In the Palace of Lazar (13 page)

When his breathing steadied, he gestured to the horses. "We can ride now. We will get out of the desert quicker and maybe find Casen before more Jaden soldiers come."

Briar nodded and slipped her hand into his, heading for the horses. Donte helped her up onto one horse and he pulled himself onto the other. He fiddled with the pockets of the makeshift saddles, eventually finding small pouches of food.

"Open the pockets of the saddle," he said eagerly. "There may be food, water, and a few weapons, as there is in mine."

Briar did as he said and pulled out a few bags of dried fruit, just like what Donte had. She searched a bit more and found a few small knives, as well as canisters of clean water. Before she could stop herself, she downed one canister, letting the cool water hydrate her dry, cracked mouth and lips. With the little she had left, she spread it across her face and neck.

After, she turned to see Donte doing the same thing. They both grinned and shared a bag of dried fruit, knowing there was much more in the saddle pockets.

"We will definitely be able to cover some ground with these horses, and now our supplies have been replenished," Donte said cheerfully.

Briar stroked her hand down the mane of her horse. She had never ridden before and had only seen a live one a few times in her life, but she was confident she would manage.

As the sun started to peek over the horizon, they rode off.

Donte and Briar rode through the day, finding it a lot quicker than walking. With the horses they were able to cover at least three times the distance than if they had walked.

Finally, they came to a stop when the sun started to set and let the horses rest. Briar, despite not having to do anything physical, felt worn out and exhausted. Even Donte offered a yawn as he slid off his horse.

"I feel like we're not going to be able to find Casen," Briar muttered as she rummaged through the pockets on the saddle. "We're going to run out of supplies sooner or later."

Donte nodded. "We will reach it. And with the horses, we will be able to reach it quicker. Everything will be fine. Do not lose faith."

Briar shrugged her shoulders tiredly and sat down on the sand. "I hope so. If we don't find one soon, I'm afraid we'll die." She hated to say the words, but couldn't resist saying them. Her spirits were as beaten as her body.

"We will reach it," Donte repeated stonily. He sat down next to her and held out his arms.

Briar smiled a little to herself as she snuggled against his broad chest and watched the desert fade before her eyes as the sun sank below the horizon. Soon she was no longer able to see anything, even things inches from her face.

She heard the horses breathe heavily as they settled down for rest, and the wind rustling sand back and forth. No snakes, no warrior attacks. Just pure darkness.

The light of early morning woke Briar, and she found herself cuddled closely to Donte, her head resting on his chest. His arm was around her, holding her close to him.

Without waking him, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The horses were still there where they had left them. Nothing had changed about the desert.

Donte yawned and opened his eyes sleepily. "Good morning," he said as he scanned the surroundings and horses. He rose and made his way over to his horse. He pulled a canister of water from one of the saddle pouches and poured water into the palm of his hand. His horse greedily lapped it up. Briar watched him and did the same. They both took a sip from the canister to wet their mouth and throat, then put it back in the saddle pouch.

"Let us keep moving. We should be there soon," he said as he helped Briar mount.

She watched him slide gracefully onto the back of his horse and before she knew it, they were riding again.

Just like every day they had spent in the desert so far, the sun was hot and grueling, and the sand blew like a vortex around them. At one point, Briar leaned forward and pressed her face into the horse's mane.

The heat exhausted her to the point where Briar almost started seeing things. She had a constant headache and the scenery changed colors before her eyes. Instead of golden sand, it changed to red sand, crimson like the color of blood. At one point during the day, she thought she saw a cluster of palm trees and nearly fell off her horse trying to get to them. Donte had to splash her with water to knock her out of it.

They needed to find Casen, and soon.

As the hours passed, the heat seemed to intensify and the horses grew weaker with each step. Donte's and Briar's clothes stuck to their bodies due to the amount of sweat they produced. Briar wanted to talk as they traveled, but her mouth was unbearably dry and she could hardly articulate her words.

Finally, the sun hit two or three in the afternoon and Briar could hardly see straight. She glanced to the side to see Donte staring at her with concern. He moved to pull a canister of water from the saddle and handed it to her.

"Drink, Briar. Stay with me." His voice was raspy, a sign that the desert took a toll on him as well. He pointed off in to the distance. "Look, Briar. Casen."

Briar narrowed her eyes and lifted her head, looking where he was pointing. Then, she saw trees.

"Are those actual trees?" she asked anxiously. "Am I really seeing trees and not just hallucinating?"

Donte kicked his horse, galloping off. Briar kicked her horse and followed closely behind.

It didn't take long to close the distance, but soon they stood in front of a large building surrounded by luscious trees.

