Page 62 of Dawn of Hope

Dane’s voice is low and authoritative as he makes his way toward the cage, toward me. I hope he isn’t too angry with me, but I know he has every right to be. I didn’t follow orders, and now, after witnessing everyone else and his authority over them, I know following his orders is not up for discussion. I know I’ll eventually be out searching on my own, following my own orders, but I am not ready for that yet. I am not familiar enough with the island or the dangers it holds.

Clearly.

I wasn’t expecting the dangers to come from people on my side.

Heavy footsteps echo through the trees as Dane approaches my cage. I can’t help but feel a little uneasy as he gets closer, even knowing that there is no reason for me to fear him. My father never really scolded me. It was punishment enough to have his disappointed scowl directed at me, or just outright ignore me. If Dane were to truly be angry with me, I’m not sure how I’d take it.

I wait as he comes through the trees and into view, hoping that he is more concerned than angry.

“Lennox?”

He actually sounds surprised, thank the gods.

“This is where you’ve been?” Concern laces his voice as he quickly works the lock open and yanks on the door handle.

I grunt a response against the gag.

He drops to his knees in front of me and reaches behind my head to untie it.

“I’m going to kill them,” he murmurs. His eyes are etched with concern, and I feel them drag over every inch of my face as he looks me over. “Are you alright?” His hand reaches up, thumb brushing across the top of my cheek and wrapping around to my hair.

Pain shoots through my jaw as I open and close it, and Dane’s eyes catch my wince. “I’m fine. These are really hurting, though.” I raise up my hands, showing him the ropes that are still confining me.

“Hang on, let me get them.” He reaches into his boot and pulls out a small rustic looking knife with a serrated edge. He saws through the ropes until they break away, then drops the knife to grab my forearms. He turns my wrists over, inspecting every inch of them.

The trail of his fingertips over my skin causes tingles

that directly combats the pain from the ropes.

“The skin is rubbed raw. We’ll need to put some salve on them.” He moves his attention to my ankles, where he does the same. They don’t hurt as badly as my wrists, as my pants protected the skin from most of the rubbing, but they are still sore.

“Did they take your dagger?”

“No.”

“But you didn’t protect yourself?” he says, aghast.

“I didn’t even have time. They were shooting at me when I tried to get away. I was running when I got knocked down. I could barely breathe, let alone reach for my dagger, before they were tying me up like a criminal.”

“But they didn’t take it?” He asks.

I shake my head. “They didn’t even check me for a weapon.”

“Fucking idiots.” He stands, reaching down to grasp my hands and pull me to my feet. “You should have stayed where I told you. This never would have happened.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t listen, and that was stupid. I’m just glad it was them and not the Castaways. As soon as I hit the ground, all I could think was ‘I need air’ and ‘Dane’s going to be so mad that I was captured after only a day.’”

That gets him to laugh, and the sound puts me a little more at ease. He wouldn’t be laughing if he was too angry. “I’m glad it wasn’t them, too.” His gaze turns intense as he stands over me, overwhelming me.

I look away, trying to stop some of the discomfort from the intensity. He is still holding my hands and being so careful with me. It is a different careful than back in Blackwood. Everyone there treated me like glass or like I didn’t exist, but Dane. Dane is treating me like I mean more than just another person seeking a cure.

“I need to take care of this. Please, just stay quiet until it’s dealt with. Then I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“Alright.” He drops one hand and leads me out of the cage. I wince with pain as I walk, the skin on my legs stretching and pulling with each step. Just before we come out of the trees and back into the clearing, Dane releases my hand and steps directly in front of me.

Everyone is standing in the clearing, waiting, and there are more of them now than had originally captured me. News of having caught a Castaway must have spread, and they all rushed back to camp to see the prisoner.

“Why’d you let her out, Dane?”