Tempest (The Chronicles of Winterset Book 2) Page 18

  “What choice?” I swallowed, knowing full well what he was talking about. Like I could ever forget the conversation we’d had right before I’d left with Kellin that day which felt so long ago. The conversation where he told me Kellin was hiding something from me.

  “The choice between me or them,” he answered solemnly.

  Chapter 38

  “Ana?” Kellin called out.

  I stared at Tarek, wanting to make him tell me what he meant. Lately, he’d been somewhat normal, not bothering with his cryptic talks. He was so frustrating. I swore he planned our conversations around potential interruptions. His lips quirked up into a quick smile as he gazed back at me.

  “You should answer him,” he said softly, not tearing his eyes away from me, but dropping his hand from my face.

  “I-I’m over here,” I called out, frustrated, dropping my hand from Tarek’s chest. It felt odd to suddenly not be touching him, and I frowned at the feeling.

  Kellin appeared and threw a look between the two of us. A sour expression stretched across his face over Tarek’s nearness to me. I hastily stepped away from him. He didn’t seemed bothered in the slightest at the intrusion. I wanted to burn the answer out of him, even though my heart was fluttering like mad at the idea of touching him again. Instead of Tarek giving me answers, he only left me with more questions.

  “Do you have a weapon picked out?” Kellin asked, glancing at Tarek.

  “Yes.” I held up the sword and showed it to him.

  He took it from me, held it, and then gave it a few swings.

  “It’s nice. It suits you,” Kellin said. “We’re leaving. We need to saddle up.”

  “I can’t ride a horse,” I yelped fearfully. “At least not alone.”

  “You won’t have to. You can ride with me.”

  “I hate to cut in, but you’re front lines, Prince. Don’t you think it best if our princess is kept out of the fray should it occur?”

  Kellin ground his teeth irritably.

  “What’s your suggestion, Captain?”

  “The princess can ride with me. I’ll keep her away from the front, so she remains safe. She’ll have the protection of our surrounding troops. I’m sure Prince Soran would agree with me.”

  “Fine,” Kellin breathed, his nostrils flaring. “But you’ll still remain nearby. You know how important she is, Tarek. To everyone.”

  “I know exactly how important she is,” he murmured, peeking over at me.

  I nodded, not wanting to stand around and watch them any longer. “I’m ready to go with whoever. We should leave. I’m sure Soran is getting antsy.”

  Kellin guided me outside, his hand on the small of my back. I had to practically run to keep up with him. I let out a gasp when he stopped and turned abruptly on me.

  “Ana, if you need me, tell me. I don’t like the idea of you riding with Tarek, but he’s right. You being up front is dangerous. If you feel anything odd, if you have a vision, anything, I need to know immediately, OK?”

  “Of course.” I nodded at him.

  “Come here.” He pulled me into a tight embrace and fiercely planted his lips on mine. “I’ll be nearby. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Kellin, you act like I’m going to die by going with you guys. I’ll be fine,” I said, hoping I sounded confident. “I am the Oracle, after all.”

  “You’re not a completely trained Oracle.” He sighed. “But you’re an Oracle nonetheless.”

  “Who is Cyrena?” I asked suddenly, the name tumbling from my lips. A flash of her face hit me strongly in my mind—long, dark hair, hazel eyes, full lips. The force of the image caused me to reach out and steady myself.

  “Ana—”

  “Kellin, I want to know. Please. I saw how you reacted back there. Who is she?” I quickly righted myself, shaking her image out of my head.

  “She’s a duchess of Marriot. We were betrothed.”

  “What?” Shock thundered through me.

  “It was long ago, Ana. It doesn’t matter now,” he said, his voice pained. “Remember what I said about none of it mattering? That it was in the past? I meant it. We need to leave. Soran is probably going to send a search party for us.”

