29. The Sogumaour
The Sogumaour
Aradia
It had been four days since they last camped and Aradia’s backside had never felt so sore. She trailed in between Fintan and Rhydar only stopping to let the horses rest for a few hours before continuing their journey.
“Stop.” Aradia pulled Steele to a hard stop. “Excuse me!” She said louder, when they continued on.
“What’s the problem?” Kaiden turned from the front.
For days she stared at his back. Not that it was a bad view. She enjoyed watching his muscles shift under his tunic, or every once in a while he would rub the back of his neck and roll his shoulder back. She had learned the meaning of the movement. He was growing tired.
“It’s been days since we last camped and while you are all used to living in a saddle, I am not,” Aradia said. Her comment was met with silence but she did not miss the quick glances at Kaiden from the group. “Your highness?”
She tucked away the smug feeling of Kaiden’s discomfort when his eyes narrowed by her formality. That alone was the only reason why she was adamant on calling him by his title.
He looked around.
The leaves rustled in the trees. The forest around them shone with light. Nightfall was still hours away. If Kaiden decided to stop, it would be solely for her. He rubbed the back of his neck.
Perhaps it would also be for him.
“We’ll camp here tonight,” he said.
Aradia practically sagged with relief.
“We’re a day behind,” Fintan said.
“At this rate, we’re lucky to make it to Randale before the first snow.” Cahira’s sarcasm was clear.
Aradia seemed to notice the two were always quick to argue or second guess Kaiden’s actions. As his closest confidants, she assumed they had earned the right.
“We’ll camp here tonight,” Kaiden bit out, leaving no room for questions.
Cahira turned with a click. Her large horse dwarfed Steele in size and she sat proudly on it as she neared Aradia.
“Alright Damali,” she said, “you win.”
Aradia nodded, holding her breath until she passed.
Jasper and Fintan followed behind her.
“Don’t worry lass,” Rhydar said quietly with a smile. “She means well.”
“Does she?” Aradia practically grimaced at the thought but offered Rhydar a smile.
“Of course, ya know, between the two of us” — Rhydar leaned closer — “she likes ya.”
Aradia hid her smile as Rhydar winked.
Rhydar dismounted with a groan and followed Cahira and the others who had already begun to set up one of their large tents. Kaiden’s horse pulled closer and her heart quickened at his nearness.
“How much longer until we reach Randale?” She asked quietly, feeling the need to fill the silence between them.
“Too long.” His deep voice warmed her stomach.
“You said two weeks, but Cahira said we’re behind?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you okay with us stopping then?”
“You tell me.”
Aradia held in her surprise. So many questions bounced in her mind but she was careful which ones she voiced.
Kaiden hadn’t said a single word to her since they had broken camp after their first night.
She was thoroughly exhausted and had been praying to Eos no vision would plague her in their company. So far, Eos had heard her.
“It’s not just me who needs the rest,” she said.
Kaiden dismounted his large midnight horse. He walked around Steele who shook his mane at him. Even her horse was unnerved by the pair.
“What makes you say that?” He asked.
“Because it’s the truth. I’ve been watching and you’re growing tired.”
Kaiden’s eyes squinted. The same cocky grin he had worn when they met lifted his lips. “You’ve been watching me?”
“I meant —” Aradia’s cheeks burned and she was thankful the deep color of her skin hid any discoloring. “You all need the rest. I have nothing to do but watch you anyway.” She wanted to kick herself. What was she saying? She watches them all?
How creepy Aradia, nice one!
“I’m glad I’m in the presence of one so observant. It bodes well for the future.” Kaiden’s eyes pierced her soul, rendering her speechless.
“I-I-”
The cocky grin widened. “What other things have you noticed?”
“Nothing.” Aradia cleared her throat and broke eye contact.
Kaiden sidestepped Steele and stood at his flank directly beside her.
His hand gripped her ankle and he turned it ever so gently into the holster, straightening her foot.
Her skin burned at his touch through her boots.
What the depths was wrong with her? Atop her horse, Aradia’s gaze was limited to the crown of his head which reached her thigh.
Yet when he looked up, she inwardly marveled at how it still seemed as if he was the one in control even as she scowled down at him.
“Be careful how deep you look Aradia. You might not like what you see.”
Aradia scoffed. “You show me your daemons and I’ll show you mine.”
