“Well, look what we have here, friends,” the lead man said in a haughty tone. “Looks like we get to go home with three Paladai. And best yet, the mighty Kade. How much do you think the king will pay for his hide?”
There were agreeing snickers throughout the group. Unlike the group of bandits that had attacked Jarin before, these men were well groomed and had the athletic physique that rivaled any of the Paladai warriors Jarin had seen in their compound.
“May I presume you are the one responsible for this girl’s current condition?” Kade growled.
The man laughed. “Hardly. Though, I am impressed she’s survived this long. When the little wench told me she’d left a Paladai alive, I was more than happy to cut off her finger. If I’d known this would lure you out, she might still be in one piece.”
A muscle ticked in Kade’s jaw as he gave the man a stare of death. “If you want Ari’s reward for me, you’ll have to take me alive,” he challenged, gently setting Ashea down. “If you can.”
The leader motioned to his men. Each one drew their bows, aiming directly for Kade. “He’ll pay just as well for a corpse. It’s up to you how you come.” Kade said nothing, but drew his sword and knife from his belt. “As you wish.”
The man motioned again and the arrows were loosed. Kade deflected each one with ease, not a moment of fear or hesitation in his movements. Jarin watched as the leader moved uneasily in his saddle.
“A nice trick. You still won’t survive,” the man threatened rather pathetically.
“You’re already dead. You just didn’t know it,” Kade said, his voice low and level. He made a sharp, shrill whistle. It must have been a signal for the draks, because both his drak and the Daktari’s bared their teeth before charging the group of men in a flurry of teeth and claws. Zeru wasn’t far behind, flying out of the woods from wherever he had been skulking.
Three of the men died with blood curdling screams as the draks ripped them apart, their horses squealing as they desperately tried to get away. The other two, the leader included, were thrown from their spooked horses. Kade ran for the nearest man and slashed him across the chest.
Not wasting a moment he turned to face the leader of the group who had already righted himself, poised to attack. Dodging the frightened animals, Kade rushed at the man. Jarin had almost expected him to fall as easily as the robbers in the woods that Ashea had killed. It was only now that he understood how truthful they all were when they said the Hunters were dangerous. He hadn’t wanted to accept it when Ashea had come back poisoned, mostly because there was no real proof of who had done it. He realized the stupidity in that assumption.
The other men may have been caught off guard by the draks, and the first man Kade killed may not have had the time needed to react, but their leader did, and he wasn’t wasting it. He drew his own sword and parried Kade’s attack. Kade tried to stab with his knife, but was deflected again. They went through several more rounds of the motions, Kade attacking, his opponent blocking.
Kade feigned a downward slash of his sword before trying to swipe at the man’s ankle with his knife. The Hunter saw through his plan and jumped out of the way, taking the moment to kick Kade square in the chest.
Kade stumbled back several steps, regaining his composure quickly before the Hunter thrust at him. He parried, his sword now holding the Hunter’s against the ground. They stared each other down, both men looking for any weakness in the other. When Kade smiled malevolently at the Hunter, Jarin knew something wasn’t right.
With a loud shriek Zaina came barreling through, grabbing up the Hunter from behind and shaking him like any predator would do with its prey. Kade didn’t bother watching to ensure the man was dead before he sheathed his weapons and moved to pick up Ashea.
Jarin was speechless. He’d known Kade was supposed to be the most skilled warrior of the Paladai, and watching him against Ashea had proven as much, but he had hardly broken a sweat against the Hunters. If the Hunters really were as dangerous as Ashea had led him to believe, and he was beginning to believe they were, then Kade was far more dangerous than he’d ever given him credit.
“Feron, get the boy inside. Naiara, get those horses penned up. Zaina, Brax, Zeru, clean up the mess,” he said over his shoulder as he carried Ashea inside.
Feron turned his attention back to the task at hand and helped him into the house. Jarin only watched briefly as the three draks began to grab up several of the corpses and dragged them to the woods. He didn’t want to know what they would do with them.
As Feron sat him down in a chair, Jarin watched Kade carry Ashea back to the room she had been in. He then, rummaged around in a bag Jarin hadn’t noticed before, and pulled out several jars and glass containers. He set two jars aside before handing a glass vial to Kade as he came back out.
“Stitch him up, then give him this,” Feron instructed.
“Seems a bit overkill,” Kade said as he examined the vial.
“Don’t argue. I have work to do.” With that, Feron took his jars and locked himself in Ashea’s room.
“Get your shirt off,” Kade ordered as he grabbed a candle and lit it. Jarin gingerly tried pulling his shirt off, though it became difficult as he tried to pull his injured arm through. Kade seemed to notice and helped him get it off the rest of the way. He then pulled out a needle and thread and passed the needle through the flame of the candle several times.
“What happened?” Kade asked tersely as he pulled up a chair and started the first stitch.
