29 Shes Too Weak (1/2)
I wake to the evening sun hitting my face. I feel myself rocking as I come to three realizations in rapid succession. I'm getting carried, I'm on someone's back, and that someone is Lark. Fully awake, I try to get down.
”Princess Nadia, please hold still,” Lark says, exasperated.
”How about you put me down,” I reply.
Andri cuts in, ”You need to rest.”
”I have rested, now I can walk myself,” I snipe.
Annoyed at the number of times I've fainted like a delicate flower who can't handle stimulus. Andri tries explaining why that's a bad idea but I didn't care to listen because my pride won't tolerate being carried.
”Emma maybe you should rest,” Daric says from the other side of me.
I'm going to refuse but seeing the worry and concern in his eyes, I compromise. ”I promise if I begin to feel sick again I'll stop.”
”But...”
”That's the best you're going to get out of me because I'll not be carted around on someone's back like a child,” I pat Lark's shoulder and include, ”Not that you don't have a very comfortable back. I don't mean to sound ungrateful.”
”This soldier's duty is to serve,” Lark says.
”Right...so will you put me down already.”
He laughs softly to himself, ”Yes, Princess.”
Irvin remains quiet, so I ask, ”You have nothing to add?”
”This soldier is beginning to see the futility in arguing once you have decided something no matter how unreasonable,” Irvin says defeated.
”See,” I beam, ”I knew you'd understand eventually.”
We continue with Irvin leading the way and Lark taking up the rear. I take the chance to check on Daric. He's rumpled from the hike; otherwise, he's whole and well. Daric also catches me up on everything that has happened since I last saw him. I'm relieved he found it all to be exciting rather than scarring and becomes more animated as he talks. Grief no longer hanging around him like a heavy blanket. He explains once he left with Lark and the others they circled hoping to find me when they didn't, believing I was with Irvin, Lark led them to the meeting point. I digest the information. The Rionne struck hard and fast. Getting the prisoners free, destroying the oza and chasing off the pleos.
”How long will it take to travel back to the capital?” I mutter to no one in particular. If I recall Andri said it took them two weeks to reach ”Nadia.”
/Are we going to have to walk our asses back? Because I'm sure that will take longer than two weeks./
Irvin answers, ”It should take a little more than a week. We managed to reach you before they got you over the Thayorian border. So we won't have to smuggle back into our kingdom. The pleos will make their way back to us which will speed thing up.”
”{Thank the Gods},” I slip into English, relieved I won't have to walk the rest of the way back.
Daric asks, ”What does that mean?”
”Thank the Gods.”
”{Fank-}.”