Bow and Sparrow

CH 8

I studied the map. I knew I was far from Dast. I knew that. But I couldn't get over the longing I felt when I looked at the map. I reached out and pointed off the edge of the map, placing the palm of my hand against the wall. "Dast is over here. Somewhere. There's really nothing special about it. The baker's not all that good and sometimes the crops wilt in the summer. But, it's home. And I don't know. I just, I just wish..." I trailed off, not really sure where I was going. I had been rambling. "Sorry, nervous habit."

"Are you nervous right now?"

I made the mistake of turning. Rylan wasn't looking at the map, but instead his dark hazel eyes were trained on me. I hadn't noticed how close he stood to me, and now that I had, I couldn't find it in myself to step away. A light stubble was beginning to spread along his jawline. He raised his hand and brushed a strand of hair over my shoulder. And when his hand lingered, twisting the piece of hair around his finger, I think I forgot how to breathe.

Someone shouted outside the cabin and the door flapped open. We stepped apart as a soldier stepped in with a curt, "Sir."

"What is it, soldier?"

The soldier stood at attention, fist clenched against his chest. "A fight has broken out on the training grounds."

Rylan pinched the bridge of his nose and I thought I heard him mutter, "Not again." He walked out after the soldier, leaving me standing alone with the only sound of my heart thumping in my chest.

_____

It was past dusk and Rylan still hadn't come back. My stomach grumbled angrily and I would've thought it hadn't had a meal in a week if I didn't know any better. I had walked with Rylan enough to know where the dining hall was, or so I thought. I slipped on a pair of boots Rylan had found somewhere. They were a bit large in the toe and I had to stuff an extra pair of socks for them to fit. I made sure that the small fishing knife was tucked into them. I had gotten into the habit of keeping it under my pillow when I slept or in my boot when I was awake.

I turned slowly in a circle where I stood surrounded by tents in every direction. No matter which turn I took I seemed to end up back in the same place. Just as I was about to cry out in frustration, a soldier came around the corner. I started towards him at the same time he saw me. The surprise on his face was quickly replaced by something else. Something that made me take a step backwards. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stalked towards me. The bottle in his hand glinted in the torchlight. When he spoke, his words slurred together.

"Well, well. What are you doing way out here? Looking for some company?"

"Uh, no. Just dinner." I stammered. I tried to shimmy through a gap in the tents, but a hand caught my wrist. The soldier pulled me against his chest, the smell of stale beer rank on his breath.

"Going so soon, little bird?"

My breath caught in my throat at that nickname, and a different face flashed in front of my eyes. One with a scraggly beard and cruel eyes. I shoved back against the soldier as hard as I could, causing him to stumble away. He lost his footing and reached out a hand against the tent near him, but he collapsed on top of it.

I backed away, dipping between two tents and right into the arms of someone else. The slaver's face was still at the forefront of my mind, and a swell of rage flooded my veins as I thrashed against the person holding me. "Let me go."

"It's just me."

I stilled and looked up, and all I could see was Rylan's worried face. He realized he was still holding me and quickly stepped back. "What happened?"

I turned around, but the drunken soldier was gone and all that was left was a mangled tent. I wiped my eyes furiously at the tears welling up. I knew my face would be blotchy and I tried to calm myself down. "Nothing." I said, turning back to Rylan with a miserable excuse for a smile on my face. "I was hungry."

Rylan glanced around me, saw the broken tent, and narrowed his eyes. "You didn't wait for me."

"You never came." My shoulders tensed at his accusation and a frown settled firmly on my face.

"Are you still hungry?"

"No." My stomach turned at the thought.

Rylan offered to walk me back to his quarters and even after my run-in with the soldier, I hesitated to accept it. I wasn't used to feeling so helpless. I hadn't been that far from the cabin. We walked inside, Rylan holding the fabric door open, and I was about to retreat back to the bedroom like a pup with its tail between its legs when he spoke. "Don't go walking around without me. It's not safe."

I snorted to hide the chill that went down my back. "Come back next time."