Starlight (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Annika rode on the mare in front of her toward the front of the group. The little girl was alone. And judging by the way she was shaking, she was scared out of her mind. Ro couldn't believe that Arik wouldn't a least let her horse be attached to his, but he completely ignored both of them. He was the commander of this group and his body language was screaming it. His broad shoulders were back and proud as his body moved with the stallion. Although Ro couldn't see his eyes she knew that they were focused on their surroundings and shifting back and forth between the trees. Always on alert. Always watching.

Orin didn't speak to Ro until about an hour and a half into the ride. Ro was glad to have the silence between them. There was a lot on her mind. She knew that each step of the horse meant that they were all the more closer to the Tempest Court and that meant a step closer to her fate as well as Annika's. It made her feel nauseous, but every time she felt like she might throw up a cool calming wind touched her face. She wanted to believe that it was Arik, but she knew better. She knew that he had more on his mind that making sure she didn't puke her guts up.

"So tense." Orin's voice was a sinister whisper in Ro's ear. "Relax."

Orin moved a hand to rest on Ro's thigh and her stomach turned once again. She wanted to smack it away and twist around to smack him across the face. But that would've been a very stupid thing to do. So she just sat in front of the Halfling with the violet and green eyes and tried not to think of his large hand groping her leg. She had to remember that this was her life now. Even though Arik had told her to fight she knew that she also needed to pick her battles. This was not going to be one of them.

The Halfling started to talk among themselves again in the Fairy language. They were unaware that Ro could understand every word. They went into extreme detail of what they thought of her body and what they would like to have the chance to do to it. Ro had to take it. She knew that she couldn't react. She glanced up at Arik once just to see if he would turn around because she knew that he could hear them, but he never looked their away. She couldn't even feel a hint of sympathetic emotion coming from him.

There was a sudden commotion toward the front of the group. Ro shot her gaze forward as Orin pulled the reins of their horse back. Ro could see Arik and the other Halfling on their horses, but not Annika. The mare was bare backed and Ro began to look frantically for the little girl. She even tried to dismount, but Orin kept a grip on her and told her not to move from the horse. Ro knew that it would have been smarter to listen to the Halfling, but she fought him. She struggled against his grip until he did something that was all too familiar to her.

He took her breath.

If felt just as vicious as the first time Arik had done it to her. Ro clenched onto her chest and her eyes watered blocking her vision of what was in front of her. She tried to beg him to stop but her voice crackled in her throat. But suddenly she was able to suck in a much needed breath. She moved to lean forward, but Orin pressed her against his chest as he whispered into her ear.

"When you are given a command you are expected to follow it."

"Orin...perhaps the woman is too much of a burden for you." One of the other Halflings laughed, "I would be happy to have her ride with me."

Orin said some colorful words and would have said more if he were not interrupted by Arik who called to the Halfling he was speaking to, "Haren, the child is too weak to ride alone." Ro wiped her eyes and was able to see Annika panting on the ground. She had fallen off of her horse, exhausted from keeping herself upright. "She shall ride with you."

Haren dismounted and moved to lift Annika from the ground. Ro was floored at the fact that Arik had not even made an effort to see if Annika was alright. He never dismounted and only laid eyes on her for a brief second before he trotted away. He hadn't even checked to make sure that Ro was okay. She knew that Arik could sense her emotions and that meant that he felt her being choked. He should have felt her fear and her suffering. He never acknowledged it. Ro knew that he had a position to uphold, but it amazed her how firmly he had flipped the switch.