Summary: Kalina is kidnapped in the dead of the night by Dorien Hutt. Dorien is intent on protecting her life, but he won’t say why. These two strangers are forced to hide together as war breaks out in Econah. What does Kalina need protection from and why?

* * * * *

Kalina Treebirth laughed delightedly as her toes found their way into the bubbling brook. She turned to beckon Shyne Treebirth, her cousin and best friend, into the water.

Shyne crossed her arms across her chest decidedly and tiptoed over to the water. “ ‘Tisn’t too cold, then?” she asked hopefully.

Kalina shook her head, her golden curls dancing around her angelic face. “The sun has warmed it since last week,” she promised, remembering that Shyne still had a grudge from the icy coolness she’d felt when she decided to bathe in the same brook the week before.

Shyne shrugged, trusting her cousin, and sat down on the green grass. She let her toes fall into the water, holding her breath until impact. Then she released the breath and smiled at Kalina, surprised at the silky feeling the water held.

Kalina laughed again. “See? I told you.”

Both girls turned sharply as they heard a familiar whistle. It was Kalina’s uncle Cade, calling them in for supper. She sighed and pushed herself up from the ground. “Look at all the time you’ve wasted,” she tutted.

Shyne smiled innocently. “ ‘Twas as much your fault as mine, Kallie. You shouldn’t have dragged me through the forest for two straight hours.”

“Yes, but look at the wonderful flowers we picked,” Kalina pointed out as she picked up the bunches of colorful jewels she’d picked along the way.

The whistle was heard again, this time much more forceful. Kalina sighed and hugged the flowers to her bosom. “Come along then, Shyne. We don’t want Aunt Chi to refuse to give us dessert, now do we?”

Shyne shook her head firmly and began to trot back to the cabin. “Anything but that! She’s making Gillaberry soufflé!”

Kalina could feel her mouth watering at the mention of her favorite dessert. She began to run faster as well, ignoring the falling stems that rained across the ground as her arms loosened their hold around her treasures.

Luckily enough, Kalina and Shyne were right on time for supper. They had just arrived at the front porch when Uncle Cade was ready to whistle for the third and last time. He greeted the two girls by ruffling their hair and gesturing them inside.

Kalina set the flowers she’d picked, the ones that were left that is, on the counter in the small kitchen. Aunt Chi smiled in thanks and pulled out a vase from a cabinet. She was used to Kalina’s fascination with flowers and nature. She added some water to the vase and set it in the middle of the table, smiling again when she saw the proud, pleased look on Kalina’s face.

The four enjoyed their meal of rabbit and herbs. Aunt Chi appreciated the flowers so much that she agreed to let Kalina and Shyne have dessert. She was an agreeable woman, but there was a hard shell underneath that one did not cross with.

Kalina smiled to herself as she devoured the Gillaberry soufflé. She was lucky to live such a pleasant life with three people who cared about her. She did occasionally miss her mother, but it was the kind of missing one does when one has never really met the missed party. Kalina’s mother had died when Kalina was just a baby. She had no recollections of her mother. Uncle Cade, Kalina’s mother’s brother, had sent for his baby niece without hesitation. Since then, Kalina had been raised as part of Cade and Chi’s family, growing up as a sister and best friend to Shyne in their country cottage in the land of Econah.

Soon supper was over with, and the family went into the small sitting room. Shyne enchanted them with her beautiful voice as she sang a popular folktale. Uncle Cade played his fiddle in the background. Kalina then went into an avid account of her adventures in the forest that day; the rest of the family listened with only half an ear. Kalina was the only one with such wonderment about nature.

When the sun was completely behind the horizon, Aunt Chi told the two teenaged girls to go to bed. They protested cheerfully, but Aunt Chi’s firm hold over them had them trotting up the stairs in minutes.

Kalina splashed water on her face from the basin that rested on the nightstand. She and Shyne had to share a bed, but it was large and luxurious so neither girl minded.

Shyne began to pull back the covers. “I don’t know how we’ll sleep with these tonight. Now that summer is upon us, I’m dreading the inevitable heat.”

Kalina nodded in agreement. She went to the dresser they shared and pulled out their nightgowns. She stood stalk still in the pale light from the lantern after she’d changed into her sleeping garments. She closed her eyes and listened.

“What is it?” Shyne whispered, not wanting to wake Kalina too soon from one of her premonitions.

Kalina opened her eyes slowly, the blue orbs cloudy and glazed over. A frown appeared on her delicate features. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Something . . . I think something is going to happen. I can feel it in my bones.” She shivered. “Tonight. It will happen tonight.”

“Is it something good or bad?” Shyne asked nervously.

Kalina’s frown deepened. “I-I don’t know,” she admitted. She opened her mouth to say more, but Aunt Chi appeared at the doorway.

“Get to bed girls,” Aunt Chi admonished. She smiled softly. “You can talk in the morning.”

“Yes, Aunt Chi,” Kalina said quietly. She climbed into bed next to Shyne.

