Treason

**Installment 16**

Caellia and Goryn traveled slightly separate from the rest of Goryn’s troops. Goryn listened with barely restrained anger as Caellia detailed what had happened after she had left with Nathavin. His anger intensified as he heard about the incident in the hut, and he insisted that Caellia let him take a look at her shoulder. Once he was satisfied that her shoulder was well he let her continue.

Caellia felt all the emotions coming back as she spoke with Goryn. The fear she had felt in the hut after her escape attempt. She even told Goryn what happened on the archery range, she never noticed Goryn’s low growl of jealous anger. She began to relate to him the events of the following morning, “After I refused to come down for breakfast, he ordered Kattath to leave. We started yelling at each other and then….” she stopped suddenly. Just how was she supposed to tell Goryn that she’d been kissed by Nathavin, and even worse, had liked it? Unknowingly, she had come to a halt in the middle of the road with Goryn staring at her as her fingers unconsciously brushed against her lips.

Goryn watched her for a brief moment before prompting her, “And then what Caellia?” He was afraid he already knew the answer as he watched her fingers on her lips. “Caellia,” he put his hands on her shoulders, breaking her trancelike state, “did Nathavin kiss you?”

Her blue eyes couldn’t meet his, she was so confused. She didn’t understand her feelings for Nathavin. How could she hate him so much and then enjoy his kiss? She had finally admitted to herself that she had liked it, but why? She looked at Goryn, her answer in her eyes as he pulled her to him.

“Caellia I’m so sorry I couldn’t get there in time. I swear I’ll never let him touch you again.” He hugged her tightly, breathing in her soft scent and cursing himself for not being there for her, completely unaware of her true thoughts. He pulled away a short time later and they continued walking down the path, each lost in their own thoughts regarding the dark Lord.

*****  

Goryn stared into the fire. Night had fallen sometime ago and Caellia had already retired for the night. Yet, he could not sleep. He held the hated scroll in his hand and idly turned it over continuously as he thought of its contents. In one sense, Caellia had a right to know the contents within the scroll. However, he couldn’t ignore the fact that her knowledge might do more harm than good. Before he could think much more on it, he was called away to settle an argument that had broke out between a couple of his men. Sighing, he put the scroll back in the sack and went to break up the fight.

Caellia awoke to find herself alone in the tent. After looking around she decided to go find Goryn. She’d had a nightmare and wanted his company in the tent. She left the tent and sleepily walked over to where she knew their campfire was. She didn’t see Goryn, but she did see the sack he’d been carrying around from Goddard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered that Goryn had said that these were all various battle plans and such. Curious, she picked up a random scroll from within the sack. It was very old and tattered and the ink was smudged, as if it had been read many times. Turning slightly more to the light, Caellia began to read the scroll. It wasn’t long before a shrill scream shattered the nighttime air.

Goryn came to abrupt stop in the middle of his angry tirade at his two underlings. Caellia! He turned and sprinted back to the camp, a dozen men closely following him. He pulled up short when he saw Caellia sitting next to the fire, her ivory skin turned bone white as she held a scroll up to her unseeing eyes. He cursed to himself in all the languages he knew as he realized just what she had found. “Caellia, come here.” He softly called to her. She didn’t respond and he tried again as he edged closer to her, trying not to scare her too much. “Caellia, please listen to me. I’m not going to let him take you from me. I will destroy the scroll at the castle and he will never find it.”

Caellia dazedly looked at Goryn before snapping back to her senses and leaping into his arms and shuddered uncontrollably. Her nightmare was beginning to look like it might come true. She buried her face in Goryn’s’ neck and breathed deeply as she remembered her dream. The dark elf woman, Kattath had been in it and so had Nathavin. In her dream they were both telling her that she was destined to marry Nathavin and not Goryn. She shuddered again as she saw Nathavin’s’ face in her minds eye as his lips claimed hers, however, she shuddered for an entirely different reason than before and she was afraid of her reaction.

***** 

Asadar and his men watched the road anxiously. Goryn would be approaching them shortly. Morning had dawned bleak and bleary as they had prepared for their ambush. Asadar had come to a conclusion; he wanted to be the one to complete his ancestors plan. After he had acquired Caellia, he would enslave the light elves instead of destroy them. After he successfully enslaved them, he would destroy Nathavin and the dark elves. They were too powerful to enslave and would have to be destroyed rather than enslaved. His weather lined face broke into a sinister smile as he imagined the looks on Goryn’s and Caellia’s faces as he ran Goryn through with his blade. Goryn would pay for daring to challenge Asadar’s power.