Tyler's Story (Tales of Quelondain) Read online

  He let go of her hand and placed his on her waist.

  “You scare me because you almost died for me. You barely know me and yet you keep risking yourself for me. You were in a coma for two months and now you get these horrible headaches and it’s all because of me.” She put her finger on his lips so he wouldn’t interrupt. She closed her eyes at the feel of his fingers running through her hair.

  “You scare me because of what you do to me.” She ran her thumb over his stubbled jaw. “You touch me and I don’t want you to stop. I go to bed at night and wonder what you’d do if I knocked on your door and came to your bed. I wonder how it would feel if…” She shivered as his fingers left her hair, trailed down her back and along her thigh before moving back up again. “God, Tyler, I want you so badly it makes me want to forget about my life over there; makes me want to stay here with you.”

  Tyler groaned and pulled her close. “By the moons, Heidi…” He ran his lips lightly over her face.

  “I need to know if you feel the same way.”

  His lips stopped on her shoulder where he kissed her lightly. “I do. If you only knew how much I do.”

  “But…” Her hand ran over his stomach and up his chest.

  “But I can’t ask you to give up your life for me. You belong there, Heidi.” He pulled back and cupped her face lightly in his hands. “You need to go back.” He wiped fresh tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. “For as happy as it would make me, I can’t ask you to stay.” He kissed her forehead and hugged her close.

  Heidi buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He was right, wasn’t he?

  Chapter Seven

  John walked into Tyler’s room and grinned at the scene before him. Heidi’s dress lay in a heap on the floor and she lay on her back, covered to the waist by the blankets, her upper half covered by the white tunic she’d borrowed from Tyler. Tyler lay on his side, his arm across her chest, her hand in his, his tanned upper body dark against the white of her tunic. She rolled toward him with a sigh and Tyler moved so he could pull her close.

  “Tyler.” John whispered as quietly as he could. His friend tensed, opened his eyes, and relaxed at the sight of the older Maj. He glanced down at Heidi, kissed her softly, and managed to get out of bed without waking her.

  John closed the door behind them and raised an eyebrow at Tyler. “You know, I’m not in the habit of getting redressed when I’m lying with a beautiful woman.”

  Tyler looked up from lacing his boots. “Nothing happened.”

  “In the name of the moons, why not?”

  “I’ve already told you, John. I can’t get in any deeper. She needs to go home.”

  John growled low in his throat. “It may not be my place to say, but I’m fairly sure you’re as deep as you can possibly get.”

  “You’re right. It’s not your place.” Tyler stood.

  “If you’re so bound and determined that she’s not supposed to stay here, then answer me this… what would have happened to her had anyone else found her?”

  “She’d have starved, been killed, or found a being that would have taught her our ways.”

  “And why is that?”

  Tyler frowned. “Because once a human crosses, they lose the little bit of magic they have.”

  “Exactly. She’s not supposed to go back, Tyler.”

  Tyler leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. “Why do you care so much, John? What difference does it make to you whether she stays or not.”

  “Because I see you. Because the only time you’re relaxed and happy is when she’s around.”

  Tyler took a deep breath. “I promised I’d get her home and that’s what I intend to do.” He pushed away from the wall. “We’ll be leaving today.” He went back into his room and left John out in the hallway.

  He sat on the bed and ran his fingers through Heidi’s hair. Could John be right? Was she meant to stay here?

  “Heidi…” He bent kissed her cheek. “Heidi, wake up. It’s time to get ready.”

  “Where are we going?” She wiped the sleep out of her eyes smiled sleepily up at him.

  “Home. It’s time to get you home.”

  Her smile slipped a bit. “You’re right. It’s time.” She watched as he pulled on a clean tunic and did up his belt.

  “I was hoping I could convince you of something.” He turned toward her, his deep brown eyes slightly squinted with his frown.

  “Hmm?”

