Inharmonic (The Music Maker Series Book 1) Read online

  “Please speak,” he said. “We’re far enough away from camp. Fonso won’t be disturbed.” He released her wrists. Reaching up and cupping her face with his hands, he traced his thumbs under her eyes, wiping away her tears.

  Nadja stiffened at the unexpected gesture, her heartbeat racing. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She licked her chapped lips and swallowed. If she had eaten a handful of glass shards, it would have been less painful. She winced, then repeated the motion a few more times until her throat was lubricated enough to produce sound.

  “I’m fine,” she croaked.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “The diamphoria seems to have run its course, but I’m less familiar with the symptoms and duration of the nightshade.”

  “Nightshade?”

  “Yes. The healer gave mother a nightshade tincture to help her sleep. It works fast, and she sleeps like the dead. But sometimes it has strange side effects if not taken properly. Visions, hallucinations.”

  “That explains a lot.” Nadja wearily closed her eyes.

  Luca must have tipped his dart with the nightshade as well as the diamphoria. She vaguely recalled the dreams she had in the back of the cart. Something about—

  “I only hope I slipped Fonso enough to keep him down for as long as we need.”

  Nadja’s eyes snapped back to Luca, once again aware of their nearness. She was suddenly angry with him. Angry he had shot her. Angry he had pretended concern and sympathy to make her lower her guard. Angry he had transformed from the kind, safe man she had grown to care for into a reflection of the cold, heartless man she had killed. She clenched her jaw and rose up on her toes, coming a hair’s breadth from his face.

  “Then get it over with,” she spat.

  Confusion and annoyance washed over Luca’s face. He dropped his hands and took a step back from her. Then, grabbing her wrists once again, he led her over to a fallen tree.

  “Sit,” he commanded.

  Nadja obeyed, keeping her chin high and her eyes locked on him. Even if she couldn’t defend herself against him physically, she would protect her heart and mind. He may hurt her body, but he would not touch her spirit.

  Luca walked a few paces away from her, then spun on his heel.

  “What in the world happened?”

  That was unexpected.

  Nadja blinked. “Excuse me?”

  Luca began pacing. His voice pinched as he struggled to keep his tone even. “One moment we’re celebrating our future together, and the next moment, you’re gone. Just like that. No warning. Not even a hint of discontent. Leaving your mother holding some letter about how you needed to see more of the world and other nonsense.”

  “Oh,” Nadja exhaled, her mind spinning. “I thought—”

  “Did you?” demanded Luca. “Did you really think? Was this something you planned over days? Weeks? Or was it a last-minute decision?” His pacing slowed as he considered her. “Maybe motivated by something that happened that night?”

  “Did you really drag me away from camp just to question me?” she asked.

  “I need to know what happened. The truth, without the chance of Fonso overhearing. Why else would we be out here?”

  “I mean . . .” Nadja stuttered, looking down at the forest floor. “I just thought . . .”

  “You thought what?” asked Luca, coming to a halt. His voice was suddenly quiet.

  An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.

  Finally, Nadja looked up. The anguish written across his face ripped her heart in two, and her terror-induced nausea was washed away by a wave of guilt.

  “Do you know me so little?” he wondered. He turned away from her and peered up at the stars through the canopy opening.

  She had known Luca since childhood. They’d grown up together. He had never shown her anything other than gentleness and patience, kindness and dependability. How could she suppose anything different from him?

  And yet, though she didn’t know Baulo as well, she’d have never suspected him capable of the things she had witnessed that night. How easily he hid his depraved nature behind a mask of tradition, lawfulness, and false morality.

  Nadja didn’t know how to answer Luca’s question, so she avoided it. “So, you came to bring back the runaway?” she asked, glad her mother’s letter had done its job.

  Luca sighed. “No. I came to bring back the woman wanted for attempted murder.”

