Chapter Five
Sitting across the tent, he observed her limp form that was held upright between the two tent poles by the ropes that bound her wrists. Her head hung forward, her chin touching her chest, and her lustrous black hair hid her face from him.
Her attire left little to the imagination. He knew he should be appalled by her manner of dress, but the ache in his loins betrayed the way in which he was raised. He found himself standing in front of her, wanting to see her face more clearly in the candlelight. Placing a finger under her chin, he slowly lifted her head. He gasped audibly when he stared into the deepest sapphire blue eyes he had ever seen.
Recovering quickly, he said, "You are awake."
Najya stared at the man from her vision, the man who was the cause of the horrendous ache in the back of her head. Were it not for the sight of him catching her off guard, she would not be trussed up like an animal on display.
"What is your purpose here?" He demanded firmly. He decided it would be best if he kept his attraction to her in check and treat her like the enemy she was.
"I have no purpose here," she replied. She could feel that he was at odds with himself. The urge to reach out and touch his mind with hers was overwhelming. She stifled the impulse quickly, not wanting to break an oath she had made to herself years ago. If she were to find herself in a life or death situation with this man, she would not hesitate to invade his private thoughts. However, until that time came, and she hoped it would not, she would keep rein on her desire to know his mind more intimately.
"You toy with me?" He asked, cupping a hand under her chin and gazing into her eyes. "You would be wise to answer my question. The tribal Elders have already expressed their wish to rid you from this earth."
"To kill me would put the earth at odds with itself," she replied elusively.
"You make no sense, woman," he stated, dropping his hand away.
"My name is Najya, not woman."
He almost smiled. She had spirit, this strange woman. He found himself curious about her. Where was she from, how did she come to be as she was and, more importantly, just how sweet would her tempting lips taste? Realizing where his thoughts had led him, he moved away, as if taking his eyes off her would drive out his ill-disciplined notions. He should not be thinking these things about a possible enemy, no matter how attractive she was.
She watched with curious eyes as he turned abruptly away from her and again she felt the emotional turmoil within him. She sighed. "I have come to seek the one of my vision." She waited as he turned slowly to face her, although his eyes questioned her, he spoke no words. "Yes. The one is you," she answered.
"What is it you are saying?" Ardeth asked curiously. He was in a vision? She HAD visions? Was she a Seer?
Feeling tired, her body aching from being strung up as she was, Najya felt her patience slipping. "I would be more inclined to answer your questions if I were not strung up like an animal," she replied quickly.
Ardeth stood facing her as he contemplated her plight. He worked his fingers over his mouth and jaw as he rolled his biggest concern around in his thoughts. What had happened to him out in the desert when he had attacked her? Something in the darkness stopped him dead in his tracks. Had she done that to him? If so, what else was she capable of and how could he control her?
Growing tired of waiting for him to speak, Najya sighed irritably. "You have a question?"
"What magic did you use to stop me from attacking you?"
"I used no magic. I just thought to stop you before you did me harm." She paused and stared at him blankly. "You stopped," she said simply.
Ardeth noticed the twitch of a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "My question amuses you?"
Tugging lightly on the ropes, she shook her head. "Not at all. But if you believe I had anything to do with what happened in the desert, why would you believe these ropes would hold me?"
Ardeth's eyes widened as he watched the knots loosen and the ropes fall from her wrists. He lunged forward to catch her in his arms just before she fell, unconscious, to the ground.
When she awoke, she was amazed to find she was not again restrained, but resting comfortably on a pallet of thick robes.
Ardeth moved to sit at her side and handed her a glass of water. He waited patiently while she drank and then took the glass and placed it aside. "You fainted," he explained when her eyes questioned him.
Najya pulled herself up to a sitting position and found herself gazing into the deep brown depths of his eyes. She found them the gateway to his soul, a soul in which she saw a deep goodness and strength.
"Why are you here?" He asked when she did not speak.
"I came to ask for your assistance. I need you to accompany me to the Isle of Philae."
"You need the protection of the Med-jai? For what purpose do you travel there?" He demanded. Perhaps the Elders were right. Perhaps she was a danger if she sought something at the Isle of Philae.
"I do not need the protection of the Med-jai. I need an escort," she lied. Now was not the time to reveal her true reason for going to Philae.
"An escort?" he repeated disbelievingly. He watched, entranced, as she brushed the sleek black locks from her cheek. Her deep blue eyes blazed with emotions as they flicked over him and he felt the stirrings of desire rise within him. Silently, he wondered why this stranger affected him the way no other woman had ever done.
Nodding, she explained. "I do not hold much with conventional society and their rules, but it would make traveling in this land easier with an escort. Women traveling alone are easy targets for slavers. Of course, there are other dangers as well." She looked away suddenly shy in his presence. "My mother told me to look to you for help. You are of an honorable people."
Another lie, although a small one. She prayed silently to her goddess that this man would come to her aide and not send someone in his stead. Either that, or refuse to help her at all. Perhaps even kill her as he said his people wanted.
Ardeth stood and moved away from her. He remained deep in thought for several moments before he turned to face her. "I do not know why I am agreeing to this, but something leads me to believe if I do not accompany you to Philae, you will manage to find greater danger than if I were with you."
She could not stop the chuckle that escaped her. She remembered her father saying similar words to her mother on several occasions. "Very well. If that is your reason for going, so be it. I am grateful for your assistance."
"And, in return, I expect you to tell me the reason for your journey, Najya. I may call you this, yes?"
"If I may call you..."
"I am Ardeth Bay," he replied, bowing slightly. "Sleep well. We shall be on our way early, before sunrise."
