24. Chapter 24
The air was full of the soft silence that could only be found in winter the next morning, the snow of the blizzard muffling all sound.
I opened my eyes to find Malik still lying on the bed next to me, the pair of us having fallen asleep after talking late into the night while the blizzard raged on outside.
He was a respectable distance away, yet his hand had still found its way to my waist at some point in the night, as if he couldn’t bear to not be connected to me in some way.
The fireplace crackled, telling me that the storm must have calmed down enough for someone to have been inside the tent to rekindle the flames and seen us this way.
I tried not to feel embarrassed, not that it mattered. The camp already thought me his bed companion, the reputation of the title preceding me.
I attempted to move from the bed slowly, not wanting to disturb Malik, for if anything had revealed itself to me during my time in this camp, it was that he was more exhausted than he let on, always focused on taking care of me, while ignoring his own needs.
But my efforts were all for naught, as the moment the bed dipped beneath my weight, Malik squeezed my hip, anchoring me before I could leave.
"Please tell me there is still a blizzard outside," he grumbled.
"I'm afraid not," I answered quietly, laughing softly as Malik groaned.
He sat up then, his hair still tousled, sleep still evident on his face, making him look more like a young boy than a man.
"Then we have to get up," he sighed. "My men will be here soon to discuss our next move. Stay, and help us plan."
I nodded, and we moved about the room with a renewed kind of familiarity as we readied for the day.
Malik made a point of bringing a second chair to the head of the smaller planning table that resided in his tent, gesturing for me to sit next to him.
I did so, feeling a great weight of consideration and relief that after everything Malik still wanted me by his side.
It wasn't long before Malik's men were entering the tent with renewed fervor, finding their seats around the table.
None of them commented on my sitting next to Malik, and for that I was grateful, and hopeful that the lack of acknowledgement was because of their neutrality, not because of their disdain.
There was much to be done before we continued our journey.
The coordination of the movement to Rida was no small feat, and I couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt for involving them.
I had told Malik what the Mother had told me after I left his planning tent, that she had given me a drop of her Divinity and that I was the only one who could save Rida.
I told him that maybe just he and I should continue forward, that it would be safer that way, but Malik insisted we needed the extra men behind us, just in case, to protect me more than anything.
Still, these men had no stake in the rift between the Mother Blessed and the mainland men, only loyalty to Malik, and determination to follow wherever he led them.
And because Malik said so, they sat there for hours as paths were carved, groups were formed, and plans were made before we marched out.
"There is one thing," said one of the sergeants—Kain, I came to learn. "On rounds this morning we saw some of the mainland men coming through the strait. They are right behind us. If we are to leave, they will be on our trail. What do you suggest we do?"
A tension soared through me at his words, the fear in my body returning at the memory of the mainland men trailing us, the forest alight from their torches.
I had feared that our delay had cost us, that our hopes of beating the mainland men to Rida were no longer viable.
Now, I could only hope that we had not come all this way for nothing.
Everyone looked to Malik for answers, something that I could see that he enjoyed greatly but weighed on him, the responsibility of all these men heavy on his shoulders.
"I don't know Wellea as I once did. Allyra, what do you think?" he asked.
While Malik's men had been courteous towards my presence in the tent, it was at the sound of my name that all their heads snapped up, their kind gazes turning to ones of thinly veiled, suspicious interest.
I tensed at the attention, at my name slipping so easily from Malik's lips.
Something about the sound of my name piqued the interest of his men, for their looks gave me that same crumbling feeling I had in the dream in the temple.
One of hopelessness and strife, of judgement being passed without even being given a chance.
I knew I had to prove myself, to show that my presence here was of value, and that I was not just a consort of Malik's.
"With the number of people we have, it will be best if we cross into the plains, and then back over the river when we get to Hythe.
The mainland men won't know to cross the river, and it'll give us a barrier if they do catch up to us.
We just need to get to Rida, and then . .
." I looked at the men, steadying myself.
In truth, I did not know what to expect when we got to Rida, and I did not know how to prepare them for what we may find.
"We will assess the situation when we get there," Malik said. "But it's a good plan. The plains are rarely traveled, and the river is wide enough further south to make crossing not worth the effort. Good thinking."
My lips wavered in a small smile at Malik’s praise, satisfied that I was able to contribute. But I was unable to bask in it, as I felt the stares of his men around the table, their attention too much for me in that moment.
One in particular sent a panic in my gut. Kain looked at me with disdain, like I personally was the reason for him losing his home, for him now being condemned to this foreign land.
"Thank you, gentlemen," Malik said. "You may see yourselves out when you are done discussing the plans for your groups. We will reconvene tomorrow before we leave."
Malik's men nodded, all standing from the table in unison, their gazes continuing to flick towards me as they moved to the back of the room, their heads bent together in close discussion.
I made my way about the room as they talked, tidying up the few things of Malik's that I had come to claim as mine.
"So, you are familiar with Wellea?" one of the men asked as I passed by.
I paused, weary of the question but deciding to respond in kind, knowing that if they had any ill will towards me, that I could stand up to them, and that Malik would be at my side if I did so. "Yes, I've lived here my whole life," I said.
The man smiled tightly. "We are lucky to have you as a guide, then."
I froze at the sound of my title as a Mother Blessed, knowing it must be a coincidence. There was no way Malik's men knew I was a Mother Blessed, nevertheless I was more connected with Yllsora than others. They were just grateful for my knowledge of Wellea, that was all.
I nodded to the man, continuing around the tent as they left, and dropping onto the edge of the bed when the tent finally closed, leaving Malik and I alone once more.
"It will be okay. We will be at Rida soon enough," Malik said to me, seeing the stress on my face.
I nodded again, relieved to continue moving yet wary of the company who would be joining us. I couldn't shake the look Malik's men had given me, or what they had said before they left.
"We can trust them?" I asked, glancing over to the opening of the tent.
"My men are loyal to me and they know how much Wellea means to me. They followed me all the way here, after all. They want Wellea to survive just as much as I do."
I nodded, yet something still felt wrong.
Malik must have read the worry on my face, for he said,
"I saw the look Kain gave you. Don't worry about him. He has always been fiercely protective of his men. Seeing his home get destroyed was a shock, not to mention how hard the adjustment to Wellea has been, so he's a little on edge."
"Maybe I should continue on my own," I pondered aloud. "I don't need to drag your men into this when they've already been through so much."
Malik shot me a look. "We both know that I won't let you do that."
I conceded, but still, that unshakable feeling that there was something we both were missing about the truth of Malik's men and their loyalty to him nagged at me.
"What's wrong?" Malik asked in the wake of my silence. "Have you changed your mind about our plan?"
"No, no, not at all," I said, "It's just. .
. the other day, while you were meeting with your men, when I went to the trees and finally heard the Mother again, I think someone saw me.
Someone who does not have the best intentions for someone like me.
Whether it be the mainland men, or someone from this camp, I'm not sure.
But I could feel them watching me, and the Mother could too. "
Malik looked at me hard, as if he himself was considering the loyalty of his own men. I never wanted to plant that seed of doubt in him, but there was reason to be cautious, whether he wanted to see it or not.
"Are you sure I'm safe here?" I asked, looking up at him. "With these men?"
His expression softened at the vulnerability in my voice. He reached for me, twining our hands together.
"As long as you are by my side, whether it be from my men or someone else, nothing bad will come of you. I can promise you that."