Page 32 of The Last Guardian
The mark.
My eyes widened; the sunlight blinded me for a few seconds, and my hands found my face, massaging my eyes. Why did my stomach feel like I’d been turned upside down? Once my vision was cleared, I gazed around and saw where I was. In a large bed, red sheets tangled around my legs.
Where was I? The room moved, sunlight dancing on the walls. Wooden walls. Quick, light flutters ran through my stomach, as if it were trying to adjust to the room’s motion. Sitting up on the bed, I felt the lump rise in my throat again, struggling to control the dizziness that was creeping over me.
“It’ll pass,” said a soothing female voice.
My gaze fell on the woman sitting in an armchair. A broad smile lit up her face, her stunning, deep blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
“What?” I asked, confused.
Who was she? Was she the one who had saved me from the wolf? The woman stood up, her long black hair cascading over her dark attire, and approached the bed.
“The rocking. That floating, nauseating feeling. Your body isn’t used to it yet.”
“Used to what?” I asked, frowning again.
“To the waves, to the sea,” the woman explained. “You’ve never been on a ship?”
The sea… What was she talking about? Why would I be on a ship?
“I don’t understand what’s happening.” I shook my head. “Who are you? What am I doing here? Where are you taking me? In the woods…”
“Zaid and Dax found you in the woods. You’d lost a lot of blood. And you have nasty wounds,” the woman explained. “They brought you to the ship to heal you.”
Who was Dax? And Zaid?
Zaidkiel? Why would he save me? How did he find me?
“Why bring me on a ship? Why… why not to Lorath?”
The woman sneered. “Weren’t you running away or something? Because, from what Zaid told me, you looked like someone who was running away, apparently.”
As if it were any of her business. I didn’t answer because, yes, I was running away. But I didn’t know this woman, so I kept quiet. And why in the Hells was Zaidkiel, Zaid, as she called him, talking about me fleeing? Or following me into the woods?
“Listen,” the woman said softly, “Zaid will find you today. He will explain it better than I can. I wasn’t there.” Then she added, curling a dark lock around one of her fingers, “Solasta, the healer, tended your wounds. Pretty bad to look at, I must say. You had a fever during your first day…”
“First day?” I shot up; the brusque movement turned my head.
She placed a hand on her stomach, caressing the black leather of her jumpsuit. A wolf was sculpted on the left side. It looked like an emblem… but I had never seen that design anywhere. And I’d never seen a woman in trousers. Tunics, yes, but never tight-fitting pants.
“Three days.”
“Three days?” My eyes widened. Seven Hells, three days? The wedding…
I frowned, trying to let everything sink in, and I added, “Did… did Zaidkiel warn my family?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know.” The woman grimaced. “Look, the bathroom is on the other side of your quarters. I couldn’t save your dress… It was soaked with blood and foam, but I left some clothes in the wardrobe, so take what you like. You can go to the dining room upstairs afterward; it’s on the second floor…”
“Excuse me, eh, I didn’t catch your name,” I interrupted, frowning. “Who are you?”
“By the Ten, of course.” The woman smiled.
By the Ten?
“I’m the captain of the ship,” the woman said, beaming, before adding, “Nefeli Kaenington. Welcome to the Hawker.”
KAENINGTON.
