Free Souls of Aredyrah 3 - The Taking of the Dawn by Tracy A. Akers Page B

head. “I don’t
understand.”
    “Didn’t your parents ever talk to you about
love?” Alicine asked. “I mean, you do know what happens when a man
and woman have special feelings for each other, right?”
    “They get married. But I won’t be allowed to,
so I guess that’s why my parents never told me much about it.”
    Dayn rose abruptly from the chair, then
realized his body was screaming to lie down. “I can’t talk about
this anymore,” he said, and moved toward the pallet. He curled up
on the patchwork pile and yanked a quilt over his head.
    Alicine stood over him. “Don’t you want to
get out of your damp clothes first?”
    “No.”
    “I’ll leave the room if you want me to.”
    “No.”
    “Ye really should put on somethin’ dry, ye
know,” Eyan said. “Mother says that if ye stay wet, ye’ll catch a
chill, and if ye catch a chill, ye’ll catch the fever, and if ye
catch the fever—”
    Dayn threw off the covers. “All
right— fine . But I don’t have anything else to wear.”
    “Your mother packed up your and Alicine’s
clothes when she left and came here, but right now they’re all in a
trunk in the barn. I’ve got plenty o’ stuff, though,” Eyan said.
“Here, let me find ye somethin’.” He walked over to a cedar chest
at the foot of his bed and lifted the lid. “How about this one? No,
wait…this one’d be better.” He held up a wool sleeping gown in one
hand and a large faded work shirt in the other. “Which one do ye
want? This one’s the softest, but this one—”
    “I—don’t—care,” Dayn said between gritted
teeth. He sat up and thrust out a hand. “Just give me
something.”
    Eyan handed him the gown, while Alicine
secured the drape to their mother’s sleeping area and walked toward
the door. “We’ll wait outside. You coming, Eyan?” she asked.
    Eyan looked at Dayn as though requesting
permission. “Can I stay? I can help ye if ye want.”
    “I don’t care,” Dayn replied.
    Alicine sniggered. “You wouldn’t have said
that a few months ago. You used to hide your body like it was the
biggest secret in Aredyrah.”
    “You’re one to talk. Who just said the words
‘kiss on the mouth’?”
    Alicine’s face grew noticeably red.
    “Besides, it’s just Eyan, and he’s a boy,”
Dayn said. “Trapped in a cave with Reiv forced me to adapt.”
    “What do you mean?” Alicine asked.
    Dayn chortled. “The cave wasn’t exactly
designed for privacy, and you know how Reiv is.”
    “Oh,” Alicine said. For a moment her
attentions seemed to drift, but then she hastily added, “Well, Eyan
can stay if he wants, but I’m sure not.” She turned and slipped out
the door.
    Dayn tried to pry off his damp tunic, but the
thing was glued to his skin. Eyan reached out and grabbed hold of
it, helping to pull it up and over Dayn’s shoulders. Dayn then rose
and peeled off his pants. Stripped down to nothing, he yanked the
nightshirt over his head. When he looked up, Eyan was staring at
him like he’d seen a ghost.
    “What’s the matter?” Dayn asked.
    “Nothin’…I…nothin’.” Eyan gathered up Dayn’s
wet clothes and hurried to the door. “I’ll hang ‘em on the porch
rail ‘til mornin’. Mother’ll want to wash ‘em. They’re very dirty
and…” His voice trailed off as he hurriedly exited the room.
     
    Back to ToC

Chapter 8: Great
Expectations

    I t was late morning
when Dayn finally awoke. He knew by the angle of the light beaming
in through the open windows and the warming breeze rustling the
curtains. He threw off the covers and sat up, rolling the stiffness
from his neck and shoulders. The pallet had not been comfortable,
but at least it was better than the rocky ground he and his sister
had been forced to sleep on for the past two weeks. But it was not
the pallet that had him feeling less than rested; it was the
thickness behind his eyeballs.
    He scanned the room. No one was there. Even
Alicine, who had surely required as much rest