  “I know I promised you we’d never displace again, but we could get you home in three days if we used the stone as opposed to two or three months if we walk.” He sat on the bed and took her hand as her eyes widened and her face paled. “Heidi, I know it feels horrible, but it’s not dangerous.”

  She took a few deep breaths and looked at her hand in his. “I wouldn’t mind a few more months with you.”

  “Heidi, please. The longer you’re here, the harder it will be to let you go. The fact that you have to go home won’t change. The sooner we get you home, the better.” As he said the words, his chest tightened. He blew a breath out of his nose. By the moons, he was already at a point where he was questioning if he was going to be able to do it.

  She nodded and his heart dropped. “Alright.” Her response was barely a whisper. She blinked and tears ran down her cheeks.

  Tyler wiped them away and hugged her close. “It’s best this way,” he said softly. He held her until she stood and he stood with her.

  “I’ll go get you some clothes.” He left and reappeared with some clean clothes from her room. She pulled on the pants, turned to change tunics, then did up her belt and laced her hiking boots, the only clothing she refused to exchange for Quelondain wear. He held his hand out to her and she took the green bandana from him. She tied it around her leg just above her right knee.

  “Don’t forget your dagger.” He reached over and put it in its scabbard.

  “I can’t keep it, Tyler.” She touched the hilt softly.

  “Yes, you can. It was a gift. You’re supposed to keep those.” He handed her her pack and stuffed the rest of his clothing into his own. “Ready?”

  Heidi took a deep breath and nodded. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn’t decide if she was ecstatic or devastated.

  There was a knock on the door and Trista poked her head into the room.

  “Oh, thank the moons! John told me you were leaving and I was scared I’d missed you!” She pulled Heidi into a hug and both women started to cry. Tyler slipped out of the room and headed outside.

  “You’re packed a bit light to be heading on a two month trip,” commented John.

  “I convinced her to use the displacement stone. We’ll be in Sageden in a few minutes.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t make up my mind if I’m dreading sending her home more, or if it’s the thought of being home myself that’s making me want to throw up.”

  Bird flew out of the trees, landed on John’s shoulder, and gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled and petted her little head.

  “Take care of them.”

  She bobbed her head and flew into the pocket of Tyler’s pack. Tyler raised an eyebrow at his friend.

  “Of the three of you, she’s the one with the most sense.” John was smiling but his eyes were serious.

  Tyler rolled his eyes and adjusted his packs. Heidi and Trista appeared.

  “Don’t forget to keep your sparring up to par.” John hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead.

  Heidi swallowed hard. “Yeah, you never know when I might run into a tlarrison over there.”

  Tyler gave Trista a kiss on the nose. “Thanks again for everything.”

  She hugged him.

  “Come back and visit.” John frowned.

  Tyler smiled and hugged his friend. “I will.” He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the displacement stone then held his hand out to Heidi. She took it and promptly let it go so she could wrap her ar
ms around him.

  “I think I’m going to throw up,” she mumbled into his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

  “Just think about Sageden.”

  He felt the stone start to warm in his hand, Heidi’s arms tightened around him as the heat passed through her, and the ground disappeared. The ground reappeared and he stood still, his eyes closed. Heidi was shaking against him.

  “Are you alright?” He held her tightly.

  She nodded and looked up at him. He opened his eyes.

  “Are we here?”

  He looked around and frowned. “I… well, we’re not in the town itself.” He let go of her and took in their surroundings. “Oh. My fault. I think I thought Sageden, but I thought home as well.” He took her hand and led her into the cave they had appeared beside.

  “You live here?”

  “No, not really. This is my cave. This is where I’ll live if I ever decide to stay.” He smiled sadly. “Trent’s is a day’s travel to the east.”

  “So how far are we from your aunt’s clearing?”

  “A day to the south. There’s a crossing just ten minutes from here. It’s a shame we don’t have a cross gem with us.”

  Bird chirped and he saw a picture of his aunt. He frowned.

  “You’ll go get a stone?”

  She bobbed her head.