Jarin winced, as it took every ounce of control he had not to fidget as the needle pierced through his skin. He was only grateful he hadn’t decided to burn him instead of stitching as he had seen some men do. That would have been far worse, he thought.
“We tried to keep her restrained and sedate. She broke out just before you arrived,” Jarin managed through gritted teeth.
“You’re lucky she was drugged. I might have been too late to save you,” Kade mused as he continued his stitching. “You’re either very brave or very stupid trying to fight a Paladai.”
Jarin glared at him. “It was that or have you kill me when you found her missing.”
Kade smirked as he glanced over at him. “Bravery then. I underestimated you, boy.”
Jarin couldn’t say for sure, but it sounded dangerously close to compliment. “How did you do that with the draks? They all obeyed you without hesitation.”
“They’re not dumb creatures like horses,” he scoffed.
“Perhaps, but not even a pack of well trained dogs will listen to just anyone that says their commands. If draks are as intelligent as you make them sound, I’d assume they’re not much different in that regard.”
Kade let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t you know the legends? They say I swore a blood pact in order to gain sway with the beasts. It’s how I gained most of my abilities and became an invincible warrior.”
Jarin narrowed his eyes. “I'm not a child to be scared by tall tales and legends. Though, I see there is some truth to the stories.”
He would have thought that would give Kade some satisfaction. He merely scowled as he continued his stitching. “It’s years of study and patience, nothing more. Draks obey me because they trust me; they know I respect them, and they return that respect.”
“Were you part of the…what did she call it…Isilio?”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Kade cocked a brow at him as Naiara came back in the house. “I see someone has been telling trade secrets,” he said, eyeing Naiara.
“I merely corrected false assumptions,” she said unapologetically as she went back to preparing dinner.
Kade rolled his eyes as he went back to his stitches. “No, I wasn’t,” he answered. He made a knot as he tied the final stich and cut the thread.
Jarin looked down to inspect the man’s work. He was rather impressed. He’d seen worse jobs from the palace physicians during his training.
“It’ll be a decent scar once it heals. Drink this,” he said and uncorked the bottle Feron had left, handing it over.
Jarin took the bottle, caught a smell of its contents. His stomach immediately churned. “What is that?” he asked disgusted, holding the bottle away from him.
“It’s better if you don’t know. Drink it up. It will help with the pain,” Kade said and pushed the bottle back toward him.
Jarin eyed the bottle warily, but if it would help dull some of the burning pain in his shoulder, the inevitable bad taste would probably be worth it. He swallowed the vile substance in one gulp, the acrid taste sticking in the back of his throat. “If it’s only for the pain, why tell Feron I didn’t need it?” he asked. Maybe Kade was still as sadistic as he thought.
“It’s not only for pain. It tends to put its victims to sleep,” he explained.
Before he could protest, Jarin’s vision became distorted and the room seemed to spin. He put out a hand to steady himself against something, anything he could reach. It did little good as he slumped forward and nearly fell before strong arms were hoisting him to his feet and guiding him to who-knew-where. Somebody said something, but it was lost to his already hazy mind before he fell unconscious.
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Sunlight spilled through the window the next day awakening Jarin from a somewhat restful sleep. He couldn’t remember how he had managed to get to the cot last night thanks to the potion Kade had made him drink, nor had he dreamed while he was out. He was thankful for that, because he knew he would have nightmares from yesterday’s events.
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his wound throbbing dully. Whatever Kade had given him, it had done a good job of subduing the pain. It wasn’t completely gone, but it was now only a minor irritation. Hopefully he had something else he could use to keep the pain away. Going to sleep for hours was not going to be helpful.
Standing up, he steadied himself and looked about for his shirt. Aside from a stool and a washing basin, there was nothing else in the room. He groaned and headed for the door, hoping Naira might have something he could use to cover himself. As he walked down the short corridor to the main living area, he found Feron sitting at the table eating what looked like some sort of meat, the beans from the day before, and bread. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten the night before.
“Look who finally decided to join us in the land of the living,” Naiara greeted warmly from her spot by the fireplace. “Come and sit down.”
He took a seat across from Feron as Naiara brought him a plate of food. Not even bothering with utensils he grabbed up the meat and took several mouthfuls. Bread quickly followed the meat along with some beans.
“I’d slow down, if I were you, boy. That concoction can make you nauseous at first,” Feron warned.
Jarin could already feel his stomach retaliating, but he forced himself to keep the food down. If he went any longer without food, he was sure he’d want to vomit anyway. Feron stood and examined Jarin’s shoulder none too gently.
“Ow,” Jarin hissed, as Feron probed at the stitching.
“It’ll heal well. Don’t do anything stupid to break the stitches, and it should be fine in a few days. Naiara, hurry up with the poultice,” he ordered gruffly before sitting back down to his food.
“Don’t you tell me to hurry, you slow, old goat,” she retorted as she stood in the kitchen area grinding something with a mortar and pestle. “Takes his sweet time with everything else, makes me hurry when he forgets to do things himself. Typical man.”
