Daughters of Jared, page 3
The eyes belonged to a man, a complete stranger. The burning in my throat spread to my chest as it constricted in panic. The man seemed to understand my confusion and fear, and he reached out to touch my shoulder.
“I’m a healer,” he said. “Your father asked me to watch over you and let him know when you awaken.”
The healers I knew were elderly, thin, and pale from sitting hunched over in their huts, studying herbs and making poultices. This man was built like a warrior, with thick arms, broad shoulders, and a short beard. His dark hair was long but tied back with a leather band. Something about the shape of his face was familiar, but I knew I had never seen him before.
“My sister . . .” I croaked.
His hand was still on my shoulder. “She’s well. Frightened, but no injuries.” His gaze searched mine. “You were fortunate that my brother heard the screams. We tease him that he has ears like a dog, and this once, it paid off.”
“Brother?” I whispered.
“Akish,” the man said, his eyes assessing me.
The warmth returned to my body, and if I hadn’t been in so much pain, I might have smiled. It had been Akish. It hadn’t been a dream. He had really carried me to safety.
“How—” I winced, my throat searing.
The man fetched a cup of wine. He gently lifted my head and put the cup to my lips. I took a sip, trying not to wince. I leaned back again, closing my eyes briefly, if only to cut off the intense gaze of this man who was Akish’s brother. He hadn’t been with Akish on the previous visit. I would have remembered. His physique would be hard to miss.
“Rest, Naiva,” the man said. “Your neck and throat will take some time to heal. You shouldn’t try to speak unless necessary.” He paused, and I opened my eyes, captured again in the unusual color that reminded me of the forest, and again wondered how this man was a gentle healer when he looked as if he could command an army.
“I must go now to tell your father you’ve awakened. Your sister and Akish will want to know as well.” He stood and left the room. I felt an unexplained pang of emptiness when he left. I couldn’t understand it.
Maybe it was because he’d mentioned my sister and Akish in the same phrase, as if it were natural to mention them together.
ASH ABSOLUTELY GLOWED WHEN SHE entered my chamber. Even through my exhaustion, I noticed something had changed, something had happened to her in the time I’d been in bed. She rushed to my side and clasped my hand.
“You’re awake.” Her voice was breathless. “When Levi told me, I hardly dared to hope. But here you are!”
Levi. I hadn’t even asked his name.
My sister turned to someone standing in the doorway. “You were right. Your brother is an excellent healer.”
It was too painful to turn my head to see the man in the doorway. Akish stepped into the room as my sister gushed over me.
His eyes held mine, and I felt as if I were about to burst. There was the same intensity, the same power I’d felt in his gaze the first time I’d met him. I wondered if he felt it as well or if I was just ignorant of relationships between men and women.
Ash took his hand, leading him to the bed. My eyes went to their intertwined fingers, and my stomach formed into a knot. My sister had spent most of her young adult life flirting with men, teasing them, asking favors, but never had she been so casually affectionate. Why did she have to be so toward Akish?
“Thank you,” I said, though it hurt to speak.
He released my sister’s hand and knelt by my bed, totally oblivious to her surprised stare. He caressed my palms. I had the sudden urge to wrap my arms about his neck. “How are you feeling?” His voice carried thick concern.
Ash cut in. “I was terrified for you. When that man started strangling you, I was about ready to rip the dagger out of his hand, when who should come? Akish!” She knelt next to him, her face beaming as she clutched his arm. “He arrived just in time. He and his men—they are truly heroes. There will be a big feast tomorrow in celebration.”
One side of Akish’s mouth lifted into a smile, but his eyes were still on me. He released my hands and touched my neck. A mixture of pain and pleasure coursed through me at his touch. I didn’t want him to know the pain, since I didn’t want him to move away. I wished that my sister, for once, would leave the room.
“I know the man who hurt you,” Akish said in a low voice, his fingers moving from my neck to my shoulder then lifting, taking the heat with him. “He was in prison for stealing. Was probably released recently or had escaped.” His eyes narrowed. “He won’t touch you again.”
“Is he in prison again?” I whispered.
“He’s dead.”
Akish’s expression told me I didn’t want to know the details. My father entered the room, his entourage with him. Akish rose and stepped back, allowing my father to peer down on me. “We owe Akish a great deal of gratitude. He has preserved my daughter’s honor.” He turned to my sister. “It’s not fitting for a queen-to-be to travel without escorts.”
“Yes, Father,” Ash murmured.
Then he turned away—my father, who always held the well-being of my sister with utmost importance. My neck would heal, my voice would return to strength, but my heart sustained a new crack in it as I watched my father leave.
Ash looked at Akish, her gaze open and admiring. “We should let her rest.” She linked her arm through his, and they left together. At their retreat, I sensed that I had just lost something—something I may have never held in the first place.
The next day my voice sounded hoarse. If I whispered, the pain was manageable. I heard the clatter and hum of preparation for the celebration feast coming from various parts of the house. I was stuck in bed for the most part, at least confined to my room. No one wanted to see the ugly bruising that had appeared. Besides, the swelling became more uncomfortable when I walked around.