  I followed him back to the large group of soldiers, frowning. I wasn’t sure why I was upset at the news. Maybe because he hadn’t told me about his ex-fiancée. Maybe because I’d asked him specifically about his exes, and he’d skittered around the answer, giving me the vague ‘it doesn’t matter’ speech. He’d been engaged before me. I didn’t know if he loved her, but the fact still remained. He knew about Calix, and I was pretty sure that was a huge deal, considering who Calix was. This had to be what Tarek was referring to. This was what all his words had meant when we’d spoken. He’d said I didn’t really belong to Kellin. There was more to this story, I just knew it.

  The men began mounting their horses, and I just stood there awkwardly, lost in thought, my lips turned down into a pout.

  “Come, Princess,” Tarek commanded, holding his hand out to me.

  I glanced at Kellin who wasn’t paying attention to me any longer because he was engaged in conversation with Rowan and Soran. I took Tarek’s hand, and he lifted me with ease onto the front of his horse.

  “Trouble in paradise?” he murmured so only I could hear him.

  “I-I don’t know,” I mumbled.

  “We have a long ride. Feel free to talk to me about it.” His warm breath tickled my ear. “Perhaps I can be of assistance. Now, hold on. We aren’t going to go slow.”

  I did as he told me to. The men fell into formation with me and Tarek surrounded on all sides by guards while Soran and Kellin took up the lead. Kellin cast a glance at me, and I gave him a forced, tentative smile. He returned it with his own, his eyes flickering to Tarek before he turned away. I hadn’t thought Kellin was the jealous type, and maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was on to something though with Tarek. The guy was so incredibly cryptic, seeming to know a great many things, but never offering any answers. Kellin had said he didn’t trust him. That there was something off about him.

  I wanted to know what it was. I wanted to know why I felt the way I did when I was near him. All we ever did was fight when we were next to each other, except when he touched me or I him.

  The frustrations in my life were growing. I needed answers.

  And Tarek had said it was a long ride.

  Chapter 39

  Sometime later, I woke feeling confused, my head lolling on the chest of a man. I opened my eyes and took in our surroundings, which happened to be nothing but trees.

  “How are you feeling?” Tarek’s voice in my ear startled me, and I jolted forward, nearly falling off the horse we were still on.

  “How did I get here?” I gasped, still confused.

  “I put you here,” he answered calmly. “Remember when we left?”

  “Oh.” I blushed deeply, as I came to my senses. Some warrior I was. I looked ahead and saw Kellin riding beside my brother, both deep in conversation with one another. I breathed out, my head aching suddenly.

  “Tarek,” I mumbled worriedly, my vision beginning to distort, my hands fumbling to find him or something to hold onto.

  “Ana?” His voice oozed with worry as he tossed the formalities aside. “What’s wrong?”

  “Help,” I managed to choke out before I fell forward, my head spinning.

  Tarek shouted, but then it all went silent as I plunged into a vision.

  Troops dressed head to toe in black gear stormed the city, burning homes down and gutting anyone who ran. The screams of women and children echoed around me, and I winced as I choked on the thick smoke.

  I squinted at the center of the town in the square and saw a man standing there in a long, dark cloak.

  Zaros.

  He stood at the large stone well in the center of town, his cloak drawn up tightly around himself. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was him. He laughed maniacally as he jammed his sword into a woman�
�s abdomen. She fell at his feet, her face terrified, her body bloody.

  He marched forward and stabbed shrieking townspeople at random. Some tried to save themselves and their families by attacking him with their pitchforks and rusty old swords, but he tossed them aside easily, laughing the whole time.

  I awoke, thrashing and screaming, strong arms holding me.

  “Ana. Ana!” Tarek shouted, pushing my hair out of my face as it fell out of my ponytail during my fit. “It’s OK. You’re safe. I have you.”

  I tried to relax, but I was sobbing uncontrollably. I struggled to open my eyes and found myself in Tarek’s arms, still astride the horse.

  “Give her to me,” Kellin commanded, reaching out for me.

  Tarek released me, and Kellin pulled me down into his arms. I slumped weakly against him as he went to his knees, rocking me.

  “Shh,” he murmured into my hair as I sobbed. “Shh, Ana. It’s just us. No one else. Talk to me, baby. What did you see?”

