Chapter V

On the road! Raphael and Rose bunk up in a small hotel for the night - and things get heated.

Chapter V

Counting Blessings

 

“Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?

I didn’t mean to call you that.”

-      M Own Worst Enemy by Lit

 

Over the next few days, Rose and I spent lots of time just talking.

     It was interesting, to hear the opinions of someone who had no idea about the Brotherhood, Haven, or anything going on in Ethein. At one point, her cluelessness made me realize something, and I voiced it. “You’re from Telis or Ithon, aren’t you?” She blushed, so I pressed the advantage. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re foreign! That’s why you don’t know a damn thing about where you’re at.”

          She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, glancing around at the woods. We were only two days out from Meir at this point, but we were taking a half-day detour for a town and a warm bed. At worst, we’d get there late in the evening on the day I was due. Shyly, she looked at me and admitted, “Alright, okay, you’re right. I wasn’t born here. I came here to avoid the men chasing me, as much as to start over.”

          Hands in my pockets, I asked, “Are you from Ithon or Telis?”

          “Ithon,” she told me. “I was born and raised on the White Isle, which to anyone in this country is the Eighth Isle. My mother was one of the priestesses, but I lived with my aunt.”

          “I thought you had no relatives.”

          “It’s called a lie, Rafe.”

          “Why’d you lie to me about that?”

          “I decided that lying to you was better than telling you where you might have been able to find someone who knew me,” she said. “I wanted to keep it a secret from Durza as well.”

          “You thought I’d tell him,” I corrected.

          “The idea had crossed my mind,” she said shrugging. “I was doing you both a serious favor, though. Men are not welcome on the White Isle, unless invited by someone of prestige on the island.”

          Pausing, I asked, “Would you be able to take me there someday?” She looked at me in surprise and I confessed, a bit shy myself, “I’ve always wanted to visit the Seventeen Isles. I’m told they’re beautiful.”

          She smiled. “They are, save for a couple and even the ones that aren’t so pretty still manage to have a grain of their own beauty.”

          That made me smile. “What was it like growing up on an island without any men on it?”

          “I never said that we had no men, I just said outsiders weren’t welcome. The men we have were born and raised on the island, and serve as our Swords. Most women on the isle do not know how to defend themselves,” she explained.

          “Can you or is that why I had to save you?”

          Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she took the comment with good humor as she went on. “I’m actually one of the stronger women on the island, if only because I can shoot an arrow better than any man we had.”

          Surprise made her glare at me, but we both laughed. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew how to fire an arrow? I might have grabbed you a bow before we left.”

          “I had a bow, but it was stolen by highwaymen. My only chance of convincing them to leave me alone was to tell them how much the bow was worth �" and I hated to do it. A dear friend made it for me,” she said sadly.

          Trying to cheer her up, I teased, “Was he good?”

          It took her a moment to understand, and she flushed hotly. “Raphael, that’s completely absurd! He was not my l-lover!”

          I just laughed. “I was only teasing, Rose. Lighten up.”

          She saw the smile on my face and seemed to relax. In silence, we continued walking. “Humor is strange here,” she said.

          “How is it strange?”

          “The women of my island didn’t discuss sex in front of men, and men certainly didn’t discuss it in front of women. Speculating about a woman’s lover was inappropriate, too,” she explained.

          “I guess we’re a bit more liberal,” I agreed.

          “Liberal isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Raising an eyebrow at her in surprise, she gave me that close-lipped smile that I knew was probably more genuine than any other I got from her. “It’s good to hear the blunt truth sometimes, Rafe. It’s just getting used to it that’s difficult.”

          I laughed, saying, “story of my life!”

 

          We arrived in town a few hours later, chatting idly about whatever came to mind. We were exchanging stories of games we’d play as children as we reached an Inn that looked cheap but unlikely to be roach-infested. I was heading to the front desk to check in when she touched my arm, asking softly, “Are you planning on getting two rooms?”

          “Well,” I said, chuckling confusedly, “yes, I was.”

