herself and pushed his hands off her while she spoke. “How could my father be responsible for all this?”
“He killed a man.” Caleb’s sea-green gaze was set straight ahead on Jonas and his other men. “After that, he signed a trade agreement with the Desert Countries and traded our water and wood for gold and finery. As our water dwindled and the trees disappeared, the air became drier and the rain fell less often.”
In front of him, she laughed and shook her head.. “How long did it take you to come up with such a tale?”
“It’s the truth, Willomenia.”
Her heart clamored in her chest. How dare he use her name with such ease? And blast her traitorous heart for swooning at the sound of it coming from him. “You will address me as Your Royal Highness. And how did my father empty an ocean?”
“It took some time before it was all drained dry. And it was not an ocean he emptied, but many life-giving lakes and streams.”
She chuckled again, but her laughter was softer this time. Was it possible? Could her father be responsible for stopping the rain? She looked around at the dead, dry land. Was he responsible for this? “And who was this man that he supposedly killed?”
“A planter,” Caleb whispered behind her. “My father.”
Chapter 5
After meeting up with three more Warriors, Willow learned that the king had been spotted in Lagara. It seemed he was trying to get home to Beldar. Caleb’s other four men were in pursuit and would bring him to their commander alive if they could.
So, he’d left men at Silvergard after all. She mumbled under her breath that he was a liar on top of everything else.
They traveled westward together for the remainder of the day. When night fell, they made camp again under a pale full moon suspended in a sky draped in velvet and sprinkled with glittering stars.
A breeze, a priceless treasure from the north, cooled most of Predaria’s nights, but the land was still warm from the days of scorching temperatures.
Willow watched Caleb while he rummaged through his saddlebag and produced a bunch of twigs bound tightly together by a thick string. He untied them and handed a quarter of them to Jonas for a fire that would provide light and safety from Catchers and other predatory animals, rather than for warmth.
Willow didn’t need a fire to see anymore of Caleb. The full moon provided enough light. She could see him scowling at the sticks and then he dumped the rest back into his bag. He appeared even angrier when he looked around for a place to sit and eat his supper. He chose a place opposite her, near Jonas.
She knew he was troubled, but she could only describe him as serene when he spoke. At first, she’d mistaken his attitude for cold hearted indifference, but he was either a master of his emotions, or he was truly the most tranquil man she had ever met. She watched his mouth as he spoke. She’d never been drawn to a man’s mouth before. What had come over her?
They ate some hard bread and rice that Jonas boiled in a little bit of water over the fire.
When they were done, sharing a small ration of drinking water, Caleb rose from his place and came to sit by her.
“Did you have enough to eat?”
Giving him only a slight nod, Willow drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. What did she care that he was soothing in some odd sort of way? He had taken everything away from her, her home, her belongings, and her father, for she would likely never see him again. Her captor treated her like nothing more than a bothersome piece of baggage, and when he sat next to her, her heart had palpitations! How could she! She dug her fingernails into her arms, loathing her traitorous body, and stared at the moon above her.
“What you told me before…about my father…was it true?” She closed her eyes and drew in a deep, silent breath waiting for his response and then finally turned to look at him when none came. She cursed herself for doing it. For he was painfully beautiful, staring at her so intently with the truth torturing his eyes, as if his very life depended on whether she believed him or not.
“Yes, it’s all true.”
She sighed and looked away from him again. She didn’t want to believe him. It was too