  If it was possible for Nadja’s blood to run any colder, it did just that. Attempted murder? Surely he wasn’t talking about Baulo. Baulo was dead. She had killed him and seen his corpse with her own eyes.

  But, who else could he be talking about?

  Her breathing came harder, and her teeth resumed their involuntary nervous chatter. If Baulo was still alive, then she hadn’t killed him. She wouldn’t be charged with murder. Attempted murder. Yes, that’s what Luca said.

  She may yet live.

  Then, she recalled the last time she saw Baulo. His bulging eyes, the blood pouring from his face. She squeezed her eyes shut in a failed attempt to block the vision. If he managed to survive, it would be worse for her. As the victim, he would hold great influence with the Elders in her sentencing. She couldn’t imagine that a man capable of the acts she had stopped would want anything less than for her to endure the same torture. Nadja pulled her hands to her chest and rocked back and forth on the fallen log.

  Kizzy! What about her cousin? And her mother? Perhaps the runaway note had saved Jamila from any implication, but perhaps not. What had they suffered since she fled? A sob escaped her lips as she imagined the worst.

  A pair of strong arms came from behind her, wrapping around her chest and arms and applying gentle pressure. Luca’s chin rested at her shoulder as he shushed her, slowly rocking and calming her breathing.

  “I know you,” he whispered. “And you’re not a murderer.” Her breaths became more even, and he released his hold, coming around to take a seat next to her. “If there is any way for me to help you, you need to tell me what happened that night. Why did you run?”

  Was he truly offering to help? She no longer had any claim on him. Her decision to leave the tribe had severed any promise bond they once shared. He couldn’t still want her after this, not a woman accused of attempted murder.

  But, he’d always had a deep sense of duty.

  And he was offering to help.

  Nadja looked at him. His dark eyes were filled with nothing but concern and kindness.

  “Please, how is my mother?” She had to know the fate of her family before they talked of anything else.

  “Your mother is well. She brought your letter before the Elders the morning after you left. It wasn’t until other events came to light that her possible involvement was suspected. But, no evidence has been found to support that, so she has not been charged with anything.”

  The relief which flooded Nadja’s body was fleeting as she formed her next question.

  “And what of Kizzy?”

  Luca face grew puzzled. “Kizzy . . .”

  “Yes, my little cousin,” she prompted. “Harman and Pili’s daughter.”

  “Oh, yes. She is well as far as I know.” He was thoughtful for a moment, then added, “As I remember, she took to her bed ill for the first few days after you left. But she is better now.”

  Nadja’s shoulders collapsed as she released the breath she’d been holding.

  “Thank you,” she said. Her mother and cousin were alive and well. That knowledge alone gave her strength and something akin to hope.

  “You said I am charged with attempted murder?”

  “Yes.”

  “By whom?”

  “Baulo Oramen.”

  If Nadja had held on to any sliver of hope Baulo was still as dead as when she left him, Luca’s words smashed it to pieces.

  She steadied her voice. It was in her best interest to find out as much as she could before deciding whether to tell Luca anything. “And what exactly does
he accuse me of?”

  “Baulo says he saw you leaving his tent as he returned early from our betrothal celebration. Knowing you had no business being there, he searched his tent but found nothing missing. So, he assumed you had lost your way in the dark and walked into his tent by mistake. Then, he says, he drank a glass of wine and went to bed.

  “That’s where one of the Elders found him the next day. He was barely conscious and had been bleeding from his nose and ears. The healer said it appeared to be caused by some sort of poison.

  “A week later, when he finally came out of his tent, he formally accused you of attempted murder, saying you poisoned his wine. His accusations were supported by your disappearance the same night he was poisoned.”

  Nadja began shaking her head halfway through Luca’s tale, and by the time he finished, it looked like a flag flapping in the breeze.

  “No. No. No. No!” she exclaimed, jumping up from the log. “None of that is true!”

  “Then tell me what is true,” said Luca, coming to stand in front of her.

  Bitterness tinged her voice. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes, it does. The truth always matters.”