  “Alright.” He watched as she flew out of the cave. “She can fly to my aunt’s clearing and back in a half a day. It will save us some time.”

  He took another look around the cave. “I’ll go hunt so we can have something to eat while we wait.” He stepped out of the entrance and fell to the ground as something hit him over the head.

  Heidi screamed, pulled her dagger and scrambled backwards at the sight of four men wearing bows on their backs.

  Tyler rolled onto his back, slashing up with his dagger. One man hissed as it slipped over his arm. Another managed to kick the blade from his hand, the next kick connecting with his side. He groaned and tried to roll away only to receive another kick from the other side. His breath left his lungs in a huff.

  Heidi managed to cut the third man on the leg and he stumbled. The fourth one knocked her to the side, causing her to trip. He bent over her then fell backwards, her elbow connecting with his nose as she rolled and tried to crawl toward Tyler. She looked up and saw him under two of the men. One had his arms pinned over his head while the other straddled him and rained punches on his face and chest.

  “Tyler!”

  Heidi’s voice registered under the noise of the knuckles hitting his face. He had to get out of this. He had to get to her. With a grunt that turned into a deep growl he heaved with all of his strength and pulled the man holding his arms over his head and into the man straddling him. He used the momentum to sit up and roll away from them, shifting into his wolf in the process.

  Heidi struggled to get away from the two men holding her. A cry of pain made her look toward Tyler once again. The large grey wolf crouched low, his hair standing on end, his teeth bared with his snarl. A low growl rumbled through the cave. One of the humans held his hand to his chest, the blood dripping onto the floor of the cave. The men holding her moved around and Heidi found herself face first on the ground, her arms tied behind her back. One of them sat on her to hold her still. She watched as the second of her captors notched an arrow in his bow and pulled it back.

  “No!”

  The arrow cut through the air and Tyler yelped as it dug into his hind leg. His opponents jumped on him, one of them tying a rope around his neck. Tyler shifted back with a scream, the arrow doing more damage as he changed shape. His hands went to the rope around his neck just as his head rocked back with the impact of another punch.

  “Heidi!” The spots in his line of vision were starting to take over. He couldn’t black out. If he did, they were dead. A fist connected with his jaw and the rope tightened around his neck as they dragged him from the cave. The combination of lack of oxygen and the beating he was receiving started to take its toll. He could feel the blood running down his face, down his leg. The arrow caught on a rock and he screamed as it pulled against the wound before breaking off. He tried to concentrate on keeping his fingers between the rope and his throat. He doubled over and lost his grip on it as a boot connected with his chest.

  “Tyler!” Heidi pushed back against the man who had brought her out to watch what was happening.

  “No worries, girly, this is what freaks deserve. You’re with your kind now.”

  “No!” She struggled against him as the others tied Tyler to a tree trunk by his neck then tied his hands backwards around it. His head hung as much as the rope would let it, the blood dripping onto his lap. His hair was wet with it. He groaned and tried to pull against the ropes.

  She stomped her foot onto the man’s and managed to break free of his hold. She ran to Tyler, kneeling beside him. She leaned into him and tried to hold his head up with hers.

  “Tyler, oh, god, Tyler, please!”

  “Heidi.” She barely heard her name leave his lips. “Heidi, I…”

  Whatever he was about to tell her was lost in the breeze as one of the men hauled her away.

  “No! You can’t just leave him like that!” She tried to pull away. “He’s going to die out here! Please!” Her face exploded with pain as the man slapped her.

  “You’ll do best to learn to keep quiet.”

  She looked back one last time before Tyler disappeared from view. Sobs shook her frame and the tears streaked down her face.

  “Please… you have to untie him.” Her head snapped back with the impact of the punch.

  “I told you to shut it.”

  “Shit, Steve, don’t knock her out. Then we’ll have to carry her.”

