Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings Of Dakkar #1) - Zoey Draven Page 0,85
were quiet for a long while and then he murmured, “Knowing you, kalles, I worry that you feel guilt for this.”
I shook my head because he knew me well.
And while I did, I recognized that was due to the Old Luna.
The New Luna, however, said, “I’m learning to give myself permission to be happy. Guilt was a large part of my life. It fueled a lot of my decisions. But I’ve paid my dues, I did what my mother asked of me. Now I just want to be free to make the choices I want to make without fear.”
“You will,” he murmured, gripping my chin gently to meet my eyes. “I know you will, kalles.”
I grinned and then pressed my lips to his in a soft, thorough kiss.
When I pulled back, I accused, “You’ve been keeping this secret from me.”
“I was not sure he would come,” Arokan confessed. “But he did. I offered him a place here for you, Luna. Only for you.”
“I know,” I whispered, my heart drumming in my chest. If I’d ever doubted Arokan’s feelings for me, those doubts were gone now.
“It was fortunate timing that he arrived today,” my horde king said next, his tone strange.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because while you were with your brother, the scouting parties returned. They found a viable camp with plenty of resources.”
It was time, I realized. Time to leave.
“Regardless of what your brother’s decision is, kalles,” Arokan said, “we will leave at first light in two days.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The morning we were set to leave, the entire camp woke when it was still dark out to being dismantling the camp. The majority of the day before, I’d worked on packing up the various items I’d collected over the past six weeks—the various articles of clothing I’d made, little trinkets from the market that had been gifted to me by the vendors, my store of dried hji fruit that I obsessed over, the golden dagger that Arokan had crafted for me after our training session in the forest.
Including my deviri, I had a total of five chests that I’d packed, not including the chests I packed with my Arokan’s belongings.
Then the morning came, dark and cool. I watched as the domed voliki were dismantled with stunning efficiency and ease. I watched as the pyroki enclosures were taken apart, their metal bars and troughs packed onto one of the numerous carts that emerged. Since my help was denied with the tents, I assisted the mrikro, ensuring the pyroki were calm and tethered until our departure, while my brother watched me from the sidelines.
That morning, I was stunned how quickly the camp changed, going from a lively, populated place, to a barren, empty patch of land.
When the sun rose, we were ready to leave. The sky turned from an inky black to a blush pink. But apparently we weren’t to leave yet. The horde gathered, over a hundred members, warriors, females, children. I stood by Arokan’s side as he led a prayer of thanks to Kakkari, as an elderly Dakkari male dug handfuls of a golden granule substance from a sack and spread it over the earth where the camp had once been.
It was a calming experience, a goodbye, a thanks to the land that had provided for us during our time there.
Then, it was time to move on, to leave.
My eyes met my brother’s from across the empty clearing. The night before we left, my brother had told me he would stay with me. He wouldn’t leave me. I had been relieved and gladdened by the news, but it didn’t stop me from warning him not to do anything foolish. My husband would only be so merciful and if my brother did anything to jeopardize the horde, his punishment would be swift.
It would take time for my brother to adjust. I knew that. I was simply glad he would give the horde a chance. I was glad he would be safe, he would be fed, and he would be with me.
Arokan turned to me, breaking my gaze. I looked up at him, aware that my brother still studied us.
“We begin again, rei Morakkari,” he told me softly.
“I’m ready,” I replied.
“Are you well, Missiki?” Mirari asked, crouching over me, an alarmed look in her gaze.
When she’d seen me pull my pyroki to a sudden halt and jump off its back to dart into the covering of the forest we passed, she’d cried out and immediately followed.