  “Z-Zaros. He’s going to attack another town. Many will die.” I cried, choking on my sobs.

  “Analia.” Soran knelt in front of us. “I know you’re upset but tell me what town. Do you know?”

  “I-I something ...S. ..something with the letter S. There’s a square in the center of town. It has a well. There are shops surrounding it. Cobblestone paths. Sar something,” I answered weakly.

  “Sarnia,” Soran filled in grimly. “It lies just west of Marriot. When, Analia? When is the attack?”

  “Tomorrow evening,” I murmured, my eyes heavy. “He comes tomorrow evening.”

  “We need to get there fast,” Soran hissed to Kellin. “We may be able to finish Zaros.”

  “He has a large army,” I managed tiredly. “He won’t be easy to stop.”

  “Ana needs to rest. We need a plan,” Kellin growled. “We should camp at the pointe and make a strategy.”

  Soran agreed, as Kellin lifted me up. I wasn’t quite sure how he managed it, but he put us both on Starfall, and we took off, the sounds of thundering hooves echoing in my ears.

  Chapter 40

  The sun was lower in the sky when I awoke. With a groan, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Men milled around. Some were gathered around fires, eating and talking while others were on the edge of the encampment training, their swords and shields clanging as they faced off with one another.

  “Welcome back,” Tarek greeted me.

  I glanced over and saw he was sitting beside me holding a small plate of food.

  “I brought you something to eat.”

  “Where’s Kellin?” I mumbled, my head still hurting.

  “He went with Soran to scout ahead. I expect them to be returning any time now.”

  “They left me with you?” I took the plate from him.

  “Is that so hard to believe?” He chuckled, his dusty-colored hair falling in his eyes.

  I frowned as I stared at him. He was so incredibly familiar to me, and yet after all this time, I still couldn’t place him. And that damn fluttering in my stomach as I stared into his eyes ... “Still trying to figure it out, are you?” Tarek asked softly.

  “Why won’t you just tell me?” I cocked my head at him, my eyes narrowed.

  “Because I need your trust, and I don’t think I quite have it yet,” he replied idly, meeting my gaze.

  “It’s difficult to trust someone who refuses to give answers,” I grumbled, taking a bite of the bread on my plate and staring stonily back at him, fighting the urge to touch him again.

  “You trusted Prince Niall enough to fall in love with him,” Tarek countered softly. “Was I correct in what I told you? Was he not hiding something from you?”

  “He was,” I agreed timidly, sadness wafting over me. I didn’t like that he’d lied to me. It hurt me. It angered me.

  “Ana,” Tarek murmured, sliding closer to me. “You have all the answers. You just have to think about them. They’re there. Right inside that pretty head of yours. Besides, who I am is very secret. If I tell you, it’ll be when you need to hear it the most.”

  “You’re so cryptic,” I muttered. “Maybe I should just tell Soran and Kellin and be done with it.”

  “You could.” He shrugged indifferently. “But then I’d have to put Plan C into action, and I really don’t want to have to do that. I think it would compromise my intentions. I promise you that you have nothing to fear from me. I’m only here to help you.”

  “But you hate me.” I shook my head at him, confused about our recent encounters. “Why do you want to help me?”

  “Why do you think I hate you?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You’re kind of a jerk to me,” I replied softly.

  “Ana, if I’m a jerk to you, it’s more of a reflection of me and who I am. I believe you’re more capable than you think you are, and I want to push you to succeed. Like I said before, your success is my success.” He paused for a minute while I rolled his words around in my head. “What was your vision?”

  “I told you.” I shook my head, trying to avoid his intense stare.

  “No, you didn’t.” He pushed two fingers beneath my chin and made me look at him. “You told us only bits of it. I want to know the whole thing. The things you’re hiding from your dear fiancé and brother. Our secret.”

  “Tarek…” I tried looking away.

  “Ana, look at me.” Both hands came up to my face and gently cradled it. His blue eyes searched mine. “Look into my eyes. See the truth in them. I won’t steer you wrong. You can trust me.”

