Hot color suffused immediately. "Bright pink, if you must know."
"Finally amazed you, did we? With something you can't shrug off as being faked?"
Brittany ground her teeth. "Bull. Subliminal tapes are reputed to be a great learning tool, and you had three months to run one without my knowing about it while I slept. One day, my ass."
"If computers had patience to lose, I'd be losing mine about now."
That managed to surprise her. "You're giving up? It's over, then?"
"If you're never going to believe anything else, you should believe this. There isn't going to be an 'over.' There is never going to be a 'done.' The here and now is it. So get used to it. Start making the transition. You have a new life to live here; make the best of it."
"Just like that? 'Gee, how could I have been so wrong?' Is that what you expect me to say now?"
"Is it hereditary, this stubbornness of yours? Did your parents get along?"
"My parents got along fine. When they weren't fighting, they were kissing and making up."
"You said they were free-spirited."
"They grew up."
"Ah, finally the equation I've been missing. Okay, listen up, doll, because Probables did tell me what your problem is, and lucky for you, I'm still in a sharing mood. Your first fears were of the unknown. You equated aliens with weird-looking creatures. Those fears should have been alleviated by now. The Sha-Ka'ani aren't exactly what you're used to in humanoids, but they're close enough. Your next fear is more personal and still with you."
Brittany did not want to hear this. "This isn't going to-"
But Martha couldn't be interrupted. "You're afraid to accept the happiness that Dalden offers because deep down, you see him as too good to be true. He's everything you want in a mate, everything, so you figure something must be wrong. In your mind, no one gets that lucky. Your emotions are revving up. Did I hit a nerve?"
"Go to hell."
"I'll decline that, thank you," Martha said with a chuckle. "But your warrior is about to arrive and collect you. He's had a nice little talk with his father, and has concluded that you and he need some time off to yourselves where you won't be disturbed. Which means I'll be left behind. Good luck, doll. You're going to need it."
That last didn't sound promising, so she was rather apprehensive when Dalden appeared. He was wearing one of those determined looks again. And when he took her hand and started leading her off without a word about where they were going, her apprehension escalated.
46
"YOU KNOW, DALDEN, WHEN TWO PEOPLE DECIDE TO GO on an excursion together, they usually discuss it fully beforehand, to make sure they both agree that it sounds like a good plan. That way, one or the other doesn't bring along any disgruntlement, and they both can enjoy the outing."
He didn't reply. In fact, she'd made a number of remarks since they'd left Sha-Ka-Ra, and he hadn't replied to them, either. He'd yet to say one word to her since he dragged her out of the castle.
Two hataari had been waiting out front for them. She had been alarmed, thinking she was to ride one of them by herself, but she wasn't. The extra mount was loaded down with stuff Dalden was taking with them, and it merely followed along behind them.
It was full night by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. Very dark, no moon yet, but normal-looking stars. She wasn't disturbed that there were no constellations that she might recognize. She'd already figured that they'd had to take her to some far-off country she wasn't familiar with for their project to have any hope of working, and the stars she was used to obviously didn't show up on this side of the world.
She was sitting in front of him on the hataar. He had one arm locked firmly around her waist, so she had no fear of slipping. The other controlled the animal. They were traveling slowly, which was probably a good thing. Everything was in shadow, without much distinction. She could barely see the dirt road they followed, if it was even a road. But he obviously could.
She was still wearing the thin chauri, which felt rather odd-riding sitting forward with one leg dangling on each side of the animal, the scarf pieces of the skirt split, exposing her limbs halfway up her thighs. She wasn't cold, though. The weather didn't seem to change much come nighttime, was just as balmy warm as the day had been. And Martha's link had been left behind as she'd predicted, taken from her waist and tossed into the foliage back in that garden.
Dalden was wearing a little less than usual. He was barechested, except for his medallion. A sword belt had been added, along with the weapon it was designed to carry. Long, wickedlooking daggers were also strapped to each of his boots. He was wearing those arm shields again, too, that had been donned for his fight with Jorran that day in City Hall. He looked positively primitive in that getup, which probably should have given her a clue that he wasn't the same Dalden she'd become used to.
When they passed into some woods that were so dark she gave up trying to see anything in front of her, she tried once again to get some answers. "How come you won't tell me where we're going.
"When you say something that needs a reply, I will reply. Until then, my attention remains on the path, to assure it is safe."
Something that needs a reply? In other words, where they were going was none of her business?
"I don't know if I like the sound of that," she said with distinct unease.
"Your opinion was not requested, kerima."
She began to bristle indignantly. She couldn't help it. He was suddenly acting way too… too barbaric for her taste. It must be the clothes he was now wearing. Look primitive, become primitive?
"Martha was right. You-"
"Martha has been a hindrance," he cut in. "You may forget everything she has told you."
"Are we finally getting to the truth?"
"What truth would that be?"
"About where I am."
"Where you are is with me," he said simply
"O-kay, then where are you?"
"With you." His chin came to rest on her shoulder. "I will always be with you."
That had a nice, secure ring to it, enough to mollify her somewhat for the moment. She supposed that if she tried, she could read between the lines of what little he'd just said. Martha had only been interested in convincing her to believe the whole fantasy Dalden apparently had a different agenda. He was the fantasy, or at least, a very big part of it. And for him, it wasn't important that she accept where she was, only that she accept who she was with.
Martha had said she'd convinced him to be patient, which pretty much meant that he'd held back up until now from showing her what he was really like. Was that what this was about, then? They were going off to be alone somewhere so she could meet the real Dalden-the barbarian she'd only seen little glimpses of so far?
She suddenly felt a very real fear. What if she didn't like the barbarian side of him? What if, as the word barbarian implied, he was so insufferable that she simply couldn't tolerate living with him?
They continued to ride through the wooded region, seemingly without direction. If there was a path, she no longer saw it. Miles passed with nothing to see because of the intense dark. As they got close to a clearing, it actually appeared brightly lit by the starlight.
"We will make camp here," Dalden said, dismounting and then lifting her down to the ground next to him.
Brittany had been falling asleep, and hadn't noticed the small clearing they finally entered and stopped in. A stream was nearby. She could hear it, just didn't see it yet. And a moon had risen when she wasn't looking, a great yellow ball seen through the trees.