“Promise we will have tea and catch up the next time you stop through,” the woman added.
“Of course,” Leila replied as the woman left the room. Leila shut the door and quickly changed. They would be heading into the mountains and the further in they got the colder it would be, so Leila packed several layers of clothing for everyone.
Leila returned to her stall room and cautiously opened the door. Inside the men were anxiously waiting. She handed them each a stack of clothing. “Sorry about the mess,” she said referring to the room. “I was in a bit of a hurry to catch up with Kay, I didn’t exactly pick up before I left.” Leila noticed the men were surprised by the amount of clothing she had returned with. “Just choose a shirt and pants,” she said. “The rest we will bring with us.” Theo held a big fluffy jacket in his hands.
“How cold?” Theo asked.
“It will be fairly cold tonight at Rogers, but tomorrow by the time we reach my home, we should be in snow,” Leila explained. “Trust me; you will want to keep that jacket with you.” She smiled at the shocked reaction on Theo’s face. “The rest room is right there,” she said, pointing to the wall that a blanket covered. Nalick pushed the blanket aside to see the room next to it. He grabbed his clothing and walked inside. Leila began to pick up clothes around the room while at the same time looking for her boots.
“Where to now, boss?” Nalick asked Leila once they were all changed.
“To Rogers,” she replied before pausing to add, “Though, I don’t think he will be too happy to meet you.”
Chapter 10
Outside the courier stop, Kay stood leaning against the horse waiting for Leila. Leila ran over and hugged Kay. “What are you doing here?” Leila asked.
“You said not to wait for you, but I thought I could wait a couple days. I knew it would not take much for you to leave there,” Kay replied beaming at Leila, but her smile quickly faded as she saw the three men behind Leila. “I thought you would have lost them by now,” Kay said disappointed.
“I brought them with,” Leila tried to explain, but Kay just glared at Nalick. Leila began to recalculate her plan. With an extra person, it would make getting the men out of Cath easier.
“So you didn’t escape?” Kay asked confused. Leila shook her head, no. “He forced you to stay, just like all the other kings. And it is my fault,” Kay was seemingly about to cry.
“No, no, no,” Leila hugged her friend. “It is not your fault. I chose to stay. Really.” Leila indicated to the men to stay with the horses and pulled Kay a little distance away. “Kay, I have had many opportunities to leave. I can leave at any time. Nalick is not holding me prisoner. I am staying with Nalick because I want to. It is chance for me to have a new life. One where I am not reminded daily about Erich.” Reluctantly Kay nodded. “I know he seems just like any other king, but he is different. Trust me. Now he was followed here. If you could escort Nalick and Theo to Rogers ahead of Macarius and me, I can see if anyone else is following him still.”
Kay smiled at her friend. “Good plan. Then, I should lose them on the way?” Kay asked wanting to help her best friend.
“No,” Leila quickly replied. “I expect to see Nalick tonight.” Kay looked disappointed. “Promise?”
“Fine, but all you have to do is ask,” Kay replied. “I would gladly lose them on the way.” Kay was much better at her job in the familiarity of home.
Kay and Leila walked back to the men.
“Kay will take Nalick and Theo by road to Rogers. It is the easiest way to find his place if you should have to do so in the future,” Leila explained to Nalick. “Macarius and I will take a shorter more direct route.” Leila handed each man the reins to one of the horses. While handing Nalick the reins, she didn’t let go of them. He moved closer to her.
“Kay doesn’t trust you,” Leila said quietly to him. “I made her promise to not lose you on the way, but I doubt that means she will go easy on you. Please talk to her. She probably thinks you are keeping me chained up in a room.”
Nalick smiled. From the short time they had met up, Nalick could see Macarius was acting different towards Leila. The least he could do was try to get Kay to understand him a bit. Nalick leaned over and kissed Leila’s forehead.