The door opened in the early afternoon. I wasn’t surprised to see Levi, the healer, again. He poured me a drink. “Here, you must be thirsty.”
I took a sip, grimacing at the pain of swallowing.
“How does your neck feel?” he asked.
“Better,” I whispered. I glanced at him, wondering again about him. Now that I knew he was brother to Akish, I saw the resemblance, though Akish was thinner, taller, and more elegant looking.
He nodded. “Keep whispering. It will allow your voice to heal faster.” He uncovered a bowl on a table by my bed. “This is a poultice you should apply three times a day. In about a week, the soreness will be gone.”
He leaned forward and gingerly touched my neck. “The swelling has increased, but that’s normal. Tonight it’ll be at its worst.” He pulled a small vial from a satchel slung across his shoulder. “This will help you sleep if the pain is too much. Pour half of it into a drink.” He set the vial on the table and stood. “I must leave. I trust your father will find a local healer to check in on you.”
“You’re not staying?” I asked.
Hesitation flickered across his face. “My brother and I . . . we don’t mix in the same society. I was only traveling with him because I had another matter to attend to in your city.”
I wanted to ask him questions about who he really was, what matters he had to attend to, how they happened to be near the ponds when my sister and I were attacked, but my throat burned hot. I reached for the cup and took another sip. I winced again as I swallowed.
Levi picked up the bowl. “I’ll do the first treatment before I go.”
I closed my eyes as his fingers spread the poultice on my neck. It was cool and soothing to the touch. When he finished, he replaced the bowl and covered it with a cloth.
“How well do you know Akish?” he asked.
His question surprised me. Surely he knew this was only Akish’s second visit to our home. “Very little,” I whispered.
Levi looked at me for a moment, his brows furrowed, as if he were trying to determine whether or not I was speaking the truth. I didn’t understand how I’d given him any cause for suspicion.
“Your sister has been very . . . friendly . . . toward him. I thought perhaps he’d spent a great deal of time here.”
“No,” I said. “We’ve only met him once before.”
Something like relief crossed Levi’s face. He nodded and started to move away again.
I don’t know what possessed me, but I reached out and touched his arm. He looked down, equally surprised. “What has my sister said?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Levi crouched so our faces were level. “But my brother is not the hero he appears to be. There are things he has done—”
Voices in the hallway stopped his speech. He rose. “I must go.” He suddenly leaned over me, his face close to mine. “Be careful. My brother is used to getting his way.” He touched the hair that curled about my shoulders. “He has spoken of you—”
The door to my chamber opened. Levi jerked back just as my sister entered the room with Akish. They walked into my chamber, arm in arm.
Immediately I thought of my appearance, my bedraggled hair, my unwashed body, the ugly bruising along my neck, all things I had not considered in Levi’s presence. Akish crossed the room, his presence striking, as if he were a member of the royal family—a family who hadn’t lost its kingdom.
Levi faced the pair, and the gazes of the two brothers met.
“You’re leaving?” Akish asked, his words short and clipped.
“Yes,” Levi said. It was not hard to read the tenseness in each man’s posture.
Akish was the first to break gazes, his eyes traveling to mine. The way he looked at me made me feel as if we were the only ones in the room. But all too soon, my sister was speaking, infiltrating our space.
With a backward glance, Levi left, his expression drawn and tight. I didn’t have time to dwell on his words about his brother because when Akish was in the room, nothing else seemed to matter. He pulled the stool closer to my bed and sat down. “What did the healer say?”
It was strange that he referred to his brother that way, but I answered. “The swelling will be at its worst tonight.”
He folded his hands on top of my bed, only a short distance from me. He was close enough that if I moved just slightly, we’d be touching. My sister reached for my hand, grasping it. She brushed by Akish with a smile as she did so.
“We must sit with you tonight then and distract you from the pain,” Akish said, as if it were a perfectly natural thing to do.
“Oh,” my sister said, “we’ll make sure she is well taken care of, but we must attend my father’s feast.”
“Of course.” Akish’s eyes stayed on me. My sister seemed mollified, but I knew she didn’t like the attention off of her. My chamber had become positively stifling with the three of us.
“She should rest,” she said in a honeyed voice.
My sister effectively escorted Akish out of the room; then she was back in my chamber, standing next to my bed, her arms folded. “You’re not going to ruin tonight’s feast.”
I wished I could sit up, or stand, to face her. I felt helpless in my condition.
She continued. “If Akish, or any of his men, try to spend time with you, you’ll send them away. You will not visit with them.” She leaned toward me, fire in her eyes. “I have a plan—do you understand? Drawing Akish into your room and making him feel sorry for you isn’t going to help me.”
“I’m not—”
“Hush!” Her eyes darted away as voices sounded outside my chamber, but the disturbance soon passed. “Akish told me a very interesting story about our ancestors today. A story of how kingdoms were won and lost.” Her eyes shone with excitement. I could only imagine what it took to win a kingdom. Bloodshed, loss, and betrayal.
“Ash, you must be careful,” I said.
