18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“On my own? What do you mean?” Alena gripped Leukos’ bare arm, tugging him back. “We need to stick together. Whichever direction we head in, there’ll be more slavers and brigands along the way. Travelling alone is dangerous. We have more chances if we stick together.”
His gaze narrowed on her hand, which was still resting on his arm. “If we stick together, you’ll be in even greater danger. You don’t know who I am or the enemies that are after me. Believe me when I say that you’ll be safer without me.”
She ignored the warning in his voice and stared him right in the eye. “If you are truly Leukos, son of Antigenes, Silver Shield to the late King Pandion, then I trust you to be a man of your word and to keep the promise you made to my sister. You may have enemies, as you say, but you can fight. Sticking with you is my best chance of survival. I’m not from this land or any Rasennan province, and without you, I’ll never save my sister, let alone find my way to Bruna.”
Leukos bristled, and she almost grinned at the storm of conflicting emotions cracking through his stoic expression. However, her victory was short-lived when he grabbed her by the arms.
Panic shot through her like an arrow. She should have held her tongue. They found themselves alone in the fading sunlight, nestled between the gurgling river and a meadow dotted with vibrant wildflowers.
She was at his mercy.
“By the Achaean Twelve, I am a man of my word, Alena.” Leukos’ dark eyes burned like smouldering embers, sending shivers down her spine. She recoiled, but he pulled her closer, his breath hot on her face. “I’ll travel with you if that’s what you wish, but as you mentioned, you aren’t from these lands or familiar with the Empire, so let me make everything perfectly clear for you. I am the son of a Silver Shield, and my kingdom is now in the hands of Rasenna.” His deep voice punctuated every word. “A handful of Megarians, myself included, are in hiding, refusing to submit to Rasennan rule. The Emperor, Caius Tarquinius, isn’t too fond of us, as you can imagine. He’s sent his best soldiers to track and kill us all. That’s how I got separated from my friends and imprisoned by Kurush and his men. Better to be caught and sold as a slave than captured by the Blood Wolf.”
Alena blinked, trying to take in all the information he was throwing at her. “The Blood Wolf?”
“The Twelve spare me!” He released her, running a hand over the back of his neck. “The best tracker in the Rasennan army? The one who made a sacrifice to the Huntress and received the senses of a wolf?”
“The Huntress only Gifts women, specifically the Amazons,” Alena quipped, remembering the little knowledge she had of the Achaean goddess.
Leukos paused, and a wry smile appeared on his lips. “Looks like you’re not so clueless, after all. In the Blood Wolf’s case, it seems she made an exception. He’s been tracking me halfway across the Empire for months now, and he never stops. One day, he’ll find me and he’ll kill anyone who’s in his way.”
Alena searched his gaze for any hint of deceit and found none. She gave a weary sigh. “Fine. If I understand correctly, you’re rebelling against the Empire and travelling with you will put me in danger. But that still doesn’t change the vow you gave to my sister. I’d rather stay with you than try to find Bruna by myself. And if this so-called Blood Wolf is truly after you, then that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
His mouth flattened into a hard line, clearly unprepared for her resistance. “Fine. But don’t expect me to save you when his wolves tear you apart.”
He brushed past her, and Alena suppressed the urge to click her tongue.
Insufferable man!
She followed him, half-jogging to match his long strides.
“You’re set on Bruna, then?” A subtle edge crept into his voice. “Think you have a chance of saving your sister?”
She gritted her teeth. “I will save my sister. She’s all I have. Besides, I promised her, didn’t I? I refuse to go on and live my life while she remains a slave. I’ll save her. I have to, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
His gaze lingered on her face as if reconsidering her, and a flush of warmth surged to her cheeks.
Clearing her throat, she turned her attention to the river, and Leukos slowed his pace to match hers. They walked in silence, with only the rustle of the reeds and the birdsongs as their companions.
“What about you?” she asked when they stopped for water. “Where were you headed before being captured as a slave? I suppose Bruna wasn’t in your plans, but—”
“The city works in my favour. Once we reach it, I’ll send word to my friends.”
She paused, half-crouched in the water. He hadn’t answered her first question. “Rebel friends?”
“Perhaps.” Leukos’ expression betrayed nothing. He didn’t seem willing to share any more with her. He might have saved her life, but there was little trust between them.
By late afternoon, they spotted a couple of fishing boats but no village yet. An old cart splintered down the middle, had been left on the path. Further on, a wooden bridge crossed the river at its narrowest point.
On either side of the bridge sat two stone altars, each depicting a naked youth with a fierce-looking helmet wielding a spear. Neither altar contained any fresh offerings.
“Laran, the Rasennan god of war. The Emperor’s patron god.” Leukos brushed his fingers against an inscription carved in the limestone. “This is the start of a trading route leading all the way to Kisra, the capital.”
Kisra, the centre of the world, Alena’s father had often said. The largest city of trade, culture, and learning that attracted people from all over the Empire hoping to make their fortune.
She wanted nothing more than to witness it herself someday. “How far is it to Kisra?”
“On foot, it would take us weeks.”
