he bent to the flap of his tent.
He barely stopped, calling over his shoulder. “Just for a few hours. It will be hotter later.” And then he disappeared into his tent.
“Are you going to keep me tied up all day?”
“Yes, else you will no doubt smash a rock over my head while I sleep.”
“Hmm, you have a point.”
He looked at the tent flap and smiled.
“I can hardly breathe from the heat,” she shouted a few moments later.
“Best to get used to the heat or it will defeat you,” Caleb called back already resting his head on his rolled up bandana.
“I’m thirsty,” he heard her complain.
Inside his tent, he sighed and opened his eyes. “Marcus,” he commanded without lifting his head. “Give her some water. Not too much.”
After a few minutes of blissful quiet—
“I’m not covered properly. I feel the sun beating down on the side of my face.”
She gave him an innocent look when his head peeked out of the flap and he glared at her.
He left his tent and went to her and adjusted her covering. He didn’t like being so close to her. It made him want to protect her. No. She was Baltrasard’s daughter.
He walked back to his tent.
“I’m hungry,” she called out to him. “I want something to eat.”
That did it. He turned on his heel, then stormed toward her.
“Oh no! Have I disturbed you?” she taunted, squinting up at him.
“Yes, but you won’t again.” Caleb pulled a small piece of cloth from his back pocket and shoved it into her mouth. Then he tied another cloth around her head, keeping her gagged. He smiled and went back to his tent.
She screamed furiously, but the sound was muffled just enough for Caleb to ignore her.
Watching from the opening of his tent, Jonas chuckled. “Warring with Caleb is useless, Princess,” he called to her.
Caleb was watching her, so he knew when her trouble started. She looked angry, furious while they laughed at her expense, then she clamped her teeth down on the cloth and suddenly arched her back. Her eyes began to roll up in her head.
“Caleb! Caleb!” Jarod shouted, but Caleb was already there. “She’s a demon!” Jarod cried out, digging his heels into the dirt to get away from her as quickly as he could.
Caleb fell to his knees beside her. He cupped her face in his hands and tried to keep her still. “She’s having a sun-seizure.” He tried to pull the cloth from between her clenched teeth but her jaw was locked.
“What should we do?” Jonas appeared at his side almost instantly.
“We have to keep her cool and well-watered,” he said, looking at her and so missing his friend’s smile at his use of words.
“It’s all we can do.” Caleb quickly cut her hands loose. Her body was stiff, every muscle taught and hard. He pulled her into his lap and tried once again to pry her mouth open with his fingers, but it was no use. He held her in the shade of her covering and whispered soothing words into her ear until the seizure passed. After what seemed an eternity of regret for taking her, Caleb sighed when her eyes opened slightly. With tender care, he removed the cloth from her mouth. His prisoner smiled, momentarily forgetting who he was, seeing only the deep concern in his eyes.
“Get her some water!” Caleb commanded and was promptly handed a leather sack by Jonas.
“Drink this,” he offered, holding her head up.
Weakly she drank, and after two sips, fell asleep in the warmth of his arms. Breathing a sigh of relief, Caleb let exhaustion cover him.
“So what do we do now?” Jonas knelt beside him.
“Nothing. She will sleep.” Caleb wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist and gazed down at her exquisite features. Jonas mumbled something about not needing a sick wench to slow them down on the plains and went back to his tent. Caleb silently agreed with his friend. If they had to stop every three leagues to make certain she wasn’t overheating, they would run out of water and die within a week.
He looked down at his unwanted charge and studied her as if for the first time while she slept. Her eyes were fringed with midnight black lashes, long and thick against high cheekbones gone alabaster pale from the seizure. She was uncommonly beautiful, he thought, gazing at her full lips set now in a dreamy smile from her blissful slumber. What would he do