Bonds that Burn and Bind

Chapter 12 Part 4

I don't remember the walk back to the entrance,  just the cage ride down in complete silence, as my mother gently stroked my hair, as my body shook.

When we were safely on the ground I flung off my cloak and ran for the stables. I went to Night, burying my face against his black hair as I sobbed.

"Are you okay?" I raised my head. Prince Orin leaned against the entrance of Night's stall, his gray eyes assessing me. All the others had already retrieved their horses. I could see my mother, her head turn towards us, and the others in the grassy field beyond already on their mounts.

I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my dress.

"Not like you care!" I snapped.

He frowned at me. "I do care."

"Then why don't you want to be my friend?" I asked, stepping away from Night. Prince Orin did not reply, just stared. "You must hate me, right?" The earlier events had left me feeling unsteady, and thus bolder than usual. And anger was a much easier emotion to feel than whatever was currently festering inside me.

"You misunderstand, I do not hate you."

"Then be my friend!"

"It's not that simple."

I stormed towards him, stopping directly in front of him. "It's simple."

He looked away.

"Well!?" I pressed. When he didn't answer I gave his chest a hard shove.

His head jerked up, his gray eyes burning as they locked with mine.

"It's simple," I repeated in challenge.

"No it's not!" Prince Orin said through clenched teeth. He stepped forward, pushing me until my back hit the cool stone.

"And this is why!"

I stared dumbly back at him, only managing to breath as reached out and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. The heat radiating from his body seeped through my dress, melting me from the inside out.

"This is why," he repeated in a pained whisper as he moved his face closer to mine. "It's not simple."

Son of a banshee? Was he about to kiss me. And did I want him to?

My heart felt like it was about to explode in my chest, as every inch of my body became alive with the tidal wave of flame that had seemed to have taken over my body.

Yes I did, so very badly. Like I would die if he didn't.

I closed my eyes as his fast swallow breaths brushed against my lips.

"You owe me ten Ruperts!" Yash announced, coming around the corner and my eyes snapped open, as Orin staggered away from me. "They didn't have-"Yash's dark eyes went wide as they bounced between us.

"The orders were to wait in the field while I helped Lady Ashwood with her horse!" Orin snapped.

He had ordered that? I must've been too far gone to have even noticed.

Yash scratched the white scar running from his ear to his chin. "You were taking so long, so me and Jamie decided to come check."

My eyes flew to Freckled-Jamie as the sunlight sparkled off golden hair.

"Didn't  see nothin'," he said, throwing his hands in the air, before turning and walking away.

"You were taking so long." Yash explained.

And as Orin opened his mouth to reply, I grabbed Night's lead and brushed past them both to join my mother, and the rest of our party in the field. I had a fiancé, what the hells had come over me?

It was late mid-day by the time we arrived back at camp but the desire to curl up and cry had vanished, replaced by a restlessness only a long ride could cure. 

My mother didn't question me as I stormed back towards our carriage, calling over my shoulder for my maids. I changed into one of my two piece silk outfits from Port Osim, grabbing Toy and Night before taking off along a jungle path.

Night and I rode for hours even as shadow replaced light and despite the warning about how dangerous Incartha's jungles could be after sunset. But every time I brought Night to a stop, the image of the temple keeper's decapitated head flashed through my mind.

Then as the last of the light vanished from the sky, the leaves shook and branches groaned like something heavy had just propelled itself from one tree to the next in the canopy above my head .

My grip on the leather reins tightened, as I spared a glance upward.

Shit! Shit! Shit! I curesed internally, as I spied a large dark shape moving between the trees, keeping pace with me. How can I be so stupid? I should've just gone back to camp!

I focused my eyes straight ahead just as something fell on us.

Night went down, rolling on top of me. I was on my feet a moments later, shaken but only a little bruised. I grabbed for Toy, drawling the sword and pointing it at the leopard that was scrambling to its feet.

The big cat looked at me with frightened yellow eyes, before melting back into the shadows at a run.

As it disappeared I realized that the thunderous roaring in my ears wasn't coming from my heart, but from somewhere off in the distance. And the trembling wasn't coming from legs shaky with fear, but the ground itself rolling under my feet.

I sheathed my sword just as Night stood.  I grabbed for his neck before he could bolt, and hung on for dear life as he began to buck.

"Stop it Night, you're fine!" I cried as the roaring faded, the ground stilled, and an eerie silence fell around us, while Night yanked me off my feet more times as I hung onto for dear life.

"Lady Ashwood!" a males voice called as my body connected with something hard, the force of it causing me to let go of Night. I fell in a tangle of limbs with whoever Night had just thrown me into.

An armored hand wrapped around my arm pulling me off the ground and back into the present.