By Force (19 page)

“His oracle saw a change in our course and he demanded that I detain the lot of you and steer a direct course to King’s Wharf. He is naturally concerned that his special guest will not be arriving as soon as he had expected.”

I gulped. Detain us? The men stiffened and their hands seemed to lower to the hilts of their swords.

“And what do you intend on doing about this?” Nole asked through gritted teeth.

“I haven’t decided yet.” He folded his hands across his lap and stared at me. “They were taking you to the king?”

I nodded.

“Leave her alone, Dego. If you want answers, you talk to us. Don’t intimidate her just because you can.” Remmie stood over him.

“You never said anything about the king expecting her when I agreed to your transport. What does he want with her?”

“It’s not your concern!” Nole clenched and unclenched his jaw, glaring daggers at the captain.

“Well, apparently it is. Who do you think will bear the brunt of your treachery if I don’t deliver you all?” He snorted and punched at his desk. “You know I can’t stand that smug bastard and now he’s giving me orders!” Dego shouted loud enough to rival the knocking waves. “Tell me what’s going on before you damn me and my crew. How dare you bring me into this, Nole!”

“Calm down. You’re right. You have a right to know. For the sake of your crew.”

“The hell he does,” Otis rebuffed. His hand curled around the hilt of his sword. I had seen these movements before. I knew someone was about to get hurt. I had to stop them.

“He won’t turn us over. He’s Nole’s brother,” I said.

The men stared at their leader. Oh dear. They didn’t know.

A long sigh escaped the handsome blond’s lips. His men, truly dumbfounded, let the issue rest.

Nole explained our situation to his brother and how we intended to deal with it. He did edit some of the details, especially those pertaining to our visit to Faemell. I wondered at his reasoning. Did he not trust his brother entirely, or did he mean to protect him?

“They kidnapped you and you behave as if they are your family?” Dego’s face scrunched up as he shook his head. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“In the beginning, yes, but now I’m here because I choose to be.”

“Lady, I don’t know if you’re crazy or stupid.” He shook his head again.

“I care for them,” I said softly, to justify my odd relationship with them.

It was not a conventional relationship, yet it was very meaningful to me, regardless of how it had come about. I had to admit my experience with the gypsy made me consider that I might be more than just an ordinary human. I wanted to be more. I wanted to be special, magical. I clung to the idea that my life might not have to be the way my father had planned it. Maybe I was meant for something more.

A knock sounded at the door and Dego spun to face it. “What!”

“We need you on the upper decks, sir.” Dego’s first mate looked deadly serious.

“Nobody leaves,” he roared. I wondered where he thought we were going to run. We hadn’t seen land in ages. I’d almost forgotten what it looked like.

He slammed the door behind him, and the adjacent walls shook from the force.

“We have to get off the ship. I can’t let him and his crew suffer because of me,” I said.

“I’ve known Dego since I was a kid,” Remmie said. “He hates King Knolen and he is fond of you. He’ll help us. He just wanted to know what we’re up against before he took our side.”

Nole nodded.

“Why did you not tell him the whole story?” I asked.

Nole just looked at me and offered no reply. He had his reasons. He knew his brother much better than I ever would so I didn’t persist.

Dego stormed in and sat behind his desk. Veins on his forehead pulsated as he glared at my savage friends one at a time, each refusing to look away.

“Listen. I am beyond angry that you’ve involved me in your troubles. I should have known better when I saw you with the girl. But that’s beside the point,” he said with a wave of his hand. “My ship, my livelihood, and my men are all gone if I help you.” He grabbed a bottle of rum from his drawer and filled the mug on his desk. “Does the king know what she looks like?”

“No,” said Nole, shaking his head. “He only knows her family name and that she is young with green eyes and brown hair.”

“None of you can go home now. He knows you’ve disobeyed him and he’ll send his dogs to hunt you down. She isn’t safe with you.” He guzzled his rum. A puff of air escaped his lips as he pounded his chest with a closed fist. “Let her stay here disguised as one of my crew and you can take refuge in Faemell. Still look for whatever you seek because we both know you’re not being honest with me.” Another swig. “I will tell them that when I approached you, you agreed to come quietly and you stole one of my boats and escaped while I slept. The crew likes her. Respects her. They will protect her. She can easily be hidden here if need be.”

They all looked at me for a response. I had none. Before I met them, I was so used to doing what was expected of me that I hardly knew what to do when faced with a decision.

“Faemell is dangerous for a human girl,” Roland said.

Remmie leaned over, his elbows on his knees, staring at his fidgeting fingers. I needed to see his eyes. I would find the answer there. I walked over and knelt in front of him, gently covering my hands over his.

“Remmie, what do you think?”

“Stay. We’ll get the answers we need.”

I sighed quietly as my heart sank in my chest. It felt as if it had splintered into two jagged pieces. I wanted him to fight to keep me close. Was it easy for him to leave me? I knew the pain I felt now wouldn’t compare to the pain I would feel when he and the others left me behind. Would he feel the pain as acutely as I would?’

With a bowed head, I rose to my feet and nodded at Dego, unable to manage a yes as I thought about being separated from my savages. My time with these men was abruptly coming to a close.

Chapter Eighteen

Everything happened so fast.

The savages decided they would leave immediately. Once in Faemell, they would continue looking for more answers about who I was and how I came to live in Copaxa. I would return to Optavia with the crew where I would pretend to be a young male sailor until my savage friends came for me.

The men’s families would be warned and told to escape to Faemell though they were sure their families would not leave Optavia. Daentarry weren’t cowards, and I knew that once my companions gained the information we needed that they would return home as well. Although this saddened me, I knew I could not change who they were, nor did I want to.

