Red Gold - 14. Chapter 14 - Bonding

Fortunately it was not too long before Leelany returned with water in her tin and herbs in her pouch and as she set them to brew Gabrielle watched her, her heart aching within her.

“Will he be alright?”

“Between you and your healer friend you are doing your best to ensure that he is not.”

“I know how you feel about us Lee, but frankly I don’t care. I asked you a question and I am waiting for a reasonable reply.”

“Hah, so your mask slips. Where is the sweet innocent child now?”

“I have never claimed to be any of those things. Cai knows what I am. I have hidden nothing from him and he loves me nevertheless.”

“Love? Hah. What does he know of love? He has lived his whole life protected from it. He has romanticised you in his heart and now all he sees is what he thinks you are. All he feels is the emotions he has built around you all these years. It is not love, it is only a dream of love.”

“That is what you would like to think isn’t it? You would like it to be just a dream because then you can believe that you can wake him from it. But this is no dream Lee; trust me on that. I am no innocent; I have not been sheltered all my life and deluded as to the reality of the relationships between men and women. I have had my share of men; of relationships. I have not been living a dream and I know love when I see it. I love him and he loves me. We WILL be together whether you like it or not, whether you like me or not.”

“You STUPID girl! Do think that this is all about what I think of you? Do you think that I would be so petty as to deny Ca’el the chance of happiness wherever he might find it? Do you think that I am so shallow?” She had drawn close to Gabrielle who could see her eyes gleaming dangerously in the flickering light. “This is not about me. This is not about Cai. This is about you. You are more deadly to him than a nest of vipers. You carry his death in your heart and you don’t even know it. You will not listen to my words and rush headlong into something that can only end in pain.”

“How do you know? You keep telling me that this relationship is doomed but how do you know? We love each other. Why can’t we make it work? Why can’t we be together?”

“I don’t know. Just like I didn’t know how you would betray him but I knew that you would and you did. And I know that you cannot be with him and that if you allow him to love you then he will be hurt and it will be the death of him.”

“I’m sorry Lee, but it is too late for that. I can’t stop it and neither can you.”

She seemed to diminish somehow. Her shoulders sagged and her head bowed. For the first time she looked vulnerable and somehow lost. “I know. It is too late. I have failed him.”

“No, you haven’t failed. Look at him, look at what you have done. He is strong and brave and… and wonderful and that is all down to you. You have cared for him and taught him well. He is hurt, yes but he is strong. He will survive and that is all down to you.”

“Spare me the platitudes Gabrielle.” And without waiting for a response she spun and returned to her work in the cave leaving Gabrielle alone.

It was very dark now; nothing could be seen or heard beyond the circle of firelight, although she strained both her eyes and ears. The minutes stretched endlessly and eventually even Leelany showed the strain, wandering the limits of the fire’s light, pacing and silent. It was she who first heard the sounds of someone approaching and disappeared into the trees.

Gabrielle stood up and ran anxiously to the edge of the light, scouring the trees for sight or sound. Almost immediately she heard them coming. She smiled to herself. What she actually heard was Ben coming; she could tell.

It was Ben who burst into the firelight first. He ran forward eagerly to warm himself and, she suspected, to feel safe in the warmth of the fire.

“Oh thank, God. I thought I was a gonner for sure.”

“Where’s Cai?” Almost as soon as the words left her mouth he was there. He and Leelany, as silent and swift as shadows. He was leaning heavily on his sister but he was here and he was alright. Gabrielle threw herself at him and he stepped away from Leelany to throw his arms around her in return. When she hugged him he cried out and staggered, would have fallen if she had not steadied him.

“Be careful Gabrielle. Don’t squeeze too hard I might break.”

She looked up anxiously into his eye, which glowed in the flickering firelight. There was a smile there and she was lost in it. Unconscious of the others; enclosed in their own world, they kissed then held each other close. Leelany watched them bitterly then turned and disappeared into the cave. Ben busied himself collecting more wood, strictly from within the fire’s glow and feeding it to the fire, but he was smiling.

“Gabrielle. Uh… I think… I… ugh… need… need to sit down now.”

“Ah, Cai; I do this all the time. You must think that I am so thoughtless. Come on. I’ll help you; you should lie down. Your sister has been making her brews.”

“And you say you are helping me?” He made a face and laughed softly.

“Don’t let your sister hear you say things like that or you will be in trouble.”

“I am always in trouble. It stalks me.”

“Come on; your sister will be happy to be in control again.”

He laughed again. “You have her measure all too soon my love. But be careful, she is a creature of pride. I still have hope that when you come to know each other you will be friends. Do not give her reason for hating you: her irrational anger will fade in time and I would not wish there to be any reason to hold on to the hatred when it is gone.”

“I will be careful of your sister. I will try to make her like me, but I don’t hold out much hope and, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really care. I don’t need her approval… so long as I have yours.”

