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But Erik, her Master of Arms, had been just as big, and he’d trained Lara and her sisters how to fight against those who were larger and stronger. As Aren finished bandaging her arm, she imagined where she would strike. To the arch of his foot or his knee. Knife to open his guts. Another to the throat before he had the chance to get a grip on her.
He tied off the bandage. “I gave up a great deal in this exchange with your father, and all I got in return beyond the promise of continued peace was you. So you’ll excuse me for not wanting to see you dead within the first days of your arrival.”
“And yet you obviously were content to allow me to wander your dangerous jungles.”
“I wanted to see where you’d go.” Motioning for her to follow, Aren moved through the deadfall covering the jungle floor, making minimal use of the glittering machete he held in one hand. “Were you trying to escape?”
“Escape to where?” She forced herself to accept his arm as he guided her over a fallen tree. “My father would have me killed for dishonoring him if I returned to Maridrina, and I possess no skills that would allow me to survive elsewhere on my own. Whether I will it or not, Ithicana is where I must remain.”
He laughed softly. “At least you’re honest.”
Lara contained her own laughter. She was many things, buthonestwasn’t one of them.
“Then what were you doing out here?”
Save the lies for necessity.“I wanted to see the bridge.”
Aren stopped in his tracks, turning to give her a sharp look. “Why?”
She met his gaze unflinchingly. “I wanted to see the bit of architecture that was worth the rights to my body. My loyalty. My life.”
He recoiled as though she’d slapped him. “The rights to those things are yours to give, not your father’s.”
It wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. But rather than easing her trepidation about that particular aspect of her mission, it made her skin burn hot with an anger that she couldn’t quite explain, so she only gave a curt nod. “So you say.”
Smacking a vine out of his way with the machete, Aren strode up a steep incline, not waiting to see if she followed. “You were going the wrong direction, by the way. Now try to keep up. There’s only a brief window in which you’ll be able to see the bridge through the mist.”
They climbed upward, mostly on a narrow trail, during which they said not a word to one another. There was nothing to be seen but endless jungle, and Lara was beginning to believe Aren was toying with her when he walked into a clearing containing a stone tower.
Tilting her face to the sky, she let the endless rain wash the sweat from her face, watching the clouds twist and swirl on winds that didn’t breach the tree canopy.
Aren gestured at the tower. “The break in the cloud cover will be brief at this time of year.”
The tower smelled of earth and mildew, the stone stairs circling upward worn in the center from countless footsteps. They reached the top—a small empty space open on all sides, revealing misty jungle in every direction. The lookout was at the apex of a small mountain, she realized, and she could only barely make out the grey sea below. There was no beach. No pier. And most importantly, no damned bridge.
“Where is it?”
“Patience.” Aren leaned his elbows on the stone wall framing the space.
More curious than annoyed, Lara went to stand next to him, taking in the trees and clouds and sea, but her attention was drawn to him. He smelled of damp leather and steel, of earth and leafy things, but beneath that, her nose picked up the smell of soap and something distinctly, and not unpleasantly, male. Then a blast of wind roared through the tower, chasing away all scents but that of sky and rain.
The clouds parted with incredible speed, the sun burning down upon them with an intensity she hadn’t felt since she’d left the desert, turning the swaths of faded green into an emerald so vibrant, it almost hurt her eyes. The mist raced away on the wind, leaving behind sapphire skies. Gone was the mysterious island, and what was left in its place was all brilliant color and light. But no matter how she searched, she could not see anything remotely resembling a bridge.
An amused laugh filled her ears just as fingertips caught her chin, gently lifting her face. “Look further,” Aren said, and Lara’s eyes went to the now-turquoise seas.
What she saw took her breath away.
10
Lara
All the descriptionsgiven to her during her training paled in comparison to reality. It was notabridge. It wasThe Bridge, for there was nothing that compared with it in the world.
Like a great grey serpent, the bridge meandered as far as the eye could see, joining the continents. It rested on top of naturally formed tower karsts that seemed to have been placed by the hand of God for just such a purpose, defying the Tempest Seas that crashed against their feet. Occasionally, its grey length drifted over the larger islands, resting on thick stone columns built by ancient hands. The bridge was a feat of architecture that defied reason. That defied logic. That should, by all rights, not even exist.
Which was exactly why everyone wanted it.
Tearing her eyes from the bridge, Lara glanced up at Aren whose own gaze was fixed on the stone structure. Though he must have seen it every day of his life, he still exuded a sense of wonder, as though he, too, could hardly fathom its existence.