As the men headed to the upper decks with their satchels and weapons I pulled Remmie aside. We went to my room where I closed the door behind us. With my back against the door, I stared at Remmie. I might not ever see him again, and that wasn’t OK. I couldn’t bear the thought. I felt as if the Clawback once again closed its razor-clawed fingers around me.

“This might be the last time I see you,” I told him.

He nodded but refused to look at me. I wanted him to tell me to come with him, but also to tell me to go. I couldn’t have a life with him no matter how much I wanted one. My family would never accept him and we were from such different worlds. I wasn’t convinced I would fit into his. Though I was willing to try. In my head I imagined traveling the islands with him and the others, fighting evil and saving people. But it wasn’t reality. The life he knew and seemed to appreciate was over—and so was mine. Remmie and I didn’t make sense. But this didn’t mean I loved him any less. In fact, I think it made me ache for him even more.

I walked toward him, one slow step at a time. I stood on the tips of my toes when I reached him and pressed my hands to his cheeks. “Tell me we’ll meet again.”

He closed his eyes. “We’ll meet again.”

I pulled him closer so his breath washed over me. “Tell me again and mean it.”

He lifted his gaze and pressed his lips to mine, so hard I wondered if I would bruise. It was desperate and wholehearted and I never wanted him to stop. So when he pulled away I couldn’t help but tell him three simple words.

“I love you.”

Instead of returning those words he lifted a hand to caress my face and kissed me on my forehead. “If only that were enough,” he whispered.

Remmie pushed away and walked through the door, leaving my hopes lying on the wooden floor. I’d put my heart on the line and he made his feelings known. Whether he loved me or not was irrelevant. It wasn’t enough. Like him, I knew it. I just didn’t want to admit to it.

I made my way to the upper decks. The men stood at the edge of the ship by the ladder. I would say good-bye, maybe for the last time depending on how the next few weeks unraveled. I wouldn’t let myself cry. My face burned, and tears clung to my lashes. I steeled myself and blinked hard and fast, refusing to give in.

“With the four of you, it’ll take you a good four to five hours of straight rowing to get there,” said Dego. “Head southwest, toward the Oxnos star and you should be there before morning, if you don’t stop.” Dego shook each of my savage friends’ hands and half hugged his brother.

With a loud creak, the rowboat was lowered over the side of the ship. There was a small splash on touch down, then a rope ladder was pitched. My friends climbed over the edge and lowered themselves to the gently rocking boat below. Otis, then Nole, Roland, and with hesitation, Remmie.

I wanted Remmie to reach for me and ask me to come with them, but he didn’t. I wanted him to tell me he would miss me like I knew I would most certainly miss him, but he didn’t do that either. He refused to look at me. Instead, he looked down at the water, his jaw flexing as he ground his teeth.

I hugged my chest as he slowly lowered from view. My stomach ached as if I’d swallowed a fistful of knifes. It hurt to breathe; it hurt to swallow. It hurt everywhere. I wanted to curl into a ball until the pain died. The wind blew and tossed my hair about my face and shoulders. I was grateful for it. It shielded my devastated face.

Dego sympathetically rubbed small circles into my back. “It’s for the best. Faemell is too dangerous, and if the King and his men attempt to find them there you will be safe here on this ship. This way you might live.”

My whole body trembled as I tried to work through the pain in my chest.

“You care a great deal for him.”

I held my hand over my heart and sighed. “I care for all of them.”

“Remmie more than the others,” he speculated. “You have to understand that we are protecting you both from the king and from Remmie.”

I sniffled again. Wait. His words snapped me back to life. “What did you say?”

He repeated his words.

“Why would I need protection from Remmie? He’s done nothing but protect me since I met him.”

“By kidnapping you?” Dego scoffed. “Remmie and I know each other very well. He will only hurt you in the end. It’s the reason he agreed to leave without you.”

“I don’t understand. I thought this was all about the king. Not about him. Never about him.”

Dego lightly gripped my shoulders and turned me so we stood face-to-face. He meant well, but that didn’t mean I wanted or liked the words he offered me.

“As a consequence of being warrior guards, the only life they know involves constant wandering. It’ll be worse now they’ve gone against the king. That is no life for a human woman. He will never be able to settle down. He will only cause you pain.”

No. I couldn’t believe that, and I wouldn’t let him leave me because he felt I was better off without him. I’d only started living—really living—the moment that I met him.

“Dego, I’m sorry, but I have to go.” I lifted myself up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on his cheek before smiling widely.

He crooked an eyebrow and shook his head.

“I’ll miss you all,” I said to the crew before I ran for the side of ship and leaped into the water. Shocked by the freezing water, my body began to seize up. I gasped for air as my head broke the surface. The salt in the water stung me eyes like a million tiny knives. I was so cold I thought my limbs might freeze and snap off but I didn’t care. I had to swim to Remmie as fast as I could.

The ship’s whistle blasted three times to gain the attention of my friends, which was needed. As I bounced in the waves, I could barely see them in the distance.

Dego leaned over the side and smiled widely. “He doesn’t deserve you!”

Even if he didn’t it wouldn’t have mattered. The heart wants what it wants. And my heart belonged to Remmie. For better or for worse.

End of Book One

~ About the Author ~

Sara Hubbard is the author of young adult books. Her debut novel BLOOD, SHE READ released fall 2012 and was a NEORWA Cleveland Rocks winner and a RCRW Duel on the Delta finalist.

Sara was born in Australia to British parents, but has lived in Nova Scotia for the majority of her life. In addition to being an author, Sara is a wife, a mother, and a registered nurse with the military.

Discover more about Sara Hubbard

http://www.sarahubbardbooks.com

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~ More Fantasy from Etopia Press ~