Bonded | Completed | Short Story

Bonded: Part 5

They met the next three nights during the ongoing negotiation of surrender. 

The camp was tense and impatient at the resistance of the Kel to give into their demands. They ran the warriors in constant training and drills, in order to show the defeated Kel army they were still able to fight, if the surrender ultimately failed. There was some talk that the Kel were staling, trying to wait for reinforcements. 

Vada was eager for the break from politics and griping, and perhaps that is what drove her to keep meeting him. They barely talked, as they could not understand each other. They did learn over the few days, trading words where they could and teaching the basics of their language. They traded details about their lives, what they liked and disliked. He was afraid of heights and loved apples, specifically his mother's apple pie. 

They also sparred and trained.  He taught her with the sword and she taught him with the spear. He wasn't the worst of all her past students, but also not the best either. He was too fast, too hard. He wanted to strike when he needed to parry, stab when he needed to retreat. It was fun to teach again though, especially with a student she didn't need to pull back from. Teaching was much more effective when you didn't have to worry about stabbing the student. 

Each night she returned to camp later and later, sneaking back into her tent before Matilla noticed she was gone. She was lucky the other woman slept like the dead, or she might notice her tent mate spent half the night away. 

It was the fourth night, after hours of sparring and wrestling, that Vada woke to darkness. She hadn't remembered falling asleep and her body ached from laying on something hard and unforgiving. Then, a warm body shifted beside her and she jolted upright. The moon was gone. The lantern she brought had long burned out. They had fallen asleep in the cabin. 

"Rhain." Vada rolled over and shook his shoulder sharply. He grumbled in Keleon. His eyes squinted open and he sat up, rubbing a hand across them. He glanced over to her, then to the darkened cabin, and seemed to come to the same realization, as he quickly scrambled to his feet. 

It was almost too dark to see each other, but as she stood she felt his hand on her shoulder. He was closer than she expected, but for some reason, she didn't step away.

"Tomorrow?" he asked and she could almost see that little twitch in his eyebrow in the darkness. 

Vada hesitated, but then swallowed and agreed, "Tomorrow." 

-

She made it back to camp as dawn was breaking. She always entered and exited from the area with the pit toilets, and she always timed it right before or after the changing of a guard, so that they couldn't question how long she had been gone. 

This time, however, the camp was waking as she made it back. Anxiety rolled in her stomach as she walked through, avoiding any glances from other soldiers. It felt as if her secrets were written on her skin, exposed for all to see. They would know she was sneaking around. They would find out about Rhain.

I'm just on my way back from the toilet. I'm just on my way back. She repeated the excuse over and over in her head, as if she could convince everyone around of her innocence. She just needed to make it back to her tent and then she would be safe. It came into view and she picked up her pace, trying not to seem like she rushing. Just a few more feet and - 

"Vada!" Her heart jumped into her throat so quickly she felt as if it might choke her. She spun, pulling her cloak tighter around her to hide the fact she had taken her sword to the 'toilet'. 

"I was just on my way back from the toilet," flew from her mouth before she could stop herself. Eiselda gave her an odd look, but then carried out without missing a beat.