The Liberian

Chapter 67

Derek spared a glare for his brother before turning his back on him to face Halle. He placed one hand on her shoulder, the other gingerly atop her wounded cheek. Derek tilted her face to his, and she met his eyes shakily.

“Halle,” he whispered, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “It’s all right, that’s enough.” She relaxed under the familiar warmth of his gaze, and Derek gave her a small smile that was weakly returned.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Prince Baldair murmured.

Derek’s hand dropped from her face, but his left remained on her shoulder as he turned to assess his brother.

The younger prince stared at the scene before him with wide eyes. “You really do care for her.”

She felt Derek tense at the statement, but he made no motion to move away; if anything, his hand tightened slightly. Halle’s heart beat hard. She desperately wanted to leave, to get away as fast as possible. As much as she wanted to hear the bare truth of the answer to that accusation, she didn’t want it to be like this.

“And you ...” Prince Baldair stared at her.

Halle mustered the last of her courage to look at him unfaltering. She succeeded well enough—the prince was the first to look away with a shake of his head. He walked heavily over to a chair and slumped into it. The prince rested his temple on his fingertips, staring in disbelief at Derek.

“I’d only meant to help her. I thought you were—Derek, you’re too smart for this.”

“I know,” Derek replied quietly, the tension seemed to have vanished, and sorrow filled his eyes in its place.

“And here I thought, thought you ...” Prince Baldair chuckled and shook his head again. “Ah, never mind.”

“Prince Baldair.” Halle took a step forward, and Derek’s hand fell from her person. “I’m sorry for my actions today. More importantly, I am sorry for striking you.” She took a breath. “I would appreciate it if-if it isn’t used as a reason to end my life.”

The prince began to laugh; he placed a palm on his stomach and let the melodic sound break the tension in the air.

“No, I rather deserved it, didn’t I?” Halle stared at him, stunned. The prince turned to his brother. “It wasn’t her fault today, Derek. I think some of what she said actually may have gotten through to the men. You would’ve been proud if you’d seen it, I think.” Prince Baldair shifted to rest his cheek in his hand. “And Halle, I’m sorry. That was not a princely way to act.”

Halle studied him carefully. On the whole, this man had done more good by her than ill, and he had earned credit while she was on trial that he was spending now. He may be an emotional fool, but Halle wasn’t certain he was malicious.

“I forgive you, my prince,” she said. His words still stung but Halle put it out of her mind, at least for now.

Halle turned back to Derek—her tall, wonderful, dark prince—and gave him a relieved smile. His eyes fell softly on her, and it felt as though the tension that had been building between them was close to breaking. It was not an unwelcome feeling.

“Let’s go?” she asked.

He nodded, shooting a final glare at his brother before stalking out.

Halle paused briefly, turning. She assessed the fair-haired prince who stared curiously back. “What you wanted from me, I’m afraid I cannot give it.” Halle had come to accept that whatever happened, whatever they were, she would not be the one to end it between her and Derek.

“Tread carefully, Halle,” Prince Baldair cautioned. “I know a lot more about my brother than you. I may seem like an ass.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I am an a*s at times,” he corrected with a chuckle. “But I am exactly what you see. He’s not. There are things about him you still don’t know.”

Halle pulled back the tent flap. Even if there were things, Halle wasn’t going to hear them from Baldair. Derek would tell her, in time.

“And Halle?” The prince stood. “Ride up at the front again. Don’t let this dissuade you.”

“Why?” she asked skeptically.

“Because I think it does the men good to see you with me.” He sensed her confusion and continued, “You are a symbol, Halle. And, despite what some may have you believe, you have more control over what you symbolize than anyone else.”

“I am no one,” she muttered, hearing Derek mounting his War-strider.

“Even something very small can cast a large shadow when it is close to the sun.”

Halle considered this for a long moment, searching the prince’s face for a hint of insincerity. She could find none and left him behind her before he had a chance to say something else that could potentially throw the fragile peace into disarray. For everything Prince Baldair was, and had been, somehow he didn’t feel like her enemy.

Derek took a foot out of his stirrup for her to use, offering her a hand to mount his horse. Halle’s cheeks grew hot as she swung up behind him in the saddle. Her hands fell lightly on his armored waist for balance.

“Where’s Lightning?” she asked.

“My brother’s Easterner rode him back when he went to get Finchnangle.” Derek spurred the mount forward.

The wind was fresh and warm on her cheeks after the oppressive atmosphere in the tent.

“Daniel?”

Derek nodded mutely.

“Is it a good idea to ride like this?” Halle asked softly, noticing the glances from the soldiers.

“I want them to see you with me.” He responded so quickly that there couldn’t have been any thoughts into his words.

