The Betrayal - By Ruth Langan Page 0,13

hadn’t the strength left to mount. And yet, if she should lower her arms to help him, they would be forced to face the wrath of the barbarians.

She looked around and spotted a fallen tree nearby. “Lean on your steed, my lord. We must go a bit farther.”

Holding to the saddle, Grant stumbled along beside her until they reached the logs. With the added height he was able to pull himself onto the back of his horse. For Kylia, mounting would be almost as difficult as if she were wounded.

She climbed to the top of the tallest log in the pile and balanced herself there before sprinting into the saddle. At the same instant, Grant locked his arms around her waist and took up the reins. As the horse stepped into the cool, dark forest, she lowered her arms, which had lost all feeling, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“How do you know the barbarians won’t follow, my lady?”

“When they awaken from their spell, there will be confusion. If they should decide to follow, they’ll surely choose another direction, for there are few who would dare to enter the Forest of Darkness.”

“I can’t say I blame them.” He could feel the darkness closing in as the horse moved deeper into the forest. A thick, oppressive blackness that threatened to take him down. But was it this cursed place, or the effect of his wounds?

He closed his eyes against the pain and leaned forward, pressing his weight on her. His breathing was labored, his flesh hot to the touch. “Forgive me, my lady. I truly desire to stay with you, to see you through this fearsome place. But I can feel myself slipping away.”

Alarmed, Kylia reined in their mount and slid from the saddle. As she reached up, Grant tumbled into her arms and the two of them fell to the ground in a heap of twisted arms and legs. While she struggled to untangle herself, Kylia realized that Grant had lapsed into unconsciousness. When at last she managed to free herself from his body, she fumbled around in the darkness until she found the horse’s reins. Tying the animal firmly to a nearby tree to keep it from bolting, she wrapped Grant in her traveling cloak, then began feeling around the ground for sticks. Because she was too impatient to waste the time it would take to rub the sticks together until they created heat, she used an incantation to bring the fire. Soon the sticks were ablaze, offering not only heat, but blessed light in the darkness. Enough light to tend Grant’s wounds.

So many wounds. How had he managed to remain standing through such cruel punishment?

While chanting the ancient words she traced a fingertip over his shoulder, his thigh, his waist, commanding the bleeding to cease and the flesh to begin its long journey toward healing.

Her voice grew hoarse. Still, she continued chanting, knowing that if she stopped, this man could be plunged into crisis, for he’d sustained far too many wounds for his body to recover.

Her eyes grew heavy and she longed to sleep. Still she continued feeding the fire to hold the darkness at bay. Each time her head bobbed, she jerked awake and stood, shaking down her skirts and walking around the clearing, gathering more wood for the fire. Having successfully fought off the weariness for another hour, she would then kneel and continue the chanting that was required for healing.

Grant lay very still, fighting his way back from the darkness that had overtaken him. Though there was pain, it wasn’t nearly as searing as it had been earlier, when he’d felt himself close to death.

He could hear the hiss and snap of the fire nearby, and the sound of Kylia’s voice chanting the ancient words. He found them oddly soothing. In fact, just knowing she was here with him had him feeling easy in his mind.

How magnificent she’d been when she’d stood up to their attackers. Though it must have been a shock to her tender sensibilities to find herself at the mercy of barbarians, she’d betrayed not a trace of fear.

What an unforgettable introduction she’d been given to his world. He regretted that he couldn’t have been more help to her. It shamed him to know that, though he’d been the one trained as a warrior, a protector of women and children, it had fallen instead to this sweet, sheltered woman to protect him.

He felt the touch of her hand on his flesh and