C. Bryant - Broken

He made her blush without even trying. Stop that , she begged.

He shot her a glance out of the corner of his eye and winked. Make me , he teased.

“Two days, maybe three,” Kueelok said, bringing the couple out of their private conversation. “Will that do?”

“That will be fine.” Octavion held out his hand for the stone, which Kira handed back reluctantly. He slipped it into the box and gave it back to Kueelok.

Kira and Octavion spent the better part of the day going from one place to another. Most of the shops were set up outdoors, like a flee market, so it made it easy for Octavion to shop with her. About halfway through the day, Kira realized that, even though they’d made several selections and Octavion had asked the vendors to have the items sent to the castle, he hadn’t actually paid for anything.

“What kind of money do you have here, coin or paper?”

“We have gold coin,” he explained. “Some merchants prefer to barter their services, but when someone comes from another village they usually pay with coin.”

“So when these merchants bring my things to the castle, someone will pay them?”

“No, we do not pay for our things,” he said as though he were a spoiled middle-aged geek still living at home with his mommy .

“What do you mean, you don’t pay? ”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It is our way. Everything in the kingdom is ours. Why should we pay for something we already own?”

“Are you serious? That’s insane-not to mention wrong.” Talk about uncivilized .

Kira had raised her voice slightly, causing him to look around to see who watched. He turned to her and whispered. “Can we discuss this later, please?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I will send everything back.” She turned and walked away from him.

He quickly caught up, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “Kira, do not do this. It is our way. It is considered a privilege for royalty to desire their goods. They will brag about it to other merchants and to their customers, which will cause more of their wares to be purchased. It is actually good for their business.”

Kira folded her arms and stood her ground. “You pay or it all goes back. They work hard making everything with their own hands. They should be properly compensated, regardless if it is for royalty-which, by the way, I’m not . So, technically, I should pay for my stuff. Maybe I should get a job at the royal palace .” She stuck her nose in the air and looked away.

Several seconds passed before he let out a rumbling growl. She jerked her head back and glared at him. They engaged in a staring contest and Kira was determined to win. She raised her brows to question his intentions and he finally caved.

“Fine, I will make sure they are compensated.” He breathed a sigh of defeat. “Now can we get back to shopping? I’d like to get you a shawl to match your new dress.”

Kira happily grinned at her victory and motioned for him to lead the way. After passing several street vendors, they stopped at the weaver’s table. While Kira inspected the intricate detail of each hand-woven shawl, Octavion watched her every move. When she looked at him, he’d wink or smile, making her insides turn to mush. The old woman waited on her patiently, letting her examine the shawls, comparing the shade of the thread to her dress. Nothing matched.

“I’m sorry,” Kira said. “I don’t see anything I like.”

“Serena, dear,” the old woman called over her shoulder. “Bring out the new shawl you finished this morning. Perhaps Lady Kira would like to see it.”

Kira froze. She had one hand buried in the nap of a shawl while the other grasped the front of her dress. If she could have reached in to hold onto her heart, she would have. Her stomach rose in her throat. She slowly turned to find Octavion, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. The blood had drained from his face as his eyes caught sight of the woman he once loved.

Her sweet, angelic voice greeted Kira, but she couldn’t respond or move. Kira couldn’t take her eyes off his expression. He swallowed hard, tightening his jaw. His brow furrowed as he watched Serena come forward. When she said Kira’s name again, he turned away, hiding his face.

Kira numbly let her hands fall to her side and stepped closer to examine the shawl Serena placed on the table in front of her. Kira didn’t dare look up to see the girl’s face. She didn’t want to remember how much more beautiful Serena was than her. She especially didn’t want Serena’s image to intrude her dreams and be the subject of her nightmares.

Kira ran her fingers over the shawl, pretended it was the perfect match to her new green dress and asked that it be taken to the castle. When she was sure Serena had gone back into the shop, she thanked the older woman and walked away. She’d only taken a few steps when the urge to escape struck her. She lifted the hem of her dress and ran through the market, darting in and out between the blurred figures she saw through her tears. She got to the main road leading to the castle, but instead of heading up the hill, she ran between two cottages. She rounded the back corner and collided head on with a rock solid, well-dressed man.

Kira stumbled back as several items the man held fell to the ground. “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir.” She wiped the tears from her face and bent to pick up the scattered objects-a small tattered book filled with beautiful drawings and a small pouch of nuts that spilled and scattered everywhere. She scooped the nuts back into the pouch, then noticed a small cylinder object next to a rock. She scooted a little closer and plucked the item from the ground. She rolled it over in her hand, thinking it was some kind of medieval pencil. Her stomach lurched when she realized what it was.

A small wooden flute.

Still crouched near the ground, she froze in place. She couldn’t look up to see the man’s face. She couldn’t run. She couldn’t do anything but stare at the flute.

The man lowered himself to her level. His large hand reached for her and with his index finger, he gently lifted her face so their eyes met. His long black hair shadowed his features, but there was no mistaking his eyes.

“Nigel?” A sigh of relief escaped her. He’d been the one who brought her food and water while in captivity. “You played this outside my window, didn’t you?”

Struck mute by his Darkord blood, he bowed his head slightly, then brushed a runaway tear from her face. He held his damp finger up between them with a questioning look.

“It’s nothing. I was running from Octavion. He-”

Nigel didn’t let her finish. He jumped to his feet and drew his knife, turning in the direction she’d come from.

“Stop! He didn’t hurt me.” Kira stood and grabbed his arm, pulling him around to the back of the cottage. “You can’t be seen. Xantara forbids Darkords within their walls and if Octavion catches you here, he’ll kill you.”

Nigel slipped his knife back into its sheath. Running a gentle finger down the scar on her cheek, he gave her a questioning look. He took her hand and touched the Crystor.

“No, it doesn’t work,” she said.

Nigel took a deep breath and put a hand to his heart as if to say he was sorry.

“It’s not your fault. You saved me. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

Nigel brushed another tear from her cheek and held it up for her to see. Another questioning look crossed his face.

“No, Octavion didn’t hurt me. Not like you think. It’s just. . there’s another girl, someone he knew before.”

Nigel’s shoulders drooped as he let out a breath.