“I will do my best,” Nalick said before hopping up onto his horse. Leila mouthed the words thank you as the three of them headed out of the city; Kay leading and Nalick and Theo following.
Kay kept her promise, and after a three hour ride, they arrived at Roger’s inn. Following a short hike into the woods outside the inn, they stepped out from behind a set of trees to discover an entire camp. Macarius was sitting near a fired slowly stirring a pot. Kay ushered him out of the way and began tasting the food. She then quickly ran to a door in the ground and walked down the steps. Nalick watched as Kay disappeared from view. He looked around carefully. Set to one side was a lean-to shelter built against some trees, and underneath the shelter were five mattresses and blankets. On the other side of the camp was the door Kay just went through. Nalick cautiously walked near the door as Theo pulled up a chair and sat beside Macarius near the fire. It was getting near sunset and the air was getting cooler. Nalick looked down the doorway in the ground.
“It leads to our camp supply room,” Leila said approaching from the woods. Dressed in her normal clothes with her hair down, she looked like a new person before Nalick. “Would you like to see inside?”
Leila led the way day down the stairs. At the bottom, the room was lit by several oil lamps as they were completely underground inside a long rectangular passage way. Along both sides were stocked shelves. To one side he saw more mattresses like the ones that were outside. Further down, Nalick saw that the shelves were lined with food. Kay was at a bench adding spices to a bowl.
“Did you taste that stuff?” Kay asked Leila. Leila shrugged. “Well, I am going to fix it.” Kay hurried back out the door with her bowl of spices.
“I’m not really into the whole cooking thing,” Leila explained to Nalick. “So this is the half-way point between my home and Cath. We will spend the night here to lose any stray trackers. If anything should happen tonight, that door there leads back to the inn,” Leila pointed at a table.
“That table is a door?” Nalick asked.
“Behind the table,” Leila replied.
Nalick moved closer to try to test his luck. Leila had not shied away from him since the first day they met. Leila stood still as Nalick slowly put his hands around her waist. She was so tiny yet so powerful in everything she did. Nalick wished to be able to hold onto her forever. Leila kept her breathing steady as her heart raced. Just being near him alone was enough to make her heart race, but his hands resting on her hips holding her close to him was pushing her heart into irregular flutters. Leila closed her eyes, leaning forward and rested her forehead on his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as her was. It had been so long since Leila had felt her heart beat so fast soley due to someone’s touch.
The clanking above the doorway quickly reminded Leila of reality. Sighing, she stepped back and led Nalick out of the room to join everyone around the fire. Kay was busy fixing the food, and Macarius and Theo were huddled near the fire.
“Did Roger say anything to you?” Kay asked.
“No,” Leila replied. Kay stopped stirring and looked up at Leila with a worried expression on her face.
“Is he mad at you? Does he know you are going to stay in Lexia?” Kay started with more questions not giving Leila time to respond. Leila was always Roger’s favorite courier. Kay could not believe he would not come and greet her.
“I doubt he is mad. More than likely he is too ashamed to come and talk to me in person since he made a deal with Nalick and now I know. Either way, tomorrow morning I will need to stop by and get the herbs from him,” Leila shrugged.
“A deal?” Kay asked. Leila shrugged. Leila still didn’t know how she felt about Roger’s actions. He had always protected her over the years. Roger was lik
e a second father to her.
“Would you like me to go and get bowls?” Leila asked Kay trying to change the subject.
“I’ll help you,” Kay replied, handing the spoon to Theo. “Keep stirring it.”
After they were alone, Kay stopped Leila. “Nalick gave me this,” Kay said, opening her hand to reveal the ring to Leila. “I guess he had it all along.”
Leila chuckled. She had been so unaware of the situation that she didn’t even know where the ring was the whole time they were running their assignment. I should have known, she thought. “I’m not surprised,” Leila replied, handing Kay five bowls.
“Nalick loves you,” Kay said to her friend. Leila stopped reaching for the spoons. Shivers tingled at her back even though she was not cold. It was strange to hear the words said aloud.