“Always, my love.” He laid his cheek on her hair and breathed in the scent of it. “You are so beautiful Gabrielle; your hair so bright, like moonlight. I wish… I wish we could stay here, forever; just you and I.”

“Why?”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe it is Lee and all her doom and gloom getting to me but… I… am afraid. I am afraid that when we go back… that… that they will not let us be together.

“You are the daughter of a queen Gabrielle, and I have never forgotten it. I am the son of a village head man; good enough to be your protector but hardly of the calibre to be your husband.”

“I didn’t realise we had gone so far as to think of marriage… I mean we haven’t really had our second date yet.”

“Gabrielle, I know you are ignorant of our ways, our world but you are not that naïve.”

“No, I am not that naïve. But I will not let that keep us apart, Cai. If I am a princess then I have power and I will use it or relinquish it as needs be to be with you. As I understand it I am also the only hope the people have to defeat the Sorcerer. If that is the case then they will owe me big time and will not be able to refuse me my heart’s desire.”

His eyes shone in the darkness. “I hope that is truly the case, Gabrielle. I hope it is but fear it is not.” He grabbed her around the waist and swung her around into a fierce, desperate embrace. “Know this; whatever it is you must do to fulfil the prophesy, I will be there are your side. No matter what danger you must face; what trials you must endure, I will be there with you, protecting you as I always have.”

“Then I can face anything.”

Cai smiled but his face was dark, his eyes brilliant chips of emerald in a face made eerie and fey by the flickering light. She had no way of knowing that; with her pale hair loose and flying, fine and luminous about her face; she looked the same. Her eyes were the sapphire blue of the summer sky; her pale skin lit by the moon. Red gold and moon pale the stood together and were lost again in their wonder of each other.

Leelany interrupted them, calling from the mouth of the cave; invisible behind the overhang from this side of the fire.

“Ca’el, if you have any hope to travel tomorrow you will come now. Your bed is ready and you should lie in it before you fall down and I have to drag you to it.”

Cai chuckled. “You see… she does like to be in control. How commanding and forceful she is. Come with me?”

“Of course. I won’t leave your side; I promise.”

The inside of the cave was transformed. Despite herself, Gabrielle was impressed by the beds that Leelany had woven out of branches and grass and which were stuffed with rustling leaves and covered with blankets of woven grass and long leaves. She had also taken candles from her bottomless bag and set them around the walls so that it was filled with soft light and the scent of vanilla.

“Lie down before you fall down.”

“I’m not falling down.”

“You will if you don’t do as you’re told. I could probably even take you now that you are weak.”

“Not so weak that I couldn’t give you a good fight.”

They were both grinning and Gabrielle had the feeling that this kind of sparring was quite normal for them. Obediently, Cai lay down on one of the beds groaning as he stretched out.

“You can wait outside.”

“No Lee. I want her to stay with me.”

“What do you think I am going to do to you? There is no room here for her and I don’t want to be at this all night.”

“She won’t get in the way.”

“Cai, don’t be such a baby. It won’t take long and you don’t need Gabrielle to hold your hand.”

Stung, Cai frowned darkly. Gabrielle, warding off an argument smiled at him and stroked his hair. “Don’t worry. I won’t be far away and I’ll come back as soon as she’s finished. I’ll sit with you while you go to sleep.”

“Maybe I don’t want to go to sleep.” Glaring at Leelany with narrowed eyes his voice was fractious and irritable. Leelany merely smiled blandly.

“Maybe you don’t have a choice. Now I am fed up of arguing with you.”

Elbowing Gabrielle out of the way Leelany tugged aside Cai’s shirt and, slitting the cotton cloth with her knife pulled it away, the pad of herbs with it. Cai hissed and grunted.

“Fuck. You did that on purpose.”

“Just be quiet and lie still.” The note of command was still there although her voice was gentler and, as Gabrielle backed out of the cave she saw Leelany gently smooth the hair from his face and she smiled.

Ben was poking idly at the fire, staring into the flames. His face was faintly stunned.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. How is Cai?”

“Arguing with Lee; so I take that as a good sign.”

Ben frowned. “He saved my life… again.”

“What, just now when he came to get you?”

“Yes, there was this animal. I have never seen anything like it. It was prowling around just outside the campsite. It was like a… a… big dog with huge claws and loads of teeth. It kind of… I don’t know…kind of herded me. I tried to dodge it and come back but it wouldn’t let me; kept heading me off. It was snarling and snapping but it didn’t attack me so I went along with it hoping I could lose it.”

“I was stupid, of course. What I should have done was shout out the moment I first saw it… but to be honest I was scared shitless. You don’t get trained for this kind of thing at medical school. I mean there are plenty of animals there but none with jaws that could snap off your leg in one bite.”

He was embarrassed, his head and voice low. Gabrielle put a hand on his arm

“Don’t worry; I would have been the same… worse probably. I think you were very brave to think that you could dodge it.”