Feron smirked at her.
Jarin stared about the room and noticed Kade was nowhere to be seen. He looked to Ashea’s door and saw it still closed. “Is she going to be all right?” Jarin asked, staring at the door.
Feron looked to the door for a moment before turning back to his food. “I’ve done all I can. The antidote has done its work, so she should be fine. She might not be up and moving until tonight, though.”
Jarin couldn’t help but stare at the door a moment longer before returning to his food. He didn’t care that much. Did he? No. Not honestly. Not anymore than he would have for any other stranger. So where did the twinge of concern he was feeling come from?
“Hold still now,” Naiara said as she began to apply a green substance to his wound. It didn’t smell overly pleasant, but it wasn’t as bad as whatever Feron had given him. She then wrapped a bandage around the wound, covering the green poultice. “You’ll need to clean the wound and apply this morning and night while you travel. If you don’t clean it, this poultice will inflame it and make it worse. Am I clear?” Jarin nodded and took the jar she offered him. “And here is your shirt, cleaned and repaired,” she said, handing over the white linen.
Jarin quickly shoved the shirt on, finally feeling less awkward. He never had liked being around anyone without his clothes on, if he could help it.
“Jarin, take this in to Kade. He refuses to leave that room,” Naiara said, setting down another plate.
He eyed it warily. “Are you sure that is a good idea? Maybe you or Feron should do it.”
“Not a chance, boy,” Feron scoffed. “Besides, he’ll want to have a word with you.”
Jarin nearly groaned at the thought of having to converse with Kade again. With a final look of displeasure, he grabbed the plate and went for the door. He hesitated as he grabbed the handle, but turned it anyways and stepped inside the dark room.
The curtains had been pulled shut save for a small stream of light that barely illuminated the room. Jarin could barely make out Kade’s muscled form sitting in a chair across the room, his steely gaze fixed on Ashea’s sleeping body.
Jarin quietly stepped forward and placed the food down on the side table by the bed. “Naiara asked me to bring you this,” he said.
Kade said nothing, nor did he move toward him. He just sat there, momentarily looking up at Jarin before returning his gaze to Ashea. Jarin stood there awkwardly for another moment before attempting an escape. As he moved for the door, Kade finally spoke up.
“I didn’t properly thank you for what you did last night.”
Jarin turned slowly back to him. “I wasn’t aware I had any other choice.”
“There's always a choice, and with it, consequences. You could have escaped. By the time we found her, treated her, and took care of those Hunters, you might have gotten away. I might have even let you,” he said, a hint of sorrow in his tone.
Jarin took a step closer. “Say I had escaped, that you had a lapse in judgement and didn’t come after me, what then? Would you storm the Dacian capital again?”
He could just make out as Kade leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he contemplated his answer. “Had you escaped and she lived, no. In the best interest of my people, I would have let you finish whatever game it is Dacia is trying to play. It would no doubt end with Dacia and Avar finally destroying each other.”
“And if she died?”
Kade’s voice turned to ice. “After I had hunted you down and killed you very slowly, I would take the entire Paladai army and burn your capital to the ground. Whatever was left of your armies would try to stop us, but it would be futile. We would be long gone.”
There was a near palpable tension in the air directed solely at him, and he knew it.
“If you had let me go in the first place, none of this would have happened,” Jarin snapped.
Kade slowly turned his gaze to Jarin. He imagined a purely predatory look in his eyes. His voice was cold and smooth as silk as he spoke. “You may be right. You could also be dead, if she hadn’t come to save your hide. Make no mistake. You are still indebted to her, and I will be the judge of when that debt has been repaid. As of now, you’re lucky I don’t drag you behind my drak for the rest of the journey. Your only saving grace is you didn’t let her escape last night.”
Jarin bit back a retort. He knew he hadn’t had much of a choice in the matter last night. What he had done had not been for her or anyone else. It had been for him, for his own survival. At least, that’s what he was still trying to convince himself of.
“Is that the only thing keeping me alive?” Jarin challenged. Kade knew who he really was. He wanted to know why the man had kept it a secret from everyone else.
“Speak plainly, boy. What do you want?”
“You know what I am. Why say nothing to her, to anyone?” he demanded.
“Keep your voice down,” Kade warned. “It wasn’t for you that I kept it secret. You claim you have proof. I need that proof, and since you won’t say where it is, you have to take me to it. In order for that to work, I need you alive. But don’t think I haven’t ruled out torturing you for the information. All it will take is one word, and everyone outside that door will gladly offer assistance. So I suggest you not give me reason to give that word. Clear?”
He nodded begrudgingly. He was surprised Kade hadn’t tortured him from the beginning, and he wasn’t going to complain that he hadn’t. Jarin had hoped by the time they reached the capital he would have a plan of escaping them. That was no longer an option, unless he wanted to bring the wrath of the entire Paladai Order down on the capital.
“Good. Now, get out of here.”