"Welcome to Casen," Donte said as he helped her off the horse. He gestured toward the large structure, "This is the housing unit for all the soldiers, but we will stop here to rest and drink. I will then show you our new home."

Briar felt heat rush to her face, and then Donte's arms were around her. She felt his hands thread through her sweaty hair and she leaned against him, her face pressing into the curve of his neck.

"Can you stand?" he asked, clearly concerned.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Everything is now fine." She looked up into his eyes and stared for a long moment, feeling as if she could see his soul, the connection between them unbreakable.

"I love you, Briar," he murmured into her hair. "I love you more than words can express."

She pulled back to look at him, but before she could say another word, he dipped forward to press his lips hotly to hers. Their bodies molded together flawlessly as she kissed him back, her hands exploring his mouth with tenderness rather than hunger. His hands touched every part of her body that they could, and the heat between them intensified.

"I love you, Donte," she murmured against his lips. "I've loved you for so long."

The mid-day sun dipped behind the clouds, chilling the air with its shadow. Briar sat on a wooden bench on the back porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders tight. A gentle breeze blew her hair into her face. Blackbirds cawed in the sky—their fragile wings carried them through the air above the palms with ease. The yard was quiet, peaceful, and serene. It reminded Briar of the palace. A life she wasn't sure she would ever live again.

She missed the harem, and everyone whom she had met at the palace. She couldn't help but feel that a chapter in their lives was over, never to be read again. She worried for them. Worried that the rest of the harem would not make it to Casen. Was Elbi still alive? Had the rest of the harem reached a safe destination? The unknown haunted her.

The closing of the door behind her shoulder broke the silence. "It is time we teach you how to fight." Donte pulled a bow from behind his back, his devious, coy smile made her nervous. "Are you ready to learn how to shoot it?"

The hair on her arms stood and her stomach churned with the thought of holding a weapon in her hands, let alone shooting it. Weapons and violence were against everything she believed in. She was a fighter, but not a killer. Why did she need to learn? She knew she was foolish by even questioning. The war had just begun.

"Why? Aren't we safe here? Do you think Jaden will come here next?"

"We are safe for now. But that does not mean you do not need to learn how to defend yourself."

"I don't think I can, Donte."

"Of course you can, and I will teach you. Do you see those trees over there?" he said, pointing north from where they stood. Ten or twenty yards away, two small palms were spread a few feet apart from one another.

"Will I be expected to go to war?" she asked.

He ignored her question and handed her the bow. "Everyone should know how to shoot an arrow, Briar. Never depend on someone else for your survival. Never."

He began explaining his technique, his fingers gliding over the wood, string, and arrowhead, pointing at different parts as he described their function and demonstrated how to stand and release. He slipped a bracer on her left arm and tightened it, then assisted her into a leather breastplate as well.

"This is just to protect your delicate skin from the sting of the bowstring," he cautioned her.

Next, he stood behind her, his hands on her hips as he guided her into position at right angles to the target trees. He knocked an arrow just below the bead, and helped her to draw the string back fully to the anchor point. His arms were around her, distracting her. His breath was warm on her neck.

"Relax. Archery has more in common with art than war. It is a dance between you, your target, and the tools in your hands. Feel the breeze in your hair. Where is it coming from? How will it affect the arrow's flight path? Breathe in, breathe out. Hold your back straight, keep your posture tall, proud, as if you had a crown on your head."

His words floated around her, embracing her. Under his guidance, she cited the arrow and relaxed her fingers. The string snapped, striking her breastplate and bracer, and she was suddenly grateful for the protective coverings Donte had given her. The arrow flew with only a slight waiver, striking the nearer tree near its base.

"Again," Donte said. He stepped back, guiding her to knock the next arrow on her own. His face beamed with pride.

She released five more arrows, before Donte led her out to view the targets. Different colored feathered arrows stuck out from the target.

"You have great aim, Briar. You are a natural as I had no doubt you would be. You will always be my perfect fighter, my warrior," he said.

She liked pleasing him. "Thank you. But you need to tell me the real reason for this lesson."

Donte smiled. "I cannot get anything by you." His expression grew serious. "Malachi is coming."

"You say that as if that is a bad thing." Briar grew anxious.

"You knew this day would come." Worry blanketed his face. "He is coming with all our allies. They are marching through the desert to relocate here. My other brothers should be here soon as well."

Briar's heart stopped. "All of them? Do they have the harem?"

"We will not know until they arrive, but we are hopeful." He reached for her hands and held them to his chest. "I do not want to get your hopes up, but we also have reason to believe that Nico is alive."

Her loud gasp came simultaneously with her tears. "What? He is? Oh my God!"

