Eternal Darkness (The Cimmerian Cycle #1)

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Mik woke her up hours later.

“Kiayani we need to get going,” he said shaking her shoulders gently.

She opened her eyes and had a moment of panic. Leo was gone.

Sensing her distress Mik said, “Its okay, Leo’s up having something to eat.”

Her body relaxed slightly but she was still worried. What could she say to him? Sorry didn’t seem enough after what she had done to him. She wanted to know why the others didn’t hate her for what she had done. She had almost killed their friend twice.

She got up, leaving her bedroll unpacked, she could do that later, she had to check that Leo was still actually alive. And to check whether he hated her guts for what she had caused, the pain she had put him in.

She walked over to Leo like a ghost, very slowly and cautiously. He was sitting with the twins, conversing in low tones. The boy looked up when he heard her approach, a mixture of revulsion and pity on his face. She waited for the words that would tell her how much he hated her and how he blamed her for his pain. Except he shocked her.

“Kiayani,” he said slowly, “I’ve thought about it and I don’t blame you. If it wasn’t for you we would probably be in the back of a cart to the city, being taken away to be sold. I would rather be covered in cuts and bruises than a slave to some noble family in the city.”

“But. . .” she spluttered, “I hurt you,” she said quietly.

“No Kiayani, it was those horrible poachers who beat me up-.”

“I as good as beat you up,” she said loudly.

Leo stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, “You have to stop blaming yourself for the actions of others. They were cruel and mean.”

Rute said deeply, “You helped us escape.”

She looked from each of their faces, why did they not hate her? She felt so confused and her eyes began to water. Before tears could overcome her she turned away. Why were they doing this to her? She walked away, breaking into a quick jog to over where the horses were tied up. She rested her head on the mane of her horse, tears flowing down her cheeks. When Leo called her back she ignored him. The horse was friendly and warm. It smelt like warmth and she breathed in its scent. The animal didn’t move, but neighed slightly at her touch.

“Kiayani,” Koran came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She winced at his touch.

“Kiayani,” he repeated and pulled her around to face him.

She couldn’t look into his eyes. Then he did something unexpected, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her face into his chest. He didn’t say any more but held her tight. She felt like she was with her mother, being looked after like a child. Why did she feel so helpless in his arms? It didn’t feel quite right. She stayed in his arms, sobbing softly for a few minutes before she realised what she was doing, she was holding them up. The poachers could be on their trail right now and they might re-capture them. There would be no escaping a second time. She pushed him away gently mumbling her apologies as she went to go pack up her belongings. She stuffed her stuff into her pack and then went back over to where the horses were now grazing on the small amount of grass that was poking up between the tree roots.

She mounted her horse without looking at the others. She didn’t want to appear weak to them. After a few directions from Koran they began to ride again, covering ground much quicker than Kiayani believed was possible.

The next few days went by really fast. Kiayani was very used to riding the horse now and was confident enough to duck under low-hanging branches rather than ride around them. They had no sign that the poachers were after them and soon they could see the peaks of the mountains rise above the trees as the ground began to slope upwards. One time when they stopped to rest Kiayani was requested by Leo to tell a story. She couldn’t refuse and racked her brains for a good tale to tell.