Iris Johansen - The Treasure

She didn’t know which was worse: Layla, with her relentless determination to use her to better the lot of all women, or Haroun, who wanted to smother her beneath this blanket of cosseting.

She’d be glad to get to Rome.

And Kadar.

Even if she could not stay with him, it would do no harm to imagine his joy when he learned of the child. He had grown up alone in the streets, and a babe, someone of his own, would mean as much to him as to Selene.

Too much? Would it hurt him when she left with the babe? Dear God, she never wanted to hurt Kadar.

One step at a time. She would face the consequences later. Now she must only get to Rome and make sure the babe was protected by holy vows from the cruelties of the world.

“Lady Selene!”

Haroun.

His hand was on her shoulder, roughly shaking her.

“You must wake. We must leave. Nasim-”

Nasim.

She was instantly awake and saw Haroun’s anxious face above her.

“Antonio says there are riders coming down the road.” He pulled her to her feet. “He thinks he recognized Nasim.”

It was still dark. Only a thread of pale moonlight filtered through the cloud cover. How could Antonio be sure of-

They couldn’t take the chance. “How far?”

“I don’t know. Minutes-” He turned away and ran toward the horses and began saddling her mare. Layla had finished saddling her own horse and was leading it toward Selene. “Get on my horse and get out of here,” Layla said curtly. “Hurry.”

“No, I’ll wait for-”

“No time. We’ll be right behind you. Would you risk the child?”

I want that child.

Terror tore through her. If Nasim learned she was with child, he would take a boy child, kill a girl. She could not put the babe in danger. She stopped arguing and mounted Layla’s horse. “Where will we meet?”

Layla pointed to a dense wood in the distance. “It should be easy to hide among the trees.” She struck the horse on the hindquarters and sent it careering off at a dead run.

Wind stung her cheeks.

Her clothes pressed close to her body.

She glanced over her shoulder.

No one was coming. Where were Layla and-

Mustn’t panic. It had been only a few minutes.

Relief poured through her as she caught sight of Layla, Haroun, and Antonio tearing out of the glade.

She could see no one pursuing them. Perhaps it was all a mistake. Perhaps it was not Nasim.

And perhaps it was.

She put spurs to the horse.

The wood was just ahead.

Then it was here, around her. Darkness. Shadows. The thick canopy of branches overhead. Safety.

“Off the horse.” Layla reined in beside her and jumped down. “Give your horse a slap to set him running and hide in the underbrush. He’s coming.”

“Nasim?” Her gaze flew to the road. Riders thundered toward the wood, and in the lead were Balkir and Nasim.

She slipped from the saddle and gave her horse a sharp slap. The horse plunged forward into the brush.

Antonio and Haroun had reined in, and Antonio jumped off his horse. Haroun still sat his horse, looking behind him.

“For God’s sake, hurry, Haroun,” Selene called frantically as she plunged into the shrubbery.

“They’re too close.” His face was tight with fear. “They’ll find you. I have to-”

He kicked his horse into a run.

Her eyes widened in horror. “Haroun!”

Layla covered Selene’s mouth as she jerked her down on the ground.

The riders were upon them.

Dust. Thunder. The crash of branches.

Selene could see the hooves fly by only feet from where they lay.

“There! Ahead!” Balkir’s voice. “The boy!”

Earth churned as the riders passed the shrubbery where they were hidden.

Layla’s hand slid away from Selene’s mouth.

“They’ll kill him.” Her agonized gaze searched the darkness where the riders had disappeared. “They’ll catch him.”

“We can’t stay here.” Layla stood up and jerked her to her feet. “They’ll be back. We have to find a hiding place.” She turned to Antonio. “Go on ahead. Head south. Find a cave. Even a tree we can climb. Anything out of sight.”

Antonio nodded and faded into the bushes.

“Come on.” Layla took her arm. “We have to get away from here.”

“We have to help Haroun. They’ll kill him.”

“We can’t help him. He has to help himself. He may escape. Anyway, we couldn’t catch up with them on foot. Even if we did, we couldn’t stop them. We’re outnumbered.”

“We have to try. You know they’ll kill him if they catch him.”

“Of course they’ll kill him.” Layla’s voice was lash-sharp. “Don’t be stupid. They’ll kill us all if given an opportunity. Or maybe they won’t kill you but will use you and the child to get to Kadar and Tarik. Do you want to give us all up to Nasim to try to save a man who can’t be saved?”

“He tried to save us.”

“Yes, and he knew exactly what he was doing. Are you going to let his sacrifice be wasted? Use your reason.”

Selene didn’t want to reason. She tried to pull away from Layla’s grasp.

“The child,” Layla said. “Think of the child. You have no right to risk killing it.”

The child.

Haroun.

No one had a right to choose who was to live or die.

She closed her eyes as waves of pain washed over her.

“Come,” Layla said. Her hand gripping Selene’s elbow was gentle but determined. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Layla always seemed to think she knew what was right to do, Selene thought dully. How comforting that must be. God knows, she did not.

She let Layla lead her in the opposite direction from that taken by Haroun and Nasim.

____________________

A few hours later Antonio located a small cave in the side of a hill.

They spent the next hour masking the entrance of the cave with branches. Antonio stationed himself close to the opening. Then their only recourse was to wait and watch.

And worry about Haroun.

“Stop fretting.” Layla’s gaze was on Selene’s face. “This isn’t good for you.”

“Don’t be asinine. How can I stop?” Selene wearily leaned her cheek against the cool stone of the cave wall. “We should have gone after him.”

“Then blame me. I made the decision.”

“No, I did it. I’m the one at fault. I didn’t have to go with you.”

“That’s true. But then I would have hit you on the head and had Antonio carry you. Either way I wouldn’t have let you go after Haroun.”

“It wasn’t your choice.”

“Nevertheless, I made it.” Her lips twisted. “It was easier for me. I wanted the babe and you to live, and I’ve only a small affection for Haroun. Besides, I’m accustomed to making decisions of that nature.”

She was speaking of life and death, Selene realized with a shiver. “Have you ever killed?”

“Not intentionally. I told you I could not bear it. Still, things happen.” She shrugged. “And I will not hide from it. I’m not like Tarik.”

Selene didn’t know what Layla meant, but she was too stunned and numb to probe. All she could think about was the expression on Haroun’s face in the moment before he had spurred away from them deep into the forest.

“He was terrified of Nasim,” she whispered. “Haroun wasn’t a brave man.”

“You’re wrong; to face your fears is very brave.”

“It was the babe. He promised he’d take care of me. I shouldn’t have told him about the babe.”

“And you think he wouldn’t have done it anyway?”

“Perhaps.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know. He risked his life to come after me at Montdhu.”

“Then the babe had nothing to do with it. Now stop thinking. Try to sleep.”