Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Voices on the Wind
An Unexpected Truth
Dravic reached Adira in long, hurried strides and dropped down beside her.
Fiora hovered near her shoulder, worry having chased away every trace of the fairy’s usual mischief.
“She hasn’t opened her eyes yet,” Fiora said. “I tried to wake her, but—”
Dravic cupped her face and gently turned it toward him. “Adira.”
She did not stir and fear tightened around his chest.
He tried again, his tone commanding. “Adira.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
Relief struck him so strongly that he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
Her eyes opened slowly, confusion filling them before they found his face.
Dravic slipped an arm around her and eased her away from the tree, drawing her against him.
Adira felt his warmth surround her and closed her eyes again, grateful for his solid strength. Her head throbbed where it had struck the tree, but that mattered little compared with the fear she had seen in his eyes.
Then she heard his heart, and she went still.
The beat was strong and rapid beneath her ear. She had rested against his chest countless times and felt the steady rhythm beneath her cheek, but she had never heard it.
She listened, fascinated by the deep, repeated thud. His heart had a sound, and it beat so fast.
Because of her?
Dravic’s hand moved over the back of her head, careful when his fingers reached the tender spot.
“You frightened me.”
His voice rumbled through his chest as much as it reached her ears.
Adira’s heart swelled, hearing that as well. Not simply his words, but something in his voice she had never known existed. The concern she had always read in his expression now had a sound of its own.
She wanted to remain there forever, listening to his heart and his voice, discovering pieces of the man she loved that had always been denied her.
Dravic eased her back enough to look at her. “How badly does your head hurt?”
She stared at him. The question was clear. She heard and understood every word, and her excitement almost betrayed her.
Dravic’s brow drew together as he touched the back of his own head and grimaced before pointing to her.
Adira understood the gesture and responded with her own. She held her thumb and finger a short distance apart.
“A little,” Dravic said, his expression easing somewhat.
Dravic drew her against him again and rested his cheek briefly against the top of her head. He needed a moment to feel her warm and alive in his arms, especially after watching life leave one of his men only moments before.
Adira welcomed his embrace, though she sensed something had happened while she was unconscious.
Men were gathered several yards away, their attention divided between Cadby and the forest. Some spoke excitedly, while others simply stared toward the trees as if expecting something to appear from them.
She lifted her head and glanced toward them.
Dravic followed her gaze. “I will explain later. Right now, we need to keep moving.”
He pointed ahead along the path and then helped her to her feet, keeping an arm firm around her when she swayed slightly. His scowl returned at once.
Adira touched his chest and smiled, assuring him she was fine.
It was obvious he did not believe her and his words confirmed it.
“You need rest and you will get it once in my arms on my horse, and there you will stay.”
She heard every word and almost smiled again. She would have known his command without hearing it. The firm set of his mouth told her there would be no arguing with him even if she had possessed a voice to do so.
Dravic kept hold of her as he called Seger over. “How many?”
“Seven men wounded. Two will need help riding.”
“And the dead?”
Seger glanced toward Cadby before looking back at him. “Not one.”
Dravic looked toward his warrior, now sitting up, appearing exceptionally well, with several men around him. He had entered enough battles to know how remarkable it was that an ambush of that size had not cost him a single warrior.
Remarkable seemed far too ordinary a word for what he had witnessed today.
“The attackers?”
“Six dead. The rest fled. I sent men after them, but not far,” Seger said. “I don’t want to tempt our luck here today and lose a man.”
“Wise decision. Get the wounded mounted. We leave as soon as they’re ready.”
Seger nodded and walked off.
Dravic’s arm remained around Adira.
Adira had heard their every word and was relieved to know there was no loss of life for any of Dravic’s warriors.
She continued to listen to the voices around her as the men prepared to leave, though she caught only pieces of what they said.
Healer reached her more than once. So did dead. And alive.
Whatever had happened while she lay unconscious had left the king’s warriors shaken in a way the battle itself had not.
Dravic lifted her onto his stallion to sit sideways, then mounted behind her. His arm immediately settled around her waist, drawing her firmly against him.
His secure hold was not necessary since Adira eagerly pressed against him.
She felt safe there in his embrace and welcomed the feel of it.
Now she had even more to welcome and to cherish: the faint sound of his breathing close to her ear, the occasional murmur when he spoke to one of his men, the deeper tone his voice took when issuing an order.
It made being held by him somehow more intimate than before.
They were well away from the site of the attack when Seger rode up beside them.
“It bothers me that they knew where to find us.”
“It bothers me more that I don’t know who they were,” Dravic said.
Adira felt his arm tighten slightly around her.
“Mercenaries?” Seger asked.
“Some, perhaps. Men who fight together that poorly generally fight for coin rather than loyalty.”
“Then someone paid them.”
“Aye,” Dravic said, the thought gnawing at him.