“I will be most careful.” She gripped my hand. “But it’s imperative that you stay in your chamber until Akish and his men leave.”
I tried to sit up, but my neck jolted with pain. “Why?”
Her grip tightened as she lowered her voice to a hiss. “Because, my dear sister, Akish is part of my plan, and I can’t have him salivating over my little sister.”
The words both repulsed and excited me. Was it possible Akish truly held interest in me? If my sister had noticed, perhaps it wasn’t in my imagination. Levi’s warning came to my mind, but I pushed it defiantly away.
“Ash—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she said. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Everyone has. He’s made no secret of his opinion of your beauty.” She paused. “Don’t look so startled. We’re practically twins, and you know how my beauty is heralded. With the right amount of paint on your face and fine clothing, men’s heads will turn and look at the second daughter of Jared.”
She released my hand and turned away, but I knew she was far from finished. Her next words were filled with venom. “But the second daughter is nothing. She has no rights, no inheritance, and would be fortunate to make a decent match some day.” Ash faced me, her expression dark. “But as the first daughter, I will be the queen. Father has acknowledged that I’ll have the kingdom to share with my husband when I marry.”
I sank farther into the bed, wishing I had been born into a family of blacksmiths.
“You’ll have every privilege afforded a queen’s sister if you but follow my plans now. Those who are loyal to me will gain their reward in the future.” She knelt by my bed, her eyes boring into mine. “You’re my sister and my first loyalty. You’ll have the best that I can offer. But I need your pledge, Naiva, that you’ll be loyal to me.”
There was no use asking what Father would say because I already knew he supported her, whatever her grand plot might be. In my hesitation, she grew agitated. She’d expected me to immediately comply, like always. But I wasn’t so sure now. What if her plan backfired? What if there was a future for Akish and me? I’d be free of my home, become the mistress of his, and start a new life where I was the one casting the shadows, not living in them.
“Naiva,” her voice was sharp, “say no, or try to thwart my plans, and you will be sent to the temples.”
This time I did sit up. The pain in my neck nearly caused me to faint, but I held out with sheer determination. “You have no power to send me there.”
“You know Father always listens to me.”
I did know. I stared into her golden brown eyes, eyelids painted with precision and highlighted in greens and blues. Then I saw her as Akish must see her—as every man must see her. A beautiful goddess. I might share some of the same physical appearances as my sister, but everything about her was superior.
“Has Akish agreed to become part of your arrangement, then?” I whispered.
Her mouth softened into a smile. “Yes, his part is integral. He has great influence in our grandfather’s court, a man trusted in the highest circles, but I believe he sympathizes with Father.” She rubbed her hands together. “And he is so very handsome.”
“What are you scheming?” I asked, dread flooding through me. I couldn’t believe my sister truly cared for Akish, but if he were an important part of her plan to restore our father’s throne, she would stop at nothing.
“All will be revealed soon,” Ash said. “Will you promise to obey me?”
No, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t face the temple. I couldn’t live a life as a priestess, confined to religious rituals day and night. “Yes,” I whispered.
My sister patted my arm. “Rest now, my dear sister.”
When she left the room, instead of relief at her absence, agitation took its place. Levi’s words ran through my mind. My brother is used to getting his way. He had tried to warn me about his brother. What if Akish already knew about my sister’s plot? What if instead of playing into her hands, he was actually guiding them?
I leaned back, wondering if there was any way out of the impending storm. When my eyes finally closed, I imagined only death, destruction, and deep sorrow on the horizon.
SOMETHING TICKLED MY FINGERS, AND I awoke with a start. The bedchamber was dark, except for a few burning oil lamps. My eyes widened as I saw the source of the tickling sensation. Akish sat next to the bed, his fingers brushing against mine. I gasped, and my voice caught in my throat.
His hand closed over mine. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Where is—”
“Asherah is preparing for the feast.” He tilted his head, his gaze intense, unnerving. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Akish had come to see me. Me. What would my sister think? She’d specifically told me to send Akish away should he attempt to visit. I then wondered how she’d known he might.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I whispered, wishing desperately I could speak in a normal voice and that I could wear something beautiful and attend the feast tonight. Perhaps sit at the same table as he.
“I know I shouldn’t be.” His black eyes grew blacker. “But when I first saw you, I knew there was something different about you. I can’t stop thinking about our first meeting.”
My pulse thudded in my ears.
He leaned toward me, his hand sliding up my arm. Perspiration broke out on my forehead.
“I’m only a second daughter.” As soon as I said it, I chastised myself. I sounded like a child.
His lips parted into a smile. “I don’t think we should let that deter us.”
My heart pounded. What was he saying? I hardly dared to believe, to hope. I imagined my sister’s fury, but Akish was a powerful man. Would he let my sister stand in his way?
“Whatever happens,” he began, “I want you to remember there is something powerful between us. Something that can never be taken away, no matter what happens.” His hand went to my shoulder, and he leaned closer until his beard brushed against my chin, his eyes absorbing me. Just as his breath puffed against my lips, the door to my chamber cracked open.
