She was a Nomen all along. His heart rate jumped again. She lied to him, and he should have known better. There was something different about her since the cave. He didn't sense before.
An aphrodisiac to her lips, an alluring pull to her scent, and strength behind her touch. She's definitely not the same woman from when he first lifted that veil.
If anything happened to Zehan or his brother, he would kill her for it. His fingers gripped the reins tighter. No, he wouldn't. He loosened his hold. Why did he even say that to her, he reacted too poorly? His temper fired too quick at times. What would he do with her? His eyes furrowed together. I'll worry about that later.
How far did he go? The trees began to thin out with the sun brightly ahead of him. She must have brought them deep into the woods to avoid any guards from Novas following them, and he continued to ride on.
He knew Nomen history and culture. The Nomen mark passed from father to son, which meant her father was King Baasa or someone he trusted. Only males could inherit the mark. So where did she get it?
King Baasa disappeared over fifteen years ago, and all his Nomen wives were barren. This Mark it had dark magic, cursed magic, and its power was just as desirable as the Ethereal Spirit. Any Nomen who possessed the mark would not have given it up so quickly, especially to a woman.
Ryas slowed his horse down. Maybe this wasn't a trap. He should go back. Pulling on the reins, he turned his horse around and headed back. But where did Yuliah get the Ethereal Spirit from? Like the Nomen Mark, only Geneoshi's could will the Ethereal Spirit. That meant Yuliah had to be half Geneoshi.
He thought about all the possibilities of who King Baasa could have sired a child with as he continued to race back. All his Generals and Advisors were still alive. If they knew Yuliah had the mark, she would not be in the North unprotected and forced to Wed a line of peasants.
Shit, he fucked up, bad. He should have thought of this before. He even put his hands on Yuliah without giving her a chance to explain first.
She had the Ethereal Spirit and the Nomen Mark, and he just left her behind. He was way out of line with her if the Nomens find Yuliah, who knows what they would do to her, to his woman. Fuck. He felt his chest tighten. There was no excuse for what he did, and he pushed his horse faster ahead.
An ember sky stretched across the horizon when he returned to the spot he left her. There were no footprints just the shape of her body etched into the dirt like she had been lying there for hours, next to where their bedroll had been. He felt it, an uncomfortable feeling in his chest and pushed it back.
She was gone. "YULIAH," his heart pounded through the cage of his chest, but there was no answer. Only the sound of his voice as it screamed back and the fluttering of wings when a pair of startled birds took off.
She couldn't have gone far; she was on foot. He circled in all directions screaming her name but it was too late, she had vanished. What did he do? An unimaginable thought crossed his mind. For the first time in years, Ryas felt real fear.
He spent the entire night combing through the woods looking for Yuliah with no luck. Then retreated to the road at the first light of day, the whites of his eyes lined with red when the calls of a familiar voice awoken him from his thoughts.
Khasai. She soared above him, the span of her wings were an extra two to three feet longer since he last saw her, she was much too big to perch on his arm, and she called out to him. Ryas slowed down to a complete stop, and she swooped down next to him. Her head lifted to his. His fingers raked through the soft feathers on the bottom of her neck and then the top of her head. Khasai craned her crimson neck downward.
A tiny container tied to her feet full, he retrieved the paper. "There's been a complication. Stay outside the camp." and he took off down the road.
By nightfall, he reached King Zehan's camp. He could make out Lohan's body up ahead resting against his horse.
"General, where have you been?" he threw his arms around Ryas.
"In the mountains. What happened? Where is Zehan?" Ryas broke from Lohan's hold.
"The Northern King sent us an escort. That's why I'm out here," Lohan's bronze eyes searched around.
"An escort?" Ryas questioned.
"Yea, Advisor Biah. The woman's husband is here."
Ryas scoffed. "I see."
"Well, where is she?" Lohan's lips parted widely. "I want to see her." He grinned and nudged the General. "You fucken bastard, I know what you've been up, to." His voice broke out into a laugh.
"She's gone. Where is your brother? Is he safe?" Ryas said.
"He's safe and back at the camp," Lohan backed off, he could tell from the General's voice he was in one of his moods.
"I need to see your brother now," Ryas almost choked out from his tightened throat. He fucked it up, the only woman to make him feel again.
