Page 47 of Sword of Rage
He considered saying something. Maybe if he spoke first, she would warm up to him and be more comfortable. However, since they’d be traveling together for several days, he decided not to force conversation. It would come. Eventually. Besides, he was never one to fill the silence just because. It would only come off as being inauthentic. And there was as much to be learned from the refusal to speak as there was from speaking.
That night, he found a cluster of boulders that provided some cover. They laid their bedrolls out, then ate a small meal. Since it was just the two of them, a fire was too dangerous to risk.
Harley snuggled under her blanket. Ackley wished he hadn’t woken so early this morning to accompany Owen to that town. It would make staying up all night watching over Harley that much more difficult. But he hadn’t wanted to miss the chance to meet with those civilians who used to work at the castle. He needed to hear their accounts of what happened during the takeover to see if it aligned with what Harley had said. While he hadn’t found any inconsistencies, what these servants reported seeing was a hundred times worse than what Harley let on.
He glanced at Harley, finding her already asleep. Her mouth was slightly parted, her hair spread out around her head. She never wore it pulled back like Gytha. Since it was so thick and long, it seemed to always be a tangled mess. He suspected it wasn’t normally that way. She was probably used to wearing fancy dresses and having her hair impeccably done. Traveling with an army didn’t afford her those luxuries. But it did afford him the opportunity to watch her from afar.
Her behavior came across prim and proper, always the perfect lady, even dressed as a commoner. However, there were moments when her eyes flashed with anger, hurt, and fire. It was in those moments that he believed he saw a glimpse into who she really was. The part of herself that didn’t conform to society, so she kept it hidden from the world. What he wouldn’t give to free that side of her.
* * *
The following day was much the same as the previous one. Harley didn’t talk as she led the way to Penlar. When evening approached, they came to a fork in the road.
“It’s getting late,” Harley said, speaking for the first time. “Do you want to go straight to my parents’ manor or find a place here to sleep for the night?”
They hadn’t stopped for food the entire day. Ackley kept waiting for her to ask for a break, but she’d forged on without a word. “How far away is their home?” He scanned the horizon, not seeing any signs of a city nearby.
Peering over her shoulder at him, she raised her eyebrows. “It’s not far from here. We’ll be there before dark if that’s what you’re worried about.” She smirked before taking the dirt road to the right. “What?” she asked. “No snarky remark about not being afraid of the dark? I just attacked your manhood. Aren’t you going to defend it?”
He blinked, surprise rippling through him. She was toying with him. He didn’t think it possible. For the first time since they’d met, Ackley felt as if Harley had the upper hand, and it left him unbalanced. He’d have to be careful with this woman. Especially since he noticed the way his breath quickened when she looked at him.
Harley stopped just ahead of him at the top of the rise. With her hands on her hips, she stood there waiting for him.
Ackley adjusted the bag on his back as he joined her, observing the view. Stretched out below, a sprawling city filled the landscape. It had to be several miles wide—by far the largest city he’d seen in Melenia. The buildings didn’t appear destroyed nor did they have any evidence of being burned.
“Smoke is coming from the chimneys in several of the homes,” Harley pointed out. “There must be people here.”
Squinting, Ackley looked closer. People were out and about, walking along the streets. He eyed Harley, waiting for some sort of reaction from her.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she peered up at him. “Do you think Russek missed Penlar since it’s so secluded?”
He shrugged. “It’s possible.” More likely, Harley’s parents were involved in this mess somehow. So what did they have to gain from destroying the royal family? On the surface, nothing stood out, especially since Harley and her brother had been at the castle during the invasion. But one thing he’d learned was that anything was possible—especially when it came to people seeking and clinging to power. Even though Owen insisted Harley was loyal, Ackley had to at least consider the possibility that she was in league with her parents.
“All this time, I thought they were dead,” she whispered. “I assumed I only had Owen.” Tears filled her eyes. “They’re alive.” She smiled and headed along the pathway winding down the hill and into the city below. She had a bounce to her step Ackley hadn’t seen before.
While Ackley knew there weren’t any Russeks down there, he still felt exposed on this deserted road. Anyone in the city would see them coming. Maybe that was why the city had been designed this way. Regardless, he had that feeling he got when he was being watched. All senses on alert, he followed Harley, keenly aware of every sound he heard and movement he saw.
“My parents’ estate is over there.” She pointed up ahead of them and to the right. “All the farms are located on the northern side where the lake and forest are.”
“And your house with Lyle?” He’d noticed she never used the wordhomewhen referring to it.
“It’s on the south side, right where the city ends and the open land begins.”
“On the opposite side of the city,” he commented. “Did you want to get as far away from your parents as possible?” He said it like a joke but wondered if there were any truth to it.
“The captain in charge of Penlar is always stationed next to the garrison.” Her words came out monotone, all emotion stripped from them.
Ackley wondered what sort of man had Harley’s husband been. She was only eighteen, so he had to be at least ten years older than her to hold the position of a captain. Owen had mentioned he couldn’t stand the guy, which meant Ackley probably wouldn’t have liked him either. Harley said it was an arranged marriage and that she didn’t care for the man. Ackley couldn’t imagine being married to someone he didn’t love and respect, let alone like.
They reached the first set of buildings. Most of the stores had dingy windows that were so dirty, he couldn’t see through them. Many of the apartments didn’t even have windows. People hurried from one place to another, dirt kicking up from the street. They kept their heads down, not acknowledging either Harley or Ackley as they passed.
“Is this city similar to other large cities in Melenia?” Ackley asked casually. What bothered him was how much this city looked like northern Marsden where poverty was rampant. It wasn’t until he’d traveled to Axian, in southern Marsden, where he’d seen what wealth and prosperity really looked like.
“I wouldn’t know,” she answered, the words clipped and angry. “I’ve only ever been here and to the royal castle. Until the takeover.”
A woman with a young child on her hip rushed by. When the woman glanced at Ackley, her eyes widened. She entered the store across the street, slamming the door behind her.
“I’m wondering if Russek passed through here,” Ackley mused.