Aunt Chi walked over to the lamp and picked it up. “Good night, dears.”

The two girls called their good nights out, and Aunt Chi disappeared behind the door. Kalina and Shyne were left in darkness.

Kalina reached out her hand under the single sheet and met Shyne’s clammy one. She held her cousin’s hand tightly. Something was going to happen tonight, and her heart was already beating in a mixture of anticipation and fear.

* * *

Dorien Hutt’s even gaze locked onto the cottage in front of him. His calming hand was set upon his horse’s neck, just below the pulse. He watched as a light in one of the upstairs rooms flickered out. The time had come.

Was this the place? Dorien would just have to wait and see.

He jumped off his horse, and black boots hit the ground soundlessly. He clutched his dark cloak closer around his body, keeping the cloth over his face. He turned his head slightly, looking around in the dark of night. There was nobody. He felt it deep inside and knew it to be true.

Dorien walked carefully up to the cottage and opened the front door slowly, grateful that the old wood didn’t protest loudly. He had known the door would be unlocked. Who would be insane enough to rob a poor country home after all?

He slid across the floor soundlessly and up the stairs, his feet dancing on the air. He knew the art of stealth. He knew the art of silence. And he practiced both well.

Dorien put his palm on the first door. It came back cold. That was not the room.

He moved down the hallway and put his hand on the next door. This time it hummed with energy. A slight smile tilted the corners of his mouth upwards. His eyes remained expressionless.

Dorien turned the handle slowly. The occupants of the room were asleep, he knew. He walked across the floor. There was a single bed in the room, so large that it took up most of the space. He went to the closest sight of the bed. It was not her. This girl had dark hair and features.

Dorien walked around the bed. His heart began to pound heavily. It was her. He snuck a hand out so fast it looked like a blur. His hand clasped over the girl’s pink lips. He held on tightly and brought his other hand to the small of her back, lifting her off of the bed. Her blue eyes snapped open and were filled with fear. She began to struggle.

Dorien expected this much. He held her tightly to his chest and stepped back from the bed. Her hand reached out to connect with his forehead. Dorien felt the pain at the back of his skull. His head jerked back, and he skidded to a halt. His shin connected with the side of the bed, and it screeched loudly.

That was it. He had to get out of there. Now.

Dorien ignored the shriek that came from the other girl. He plastered his arm around the girl he carried, making sure to glue her arms to her sides. Out in the hallway he saw a woman stepping out of her bedroom exasperatedly.

“What in Econah--”

The woman was knocked backwards as Dorien shoved her out of his way. He ran down the stairs and was out the door in a second. He threw the girl onto the saddle and followed closely. His horse neighed loudly, echoing in the night air. Dorien cursed the horse under his breath, but he had something new to deal with. The girl in front of him started to thrash violently and scream at the top of her lungs. Dorien’s hand covered her mouth again. He kicked the sides of his horse, willing it to ride out in the night.

The horse’s shoes clanked along the makeshift road as it made a furious pace. Dorien’s feet continued to harass the creature’s sides, willing it to go faster.

A shout was heard ahead. Dorien cursed again. He’d been spotted. He pulled on the reins, halting the horse. The girl in front of him let out a whimper that seemed louder in the quiet of the night.

“Quiet!” Dorien whispered in her ear. “Quiet or you will be killed.”

The girl’s back stiffened. She let out a dry sob, but her lips sealed after that. He felt something inside of him hurt for her fear, but he knew it was not the time to explain things to her.

“There they are!”

Dorien cursed again. He should never have taken the road. He pulled the reins to the right and kicked again. The horse neighed again, but it complied willingly. They were close to the forest . . . Only a few feet . . . . Away . . . . . . . . .

Dorien felt something pierce the back of his shoulder. He gritted his teeth as sharp pain made its way through his nerves. He had to ignore it though. He had to get into the forest, into safety.

A split second later they broke into the foliage. Dorien urged the horse to go faster. His keen eyesight, matched with the steed’s sharp movements, kept them from colliding with any trees.

They had been running for close to half an hour when Dorien finally felt that it was safe. He slowed his animal to a trot, keeping it warmed up. He continued through the thick trees of the forest until he reached a tree that seemed suitable. He jumped off of the horse and looped its reins around a thick branch.

Dorien pulled out a container of water. He took several deep gulps. He offered it to the girl, but she shook her head quickly. He shrugged. She would regret it later. He poured it into another container and set it in front of his horse. The animal leaned its head down and drank greedily.

Dorien held out a hand for the girl. She flat out ignored him. Her legs were trembling as she tried to drop from the horse, and she stumbled. Dorien quickly caught her around her middle, holding her steady. She jerked away from him angrily.

“What is going?” she demanded, her voice shaking.

Dorien didn’t know how much he should tell her. He didn’t want to tell her anything, but he needed to say something to soothe her. He reached behind him, ignoring the sudden pain that ripped through him at the stretch of his muscles. He yanked the arrow out of his shoulder blade, wincing in barely disguised pain. He threw it to the ground in frustration. Then he began to rip his shirt off.

