Chapter 17

Benett was dumped unceremoniously at the eastern edge of the forest. He groaned as he hit the ground. Nearly every inch of his body hurt and was covered in bruises. When the men that had dragged him over here left, he tried getting up. He had to find Emir and Emma. If he didn’t, well, Caleb had no problem having him beaten; he wouldn’t have a problem ordering his death.

            He pulled himself up off the ground using a tree nearby. He let out a groan as his body protested against the movement. He looked around once he stood up, he didn’t recognize where he was. He shook his head, trying clear his vision.

            “Emir…” he called out, hoping Emir would find him and either end his misery or believe him.

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            “Emir,” Emma said, stopping, “did you hear that?”

            “Hear what?” he asked, stopping as well.

            “I thought I heard something over that way.” She said, pointing. Emir frowned.

            “It was probably an animal…”

            “You don’t sound convinced.” She said, looking at him. “You don’t look convinced either.”

            “Fine, we can go check it out…” he said, changing direction. She followed him, staying behind him slightly. He led her through some thick brush and then stopped. He growled when he saw who was lying there. Emma stopped, narrowing her eyes.

            “Benett…” she snarled. Benett looked up at her, pain registering in his eyes.

            “Well…look at who we have here. It looks like the traitor was betrayed.” Emir said, looking at him coldly.

            “Traitor?” Benett asked, playing the role he was assigned once again. “What…what are you talking about?” He asked before blacking out.

            “Should we leave him here?” Emma asked, looking at him disgustedly.

            “No.” He said, “We heal him and the re-torture him for betraying us.”

            “That would make us no better than Caleb…” Emma said. Emir groaned, looking at her.

            “Leaving him here to die would be no better…” He said, making Emma groan.

            “Do you think that there is any chance that Caleb was lying to us?” Emma asked.

            “I wouldn’t put it past him.” He said with a shrug. “We can’t be sure though.”

            “Well…it would be wrong to leave him for dead. We should heal him…maybe keep him as a prisoner so he can’t leave?”  

            Emir thought about that. Benett had been one of his friends, and he hated thinking that Benett had been spying, but at the same time, he knew Caleb had a way of twisting people, of changing them. “Fine, we heal him and keep him as a prisoner.”

            She nodded, “alright. How are we going to heal him? I have no skills in healing.”

            “I do, it was a requirement of my training as a high priest.” He said, picking Benett up and throwing him over his shoulder. “I’ll need some supplies though, and that is where we are going to have trouble.”

            “What do we need?” she asked. She listened as he rattled off various plants that grew naturally in the woods, then some things she had never heard of, and finally some things that they had no access to. “We’re going to need to find others…aren’t we?”

            “Yes.” He said, stopping. “You’re going to have to do it though…”

            “Why me?”

            “You don’t have a scar marking you as a rogue. Do you really think they’d help rogues?”

            “You could threaten them…besides the moment they see my marking they’ll know I’m a princess and want to know what I did…”

            “Then lie.” He said.

            “What am I supposed to tell them I was banished for?”

            “Don’t. Simply tell them it is none of their concern.”

            “Alright,” she said, dubious that it would work. “We’ll try it your way, but if it doesn’t work, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

            He didn’t say anything to her. He started walking again, trying to put distance between them and where they had found Benett. Finally, finding a place that was sheltered and hidden, he laid Benett down.

            “I’ll find the plants I need in the forest. Stay here and I mean stay here, and keep an eye on him. If he wakes up, call for me. I’ll try and hurry up. While I’m gone, try and get a small fire going.” He said as he took off into the woods.

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            As soon as Caleb’s men finished dumping Benett in the woods, they returned to camp and the small army set off through the woods. Caleb gave orders for them to stop a few miles away from a camp of banished citizens.

            “I want two of you to keep an eye on that camp. If Emir or the girl goes near it, I want to be informed right away.” He ordered. “I’m going to go to the wall, wait for them there.”

            “Yes sir.” His new second-in-command said. “If the girl goes to the camp, would you like us to capture her?”

            “No.” He said, turning to face him. “No. Just observe her, tell me what she does.” The man nodded and went to find two men to send to the camp. Caleb finished packing his few supplies and soon set off for the wall.

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            When Emir got back he saw that Emma had gotten a fire started. He walked over and sat down by Benett, taking the plants he had gotten out of his bag. He started making a paste with them and some water.

            “Can you tear some strips of fabric from my cloak?” he asked, looking over at her.

            “Yeah,” she said, taking the cloak and tearing some strips, “should I boil them or something?”

            “No, they’ll be fine.” He said. Emma nodded, handing him the strips. He took them and started dressing Benett’s wounds. Emma watched as he worked, wondering if they had been wrong about Benett, if Caleb had in fact lied to them.

            “Do you think Caleb lied?”

            “It’s hard to say. It’s possible, but it would also be foolish to think that Benett wasn’t a spy. We can’t know for sure…” he said, looking up at her.

            “Why would he do it though? I thought he was your friend.”

            “So did I.” He said. “People aren’t always what we expect though.” She looked away; she didn’t need to be told that. She already knew from experience people are never who they appeared to be.

            “While you were out, did you happen to see signs of other people?” She asked, wanting to change the subject.

            “Honestly, I wasn’t really looking.” He said, finishing up. “I can look tomorrow.”

            “I can do it.” She said, “That way I don’t have to wait on you to come back and tell me where to find them.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes.” She said, nodding. “I’m sure.”

Reviews

[NoelHC]

It has been a while since I had read the earlier chapters, but I picked up where you left off, still holding my interest. Well written.