When Ryas passed through the curtains of Zehan's tent the King embraced his General, "I thought we lost you," he said. "Tell me what happened?"
"The road through the mountains took longer than I thought and the woman's gone," Ryas had no expression. He was still coming to terms with his decision.
Zehan looked concerned, "Gone how?"
"I left her."
"You left her?" Zehan repeated. This was more like his general abandoning a woman in the wild.
"She's a Nomen, with the mark, at the time there's no other choice."
"Where did you leave her? I'll ask Lohan go out tomorrow with a group of soldiers."
"No. I'll go myself tonight," his body tensed up. Thoughts of her alone in the dark or possibly something far worse entered his mind again. He had to find her and stood up.
"Tomorrow," Zehan commanded. "Be reasonable, General. If she has the mark and the ethereal spirit, she'll be fine until we find her."
With those last words, Ryas retreated to an empty tent, one that had been pitched for him long ago. He washed up and crawled into the warm bed. An empty bed and missed the soft curves that use to lay cradled in his arms for too many nights now. He stared into the darkness until sleep finally took him.
In the morning, Liang heard the Great General Ryas returned and immediately went to meet him. There were stories about the General he wanted to know more about.
Ryas, the King, and his brother waited for Liang inside Zehan's tent. The moment Liang burst through the drapes Ryas' eyes narrowed.
"King Zehan," Liang tilted slightly forward. "And you must be General Ryas," his hand stretched forward, but the General made no motion to receive his handshake. Instead, Liang closed his hands over Ryas' and retracted back.
The king sensed the tension emanating from his general and shot his brother a quick look.
Lohan bolted to his feet and shook Liang's hand, "Advisor Biah. I hope the accommodations I prepared are to your liking."
"Yes, thank you." Liang's face lit up in delight.
"Accommodations?" Ryas' eyes raised.
"I'll brief you on that later," Zehan patted his General on the back.
"I've heard so much about you General." Liang took a glass from the table and poured himself a drink.
"And I have you." His eyes were cold as ice. He knotted his fingers together, fighting back the urge to break Liang's face in. He could do it too. One quick leap and he'd be over there before Liang would even realize it.
"You did?" Liang laughed and gulped down his wine. "I hope it's all good things." He lifted the pitcher pouring it into his cup again.
"Yes. Only good things," Zehan broke in. "I told my General about all the help, you've been kind enough to provide us while here. He thanks you as well."
"General, your King tells me you were hunting a group of bandits. Did you run across any women out there?" Liang raised the glass to his lips again. It was his fifth perhaps his sixth. He stopped counting. "I'm looking for a woman. They probably haven't been sold yet," Liang said.
"Sold yet?" Ryas cut him off.
"Yea." Liang had downed one too many cups again, and his words began to slur so did his thoughts. "That craven whore would be hard to miss with her black hair and golden eyes." Liang cursed. "She'd fetch a few thousand coins." He was still pissed that she almost killed him and took off with another man. "I should of fucked that bitch when given the chance."
Ryas jolted straight up his fists raised, but Zehan jumped in front of him. "What did you..."
"Lohan. I just remembered," Zehan cut his General off. "There's a few important matters I need to discuss with the General. Why don't you and Advisor Biah continue this back in your tent?"
Liang was a drunken mess when Lohan half carried him out. Lohan looked forward to the General teaching the Advisor a lesson. Not a full beating but a punch or two, he would enjoyed.
"General," Zehan scolded as soon as Lohan disappeared through the drapes. "What do you have against Advisor Biah? I've noticed your behavior is completely out of character. Did something happen while you were away?"
Now he's scolding me too. Ryas glared at the King. "Nothing. I'm taking a group of soldiers to search for her tomorrow. I'm not leaving the North until I find Yuliah," and stormed out.
"Yuliah? That was her name?" His fingers tapped against the wooden arm of his chair.
In the morning, Ryas gathered a few of his soldiers and prepared to head out. Both the King and his brother joined him. Lohan provided Ryas with the information he had gotten out of Liang the night before. Information about what routes the bandits usually took to the Ethereal Forest where the woman would be sold to the Nomens as breeders.
There's a chance the bandits might have her, but if not, Yuliah would be out in the woods somewhere. He split them into two search parties, and left.