“I know,” Leila did not turn around to respond to her friend. “I can see it in his face.” Leila felt a mix of emotions for Nalick.
Kay patted Leila shoulder as she reached for the spoons. “You know it is acceptable for you to fall in love again; it has been two years already.”
Leila nodded without turning around. “I’ll be up in a minute,” Leila told Kay, who left her alone. Leila wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes. It had been two years since Roger’s oldest son Erich died. The loss had been devastating. Erich was not just Leila’s partner; he was her future husband.
Leila walked over to the table in the dimly lit room and sat down upon it. She rested against the shelves and looked at the opening in the ceiling across the room above the stairs. Leila could hear the voices of her friends outside laughing. Can I really fall in love again? There was no one else in the world that was as perfect for her as Erich was. He understood her and her need to run free. He never tried to stop her and instead just followed and helped her accomplish anything she tried. He had been her support over the years and had never wavered. Leila admired every quality of his and could never imagine a world without him. When Erich died, Leila’s world had been shattered. She could never depend on another person, and she would eventually grow strong enough to support herself.
“Are you going to join us any time soon?” Kay asked down the opening.
Leila quietly stood and walked back to the staircase. She looked around the room. Nothing had changed over the years.
Can I really change? she asked herself.
Leila took the bowl and sat near the men outside around the fire. Nalick nodded his head to her while questioning with his eyes.
“Can it get any colder?” Theo asked while grabbing his jacket and putting it on.
“You sleep outside in this weather?” Macarius asked Leila. She laughed nodding.
“Well, don’t get use to this,” Leila watched as they both looked relieved. “It is even colder where I am taking you tomorrow.” Both men were disappointed. Everyone moved to go to bed, but Leila did not join them. “I am going to make a check of the area, just to be safe,” she said. Kay understood. Though she was in the company of three men that would lay down their lives to protect her, Leila still did not feel safe enough to truly rest.
Leila did not object as Nalick followed her to the entrance of the camp. He carefully stepped behind her in her exact steps. Every now and then, Leila would stop and check traps that were set. After she seemed satisfied, instead of turning and going into the camp she continued to walk. Nalick trailed in silence. He was surprised as he followed her to a lake. Near the edge was not sand as most shores are, but large boulders. Evergreen trees surrounded the lake and across the way in the distance, were the mountains that Leila called home. In the moonlight Nalick could see that the tips of the mountains were covered with snow. Leila carefully climbed from one rock to the next until she stopped and sat down. Nalick joined her. Together they sat ten feet from the shoreline surrounded by the water as the wind gently blew against the rocks. From their seats they could see the mountains and the stars that lined the sky. Leila lay down and looked up into the sky.
“You know even though it is warmer in Lexia, the stars still look the same,” she said to him. Nalick shivered at the coolness of the rock beneath him. His life had been very busy, and he could not remember the last time he just sat and just looked at the sky.
“I told Kay that if you want to stay here you can,” Nalick said, but Leila did not respond. “I really do mean it. I know you made a deal with me, but if you are happier to stay here, then I would be willing to break the deal.” Leila still didn’t respond.
“If I asked you do you miss your home when you are far away, how would you reply?” she asked him.
Nalick thought for a moment. “Do I miss the people that live where I call home, or the place itself?” He asked for clarification.
Leila laughed quietly. So he did understand the question, she thought. Exactly how I would reply. Leila thought for a moment before sitting up and taking his hand into her own.
“I will be returning to Lexia with you. See, I will always miss the people at home like my mother and father, but not so much the place. It stopped being home when I started my runs as a courier. I discovered the world. In fact this is more like home to me, outside in the fresh air where you can feel the breeze in your face,” Nalick was relieved. In his heart he didn’t really want to let her go. Suddenly Leila stopped talking and looked around the lake. Startled, Nalick tried to look around the lake in the dim light. Leila sighed. “Wait here, I will be right back.”