          She smiled slightly, saying, “Think it through; two rooms, two people �" it narrows down the amount of rooms one might have to search for a certain someone.” It took a moment for me to understand that she was worried about the men after her. I nodded, patting her hand reassuringly before going up to the desk and ordering one room. I didn’t mind the floor. It was softer than the ground.

          I was about to pay the man when she came up and said, playing the part of the specific but flighty wife, “Sir, my husband and I prefer to have a nice view of nature in the mornings. Do you perhaps have anything in the back end of the Inn?” He started to talk again when she put in firmly, “On the ground level, if you please.”

          The man glared at her but looked through his logs, telling her smugly, “I’m sorry, madam, but there are no more rooms available with a…view, as you’ve requested, on the ground floor. The best I can do is the eastern most corner of the Inn, in the back.”

          Rose gave her sweetest looking smile, even as her eyes narrowed. “That would be wonderful, sir. Thank you, very much.”

          I glanced at them before simply paying him, thanking him, and heading upstairs. She walked close to me, saying softly, “How comfortable are you with leaping across the alley and onto the second-floor balcony of the building next door?”

          “Not a bit, but at least we’re ready if we have to be.” I paused, glancing at her as I added, “I’m glad that at least one of us thought of a possible escape plan. Thank you.”

          She shrugged offhandedly. “It’s really nothing. I’m always paranoid. You can constantly count on me to plan for the worst, hope for the mediocre, and be blindsided by the best.”

          I just laughed, shrugging it off. For now, it didn’t matter. I was very careful about not leaving tracks, getting rid of evidence of camp sites, and not taking obvious paths. I doubted we’d have any problems.

          I hate being wrong.

 

          I was polishing my blades when she got back from a run to the bathhouse. Oddly enough, she returned in a state that I rather did not expect. Her hair, soaking wet and dripping from her bath, hung loose and messy about her shoulders, even as she toweled it absently with one hand. She was wrapped in a long white towel that was tucked in above her chest, allowing free movement. Grinning crookedly, trying not to laugh, I asked, “Did you really walk all the way from the bathhouse like that?”

          “Yes,” she answered slowly, as if confused as to why that would be an odd thing to do. “I’m not dry yet, and I didn’t want to get my clothes wet, is all.” She paused. “Is something wrong with this?”

          “That depends. Did anyone see you?”

          She thought for a moment before answering. “No,” she replied. “I don’t believe I saw anyone, so I think no one saw me. Is that important?”

          Laughing, I went back to my blades. “Foreigners are strange, I tell you. Is it normal, in your country, to walk from an Inn bathhouse, to your room?”

          Rose was quiet a moment as she shut and bolted the door, saying, “In my country, rape is punishable by death.” I started to speak against that when she added, a knowing crook in her eyebrow, “Death, or castration.”

          Swallowing thickly, I glanced from my lap to her. “You would really cut it off?”

          Now she had her turn to laugh, toweling her hair with both hands now as she spoke. “If man wants to put his c**k where it doesn’t belong, we’ll take away his ability to so horribly misplace it.”

          “That’s cruel.”

          “You’ve obviously never seen a rape victim.” Her voice was cold, hard and a tad harsh as she reached into her bag to get out her clothes. I managed to meet her eyes for a moment, but what I saw was too brief to analyze. It was dark, though, that look on in her eyes. I could only wonder what it meant.

          Things fell silent and I turned away while she dressed, focusing on my blades. She muttered some soft word of consent when she was dressed but I didn’t respond. I merely glanced, seeing her back in men’s trousers with a lilac-colored blouse tucked into her pants. She was done getting the water out of her hair and was now brushing it, glancing at me almost nervously. I felt like the last limb of our conversation held more weight in her mind than it had in mine.

          “Do you perchance happen to know how to braid hair?”

          I nodded, which seemed to surprise her. “Bethany taught Ana, Derek, and I how to do it when we were boys.”

          “Why ever did she teach two boys?”