  “Oh really? He’s an Elder and the tribe’s delegate to the capital. Who am I? Nadja Filamen, the only daughter of a single woman with no standing. It’s my word against his.” Nadja threw up her hands. “You’re telling me any contradicting account I offer will be taken seriously? Maybe elsewhere in Amrantir, but we both know I don’t stand a chance in a hearing before the Elders.”

  Luca looked on in silence as Nadja ranted, bouncing back and forth between her feet. Her initial shock had given way to frustration and rage. Yes, she was glad to know she hadn’t killed a man. But, now that man was determined to punish her. For what? For preventing him from committing horrible acts against an innocent child.

  “It doesn’t even make sense,” she continued. “Did he say why I supposedly poisoned him? Hmm? Did anyone ask him that? And if he saw me leave his tent, why didn’t he try to question me? I clearly remember there was no moon that night. That can be verified. He would’ve had to be really close to someone to identify them.”

  “Yes, his story has holes,” said Luca. “Fill them in for me.”

  “You are not bound to me.” Nadja voiced her thoughts aloud without realizing it. “I disappeared and left you alone on the day of our betrothal celebration. You are well within your rights to bring me back to camp and demand reparation for the shame I brought to you. Why do you even care?”

  “Because I love you!” Luca cried, gripping her by the shoulders and giving her a light shake.

  Nadja snapped to attention, looking up into his face. His angular jaw clenched, and his eyes flamed with intensity and determination.

  He had said those words to her once, the day before she ran away. At the time, she’d taken him at his word because he was an honest man, not because of any grand display of affection on his part. This time was different. She felt the heat of his emotion radiating off of his skin, warming the air between their bodies. His grasp on her shoulders was firm but gentle, and she became suddenly aware of how close they stood. What she had once believed to be true in her head, she now believed with her heart.

  The why of the matter would have to wait. If he loved her as he said, he may be her only hope of coming through this mess alive. And she needed to act fast.

  Going with her instinct, she told Luca everything that happened the night she ran away. She watched the muscles in his jaw flicker when she described how she found Kizzy and Baulo in the smokehouse, but otherwise his face was a mask of stone. When she got to the part about her scream and its effects on Baulo, Luca’s eyes narrowed. He dropped his arms and slowly backed away from her.

  “I don’t know how or why it happened. I was so afraid. The only thing I could think about was stopping him from hurting Kizzy and me. I didn’t mean to hurt him, and I certainly didn’t intend to kill him. I mean, I didn’t lay a finger on him, but I know I was the one who did that to him.” She stopped her tale right before the moment her mother found them, feeling it best Jamila remained above suspicion.

  For what seemed like an eternity, Luca’s silent scrutiny held her captive. After a while, his gaze weighed so heavily on her she almost fled into the darkness. But, just as she was about to run, he spoke.

  “I believe you. Your story is incredible at best, but I know you, and I know you are neither a thief nor a murderer.” Luca sighed and set his sights on something beyond her right shoulder.

  “There have been stories,” he murmured, “rumors really, about Baulo’s proclivities for years now. But rumors are all they have been. No one has ever accused him, and no evidence has ever been brought forward.”

  Nadja straightened her spine. “Until now.”

  “Yes,” he agreed.

  “So now what?”

  Luca crossed to the fallen log and slumped onto it. “We must tread carefully. Baulo is a powerful Elder. You cannot simply march into camp and accuse him of what you described, even with my support. As you said, it would still be your word against his.

  “If we could convince your cousin to come forward, we may have grounds enough to be taken seriously by the Elders. Accusations from both the victim and a witness must carry enough weight to prompt an investigation, regardless of Baulo’s standing.”

  Nadja groaned inwardly. She knew the false sense of security which came with living in the shadows, hiding from the thing that would seek to destroy her. If Kizzy had hidden Baulo’s attack behind a feigned illness, she had likely done her best to put the whole incident behind her.