Seger looked toward the surrounding forest. “Someone Tharne has planted here?”
Dravic was silent long enough that Adira wondered if she had missed his answer.
“A good possibility and, if so, how many more loyal men has he managed to plant here?”
“Hunters search. They will find them, my king.”
“Hunters have never failed me. I do not expect them to start now.”
“We won’t, my king.” Seger started to ride off, then stopped. “There is something else I nearly forgot.”
“What is it, Seger?”
“Some of the men have noticed symbols carved into trees along the way. None recognize them. We thought nothing of it at first. This is Driochmor, and we assumed they were markings belonging to the people here.”
“Why mention them now?”
“Because we’re seeing more of them. At first, it was one here and there, but they have grown more frequent.”
Dravic glanced at the trees surrounding them. “What kind of symbols?”
“Several different ones. None that mean anything to us.”
“The next time one of the men spots one, have him point it out to me.”
“As you say, my king,” Seger said with a nod and rode off.
Seeing what it was like for a king was one thing, but hearing it made Adira understand even more the tremendous amount of responsibility Dravic carried on his shoulders. One decision could mean life or death for countless people. That was a far heavier burden for one person to bear.
Ernach approached. “We lost time.”
“Then we make it up tomorrow,” Dravic said. “Do you know of a safe place to camp for the night?”
“There is a place ahead where we can camp. Easily defended, with enough shelter for the wounded, so Merek told me, should it be needed.”
Dravic glanced at him. “How far?”
“We should reach it before dark.”
“Then that’s where we stop.”
Ernach nodded and rode ahead.
Dravic watched him go. Too many questions crowded his thoughts. Who had sent the men who attacked them? How had they known where to find him? And how had the exceptional healer known Cadby lay dying in a forest in Driochmor?
He looked down at Adira. She had rested her head against him, her eyes closed, though he doubted she slept.
He would keep her safe, but was that even possible here in Driochmor? An area of his own kingdom he was not as familiar with as he should be. A fault of his grandfather’s that he intended to correct.
They reached the campsite shortly before darkness settled over the forest.
Merek had been wise to inform Ernach of this place. A rocky rise protected one side while thick trees sheltered another, leaving only two approaches that would need guarding.
A sudden thought had Dravic wondering why Merek had told Ernach of this place. Had he some knowledge of the attack? Been part of it? Had he changed his mind after getting to know the king some and offered a bit of safety?
Who could he trust?
He glanced down at Adira, her soft smile no doubt pleased they were stopping for the night.
Without a doubt he could always trust her even more so now that he knew that she loved him and he certainly loved her.
The claim came so easily that it startled him, and Adira must have felt it since she hurried to glance at him.
His heart thudded in his chest, seeing the concern in her eyes. Or was it that he finally admitted to himself how he truly felt about her? And when the bloody hell had it happened?
Seger approached, leaving Dravic with no time to give it thought. Besides, this was not the time or place to even consider it.
Dravic issued orders to Seger as soon as he drew near.
Seger wasted no time in seeing the king’s orders carried out and making sure horses were tended, fires set, and the wounded tended to.
Dravic saw Adira settled by one of the campfires before he went to make sure all was set for the night and made certain the food Merek had provided was distributed to the men.
By the time he finished, darkness had settled completely and several fires burned throughout the camp.
His gaze found Adira almost immediately. She sat near one of the fires and the sight of her stirred an ache in him that had nothing to do with worry over the blow to her head.
He wanted her beside him. He wanted her beneath the blankets with him, his body wrapped around hers, where he could feel for himself that she was safe throughout the night.
“That look isn’t going to be satisfied tonight,” Fiora said, with a tinkling laugh as she flew near his face. “Not with dozens of eyes around you to see the king favors the silent woman.”
Dravic scowled. The fairy was far too perceptive.
Fiora flew closer. “Be careful. Fairies see more than most, but it will not be long before others see how much you care for Adira.” She shook her finger when Dravic went to speak.
“Don’t try to deny it. It is there in your eyes, and I imagine your heart as well.
” She grinned. “That is if you have a heart.”
“I have a heart,” he snapped without thinking.
Fiora laughed. “You admit it. You more than care for Adira.” She stopped laughing and flew near his ear as he walked. “Do not tell me you did what I think you did.” Dravic’s look told her enough, and she gasped. “You didn’t.”
“She is mine… always,” Dravic said.
“Then make it so or she will be the one to suffer,” Fiora warned and flew off, shaking her head.
Anger sparked in Dravic. He should not have to hide who he loved. Who he wanted to share his bed with.
Except Adira was not his wife and the pesky fairy was right. Until he decided what he intended to do about that, openly taking her to his blankets would expose her to whispers he would not tolerate.
His scowl deepened. For perhaps the first time in his life, being king was proving damned inconvenient.