A loud rap at her door made her stir. Rubbing at her eyes, La’tiera sat up in the darkened room. A jolt of fear cut through her at the unfamiliar feel of her surroundings, the remnants of sleep making it hard to think.
A second rap focused her attention. She remembered she was at an inn and what she’d been trying to do before sleep took her.
Climbing out of bed, staring at the door, she tried to see past the wood. It appeared to lighten in color until it was almost transparent. She could see the guard about to rap again, Kern standing beside him with a tray in his hands.
She arranged her over-large clothes without looking and hurried to the door, wanting to prove what she was seeing wasn’t just her imagination. As she came closer, she closed her eyes for a moment, willing her vision back to normal. She was relieved to find that it did as she asked.
La’tiera opened the door and found things exactly as she’d seen them. She felt her face flush with excitement.
“I apologize for disturbing you, my lady, but I thought you would want a warm supper.”
She stepped aside so he could enter, the guard behind him bringing in a lit candle.
“I’m expecting more men to arrive during the night. Once they and their horses have had a chance to rest, we’ll be on our way. If there are no problems, we should have you back home in a day.”
She felt her heart leap and tighten at the same time. “I see. Thank you for letting me know. My uncle will be most happy to see me.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Kern then took his leave.
La’tiera ate, but didn’t taste much of it, trying to concentrate her sight on the walls. Dal was not in any of the rooms around her. Disappointed but not surprised, she was about to try to get more sleep when she spotted her satchel. Remembering what Dal had once told her, she reached for it and made room on the table. She took out one of the pieces of paper, tried to picture him in her mind as clearly as she could and then started to draw.
Her hand moved from one side of the paper to the other, the semblance of a room taking shape on the paper as it did in her mind. The room grew more distinct, and then she saw him, felt him, as his shape took form beneath the charcoal in her fingers.
Dal was in a small room, propped sitting on a cot against the wall. A guard stood in front of him, undoing his bonds; a tray of food sat on the side of the bed. She studied him closely, and he seemed unharmed and a little better than when she’d seen him last. He was still as dirty as before, and a look of worry was plastered on his face.
She’d told him he was in no danger. Why wouldn’t he believe her? Her uncle wasn’t that kind of man. She would stick to her tale and try to take suspicion off the others if she could. Though she didn’t believe as they did and was unhappy at some of their methods, they had still inadvertently given her a gift, one for which she would try to repay them.
Assured now that Dal was being taken care of, she brought her hand to a stop. Putting her things away, she bundled herself back into the bed and tried to get more sleep.
She awoke late the next morning. She’d forgotten to bar the door, so breakfast was waiting for her on the table. Her cleaned clothes were neatly folded on a chair.
She was halfway to the thick drapes to throw them and the windows open when she remembered the sergeant’s request not to expose herself unnecessarily. So, taking only the barest of peeks out into the daylight, she barred her door and bathed again before putting on her clean clothes and eating.
She found the almost total silence disquieting. It was amazing the amount of sound she’d been exposed to of late—insects, animals, people. The sounds of children running and laughing, of their mothers and fathers going to work in the fields. Aya never standing still; the rest of the troupe practicing, mending and cooking. She’d not been able to say goodbye to the sprite. She had no idea if they’d been released or not. Or how the rest of the village fared after that awful night. If she wanted to avoid implicating them in what had happened to her, she couldn’t ask Kern for information and risk making him suspicious. But maybe there was another way…
Latching onto the idea, she rushed through the rest of her meal then brought her satchel up onto the table. Concentrating specifically on Aya and her memories of the energetic child, she took out a piece of paper and picked up her charcoal.
Her hand moved on the paper, dark vertical lines appearing across the page. Blurred trees filled the image, giving her the impression of movement. As the picture grew more detailed on her page and mind, she realized the only one of the troupe with Aya was Tersa. Where were the others? She frowned as she realized they were dirty, that their faces looked tired. Some of their clothes were torn.
Rather than easing her spirit, what she saw made her more concerned. Something did happen, but what? Why were they not with the others? Surely, they’d been released once she was found.
Yet Dal had sounded unsure. He’d not been so optimistic about their fate. Maybe he would know what this meant, maybe he could explain it to her. She just didn’t have enough experience to guess at what might be going on.
But though he might be only a few rooms away, Dal was as inaccessible to her as the rest of the troupe. She might be granted permission to see him, but she doubted they’d be allowed to be alone. Still, just seeing him, being with him for a few moments, might ease the growing trepidation in her heart.
Taking one long last look at the picture, La’tiera put everything away and went to the door. She took a couple of deep breaths and opened it.
“Excuse me, would it be all right for me to visit my rescuer for a short while?”
The guard scratched at the stubble growing on his face. “I’ll need to ask the sergeant, miss. I have no orders regarding that.”
“I would appreciate it if you would ask him for me, please.”
“As you wish, miss.” The guard waited till she stepped back inside then closed the door.
La’tiera stared at it, wondering how long it would be before she got an answer. She thought about drawing more pictures to try and find the others, but hesitated, not sure she would like what she learned. Instead, she began to pace, willing time to move, yearning to see Dal, yearning to open the window, yearning to go outside, yearning to, basically, do all that was forbidden to her.
When a knock finally came, she almost ran to answer it. Feeling suddenly nervous, she opened the door, using it as a shield, as the sergeant stepped inside.
“I’ve been informed that you wish to see your companion, my lady?”
“Yes, please. That won’t be a problem, will it?”
The sergeant hesitated a moment. “I suppose there would be no harm in it. I’ll escort you there now, if you’re ready.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kern led the way to a door halfway down the hall. He knocked, then opened it and spoke for a few moments to the guard La’tiera knew was inside. He stepped aside so she had room to enter.
“I’ll come back in a short while and escort you to your room, my lady.” He gave her his half-bow and motioned for her to go on in.
With some trepidation, she entered the room, though she already knew what she would find. The lone guard leaned against one bare wall, only three quick steps separating him from its other end.
Dal sat on the cot, his hands and feet tied. It looked like someone had taken the time to wipe his face clean, but his clothes were still a mess. He sat up in surprise when he saw her.
“La’tiera.”
She gave him a small smile, amused at his expression. “How are you feeling?”
She could sense the guard’s scrutiny behind her but tried for the moment to pretend they were alone. It was a strange feeling. The smells of sweat and bodies in the room were strong, the air stale and close—nothing like her quarters.
“Better. And yourself?”
There was a neutrality to his tone she’d not heard before. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was still angry at her or because they weren’t alone.
“Much better. Thank you for asking.”
She gingerly sat down on the far edge of the cot. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, not sure what she should say next. Between the silence and the guard’s attentive stare the atmosphere became more strained.
“The sergeant told me we should be on our way later today.”
He nodded, not looking at her. “I see. You should be very happy, then.”
La’tiera frowned but held her tongue, sure anything they spoke about would be reported to the sergeant and, more important, her uncle.
“Are you being treated all right? Have they given you enough to eat?”
Dal nodded, but said nothing.
She sighed softly, not finding the comfort in his presence she had hoped for. Would it hurt him all that much to trust her? She said nothing else, and the minutes ticked by. She hoped he would say something, anything, but he remained silent.
A knock told her the sergeant had returned. As the guard moved to open the door, she stood up slowly.
“La’tiera.”
She turned around, surprised he would try to speak with her now.
“You’re still wrong. You’ve got to try to see the truth.”
His face was filled with a resigned despair, and she had no idea what to make of it.
“My lady, you should return now.”
Nodding, she followed Kern out of the room.