  I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes and noticed flecks of dark brown in them, like flakes of chocolate. I hadn’t noticed before. They were so familiar to me, but I still couldn’t place them. I could see his earnestness, his desire to help me, and something else that made my heart clench. But the truth, I had to find it out on my own. I had to figure out who he was. That was the only truth I saw.

  “You’ll find that you can control those visions,” he murmured, his thumb tracing a soft circle on my jawline. “Just like your other abilities. You don’t burst into flames or create tempests, Ana. That’s because you control them. If you want to know who I am, then focus on it and see it. I cannot be the one to tell you. I don’t want you to run from me. I want you to take time to come to terms with it. Please. It’s important that you do. It’ll save many people.”

  “Tarek, how do you know so much?” I murmured, gazing raptly at his handsome features. “You speak as if you’ve seen it all.”

  “Perhaps I have,” he answered softly. “Or maybe I’m very good at guessing. Please tell me what you know, Ana. I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to. I swear to you on my life. I know you saw more.”

  “Zaros wants me to go. He’s drawing us there. He needs me for something. He has a plan. It’s a terrible plan. It’s…it’s not all in that small village. He ... plans other things.”

  “Why wouldn’t you tell us that?” Tarek studied me, his brows crinkled. “What other things?”

  “I-I don’t want to be left behind, to be protected and coddled like a helpless child. I want to destroy the man who took my world from me. I need to. If I get the chance, I’m going to. This could be in. And I don’t know what other things, Tarek. I didn’t see that far. It’s more of a feeling I got.”

  “Ana, you aren’t ready to face him,” Tarek replied sadly, his hands now firmer on my face, his eyes desperate. “Not nearly ready. You aren’t that great at your wielding. Your sword abilities are lacking to say the least. Please, let us protect you. I, too, have those feelings you have. Something else is afoot.”

  “You’re going to tell Kellin and Soran, aren’t you?” I frowned.

  “No,” he sighed, his hands falling away from my face, leaving me to feel empty inside. “But I am going to keep an eye on you. Promise you’ll stay back when we get to where we’re going, and you won’t jeopardize your safety or the lives of our men to seek revenge. Promise me, Analia.”

  “I promise.” I
bit my lip, upset he was so protective. I’d hoped he’d be more lenient, but I’d put my hope in the wrong place.

  The sound of hooves ended our conversation. A small smile touched my lips as Soran and Kellin came into view on their horses.

  “Do you really love him?” Tarek inquired.

  I turned to look at him, surprised at the question.

  “I-I care about him,” I replied, frowning at my answer. “No, I mean, I do love him. Why? Does it matter? We’re going to be married. Letting myself fall for him seems like the obvious thing to do. My father made the arrangements. I’m following through with them. It doesn’t matter my feelings on it.”

  “Why doesn’t it?” Tarek challenged. “If you only love him for the sake of an agreement, then you’re not doing either of you any favors. He lied to you, Ana, and he’s still lying. You do realize that you were given to another, correct?”

  “Yes, and Calix is gone now.”

  “No, before Calix. You were set to marry another. His brother, Xalvador.”

  “And, like Calix, Xalvador is gone.” I sighed, not understanding why we were even having this conversation.

  “The laws state that in the event a betrothed is found to be alive, the arrangement must proceed as planned. Your father didn’t disagree with the arrangement for you to marry Calix’s brother, and I very much doubt he’ll plan a meeting with Zaros to cancel that arrangement.”

  “What are you getting at, Tarek?” I asked, frustrated, glancing at Kellin who was dismounting Starfall.

  “Nothing. I’m only saying that as the Princess of Dar’ish and of Winterset, you should learn the laws. Kellin might not be the one you have to marry. That’s all I’m saying. It’s what I was saying to you weeks ago.”

  “Why? Did Xalvador not die?” I demanded.

  “Oh, he died.” Tarek sighed. “It’s just a bit of information I was putting out there for you. Just so you’re aware of some of our laws. Who knows. Nothing is what it seems, right?”