“What are you doing?” the girl gasped.

Dorien ignored her. He reached into the saddle bag and pulled out another container of water. He poured some of it onto his back, wincing again at the new form of pain. “Look, girl, those men who we were running for wanted you dead.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but he figured it was pretty approximate.

The girl’s lower lip trembled. Her eyes filled with confusion. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Dorien lied, sighing. He reached his arm around again. His hand came back covered in blood. Damn. He was loosing too much of it.

The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of crimson. “Oh gods,” she breathed. “Turn around.”

Dorien’s eyes watched her suspiciously. “What for?”

“Just do it,” she commanded, her voice taking an authorative tone that he didn’t expect.

Dorien turned around slowly. A second later he felt a small hand on his back. Pain sliced through him, and he cursed. The hand began to warm. Then he felt warmth grow from the wound, spreading through each cell in his body. As his eyes drifted shut, he remembered why it was she was wanted in the first place.

Her hand was gone after a few seconds, but he was still dizzy from the afterglow. He sighed contentedly.

“Are you going to answer my question?” she asked softly.

Dorien was ripped out of his dream world. His eyes opened quickly. This was not the time. He could not stop to feel. He turned around. “I have answered enough,” he said curtly. He pushed her aside and began to climb the tree his horse was tied to. He sat on a low branch and reached out a hand.

The girl looked at hesitantly. “One more question,” she said, seeming to accept that her “savior” was not going to listen to her.

“What is it?” Dorien asked impatiently.

“What is your name, sir?”

Dorien had not been expecting that. “Dorien Hutt,” he called down. She deserved to know that bit of information, especially with all that he was keeping from her.

“I am Kalina Treebirth,” she retaliated.

Dorien nodded. He held his hand out again.

This time she accepted his grip and let him pull her up into the tree.

* * *

Kalina was awoken abruptly a mere two hours later. Her neck was stiff, and the large branch she’d been lounging on had poked uncomfortably into her back during her light sleep. She had to admit that waking up seemed a godsend.

“Have they found us?” Kalina whispered, finding it to be the first thought in her mind. After all they wanted her dead. Who they were, she still didn’t know.

Dorien shook his head.

Kalina was frustrated by his lack of words. She couldn’t even read his eyes because he had his mask on again. In fact, the only time he’d taken it off was the night before . . . When his looks had been masked in the darkness. Kalina wanted to comment on this, but Dorien was moving too fast. He took a hold of her arm and helped her jump from the lowest branch onto his horse’s back. He jumped on behind her and began to untie the reigns.

Kalina’s brow knitted together. “What exactly is going on?” she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly.

“ ‘Tis not time for questions,” Dorien said gruffly. He took the reigns in his hands and kicked the sides of the horse. It began to move at a leisurely pace.

“I believe that I deserve to know more than you have told me,” Kalina said, her voice rising in anger. “I believe that I have been quite compliant considering what’s happened in the past few hours.”

“Remind me to thank you for that,” Dorien said. She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Kalina glared, but at nothing in particular. Dorien couldn’t see her. “I want to know where we’re going,” she said coolly.

“Somewhere,” Dorien replied shortly.

Kalina let out a sound of frustration. “You are being impossible. Tell me where we are going or I shall scream and call all of those men from last night to us.”

Dorien wrapped an arm around her waist tightly. “Do that, and we’re dead, sweetheart,” he muttered, his voice low and sinister.

Kalina twisted to get out of his grip. “How do I know that they aren’t really the enemy? What if you’re--”

“Here to kill you?” Dorien laughed shortly. “If I took you here to kill you, I would have done it by now.”

Kalina felt tears well in her eyes. “Then do it already,” she pleaded. “I just want this to be over with.” She shut her eyes tightly.

Dorien was silent for a moment, but his arm around her waist loosened. He sighed heavily. “Don’t cry.”

“Why ever not?” Kalina demanded as the first tear fell from her eyes. “I’m miserable; I’ve been kidnapped; and there are people after my head. How am I supposed to react?”

“Tough.”

“Well, I’m not tough,” Kalina whispered. “I’m far from it. I just want to go home and be with my family.”

Dorien sighed again. “Kalina, listen,” he said slowly, using her name for the first time. “I would take you back in a heartbeat. But I can’t. It’s not safe at your home anymore.”

“Why should I trust you? Why do I trust you?” Kalina all but wailed.

“I’m telling the truth,” Dorien said softly. “You can look inside of me, and I know you can do it, and see. I’m only trying to protect you.”

Kalina stiffened immediately. How did he know . . .? She closed her eyes slowly. She reached out with her mind and touched in on his. His guard went up at first, but then he slowly willed it back down. He let Kalina in, but only limitedly.

After a few minutes, Kalina opened her eyes again, retreating from the connection. She did not learn anything more about why he was doing this, but she saw honesty in his heart. He would not hurt her. He was trying to save her.

“Why aren’t you telling me anything?” Kalina tried again.

“Because I’m not sure myself,” Dorien admitted.