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-&-

Chapter 10

       A thin beam of warm light streamed across my closed eyelids, and tickled the lashes resting heavily on my cheeks. I groaned at the sudden pain that shot through the back of my skull, tears pooling in my eyes. Why did it hurt so much?

       "Sh." A gentle voice whispered as something cool and wet pressed against my throbbing forehead. It offered little relief. I couldn't stop the water leaking from my eyes, even though they would not open. It hurt so much. I sobbed.

       "It's okay, relax, Lady Emrie."

       I didn't want to relax. I wanted to curl in a ball and clutch desperately at my head until the pain went away. But my body was too impossibly heavy to move. I cried harder. "No, it's alright, it's alright." The voice sounded more desperate now, the soft gentleness in it disappearing as a heavy mass moved beside me.

       My head throbbed painfully again.

       "M-Make... it... s-stop." I sobbed as the feeling of ten-thousand hammers hitting into the back of my skull rang through my brain. The gold-power was there, just simpering inside my chest- wait for the pain to kill me and set it free. More tears fell from my eyes.

       "Drink this. It will help."

       A pressure pressed against my bottom lip, and a soft, cool liquid brushed against my tongue as I opened my mouth. A wave of cold relief washed over me as that familiar blissful feeling of sleep washed over me. My breathing eased as I relaxed back into the soft platform I was lying on, the water slowly drying in my eyes. I took a deep breath.

       "Go back to sleep. You will feel better when you wake again."

       The voice didn't have to tell me twice.

-&-

       Warmth washed slowly across my face as my eyes fluttered open, the sunlight fading into night through the tiny window across my bed. I frowned. This wasn't my room at the inn. I let out a pained groan as I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position and glanced around the tiny, dark room. I blinked at the cramped space in confusion.

       Where was I?

       The hard cot I was lying on suddenly swayed, along with the room, and I gripped tightly at my forehead as the notion made me ridiculously dizzy. Male voices shouted in the distance, a bird called, and I suddenly realized the one, small window in the room was a porthole.

       I was on a boat.

       What in the world happened-

       I tried to stand on my feet, but the ship swayed again and the dizziness made me fall right back down. I let out another groan. I have never been seasick before, this was something else. But I was starting to get beyond freaked out, and that wasn't going to stop me from finding out what the hell was going on.

       The next time I rose to my feet I was able to clamp onto the small desk beside me before the shipped swayed again and the dizziness hit. My stomach bubbled unpleasantly, but I forced my heavy body to stay on my feet. I was wearing a dark green, long tunic that was way too big for me, and a pair of black cotton pants that clung tightly to my legs. I didn't bother wondering how I got changed, that would just add onto the headache already hammering at the back of my skull.

       I waited for the room to still again before forcing my sluggish body to the small wooden door. I leaned heavily against the wall before easing the barrier open with a harsh sigh. That was a lot heavier than it should have been. A small hallway met my aching eyes, and I blinked in confusion at the light from the setting sun that streamed into view. No visitor quarters were ever on the first deck. Not in any passenger-carrying ship.

       I forced myself to stay upright as I stepped out of the room and into the hallway, my hands pressed firmly into the walls on either side of me- it was the only thing keeping me from falling. I stopped at the entrance of the opened hall, two small steps separating me from the deck. I frowned up into the dimming light of the day.

       What an odd boat...

       Climbing those two steps was harder than I expected, and I let out another pained groan when that throbbing at the back of my skull started again, but I pushed past it. I needed to find Mae, or Leikos, or Terif-

       The big wolf-borne was sitting on a large crate at the side of the rather small deck. His torso bare as he wound a thick wrap of gauze around his stomach. I gaped over at him. I had seen him completely nude before, so the stark contrast of tight skin over firm muscles wasn't what shocked me. No- the large, open gashes running down his back and along his side did.

       "Oh my god..." I whispered in horror as I forced my heavy feet forward, my head-ache still raging, but long forgotten.

       The General's head snapped up the minute my voice reached his sensitive ears, and he glanced over his shoulder with startled eyes. "Lady Emrie..." His voice was gruff as he shifted on the box, his large body stiff as he turned to face me. I wanted to cringe at the pain that must have caused him.

       "You should be resting." He practically growled, but continued to roll the gauze around his stomach, hiding the even deeper wound there. I ignored him as the ship swayed again and I fell onto a smaller crate beside him. His golden eyes flickered down to me.

       "L-Let me help." I stammered rather dazedly as another wave of dizzy washed over my mind. His gaze turned hard.

       "You need to go lay back down, my lady." His voice wasn't necessarily angry, but I could hear the hard demand in his tone. I ignored it and reached over to take the gauze from him. His hand tightened on the wrapping before he let of an aggravated sigh and gave it to me.

       "What happened?" My voice was a hoarse murmur from lack of use, but I knew despite the shouts from the ship's crew and crashing waves, that he could hear me.