Donte swiped at her tears. "We believe so. He is injured badly, but our men are bringing him here." He kissed her tear-stained cheek. "We will know for certain when they arrive. If indeed this man is Nico, I will forever be in his debt for saving you."

Briar released the breath she had been holding. "But? I see there is more."

"It is time we get ready, Briar. It is time we conquer Lazar and make the palace ours once again."

"We?"

He nodded. "Yes,
we
. I will never send you away again. I need my fighter standing by my side."

"Where are we going?" Briar asked as Donte helped her down a dirt road with a lantern in his hand.

"It is a surprise."

The night air was calm, though cool as they strolled through the palm trees and down a narrow pathway. Donte held her hand tight, helping her over and through fallen tree branches and large leaves with coconuts still attached. Gravel crunched under their shoes and echoed through the darkness. Water flowed in the distance—the sound grew louder into a deep enchanting noise as they approached. The closer they came to the sound, through the towering palms, the moonlight shone down onto a beautiful flowing creek, a perfect refuge.

"Is this the place? Our home?" she asked, searching for a house or structure of some sort nearby. She couldn't believe this oasis existed.

"Possibly." He winked. "Can you hold this for me? I would like us to enjoy the night air before going inside."

Donte handed her the lantern and gathered a few pieces of wood for a fire. Briar's doubt and fear seemed to vanish watching him work. Comforting, protective, he desired to take care of her with patience and devotion, qualities which she'd never witnessed in a man.

"You are lost in thought," Donte said, sitting down next to Briar who had already made herself comfortable on the sandy beach by the creek.

Briar dug her fingers deep into the beach, letting the grains of sand fall through her fingertips. "Our journey has come to an end."

"I highly doubt that, Briar. I wish I could tell you it will be easy from this point on, but I can't. We are just beginning."

Briar smiled. "It's amazing what we'll settle for. I just want a clean place to fall asleep at night without worrying if I'm going to be attacked. I am not thirsty, I am not hot and drying up under the desert sun. So right now… my awful journey has come to an end." She drew circles in the sand, lost in her memories. "I dreamed of a life different than the nightmare I had been living. The nightmare of a nomad. I feel like we can wake from this nightmare. Or come close."

"That is my goal." Donte's fingers grazed her arm, sending a small shiver up her spine. "We will fight to make that happen."

Briar continued to play with the sand, a distraction from imagining his soft hands caressing, and his lips kissing places where she longed them to be.

Fortunately, focusing on the water of the creek reflecting the glow of the full moon shook the thoughts from her head, bringing her back to this lovely night. It was nice to be away from the barracks that housed the soldiers. Donte had spent hours in heated discussion with them, while Briar was forced to rest in another room. She realized he was needed, but she still hated being alone, cooped up in a small room. Fresh air, and time with Donte alone, revitalized her beaten soul.

Donte moved the logs he had collected on the fire. The wood sparked and popped, and orange-flecked ashes scattered, dropping in the sand as their amber glow flickered, lighting brightly only for a few seconds in the breeze before their radiance expired.

"I never want to leave this place," she said.

"You have not seen it all yet. But I promise you, you will love it. It is not the palace, but we can make it a good home for the time being."

"Is it where the rest of the harem will be staying when they finally arrive?"

He nodded, his eyes darkened. "Yes, there is plenty of room for them all. But…" He reached for her hand and caressed the top with his desert-worn hands. "I no longer wish for you to stay with the harem."

Briar's head snapped up, and she looked into his eyes with worry. Confused she asked, "Why? Do you feel I am not submissive enough? I know I haven't done the best at it, but I promise you I can find my ability to submit again. I suppose I lose it when I have to be strong." Tears cascaded down her face. Fear of having to leave the commune and become a desert nomad once again, set a panic in her very soul. "Please, Donte. Don't make me leave the harem. I'll be better, I swear. I can find the balance between submission and strength. You can teach me," she pleaded between her sobs.

Donte wiped at her tears and pulled her into his arms. He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. "Please do not cry. I would never ask you to leave." He rubbed her back, comforting her fears. "If you desire to remain with the harem, you may. I was just hoping you would prefer to remain with me instead."

Briar lifted her head and looked into his eyes through her tears. "I…I thought…well I thought you meant you wanted me to leave altogether. You want me to stay with you? In your quarters? Just you?"

"Yes. I want you, and only you. But the choice is yours." He rose and walked a few steps away from the creek with his back facing her and hands on his hips. Without hesitation, Briar followed him and grabbed hold of his arm.

She nodded with full enthusiasm. "Yes! Yes!"

"I will still expect submission."

"Of course."

"But most of all—"

"Anything," she interrupted.

"—I will expect you to retain your strength, always." He placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "You will always be my harem girl, but you will always be my fighter."

The End