had not realized I stopped moving.
“You ride with me,” Erik informed me when we approached the group. With us there were five other Lysians whom I had never met nor seen before. Half of them watched me while the others finished tying supplies to their mounts.
Erik looked at me expectantly, and I frowned. I glanced around the stable, and it was clear there were many horses left to choose from. It was not a matter of short supply.
“What if I promise to not run off?” I turned to the King.
“You’re riding with one of us,” he stated flatly.
Apparently, I was not to be trusted with my own mount, even when surrounded by Lysians. I wondered if the animals were faster than the Lysians. If they were, then for how long? Undoubtedly, some were faster than others. They could give me the slowest one.
Erik’s stony expression told me that pushing the matter would be fruitless. He wasn’t going to budge, not even an inch. And with the promise of finally going home, I found myself desperate and agreeable.
“If I have no choice,” I grumbled under my breath, resigning myself to the situation.
A couple of Lysians finished getting two horses equipped with small carriages filled with supplies of food for my people. The animals only pulled the carts of food; no Lysians rode them. I hoped that perhaps once they emptied the carts, I could use one of them on our return to the Lysian lands.
Soon enough, we were all mounted and ready to depart with the Lysian King sitting behind me.
His arms reached around to hold the reins, his presence so close that his breath ghosted the nape of my neck.
It sent an involuntary shiver down my spine, and I instinctively wrapped my cloak tighter around myself.
I was surrounded by him, in the grips of a Lysian, without him actually holding me.
His warmth at my back was both comforting and unsettling.
My heart raced in my chest, the rhythm matching the hoofbeats of the horses.
“I promise not to bite.” Erik’s voice was a soft murmur, his lips nearly brushing against my ear. His words were teasing, a hint of amusement in his tone, and it only served to make me more flustered.
The intimate proximity was unnerving. I struggled to keep from squirming.
Erik chuckled softly, the sound sending another wave of heat through me. It was as if the air between us had thickened. I gritted my teeth, wishing I could turn the tables and make him feel as vulnerable as he was making me.
“Why do you seem to relish making me uncomfortable?” My face warmed with the admission.
He shifted his hold on the reins, his arm brushing against mine. It was the lightest and most fleeting of touches, yet my skin heated at the contact.
“Your feathers are surprisingly difficult to ruffle. It’s endearing when they finally are,” he answered in a low voice, though I could hear the smile in the tone of it.
I did not think he had ever seen me with my feathers unruffled.
Irritation surged through me, though it also mingled with a strange thrill at his words.
My life had been tumultuous since he entered it, turning everything I knew on its head.
In some ways, he had shackled me, yet in others, he had freed me.
Freed the Bavadrins from a tyrant leader and freed me from the shadow of my past.
“I’d imagine that you would be smart enough to not cause unnecessary discomfort when you are desperate for my help,” I commented, forcing myself to sit a little straighter. If he wanted to play, then let’s play.
“I’d imagine that you are quite comfortable at the moment,” he purred in response.
A wry smile tugged at my lips. “Oh yes, abducted by a Lysian King, on horseback with his arms around me. Truly, a fairy tale come to life.” My voice came out steady, even as my cheeks heated.
He released a small laugh that skimmed over my skin. “Sounds like a fairy tale, no?”
“Sounds like a nightmare, no?” I shot back.
A chuckle was his only response.
We rode out of their city and through the Lysian woods in relative silence.
I could not hear a thing over the horses’ hooves as they met with the hard ground beneath.
Hours passed, and the sun began setting, yet a proper break never came, only one stop to relieve ourselves.
My body ached with every step the horse took, as if I were the one carrying it and not the other way around.
My eyelids grew heavy, and it became an incredible effort to keep myself up so that I did not lean back into the Lysian King behind me.
It was not until we reached the grasslands that we finally took a break.
Kole grabbed my arm as soon as I stumbled after dismounting, leading me a few feet away before pointing to the ground. “Rest here,” he instructed.
I sat at once on the ground without a second thought. Kole handed me a napkin wrapped around bread and an apple. I devoured it while numbly watching the Lysians set up camp.
Their tents were massive, and I wondered why they needed such big ones.
It was really quite extravagant and not anything like what I would have expected Lysians to use.
I only witnessed them pull one of them together before exhaustion stole my attention away.
As soon as my belly was good and full, I lay back in the grass.
With the distant sun filtering through enough to just barely warm my face, I drifted off.
There were no dreams. Everything was just black.
That was the way I preferred it. Without dreams or nightmares, I woke with a clear head.
No questioning of what the dream potentially meant—if it was a sign of something to come or a warning of some sort.
A dreamless night meant a fresh start to the day. A clean slate.
I woke from a dreamless night. The sun’s rays heated my arm.
My lids parted, and I blinked the blur away.
Realizing that the warmth I felt was not from the sun, my eyes snapped open in surprise.
Only dull darkness surrounded me. The heat near me came from a large body resting next to me.
If we were a hair closer, then we would have been touching.
Startled, I looked up and saw Erik, his eyes closed, face strangely serene yet still terrifying, for I knew the power simmering within him.
In the darkness, I could make out that I was in a tent, a very large one. With dread, I came to realize that Erik was not the only Lysian within it. Dark living mounds, half under blankets, surrounded me. There were at least five.
My heart jumped into my throat.
I made absolutely no sound, yet somehow, I woke every single one of them. Large bodies moved, rolling over, blankets falling off. Their eyes all appeared to open at once, turning to me. It was a horrifying nightmare.
A squeak slipped past my lips. They surrounded me. There was no escape. Lysians were in front of me, behind me, at my sides. I was in the center. My ears were ringing from the pressure building in my head.
The Lysians were alert, all their deadly senses directed towards me. Dangerous eyes pinned me, and I froze, unable to move a muscle.
“You’re okay.” Erik’s voice came from behind me.
I spun around on my heels to face him. The last thing I remembered was sitting up. I hadn’t even noticed myself moving into a crouch.
Erik’s hands were out in front of him, palms open towards me. “You’re safe,” he said calmly.
There was a cough to the side, breaking a sliver of the tension building in the tent. “Seeing as everyone is up now, let’s get out and start preparing to leave.” Kole’s familiar voice addressed the Lysians surrounding me.
Erik nodded in agreement and in moments the tent was alive with movement until it was just the two of us left.
A shiver racked my body, and I sat back, taking a large breath. My hands flattened on the ground before me to keep from shaking.
“I’m sorry,” Erik said, shifting to take a cautious seat in front of me.
“You had fallen asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb your rest, so we moved you to the tent once it was ready.
It didn’t cross my mind that it may be frightening to wake in here surrounded by us.
” He seemed truly regretful, which was peculiar since he also appeared to at times enjoy my torment.