          “She taught Derek at first because he thought it was interesting and figured it would teach his hands a little dexterity, of which he had none. Durza had her teach me because he wanted me to learn how to be delicate, but efficient with my hands.” Pausing, a tad shy to admit this, I finished lamely, “It’s become a rather useless skill for me.”

          She smiled, patting the bed behind her. “Well, put it to use. I need this mess out of my face.”

          I consented, sitting behind her and beginning to braid her hair after she pulled it back into a long ponytail. “It’s too pretty to be a mess,” I blurted without really thinking.

          “What was that?”

          Focusing on my work, I told her casually, “I don’t think your hair is a mess.”

          “That’s not what you said first,” she said, on to my scheme.

          “Yes, it is, you just didn’t hear me the first time.”

          She turned her head to grin at me but I turned it back; grinning a bit myself. “If you say so,” she chuckled.

          I reached the end of the braid, holding it between my fingers to keep it tight as I asked her, “Do you have anything to tie it off?” She produced a ribbon from her lap. As I tied it off, I suddenly remembered my first thoughts on her hair; and I decided that I had been right. She did have very lovely hair.

          I batted her braid, making it whip around her shoulder. She laughed and turned to look at me. Before she could say anything, I stood and moved back over to my half of the bed �" which, since we got in claiming to be a married couple, was meant for two. “Are you thirsty? I could sneak down to the kitchens.” She grinned, saying, “The lock on the door looked simple enough.”

          “Good with picking locks, are you?”

          “My sisters and I used to lock each other in and out of rooms for different reasons. I either learned to pick the lock or be stuck,” she explained.

          “You have siblings,” I said with surprise. She’d never mentioned it.

          “Not really,” she responded. “When I say sisters, I don’t mean blood siblings. I mean temple-sisters. Like I told you before, my only relative is my aunt.”

          I nodded, passing it off as I said, “I’d actually like a mug of coffee. I’m taking first watch while you sleep.”

          She nodded, and went to get it. When she reached the door, she asked, “Should I put some sugar in it?”

          “If you wouldn’t mind,” I asked gently. She smiled that close-lipped smile, nodded, and went out.

         

          Less than ten minutes later, she returned, shutting the door firmly, locking it every way possible, grabbing a chair from the small desk, and propping it against the door. She then looked at me and said, “Please tell me that you’re ready to go…now.”

      

          Grabbing my pack, I tossed hers over and asked, “What’s going on?”

          “Well, this time, I’m not the reason we have to leave,” she started slowly. I gave her a questioning look as she said, “There were men with armor and a strange black raven perched on the hilt of a knife on their chest, and they were asking to search the building. They saw me, but didn’t seem concerned with me, though one of them cornered me.” She seemed to notice the way my eyes narrowed with anger, quickly going on. “They didn’t harm me, obviously. He just wanted to flirt with me. I talked to him for a moment and he told me that he’s with the Guard.”

          At that, I shot to my feet and ripped open the window, looking about for an escape route. “How long do you think we have?”

          “Not long,” she said. “He seemed interested in finding me again later, and watched me go upstairs. I imagine that he’ll find a way up here faster to find me.”

          I swore, but didn’t get mad at her. I merely explained, “We don’t necessarily have to leave, but I’d rather not risk the idea of these men remembering my face.”

          “You’re an assassin, Raphael,” she exclaimed, exasperated. “The point is to not be seen!”

          “I thought I explained that we didn’t pick that name!” Trying not to argue, I said calmly, “My job isn’t about shadows and knives, okay? I get seen all the time, and it means I’m a bit of a fugitive. Not high priority, but high enough to be worth turning in if they spot me.” 

          Rose popped her head out the window, immediately popping back in as she slammed the window shut, pulling the curtains together. “That way is bad. There are men on the roof of the building next door. Why on earth are they there?”

          “To catch anyone making a run for it,” I noted, swearing again. “Someone tipped them off. It probably wasn’t us, but someone in the building was worth checking for. Anyone who leaves the building now will be arrested.”

