“Ah, finally the equation I’ve been missing. Okay, listen up, doll, because Probables did tell me what your problem is, and lucky for you, I’m still in a sharing mood. Your first fears were of the unknown. You equated aliens with weird-looking creatures. Those fears should have been alleviated by now. The Sha-Ka’ani aren’t exactly what you’re used to in humanoids, but they’re close enough. Your next fear is more personal and still with you.”
Brittany did not want to hear this. “This isn’t going to—”
But Martha couldn’t be interrupted. “You’re afraid to accept the happiness that Dalden offers because deep down, you see him as too good to be true. He’s everything you want in a mate, everything, so you figure something must be wrong. In your mind, no one gets that lucky. Your emotions are revving up. Did I hit a nerve?”
“Go to hell.”
“I’ll decline that, thank you,” Martha said with a chuckle. “But your warrior is about to arrive and collect you. He’s had a nice little talk with his father, and has concluded that you and he need some time off to yourselves where you won’t be disturbed. Which means I’ll be left behind. Good luck, doll. You’re going to need it.”
That last didn’t sound promising, so she was rather apprehensive when Dalden appeared. He was wearing one of those determined looks again. And when he took her hand and started leading her off without a word about where they were going, her apprehension escalated.
Chapter 46
“YOU KNOW,DALDEN,WHEN TWO PEOPLE DECIDE TOgo on an excursion together, they usually discuss it fully beforehand, to make sure they both agree that it sounds like a good plan. That way, one or the other doesn’t bring along any disgruntlement, and they both can enjoy the outing.”
He didn’t reply. In fact, she’d made a number of remarks since they’d left Sha-Ka-Ra, and he hadn’t replied to them, either. He’d yet to say one word to her since he dragged her out of the castle.
Twohataarihad been waiting out front for them. She had been alarmed, thinking she was to ride one of them by herself, but she wasn’t. The extra mount was loaded down with stuff Dalden was taking with them, and it merely followed along behind them.
It was full night by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. Very dark, no moon yet, but normal-looking stars. She wasn’t disturbed that there were no constellations that she might recognize. She’d already figured that they’d had to take her to some far-off country she wasn’t familiar with for their project to have any hope of working, and the stars she was used to obviously didn’t show up on this side of the world.
She was sitting in front of him on thehataar. He had one arm locked firmly around her waist, so she had no fear of slipping. The other controlled the animal. They were traveling slowly, which was probably a good thing. Everything was in shadow, without much distinction. She could barely see the dirt road they followed, if it was even a road. But he obviously could.
She was still wearing the thinchauri, which felt rather odd—riding sitting forward with one leg dangling on each side of the animal, the scarf pieces of the skirt split, exposing her limbs halfway up her thighs. She wasn’t cold, though. The weather didn’t seem to change much come nighttime, was just as balmy warm as the day had been. And Martha’s linkhadbeen left behind as she’d predicted, taken from her waist and tossed into the foliage back in that garden.
Dalden was wearing a little less than usual. He was bare-chested, except for his medallion. A sword belt had been added, along with the weapon it was designed to carry. Long, wicked-looking daggers were also strapped to each of his boots. He was wearing those arm shields again, too, that had been donned for his fight with Jorran that day in City Hall. He looked positively primitive in that getup, which probably should have given her a clue that he wasn’t the same Dalden she’d become used to.
When they passed into some woods that were so dark she gave up trying to see anything in front of her, she tried once again to get some answers. “How come you won’t tell me where we’re going?”
“When you say something that needs a reply, I will reply. Until then, my attention remains on the path, to assure it is safe.”
Something thatneedsa reply? In other words, where they were going was none of her business?
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” she said with distinct unease.
“Your opinion was not requested,kerima.”
She began to bristle indignantly. She couldn’t help it. He was suddenly acting way too…too barbaric for her taste. It must be the clothes he was now wearing. Look primitive, become primitive?
“Martha was right. You—”
“Martha has been a hindrance,” he cut in. “You may forget everything she has told you.”
“Are we finally getting to the truth?”
“What truth would that be?”
“About where I am.”
“Where you are is with me,” he said simply.
“O—kay, then where are you?”
“With you.” His chin came to rest on her shoulder. “I will always be with you.”
That had a nice, secure ring to it, enough to mollify her somewhat for the moment. She supposed that if she tried, she could read between the lines of what little he’d just said. Martha had only been interested in convincing her to believe the whole fantasy. Dalden apparently had a different agenda. Hewasthe fantasy, or at least, a very big part of it. And for him, it wasn’t important that she accept where she was, only that she accept who she was with.
Martha had said she’d convinced him to be patient, which pretty much meant that he’d held back up until now from showing her what he was really like. Was that what this was about, then? They were going off to be alone somewhere so she could meet the real Dalden—the barbarian she’d only seen little glimpses of so far?