       "There were more of those sewer-rats than I had expected." He growled and flinched a little when I wrapped the bandage a little too tight. I gave him an apologetic smile.

        "Sewer-rats?" I asked softly as he lifted his arm for me to finish wrapping around him. He grunted and glanced down at my hands.

       "Serpent-shifters, bottom dwellers. Whatever you want to call them. They can never fully shift human and smell awful."

       I wrinkled my nose in distaste at his words, but tried not to say anything as I grabbed the tape beside him and secured the end of the bandage. This was the most civilized conversation we had ever had, and I didn't want to risk ruining it.

       I-I knew what he was talking about, or at least, I thought I did. It seemed familiar, but every time I tried to remember, the back of my head throbbed painfully.

       "How did we get here?" I asked softly as I sat back down on the wooden box beside him and tried not sway dizzily. My head still ached, the light- although dim- was hurting my eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep.

       "I brought us." He grumbled and winced as he tried to reach over for his tunic.

       "Let me help-" I started again, despite the nauseous feeling swamping in my stomach. He lifted his lip in a snarl.

       "Don't even think about it. You can barely stand." He growled as he used his good arm to pull the tunic over his head. I didn't miss how his face twisted in pain at that action. It made me frown.

       "Do wolf-bornes not heal as fast the rumors say?" I wondered quietly as he finally pulled the shirt completely over his hard chest and let out a pained sigh. I wasn't sure how long we had been on the small boat, but I was under the impression his species healed within minutes. Yet, even the King needed help to heal.

       "We do." He grumbled as he leaned forward with a wince and rested his arms heavily against his large thighs. "The bottom-feeders have venom in their talons. It slows down the healing process." I closed my eyes and tried to push the urge to vomit down as the ship rocked again. The cot barely a few meters away looked really good right then.

       "Where's Mae, and Leikos?" I mumbled sleepily as I let my body sway softly with the ship. If I kept my eyes closed and pretended I was laying down, the dizziness didn't bother me so much.

       "They're still at the Lower Kingdom." His dark grumbled made me frown, and I forced my eyes to peel open. He was still leaning heavily against his knees, his breath leaving in hard drags as he stared out at the water surrounding us.

       Were we not?

       "Where are we going?"

       His bright golden eyes flickered to mine before he licked his lips and glanced away again. He stayed silent for a moment, his jaw ticking as my body began to slowly feel heavier and heavier. "Terif-"

       "We are going back to the North."

       My breath lodged in my throat, and my heart paused in my chest. "W-What?" I wasn't sure how to feel about that knowledge. I had never wanted to leave in the first place, and I always wanted to experience a true winter there, but if Mae and Lei were still in the Northern Kingdom I shouldn't be leaving them.

       I couldn't go back to the stuffy village, with the overbearing Elders, and their incessant exams. They would poke and prod at me until they could figure out the gold-power- until they could hold it in their grasp. I doubted my body would be able to handle much more of it. And Leikos wasn't there to moderate it like last time.

       "I have informed the King about what has happened." I was surprised at the soft tone in his voice, at the uncertain look dancing around his golden gaze. For once, his eyes would not glance up at mine, and his tone was not crude.

       "He was- He is very upset."

       The King was upset- upset over something I couldn't even remember. And yet, my chest ached at the notion. "What exactly... happened?" The nauseous feeling in my stomach was easing, but the heavy sleep behind my eyes only grew worse. It took all my willpower not to lean heavily against the wounded wolf and fall asleep.

       The General let out a heavy sigh and glanced over at me as I blinked sleepily up at him. His golden eyes flashed and he frowned. "You are exhausted, Lady Emrie. And your body still needs time to heal."

       Heal from what? He was the one with the sever gashes running along his upper body. I opened my mouth to protest, but he was shaking his head and rising to his feet with a wince before I could.

       "I will explain more after you rest."

       I let him help me to my feet, even though the action obviously was painful for him- but he didn't complain. I had to grip heavily onto his large arm to keep from falling, no matter how hard I tried to walk on my own. He let out an irritated sigh half way across the deck and ended up wrapping his good arm around my waist and lifting me easily into the air.

       "I'm sorry, but you are taking forever." He growled as he carried me across the small ship and down the two short steps to the hallway that held the room I woke up in. He never once complained of any pain as he helped me ease back onto the cot and lifted the coarse blanket over my shaky body.

       "W-Where's your room?" My voice was a hoarse murmur as my heavy eyes watched him pull out the desk chair that was far too small for him and sit down. He snorted.

       "Don't have one. I've been sleeping here."

       I wanted to widen my eyes and stutter in disbelief, but my body was too heavy and the pain in the back of my head was quickly growing. "That can't be... comfortable..." I was able to mumble before my eyes closed. His deep chuckle reached through my subconscious.

       "Anything to keep you alive, my lady."