************ To be continued...
Sitting across the tent, he observed her limp form that was held upright between the two tent poles by the ropes that bound her wrists. Her head hung forward, her chin touching her chest, and her lustrous black hair hid her face from him.
Her attire left little to the imagination. He knew he should be appalled by her manner of dress, but the ache in his loins betrayed the way in which he was raised. He found himself standing in front of her, wanting to see her face more clearly in the candlelight. Placing a finger under her chin, he slowly lifted her head. He gasped audibly when he stared into the deepest sapphire blue eyes he had ever seen.
Recovering quickly, he said, "You are awake."
Najya stared at the man from her vision, the man who was the cause of the horrendous ache in the back of her head. Were it not for the sight of him catching her off guard, she would not be trussed up like an animal on display.
"What is your purpose here?" He demanded firmly. He decided it would be best if he kept his attraction to her in check and treat her like the enemy she was.
"I have no purpose here," she replied. She could feel that he was at odds with himself. The urge to reach out and touch his mind with hers was overwhelming. She stifled the impulse quickly, not wanting to break an oath she had made to herself years ago. If she were to find herself in a life or death situation with this man, she would not hesitate to invade his private thoughts. However, until that time came, and she hoped it would not, she would keep rein on her desire to know his mind more intimately.
"You toy with me?" He asked, cupping a hand under her chin and gazing into her eyes. "You would be wise to answer my question. The tribal Elders have already expressed their wish to rid you from this earth."
"To kill me would put the earth at odds with itself," she replied elusively.
"You make no sense, woman," he stated, dropping his hand away.
"My name is Najya, not woman."
He almost smiled. She had spirit, this strange woman. He found himself curious about her. Where was she from, how did she come to be as she was and, more importantly, just how sweet would her tempting lips taste? Realizing where his thoughts had led him, he moved away, as if taking his eyes off her would drive out his ill-disciplined notions. He should not be thinking these things about a possible enemy, no matter how attractive she was.
She watched with curious eyes as he turned abruptly away from her and again she felt the emotional turmoil within him. She sighed. "I have come to seek the one of my vision." She waited as he turned slowly to face her, although his eyes questioned her, he spoke no words. "Yes. The one is you," she answered.
"What is it you are saying?" Ardeth asked curiously. He was in a vision? She HAD visions? Was she a Seer?
Feeling tired, her body aching from being strung up as she was, Najya felt her patience slipping. "I would be more inclined to answer your questions if I were not strung up like an animal," she replied quickly.
Ardeth stood facing her as he contemplated her plight. He worked his fingers over his mouth and jaw as he rolled his biggest concern around in his thoughts. What had happened to him out in the desert when he had attacked her? Something in the darkness stopped him dead in his tracks. Had she done that to him? If so, what else was she capable of and how could he control her?
Growing tired of waiting for him to speak, Najya sighed irritably. "You have a question?"
"What magic did you use to stop me from attacking you?"
"I used no magic. I just thought to stop you before you did me harm." She paused and stared at him blankly. "You stopped," she said simply.
Ardeth noticed the twitch of a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "My question amuses you?"
Tugging lightly on the ropes, she shook her head. "Not at all. But if you believe I had anything to do with what happened in the desert, why would you believe these ropes would hold me?"
Ardeth's eyes widened as he watched the knots loosen and the ropes fall from her wrists. He lunged forward to catch her in his arms just before she fell, unconscious, to the ground.
When she awoke, she was amazed to find she was not again restrained, but resting comfortably on a pallet of thick robes.
Ardeth moved to sit at her side and handed her a glass of water. He waited patiently while she drank and then took the glass and placed it aside. "You fainted," he explained when her eyes questioned him.
Najya pulled herself up to a sitting position and found herself gazing into the deep brown depths of his eyes. She found them the gateway to his soul, a soul in which she saw a deep goodness and strength.
"Why are you here?" He asked when she did not speak.
"I came to ask for your assistance. I need you to accompany me to the Isle of Philae."
"You need the protection of the Med-jai? For what purpose do you travel there?" He demanded. Perhaps the Elders were right. Perhaps she was a danger if she sought something at the Isle of Philae.
"I do not need the protection of the Med-jai. I need an escort," she lied. Now was not the time to reveal her true reason for going to Philae.
"An escort?" he repeated disbelievingly. He watched, entranced, as she brushed the sleek black locks from her cheek. Her deep blue eyes blazed with emotions as they flicked over him and he felt the stirrings of desire rise within him. Silently, he wondered why this stranger affected him the way no other woman had ever done.
Nodding, she explained. "I do not hold much with conventional society and their rules, but it would make traveling in this land easier with an escort. Women traveling alone are easy targets for slavers. Of course, there are other dangers as well." She looked away suddenly shy in his presence. "My mother told me to look to you for help. You are of an honorable people."
Another lie, although a small one. She prayed silently to her goddess that this man would come to her aide and not send someone in his stead. Either that, or refuse to help her at all. Perhaps even kill her as he said his people wanted.
Ardeth stood and moved away from her. He remained deep in thought for several moments before he turned to face her. "I do not know why I am agreeing to this, but something leads me to believe if I do not accompany you to Philae, you will manage to find greater danger than if I were with you."
She could not stop the chuckle that escaped her. She remembered her father saying similar words to her mother on several occasions. "Very well. If that is your reason for going, so be it. I am grateful for your assistance."
"And, in return, I expect you to tell me the reason for your journey, Najya. I may call you this, yes?"
"If I may call you..."
"I am Ardeth Bay," he replied, bowing slightly. "Sleep well. We shall be on our way early, before sunrise."
************ To be continued...