moved with the lithe agility of a feline predator, and Willow realized with disgust creasing her bruised brow, that was exactly what he was. He leaned against the doorframe and stared down at her. “If you’re really Baltrasard’s daughter, you’ll remember what I did for you today.”
“You did nothing for me.” Willow rested her head on the pillow. “You were merely doing your duty…like a good little servant.”
He smiled at her audacity and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. “Are you hungry?”
“No,” she lied.
“What’s your name?”
“Willow,” she said quietly, then, “Willomenia Odarre.”
“Willow,” he repeated. “That’s a pretty name.”
She rolled her eyes, then lifted her head and set her gaze on him. “Don’t you have something else to do? Like make someone grovel at your feet?”
“No,” he laughed. “I’m free to talk to you for as long as I want.”
“I don’t have to talk back, do I?”
Finally, Seth sighed. “I’m not your enemy. What can I do to prove it to you?” He bit into an apple with a juicy crunch that made Willow’s mouth water.
“Get me out of here. Then I’ll tell my father what you did for me.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that.” He chewed.
She cursed him under her breath for a full minute then remembered Martin. “There’s an old man named Martin in the holding room. Don’t let him get sold or hurt by Drakar.”
Seth nodded and took another bite of his apple. “I’ll see what I can do.” He rose to his feet and locked the door after he left.
Willow looked up from her pillow and eyed Seth’s half eaten apple a few feet away…it was delicious. She picked the seeds from the core and tucked them under her pillow when she finished eating it. She thought of Caleb and his God as minutes stretched endlessly into hours. “I know You’ll help me because You are good,” she prayed softly. She thanked Him for Caleb as she remembered his warm smile, his beautiful curved lips, and her heart broke over and over again from missing him. If he knew she was here, he would rescue her. But Jonas…poor, poor Jonas. “Oh, Yahweh, don’t let Jonas have died because of me.” She finally fell asleep with tears staining her pillow all the way through to her precious seeds.
Chapter 26
“Caleb! Caleb!”
He heard someone shouting his name and turned to see Marcus standing at the top of the ridge shouting.
“Come quickly!”
Caleb dropped his water hose and ran for the ridge.
“It’s Jonas,” Marcus told him. “Two Londonian Warriors brought him back. He is alive, but barely.”
Caleb’s heart thumped hard in his chest as he ran home. Jonas was…!
When he reached the cottage, he saw unfamiliar horses outside. He rushed inside.
“Jonas!” he cried. This couldn’t be. What happened? Where was Willow?
“Caleb, here!” It was Shauna calling from her room.
For Caleb, the world stopped moving when he saw his best friend in bed in Shauna’s arms. He didn’t think his legs would move. No, no, not Jonas.
“Does he still live?” He brushed his sister’s hand away from the gaping wound that soaked Jonas’ tunic to deep crimson. “Oh, God help him. Yahweh, help him.” All he could do was stare at the blood for a moment. He couldn’t breathe, panic swept through him until a soft groan parted his lips. He pulled his knife from his boot and cut off Jonas’ tunic. “Get me water and clean rags!” he shouted. His sister moved to get what he needed. “Jonas, Jonas, brother, can you hear me?” Caleb tapped his fingers against his friend’s cheek.
Jonas opened his eyes and Caleb almost wept with relief.
“Caleb, I’m sorry. Catchers. They…they took her from me,” Jonas breathed, and then closed his eyes not wanting to see the terror in Caleb’s eyes. “Forgive me, Sire.”
“This…” Caleb shook his head slowly. “This can’t happen.” Falling to his knees beside the bed, he buried his face into the mattress and covered his head with his hands. His fear didn’t lessen, for he knew what Catchers did to the people they snatched, nor did the anguish that felt like welts upon his heart become any less unbearable when fury, raw and completely untamable suddenly claimed him.
“We’ll find her, Caleb.” It was Shauna who spoke to him while she worked on Jonas’ wound. “We’ll find her, don’t fear.”
Caleb lifted his head and watched her tend to Jonas. When his wound was cleaned and wrapped, Shauna drew a blanket over him and stroked the strong curve of his jaw.
Jonas’ eyes