Kaiden chuckled. A low rumbling sound from his chest, making her body tighten at the sound. He leaned forward, close enough to see the silver lining the blue of his eyes. His lips pulled back, showing a row of perfect teeth.
“You wouldn’t be able to handle my daemons, lumin?. But I look forward to unveiling yours.” His words skittered over her skin, raising the hair on her arms.
Lumin?. Little light.
The use of the ancient tongue of the gods set her stomach in somersaults.
He had spoken in the old Arkanieth language.
Little light. Her mother had been the only one to use the meaning of her name.
Aradia swallowed the uncertain feeling that if she opened her mouth all her secrets would indeed tumble forward.
She had no idea what spell the prince had cast on her but a part of her yearned to talk to someone — to him.
She shook herself. Kaiden wasn’t her friend.
“We should help the others.” She swung her leg over her saddle, ending the conversation.
A slight curse slipped from her lips as her foot caught on the stirrup and she lost balance.
She closed her eyes, expecting to hit the ground but a short huff of warm breath stirred the hair behind her ear as her back slammed into Kaiden’s chest. His hands encompassed her waist, pulling her out of the embarrassing entanglement.
“I’m sorry. I’m a much better rider, I swear.” Her words rushed from her lips. The feeling of Kaiden’s touch embedded in her mind and on her skin.
Kaiden chuckled. The low vibration in his chest traveled into her back and wrapped around her core. He placed her on the ground and she quickly put space between them.
“It’s tricky dismounting, but I have no doubt you know how to ride.” He smiled but the devilish twinkle in his eyes left her wondering if they were still talking about the horse.
Her cheeks warmed and she looked down, thankful he walked away, leaving her to wallow in her embarrassment alone.
Rhydar’s clear whistle filled the air as they worked together in a comfortable routine, proving they had done this hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Aradia watched them pull the entire camp together as she struggled with her tent. She tried not to show how little experience she had.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind her and she turned with a grimace.
“Let me help,” Fintan said.
“Thank you, this one doesn’t seem to want to stay in the ground,” she said, struggling with a stake.
Fintan grunted. “It happens to the best of us.” He leaned down, shoulder to shoulder.
Aradia offered a smile, showcasing half the bravado she felt. Fintan’s eyes were like liquid gold. She had never seen eyes such as his and was more than mesmerized.
Fintan chuckled. “They’re a family trait.”
“What?”
He tapped his eyelid. “You were staring.”
Aradia blushed and cleared her throat.
“Your whole family has golden eyes?”
“Just the highborn,” Fintan shifted his full weight onto the stake and it gave immediately into the ground.
“Does it signify anything other than your status?” She asked.
Fintan smiled and Aradia decided she might actually like him as a person and not the monster she believed them all to be. “Of course. The more golden your eyes, the more magic courses through your blood.”
Fintan’s eyes practically glowed as the sun began its descent.
“You must be pretty powerful,” she said.
Fintan shrugged as if he’d heard her words all his life.
“I mean you are part of a rather … impressive inner circle. I’m sure each one of you can hold your own but together …” She let her voice trail off. No doubt he had also heard this his whole life. It would do no good fawning over him.
Fintan tied the flap of the tent together to keep it open. He sighed, tilting his head in question. It was Aradia’s turn to shrug her shoulders.
“I’ve heard stories.”
He turned, crossing his arms, and looked out at the campsite. Cahira, Rhydar, and Jasper sat near the fire. A row of meat on a stick roasted on the open fire. Steady drops of fat popped and sizzled as it dripped. The aroma filled the air, making her stomach growl.
Rhydar looked happy as he joked with Cahira who laughed. The action caught Aradia by surprise. It was a carefree laugh. One that trickled around the fire. The edges of her eyes crinkled in laugh lines, reminding her of when they first met.
Jasper sat balancing a dagger on his knee. He stayed quiet but his face was relaxed. Aradia supposed it was as close to a smile as he allowed himself to have. She had no idea where Kaiden had wandered off to but was almost ashamed she had found herself wanting to know.
“There’s many stories about us.” Fintan’s tenor voice was warm as he looked out at what Aradia knew was probably closer to him than his own family.
“There’s things we’ve done we are not proud of.
Mistakes and decisions which will haunt us for the rest of our lives and we have to live with it.
We must atone for the sins of our past and choose to do better — to be better. ”
His words chilled Aradia and she found herself, to her surprise, almost admiring the man standing next to her. Still, she kept her emotions at bay.
“That’s a pretty speech.”