He looked up and smiled grateful at her. “No, not brave at all…. Stupid; really, really stupid. Anyway, it herded me further and further away and then, after what seemed like ages we broke out into this clearing and there was a…a… kind of lair and there were young. And then I knew what she had been doing. She had been bringing fresh meat back for the babies to practice on.

“I have never been more frightened in all my life. I tried to back away to break for the trees but suddenly there was another one; the male I assume. They were circling me, preparing to literally have my guts for garters. And then Cai was there. I barely saw him move but suddenly the male was dead and the female had her head in a headlock. Cai kind of spoke to her in some weird language and then he let her go and she loped off into the woods.”

“What do you think he said?”

“I don’t know. Something along the lines of, ‘If you want your kids to have a mom and a chance of survival walk away now,’ and she did. And then he led me straight back here. We weren’t far away; I had kind of gone by a very rambling route. He was struggling at the end though. He would never have leaned on me like he did his sister but I could see he was struggling. I wanted to offer help but I felt that it would not be appreciated.”

“Probably not. They are both very proud.”

“I know. I am worried about him though. That wound was very close to his heart. If the infection spreads inside then it could easily affect the lining of the heart and without antibiotics…”

“Maybe they do have antibiotics. I have no idea what Lee was using to make her brews but she seemed to know what she was doing. And they have both said that she has treated wounds and infections before.”

“I know, and ordinarily I would say fine, good luck to her. But... Gabrielle he’s a day out of surgery for a serious stab wound that so nearly pierced the lining of his heart. He has been dangerously ill and now he’s out here… doing gymnastics and fighting shadows and wild animals. There are no antibiotics; no sterile conditions; no life support; no back up at all. Maybe it is just me, feeling out of my depth, away from the world I am familiar with, but I fear for him. He saved my life and I feel... I don’t know, obligated I suppose… in a way. But I like him too. I would hate if anything happened.”

“You would hate…?”

“I’m sorry Gabrielle. I didn’t mean to worry you. I should learn when to keep my big mouth shut.”

“Yes, you should. Especially when there is nothing that anyone can do about it right here right now.” He looked crestfallen, aghast and very lost. Gabrielle smiled. “But I know you were only saying it because you were genuinely concerned and for that I am truly grateful. You must be feeling very lost here.”

“I am. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that a place like this even existed, let alone that I would be here. This is not earth is it? I mean I have been all over with my dad but I have never seen an animal like that, nor heard of it either. And these plants, and those shadow things. I kind of guessed after our mode of transport but… well we’re not in Kansas now are we Toto.”

“Nope, and may I say that the slacks and shirt suit you so much better than the gingham dress and white apron… oh and I love what you have done with your hair.”

Ben laughed, a genuine smile on his face for the first time. “Are you really from here? I mean I can believe it with them but you… I don’t know you seem more... normal.”

“Thank you… I think.”

“Do you think I will ever be able to go home?”

“I’m sure that you will. I mean we went from there to here didn’t we: so there is no reason why you can’t.”

“I hope it will be before next weekend. Marie will never understand if I stand her up after everything I said. And; as I remember, it was you who put me up to it in the first place.”

“Ah… yes well… sorry about that. It isn’t as if I was expecting any of this to happen.”

“No?”

“Absolutely not. I had no idea about any of this until the other day.”

“So was everything you told me a lie? About you and… Cai.”

“No. It’s a long story. It was true what I told you about knowing him forever. He was always there, dipping in and out of my life, having an enormous affect on me then slipping away again. It seems as though I was sent into… the other world because there is some prophesy that I will one day overthrow this mean Sorcerer who has the whole country scared out of its mind.

“Cai was sent to be my protector. Lee had some vision or something that I would betray him and so she came too, to protect him. I didn’t know any of this until a couple of days ago.

“When I went to university I thought I had left him behind but he came with me and I, well I met him properly for the first time I suppose. He was… he… well I suppose it’s fair to say that he swept me right off my feet. I fell like a parachutist with the cords cut. He is utterly amazing. I mean… really amazing. Not just the things he can do… which are amazing enough; but the person he is. I am completely and hopelessly in love with him. So no, I don’t think I lied to you.”

“No, I don’t think you did either; not about the important things.”

Gabrielle smiled and they shared a moment of quiet camaraderie which was spoiled by Leelany who came out to collect the herbal mixture which was hissing and spitting on the fire. She scowled at them and for some reason they both found it hilariously funny and laughed together at her expense.

A few minutes later Leelany came out again, scowling. “It seems as though my beloved brother has had enough of my company and would prefer yours. I will satisfy myself with seeing if any of this fish is salvageable from your appalling cooking.”

“Thank you Lee. Ben and I had out share earlier so help yourself.” Leelany scowled at her and squatted down next to Ben with her back to him. He shrugged helplessly at Gabrielle, smiling as she rose and ducked under the ivy strands.