  “It’s only another hour to the campsite.” Steve gave her a push to get her moving again. He laughed at his friend. “Why do you keep looking back? There’s no way he’s getting out of those ropes. If he moves too much, he’ll choke himself. If he shifts, he’ll break his arms.” He grunted. “In a few hours, all of that blood will have attracted something hungry and wolf boy will be on the bottom of the food chain for a change.”

  Heidi screamed in anger and threw her head back. Steve’s nose broke with a sickening crunch. She turned and ran as fast as she could with her hands tied behind her back. She caught a glimpse of the tree Tyler was tied to before she was tackled to the ground. Whoever had done so turned her and she looked into Steve’s bloodied face.

  “Bitch!” His fist connected with her face and everything went black.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tyler was vaguely aware of something making noise somewhere behind him. They’d got her. They had her. Everything hurt. Every time he moved he came close to passing out. He pulled against the ropes and the one around his throat tightened. He had to get loose. Black spots invaded his vision. The noise came again. What was that? It sounded like scratching against the bark. He groaned as the rope choking him let go and all of his weight pulled on his shoulders. He sat back, coughing.

  “Who’s there?” It hurt to talk. His heart jumped at the chirp that answered him. Bird landed on the ground in front of him. Images of Heidi fighting, getting loose, then being tackled to the ground flashed through his mind. He growled at the one of a man punching her in the face.

  “Can you get my hands?”

  Bird bobbed her head and he heard her pecking at the ropes that bound his wrists. A growl to his right made him look up. His heart jumped in his throat. A blarnen stood by the cave. The small wolf-like animal the size of a fox bared its teeth and licked its lips. It sniffed the blood trail he had left from the cave to where he was now tied.

  “Umm, Bird? I don’t mean to rush you, but I could really use my hands right about now.”

  The blarnen took a few trotting steps toward him and stopped short at the growl that rose from Tyler’s throat.

  “That’s right, you little pest. Wolf. Bigger, badder, meaner than you.” Tyler growled again to
prove his point.

  The pest in question crouched low and growled back.

  “Great. Bird, I’m about to become lunch for one of my distant relatives.” He tried to keep his tone light, though he could feel the panic rising in his chest.

  She flashed him a picture of the rope almost three quarters of the way gone. He pulled against it.

  “I can’t break it.” He felt her get back to work. The blarnen took a few steps closer. Tyler kicked dirt at it and cried out as his leg hit the piece of arrow in the other one. The pain caused the spots to reappear.

  “Stay awake, stay awake.” He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes. The blarnen had made its way closer.

  “Bird?”

  The blarnen crouched, ready to pounce. Her image of the rope holding on by a thread invaded his mind and he pulled his hands free just as the creature launched itself at him. Tyler managed to grab it by the neck, its teeth snapping shut mere inches from his face. He threw it to the side and shifted, his cry of pain turning into a loud whine. He bared his teeth and snarled at the smaller dog. It hesitated and he ran at it, three legged, sending it scrambling back into the woods.

  He stayed on guard for a minute before limping back toward his cave, making sure to keep his weight off of his hind leg. Once he was by his pack, he lay on his side with a groan. He took three long breaths and shifted back as he was exhaling the third. The pain caused tears to spring to his eyes and a sob shuddered through him. He pulled himself up so that he sat with his back against the wall. He went through his bag until he found the leaves he was looking for, took out one of his tunics and a pair of pants, and picked up a thick stick from the ground. Using his boot knife, he cut his tunic into strips then cut his pant leg up to his hip. He used his arm to wipe his face and bit down on the stick.

  His swollen face paled and his muffled scream echoed through the cave as he worked the arrow out of his leg. His vision blurred and flashes of white blinded him. With trembling hands, he dropped it to the ground then lay on his back, willing himself to stay awake. When he was sure he wouldn’t pass out, he sat up again, chewed the leaves he’d left out, crushed the paste into the wound and used strips of his tunic to wrap his leg. He took his canteen and poured the water over his head, scrubbing the blood from his face and neck. He slipped off his belt, cut the remainder of his pants off, and painfully pulled on the new pair.