  “Isn’t there any way we can leave her out of this? She’s just a child. Do we have to put her through remembering and retelling her attack in front of the whole tribe? If no one else knows about it, I’m sure she’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Without a word from Kizzy, we have no hope for her. Or you. Or any other girl Baulo may set his sights on. I understand your concern for your cousin, but if she will not stand and accuse her attacker, fear and regret will follow her the rest of her days.”

  He was right.

  Nadja knew deep within her bones. Hadn’t she dealt with the same thing ever since she’d run away? And if being kidnapped by Luca and Fonso had taught her anything, it was that living in fear and hiding was not something you could maintain long-term. No matter the precautions she had taken, her past had caught up with her.

  And it would catch up with Kizzy.

  “She will not be alone.” Luca’s voice broke through her contemplation. “I will speak with Harman, and share with him what you told me. And I will stand with her as well. She will have our protection and support if she can find the courage within herself to face Baulo.”

  Nadja nodded in agreement.

  “But as for you,” Luca began, rising from his seat. He slid his right hand up the side of his leg and gracefully unsheathed the hunting dagger he wore at his belt. Standing in front of her once more, he let his eyes roam the curves and angles of her face as if committing it to memory. He raised the blade between their bodies.

  Nadja gasped as the knife sliced the bonds holding her wrists.

  “You need to go. Now is not the time for you to return—not bound and drugged and accused of attempted murder.” He replaced his dagger and paced the surrounding area, head down, as if searching for something. “You need to wait until charges are brought against Baulo, and you are named as a witness.”

  “But what about you?” Nadja protested. “Won’t you be in danger for letting me go?”

  “This should do it.” Luca bent over and retrieved something from the ground. Then, turning back to Nadja, he said, “But I didn’t let you go. You escaped.”

  She looked at the limb he was offering her, puzzled. The smooth shaft was an arm’s length and as big around as one of Jamila’s walnut cookies. It tapered on one bushy end while the opposite end was splintered and jagged where it had separated from the tree. />
  “Unfortunately, I misjudged the diamphoria and nightshade dosages. You awoke in the middle of the night. I heard you trying to escape and chased you into the woods.” Luca chuckled. “Too bad for me, you were armed.” He reached out and took Nadja’s hand, wrapping her fingers around the broken end of the limb. “I never even saw it coming.”

  Understanding hit her like a blow to the gut. “You’re crazy,” she sputtered, dropping the limb and stepping back. “I’m not hitting you with that.”

  Luca’s eyes steeled, and he picked up the discarded weapon. “Yes you are. Then, you will take one of the horses and ride north, away from here and away from Cantio. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, you can double back, but your trail must continue north, away from the capital. This is imperative. Fonso isn’t as good a tracker as I am, but he’s no fool. He should be out until morning, so you have a small head start. Don’t waste it.”

  “That all sounds wonderful. But I still don’t see where me batting you over the head with a tree branch is part of the plan.”

  “No offense, but no one would believe you outran me. And you besting me in combat is even less believable. It has to look like a surprise attack. For your sake as well as mine.” He held out the limb to her once more, his eyes imploring her to comply.

  Reluctantly, she gripped the crude cudgel.

  In Luca’s face, she saw the same strong, quiet boy she had known her whole life, but now with fresh eyes. In the light of the cold, late autumn moon, the boy who had once seemed so stoic and aloof was transformed into a man who loved her more than the rules and traditions he held in such high esteem. He was a man willing to put himself in harm’s way, even sacrifice his own body, to protect her.

  Suddenly overcome with emotion, Nadja rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest.

  “Thank you,” she sighed into his shirt as a tear slipped down her cheek.

  Luca held her tight for but a moment, then stepped back. “There’s no time to waste,” he said, huskily.

  Nodding, Nadja raised the branch over her shoulder.

  “And, Nadja,” said Luca, with a weary half smile, “I’d rather do this just once. So make it count.”