Carefully, Leila climbed back between the rocks until she was on the land around the lake. Not wanting to leave Nalick’s view she waited for the approaching man to come to her. Nalick watched intently as Leila waited. Slowly the man approached and stopped within feet of Leila.
“It’s good to see you are okay,” Roger said to Leila, unsure if she was mad at him or not.
Leila walked over and gave him a hug. “Did you have any doubts? I have been in far worse situations before. Look,” she said spinning in a circle, “no cuts for you to fix up.” The older man chuckled and hugged the much younger girl again.
“So that’s him?” Roger asked nodding his head towards Nalick.
“Yes,” Leila replied.
“And you will be staying in Lexia for the time being?” Roger asked
“Yes,” she responded again. Roger probably knew of her agreement with Nalick only moments after she said yes.
“He has told you about the deal,” Roger guessed. Leila nodded her head.
Leila walked over to the nearest boulder and leaned against it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“First, I was afraid you would not come back if you felt I had betrayed Erich, and then after you started to take all the hard missions, I felt if I told you, you would go do something stupid,” Roger shook his head. “I should have told you, but I just didn’t know how. All I wanted to do was protect you.” Leila nodded. “I brought you supplies,” Roger said, handing Leila a bag. “Everything should be in there that you will need for now. I have runners near or in Lexia weekly, so if you need anything else, just contact one of them.”
Leila took the bag. “How long have you known he was looking for me?” she asked him.
Roger smiled. Leila was the best courier he had ever trained, and he had known from the day he met her that she was not meant to stay in the North Country. As they stood in the darkness, the moonlight on her face showed Roger she still had the same all-knowing eyes as the first time they met, wise beyond her years. She was smart and resourceful. Often times, her stubbornness and quick tongue got her into trouble, but her dedication to excel at everything made her worth the extra effort that was needed to keep an eye on her. It was hard for Roger to look at the woman before him and not think of her as the young girl she once was.
Roger sat beside Leila, “I got a report after your last trip from Dria that he had changed his mind on the deal we had. After you got hurt the last time, I was actually relieved that I could take you off assignments all together and then would not have to explain to you why
you couldn’t go to Lior. But, as always, I couldn’t keep you from doing what you wanted to do.”
Leila patted Roger on the shoulder. Roger had always cared for her like a daughter. When she was hurt, he always was there to fix her up. When she wanted to learn a new technique, he would spend hours watching over her until she got it correct. When his oldest son asked her to marry him, Roger was just as happy as Erich that she said yes.
“But I thought my stubbornness is my best trait,” Leila joked.
Roger laughed. “I don’t know about the best, but strongest trait I would agree.”
“Would you like to meet him?” she asked nodding her head towards Nalick who was sitting patiently.
“Not tonight. I just wanted to stop by and drop off your pack so that you could check it over before you left in the morning, in case I forgot anything.” Roger stood and hugged her again. “You will make a great queen,” he said as he slowly made his way back into the woods.
Leila climbed back onto the rocks that Nalick was sitting on. She was relieved that Roger was not mad at her for her decision to stay in Lexia. Nalick stood as she neared him. As Leila was about to climb up on the boulder Nalick was standing on, he easily picked her up and moved her onto the same boulder as him. Again her heart raced at his touch, and she tried to keep her tone casual.
“Just Roger,” Leila said, sitting back down on the edge of the rock. Her feet dangled several feet above the water. “He wanted to drop off my pack,” she patted the bag hanging from her shoulder. Nalick looked worried. “It is full of medicines and herbs,” she explained. “I kind of got myself in a little trouble the last assignment.”
“What kind of trouble?” Nalick wondered.
“The kind you don’t exactly heal overnight from.” Leila shook her head, “it was a stupid mistake. Actually just a little miscalculation. I am sure Roger will want to check it over before I leave tomorrow to make sure everything is healing correctly.”