UNGLOVED

Chapter Ten

At first, Liriel couldn't reconcile the truth.

It wasn't like she didn't know how it happened. She was a Marulan and certainly understood the workings of the body. Her mind just refused to connect cause and effect. Somehow, she hadn't believed it could happen, not between two such different people.

It struck her then, that she had fallen into the same way of thinking as most Hilliri. They believed the Trillas were something different—something less than they were.

Denial wasn't helpful, though. More likely she had been so swept away that she hadn't thought about the consequences. She had allowed herself to be drawn in by Lorenzo's captivating charm, his directness, and his passion for life. Those few days together had been worth it — even though the consequences meant remaining unmarried for the rest of her life. If Lorenzo had not become as enamored of her as she had of him, she would have been happy to bask in his vitality for a little while. No Hilliri man would marry her after what she had done, and she didn't care. She didn't want another.

She might be small, but Liriel was no child, and she recognized the truth of her situation. She couldn't stay in Kalad and bear a child fathered by the country's worst enemy. When the baby was born, his mixed heritage would be obvious. He would have darker skin, black hair, and, she hoped, Lorenzo's brilliant blue eyes. Her people would see this child as a freak — an abomination. To her knowledge, no one had ever stepped over the divide between their two kinds. The Hilliri and the Trillas lived in separate worlds that never mixed.

She curled up on her cot, wondering what she was going to do. She couldn't stay here while her belly grew. Perhaps for a little while — the long silver robes would conceal her situation for a few months, but eventually she would find herself unable to hide her secret.

Sometimes, a woman of the Hilliri would find herself in a predicament where her parents didn't approve of her choice of husband. They would refuse to accept the marriage; a vow made in private between the two and the union consummated duly afterward before any announcement was made.

The parents would send the husband away, hoping that their daughter was not yet pregnant. Often, though, the daughter would slip out and find her chosen. She would then return when she was well into pregnancy. It was hard to argue with an imminent birth, and the unwanted husband would be reluctantly accepted.

In her case, though, there would be no returning. Liriel had to leave. She couldn't go to Lorenzo yet; she didn't know where he was. She imagined him riding now from his town to the front, leading a group of fighters to defend their land.

New life grew inside her, a tiny miracle that she and Lorenzo had created from their love. It amazed her that it was possible. The Hilliri were long-lived, but were not a fecund people, and never before had a couple crossed the invisible line between their two peoples.

She thought again of Lorenzo. She wanted more than anything to be with him at this moment, to share this news. She hoped it would please him. She needed his strength to fortify her, his enthusiasm to warm her, his presence to guide her now. Without him she was alone in the world with no one to turn to. For the sake of their baby, though, she would have to find strength from within.

#

The following day Liriel was the last person in the healing tent, finishing healing a patient who had taken longer than the others. He was a borderline case. Anyone else would have pitched him, but Liriel, as usual, couldn't allow herself to judge him unworthy of healing when she felt his injuries were still within the limits of her abilities.

Dor frowned at her. He looked more tired than usual. "How much longer will you be?"

Liriel hummed under her breath as she worked. "Another half hour. Why don't you go on? I can clean up when I'm finished."

He nodded absently, waved, and left.

Liriel straightened the moment he was gone. In truth, her patient's healing was done. She had pretended only to see if she could get a few minutes alone, and it had worked. Dor's fatigue had made him careless. He didn't know why she was sent to work here, but he had been given strict orders not to leave her alone, and had followed them — up until now.

When she was finished, Liriel called for help from the soldiers waiting outside and the patient was brought to another tent where those who were recovering rested. She went to the Marulan break tent to clean up and eat a little.

No one was in the rest tent. She slipped off her silver robe and tucked it under a cot. She wore only a plain gray dress underneath. A little food had been left behind for her. She stuffed what was there into her pockets.

She listened for sounds of someone coming, but luck was with her. She finished stowing the food and grabbed one of the heavy woolen blankets to wrap around her shoulders. She peeked outside. To her surprise, the coast was clear. She walked out of the tent into the night air as if she belonged there. There were a few camp servants who looked after household chores who had little talent with maru and belonged to no guild. She hoped to pass as one. A soldier passed her, yawning as he went. Her ruse was working. He had no idea she was a Marulan since she wore no silver robes.

She walked a little further until she reached the edge of the camp and slipped behind a large tent that was filled with snoring.

Once outside the camp circle, everything around her was enveloped in shadow. There were few stars out tonight, making it difficult for her to find her way, but also making it hard for anyone who might pursue her. With luck, no one would think to look for her until dawn, when she didn't show up for the next shift.

A pang of guilt struck her. Her absence would make more work for the others, and possibly lower the bar on who got pitched. She balled up her fists in frustration. She wasn't the only one responsible for the health of the soldiers. If their generals wouldn't sent them out to fight, they wouldn't come back in such a state in the first place.

She wandered through a denser part of the forest, trying to stay roughly heading south, but orientation was a challenge without light. She found a path after a while, which could even have been made by animals rather than people; a roughly trampled area where the passage of feet might have made the way easier for the next traveller. She needed to create some distance between herself and the camp before she attempted to transport herself away.

Fatigue began to slow her, but she couldn't tell if it was because she was unused to walking so much, the fact that she had done a fair amount of healing shortly before she left, or if her current condition was playing into the matter. Whatever the reason, she had stop to rest.

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Cheers!

Rebecca