Knowing Yourself - A Medieval Romance

Chapter 15

Chapter 15  

Kay was lost. The cave network seemed to go on forever, an ant maze of twists and turns through the damp darkness. Another fork presented itself, and she looked down each path, desperately trying to sense even the slightest difference in brightness. Perhaps the left fork was slightly more reddish? She plowed forward.

There - yes - there was a lightening of the cave walls ahead, and suddenly she rounded the corner and came out into the cool air of the rocky beach. The dark sky was just tingeing ruby red with the coming dawn. And there, his back to her, looking out toward the horizon …

Her heart leapt in relief. “Reese!” she cried out, stepping forward.

But there was no sound at all when she made her call - the air was quiet, stagnant, and Reese did not turn. Instead he \ stepped forward, and Kay realized there was a long, low wooden boat pulled up to shore, four pairs of sturdy men manning the oars. Reese took a few more steps, boarded, and found a place at the aft end. In another moment the men pulled in unison. The boat slowly made its way through the low waves, moving out into the sea.

“Reese!” Kay attempted to scream his name, and yet she was mute; no sound emerged. There was not a flicker of movement from Reese. He stared steadily out toward the distant sea.

She raced down the beach, chasing after him, but by the time she entered the water he was a good ten lengths away, making distance. The boat bobbed up and down over the waves which grew in intensity as the dawn began to spread across the sky in earnest.

“Reese!” Kay felt as if she were shouting at the top of her lungs, pleading, crying for him to turn, and a seagull overhead mocked at her lack of voice. She began swimming as strongly as she could, plowing through the waves, but the incoming tide buffeted her back. The oarsmen had already doubled the distance. Reese was fading into the morning mist .. he was leaving her …

“Reeeeese!”

* * *

The sound of her plaintive howl echoed in her ears, and then he was there, holding her, wrapping her in musk and warmth and shelter and tenderness, holding her tightly against him, soothing her.

“I am here, I am here,” he murmured in her ear, and she clung to him, her face wet with tears, sitting up on the couch, slowly returning to awareness from her vivid dream. It was several long minutes before her breathing slowed and she felt willing to pull back slightly, to look up into his face.

“I dreamt you were leaving me,” she explained weakly, dragging a sleeve across her cheeks. “I called and called, but you could not hear me.”

He brought a hand up to gently stroke her hair, a tender smile drawing on his lips. “I am here,” he repeated again, his eyes full on hers. “I am right by your side. I am not leaving.”

Em gave her sister a fond pat on the head. “No one is leaving,” she reminded the pair, moving to take a seat by the window. “Not as long as we have our friendly invaders camped outside. Speaking of which, Kay,” she added, motioning with her head toward the darkening sky, “it is about time for you to stop lollygagging around and get ready with those toasty arrows of yours. I think our friends might finally be coming within range.”

A frisson of fear rippled through Kay as the situation swept back into her mind. “Let me up,” she murmured to Reese, pressing him back.

He stood at once, putting out a hand to her, but she ignored it, springing to her feet. Or so she attempted - her leg buckled beneath her immediately, searing in pain, and it was only Reese’s arm sweeping around her waist which kept her from crashing hard to the floor.