-&-

       I was still confused the next time I woke, but at least I knew the rocking of my cot and room was from the waves. There was still a dull ache at the back of my head, but the nausea was gone and it was easier to stand on my feet. I let out a soft groan as I pulled my heavy body off the bed.

       It was dark outside, from what I could tell through the little round window- and I had no idea how long I had been sleeping, but I knew it must have been awhile. The deck of the small ship was rather empty when I dragged my heavy body out of my room- only a few crew members floated around.

       It wasn't hard to spot the large wolf-born leaning causally against the edge of the ship, his eyes closed as his face pointed towards the sky. I walked slowly over to him. "How long have I been sleeping?" That was as much of a greeting as I could spare him. He seemed so lost in his thoughts, so determined to count every single star in that sky, that I didn't want to interrupt him without an absolute reason.

       His golden eyes flickered down to me as I stopped at his side, my hands gripping tightly onto the cool wooden rail of the ship. "A while." His voice was almost- soft as his dark eyes glanced back out into the darkness of the crashing waves. My lips pulled into a frown. Well, that didn't answer my question at all.

       "How long have we been at sea?"

       "A while."

       I let out a quiet sight. Well, okay then. "Do you wonder if the King is still... upset?" I asked softly as our bodies swayed gently with the ship against the deep water. He shifted uncomfortably beside me and let out a soft wince.

       "I know he is."

       My chest clenched at the gruff grumble that past the large General's lips, and I darted my tongue out to lick my own. "What- What exactly happened, Terif?" My voice was practically a soft whisper against the steady wind of the sea, but I knew he could still hear.

       He let out a soft sigh and closed his golden eyes before turning around with a shake of his head. I watched patiently as he leaned back against the railing and ran a heavy hand down his face. Unease filled my stomach. I had never seen the wolf so- so anxious before.

       "We... We ran into some serpent-shifters on the way back from the inn, and they wanted more than just your money." He started slowly, unsurely, like he didn't know if he was supposed to tell me or not.

       I frowned and leaned back against the railing beside him. Images of large, dark, masses circling us flitted through my mind, but every time I tried to pin the memory down my head would throb painfully and they would disappear. "I'm not sure why, but they wanted you and your little Underling friend." My heart dropped to my stomach at that statement, and I rubbed my fist against my chest.

       "Did they... did they know about me?" My voice was a weak murmur as it passed my lips. If that was the case, no wonder the King would be upset. He made it adamantly clear about how he didn't want the world to know about me. But if they somehow did- he definitely wouldn't be happy.

       "I'm not sure." Terif's tone came out as a dark grumbled as he dropped his gaze to the deck, his thick arms crossed firmly over his chest. "But I don't think so. They are usually slave traders and smugglers, or could be working for one." His words shouldn't have sent a wave a relief through me, but they did. If he didn't think they knew I was supposed to be the King of the North's mate, then they probably didn't.

       A sharp stab of pain zapped straight through my skull and I groaned before reaching tenderly for my head. Terif's gaze flickered down to me. "Why is my head throbbing like this?" I moaned in discomfort as he shifted uneasily again. The General clenched his jaw before glancing away, his posture stiffening.

       "One of the sewer rates, they, uh- They slammed your head into a nearby building before I could reach you." My eyes widened in surprise at the remorse that was suddenly clouding his voice, and I gazed up at him as he turned away from me- his large shoulders tense.

       "General-"

       "I failed my orders- allowed you to be hurt. I failed my king."

       The surprise quickly left my chest and I tried not to roll my eyes. Like he would ever actually feel any sort of sympathy over me being hurt. All that remorse was because he felt he failed the King. I let out a soft sigh before turning back around to look at the dark water.

       "I'm sure there was nothing you could have done."

       I still could barely remember the attack, just a few dark shapes and that ridiculous pain. But I knew, despite his lack of any type of emotion, that he would try everything in his power to not allow anything happen to me. He wouldn't betray his king like that.

       He only made a gruttle sound in the back of his throat.

       "So, we are going back to the mountain." I murmured softly as he turned around and leaned against the rail once again, his stiff shoulders easing. He didn't say anything. "I love the North, don't get me wrong- but the last thing I want to deal with are those Elders and their constant exams." I grumbled into the quiet air as he leaned heavily beside me.

       The gold-power had been silent since that time in the mountain with the King, but I had a sickening feeling that the more tests the Elders and their medicine-men ran- the more it was going to tick it off.

       "I don't think you will have to worry about that."

       "What do you mean?" I asked with a frown as he clasped his hands in front of him and blinked up at the night sky.

       "I doubt the King will want you far from him for a while. He wishes to keep an eye on you."

       My heart stopped at his words, my breath catching slightly in my throat. The King wants me... close to him? After all those nights, weeks of silently begging up to the heavens to let me be close to him- I was actually going to be?

       He wouldn't leave the castle though, oh no. That's his kingdom, he would never stray too far under the mountain for very long. But that would mean I would have to go to him.

       "I believe he does not intend on letting you leave the castle."

-&-

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