Alena failed to hide her disappointment, and Leukos’ brow lowered. “Kisra is filled with beggars and slaves, or so I’ve been told. It pales in comparison to Megara.”
Though he might be speaking the truth, his condescending tone rubbed her the wrong way. She bit her tongue and headed for the bridge.
“No, we’ll follow the northern path to Bruna.” He nodded at the beaten path ahead. “Best not to travel through Rasennan territory unless we have to, or we might encounter legion patrols.”
With the path fading into obscurity, they veered off into the woods, settling inside a grove of trees. The bushes and ferns surrounding the trunks provided the perfect cover for the night.
Seated around a small fire, they chewed berries and roots collected along the way. Alena’s stomach grumbled while she ate, but she ignored it. With any luck, they would catch some fish in the morning.
In the flickering light of the campfire, Leukos’ dark eyes gleamed like a starry night. “You haven’t told me where you’re from yet. Who do you pray to?”
Alena repeated the lie she’d practised with Katell. “My sister and I came from the lands bordering the Deep River. Our family didn’t pray to any gods.”
His brow furrowed. “Your sister is Gifted. If your family doesn’t pray to a deity, then did someone else make the pact?”
Had their father formed a pact in secret on Katell’s behalf? Alena had never seen him pray, and he’d seldom spoken of the gods. Then again, it might have been another one of his secrets.
She shrugged. “Perhaps.”
Leukos leaned back against a fallen log, his unreadable gaze fixed on her. “You don’t know which god Gifted her.”
Stars be damned! How did he always seem to see right through her?
She bit her lower lip, then released a breath. “No, we don’t.” If they were to be allies moving forward, she might as well start trusting him with some truths. “And our father died before we could ask him about it. That’s why we were headed to Megara. To get some answers.”
“What about your mother? Was she Gifted?”
It was a possibility Alena hadn’t thought of. “I never knew my mother, but she may have been.”
“I’m familiar with all the noble Achaean families and the gods that protect them. There aren’t many left any more. If your parents were Achaeans—or better yet, Megarians—I can help you find them.”
His offer seemed sincere. Despite his aloof behaviour, he’d exhibited a surprising amount of kindness since they’d met. For a moment, she debated whether to show him her father’s dagger or the gold necklace hidden inside her bag but thought better of it.
They hadn’t reached that level of trust yet.
“Actually, our father was Achaean, but our mother was from the Western tribes.”
His head jerked up. “The Western tribes? Are you certain?”
She blinked at him. “Yes, why?”
“It’s rather odd, that’s all.” He tossed a handful of dry twigs into the fire, watching the flames grow and crackle in delight. “Rasenna and many of its provinces separate Achaea from the Western territories. Despite the trade routes and treaties between our kings and their chiefs, few unions have ever taken place between our people.”
“Achaea has a long history of allying itself with the Western tribes, the northern territories, and even the Parthian tribes in times of war.” She’d read enough scrolls about past alliances during those dark winter days when both Katell and their father were out hunting to prove her point. “The Rebel Queen had many Achaeans at her side. When the Achaean League sent an envoy of warriors to help her rebellion, many of those men may have chosen to settle down in the West and start a family. The Rebel Queen even took an Achaean hero, Kallinos, as her lover. Not to mention traders. They often meet their wives in a land different from their own while sailing the Great Sea—”
Leukos scoffed softly, sprawling one arm across the log. “No self-respecting Megarian daughter would marry a foreign tradesman, no matter his wealth.”
She flinched, not liking the way he dismissed her facts, then released a sharp breath. “That just shows how little you understand.”
“About what?”
“About love.”
“Love?” The corner of his mouth rose. He was toying with her.
“Yes, why? Is it such an unfamiliar concept in Megara? Surely, I don’t need to remind the son of a Silver Shield that King Pandion married a foreign queen out of love despite her northern heritage.”
Her words wiped the smirk off his face, and she bit back a smile.
“I’ve never met a girl who speaks her mind as brazenly as you do.” By his tone, he didn’t mean it as a compliment. “Girls like you either have a noble family or fighting skills to protect them, and you have none.”
“I have knowledge,” she countered, her tone unwavering. “I can read and write and think on my own. Our father wanted more for his daughters, so he taught us everything he could.”
Leukos cocked his head to the side, resembling a predator teasing its prey. “And yet, your sister is a formidable warrior.”
“And I’m a formidable healer.”
His mouth twitched. “Of course, you are. Well, let us hope the art of healing will be the skill required to rescue your sister.”
Her face warmed at his mocking words.
Leukos grabbed his bronze dagger and stood, brushing bits of grass from his cloak. “Enough talk. You should get some sleep. I’ll take first watch.”
He disappeared into the night, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Her gaze dropped to the moss and herbs bundled next to her boots, and she swallowed hard. It was one thing when she berated herself for being weak and not spending more time training with a sword, but quite another when a stranger pointed it out to her face.
Nonetheless, her blood boiled at how he’d disregarded her healing skills.
“We’ll see who’s laughing when you require my help,” she whispered after him into the night.