          We held eye contact for a long moment before she asked softly, “What should we do?” I was looking for some kind of fear in her face, but found very little. For someone with no battle training or experience, she was doing well to keep a level head �" something I was very glad for.

          “I’m not sure. Do you have any ideas?”

          She bit her lip, looking around nervously. After a moment, her eyes snapped back to me. She faced me, asking very slowly, “Rafe, how much do you trust me?”

          Immediately paranoid and hesitant, I asked, “Why?”

          “How much do you trust me?”

          I didn’t answer for a long moment before taking a deep breath and answering, “Enough for whatever half-baked scheme you’ve got; because I got nothing. What’s the plan?”

          “Take off everything but your pants,” she ordered immediately, starting to strip down herself. “Get under the covers and do not laugh.”

          “Why would I laugh?”

          She glared at me and said, “Don’t laugh at me for what I’m about to do.” Rose seemed to hesitate a moment, not wanting to, but then finally exhaled in a defeated manner as she removed her blouse, kicking off her trousers with it. Now in only her slim shift, she slid off the sleeves so her shoulders were bare. Glancing at me, she threatened, “Tell anyone and I kill you.”

          I started to see where she was going with this and ducked under the covers, promising, “I won’t peek.”She climbed in next to me, and I could somehow sense that she was thankful for the darkness of being under the covers. “What’s the plan?”

          She wiggled down under the covers next to me, whispering, “As long as you keep your head under here, I can pop out and pretend to be horribly embarrassed that someone’s walked in on me and my husband… ah…”

          “I get it,” I finished. “What if they demand to see me?”

          “I’ll start screaming about how it’s undignified and whatnot. I just have to make a fuss. If they’re anything like I think, they won’t find it worth the effort,” she told me.

          “Alright, but what do you do if they think it is worth the trouble?”

          She paused, saying, “I’ll just have to make sure they don’t.”

          At that moment, the door burst open and she started giggling next to me, moving in close to me so as to give the illusion that something was going on under these covers. I felt her breath on my neck as she whispered, “Stay hidden.”

          Immediately after, she froze, as if pretending to notice the door had burst open. She popped out and let out a screech of shock, “Oh my word!”

          “Madam, we’re searching the building for a known fugitive; a thief.” I breathed a small sigh of relief, but still didn’t pop my head out. I heard parchment rustling and assumed she was being shown a sketch. “Have you seen this man?”

          “Oh, no sir, I haven’t!” She sounded very dramatic, and I tried my best not to laugh. The blanket was clutched up around her chest, but I saw her arms deliberately move down �" she was trying to take their focus off their job, and move to her cleavage. Risky, but smart; I only hoped it made them forget to ask to see me.

          “Are you sure?”

          “Oh, yes sir, I’m positive. My husband and I were just trying for another baby! We have the sweetest little girl at home, and he’s just been dying to get a little boy!”

          I heard the Inn-Keeper’s voice confirm, “I saw the two of them check in this evening. Her husband isn’t your man.”

          A sense told me the guards were iffy about leaving, so I did what I had to, hoping that Rose wouldn’t hate me too much later. I took a deep breath, knowing she might knee me in the face for it, but I reached forward and pinched her rear. As expected, she squealed in surprise and dropped the blanket �" effectively flashing every man in the room. She grabbed the blankets up around her, screeching, “Get out! Get out of here now!”

          A load of chuckles and apologies filled the air as I heard retreating footsteps. Finally, the door shut and I bolted out of the bed, holding my hands up in defense. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” I blurted out, backing away slowly. “I just wanted to make them leave before they thought to check on me anyway.”   

 

          She was glaring at me viciously, still clutching the sheets around her. It was only after a long, long moment did she speak. Coldly, she said, “You owe me so much right now, Raphael. So much that if you don’t pay me back, I will kill you for that.”

          I just smiled and counted my blessings. We hadn’t been caught �" and she wasn’t going to kill me.