“Why?” she breathed.

“Because I want them to know that if they lay a hand on you again, they will deal with me directly.” Derek’s voice was deep and harsh, and it made her want to grab onto him and never let him go.

He took them directly to his tent. Black Legion soldiers who had just finished setting it up were beginning to dissipate, and they all peered at her curiously as Derek ushered Halle within. Getting away from the world’s prying eyes was a relief, but it was equally nerve-wracking to have those prying eyes watch her being led with the prince’s palm on the small of her back.

The moment the tent flap closed, the braziers lined along the perimeter lit with flames. Derek didn’t seem to even think about using his magic. “Take this off, I’ll fix it.” He placed a palm on her wounded shoulder.

Halle nodded, beginning to unclasp the scale mail as Derek did the same. She felt comfortable and nervous at the same time. Derek took the plate from her as Halle shed her chainmail.

“So what happened?” Derek asked.

“Well ...” Halle sighed and recounted the events leading up to Baldair’s tent.

“You bested him in the end, though?” he asked after she had finished her story.

“I did.” Halle nodded.

“How?”

“I just moved ...” She wasn’t sure what answer he was looking for with such a question.

“Like with Ledia?” Derek glanced up from his work on the plate. His thumbs ran over the red hot metal.

“Yes ...” Halle trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blanks. He didn’t, and frustration snuck up on her. “You can’t keep doing this.”

“Keep doing what?” He seemed startled by her tone.

“You can’t keep asking cryptic questions and storming off to sulk without giving me answers that I know you have.” Halle was no one, and yet she fearlessly made demands of the crown prince.

Derek just sighed and let her. “Fine, stubborn woman.” He placed her repaired armor off to the side. “Do you not think it strange that you are suddenly capable of besting soldiers with years of practice?”

“We’ve been training.” It was a cringe-worthy excuse when Halle actually thought about it.

“You were sloppy, at best.” When Derek was honest, he held back nothing. “I was beginning to fear for what we would need to do to keep you alive when we reached the North.”

“So, what happened?” Halle pressed.

“You fight as I do.” Derek met her eyes.

“Of course I do.”

“No, Halle.” He shook his head. “You fight exactly as I do.”

“Why?” she whispered.

“I can only assume it to be the Joining,” Derek mused.

“But, we’re not Joined anymore.” They had not attempted it either since that first night weeks ago.

“No, but the Bond was widened, our minds were—” Derek paused, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. “Our minds were linked. It was a reckless thing to do on my part given how little is known about its effects.”

“So, then,” she fumbled, her words struggling to find the source of his discomfort. “Why don’t we close it?”

“Even if we could, I would not.”

“But ...” It seemed to be causing him so much distress, why not end it?

“Because now I can have some measure of security that you will make it through this war alive.”

Halle was stunned into silence. She couldn’t take the weight of his gaze and engaged in a quick staring contest with his table. “I know,” she began her confession. “Arel told me about Bonds. That, if I die, you’ll die.”

“That’s just a theory.” Derek brushed away the thought easily. “And not by any reputable scholars.”

“But—”

“I want you to worry about yourself.” He sensed the remaining fight in her. “Halle, please, promise me that.”

The firelight played tricks on her eyes. It made the man who was nearly seven years her senior look like nothing more than a frightened child. Halle moved without thought, taking his hand in hers. Derek gripped her fingers tightly, and she erased all thoughts of doubt.

“I will promise you, if you promise me that you will stop running away and hiding these things. I don’t want to feel shut out from you.” Halle’s voice had dropped to a whisper, and Derek nodded silently, sparing her any further explanation.

“We should practice your Projection.” He broke them out of their trance.

“Oh, right.” Halle had completely forgotten they’d actually planned to work together that evening.

“Let’s put magic aside, for now, and focus on seeing how far you can go.” Derek situated himself before the table, adjusting his papers.

“Sure,” she closed her eyes.

“Would you care to lay down first?” Derek reminded her that her physical body went limp the last time. He grabbed one of the pillows and propped it against his leg.

Halle hesitated, the invitation clear. The prince feigned attentiveness to his paperwork, clearly apprehensive of whether she would accept or reject him. Prince Baldair’s words of caution frustratingly replayed themselves in Halle’s mind and she lay down quickly, her head resting on his leg. She would not let the younger prince and his games get in her way.

Halle slipped out of her body shortly after closing her eyes. It was surreal to see her physical form so still, as if barely breathing. Derek watched her closely, waiting for any signs of trouble.

I think it’s easier, Halle said with a thought.

“It seems so,” he agreed.

Can you hear me even if I’m far away?

“One way to find out. Go slowly,” he cautioned, but didn’t tell her to stop.