by Kara Griffin
She bumped him again and shuffled closer. He didn’t comprehend what his beloved pet wanted. Then she nudged him and tried to knock him over with her head. Rhyder laughed because she seemed to want him to sit on her. The absurdity of it struck him, but who was he to refute Shrisy? He straddled her as he often mounted his horse and sat astride her neck.
Shrisy screeched, flapped her wings, and took off into the glow of the sky.
Rhyder held on for dear life. Higher than the trees she flew. The view of the land held him enthralled. Shrisy headed north and after a bit of time, veered to the east. A rush of sentiments came over him. He was joyous at his dragon’s acceptance and that she allowed him to ride on her. Fearful at the height she flew, and ill at the rigidity and tumult of his stomach when she pitched and then rose in flight.
Merica’s land lay ahead. “Is that where Katy is?”
Shrisy screeched and turned. She dipped low and flew just above the trees. The dragon shrieked and encircled above his enemy’s land. Rhyder hadn’t thought to find Katy on Wulfar’s land. Unless the man really was his enemy and took his wife by force. Had she been abducted? He groaned at the awareness that he hadn’t considered his enemies behind the loss of his wife.
“Let us home,” he said and patted her neck to give her thanks.
By the time Shrisy landed on the beach, night darkened the sky and land.
“I must go.” He patted Shrisy head. “I promise to return soon. I may be a while, but I will always return to you.” Rhyder fled to the incline and took the steep lane. He kept his view of Shrisy until she flew away and hovered near the cliffs before disappearing in one of the dark crevices.
Rhyder trotted back to the hamlet. On his trek, he spotted Sawyer near the gate. “We’re leaving. Assemble a score of men for the journey. I must make haste.”
“Where are we going? What about the burials and the gathering…?”
“It must be delayed. There’s no time to discuss it. I’ll tell you on the trail. I need to retrieve something and bid farewell to Merrion. Meet me at the gate in five minutes.”
Sawyer ran off and Rhyder entered the house. He found Merrion eating alone. Well, not eating, sitting. Her trencher sat in front of her untouched.
“I am leaving and won’t return without Katy. I leave you in charge.”
Her eyes widened. “Me?”
“Aye, you. You can handle anything…all, whilst I am away.”
“I’m a mere woman.”
He shook his head. “Not mere in the slightest. You were born from a king and leadership is in your blood…Pendragon blood.”
“You have such faith in me. I hope you find her and…Lloyd.”
He raised a brow. “Aye, and Lloyd.” Rhyder didn’t have time to question his sister about her concern for his soldier. “I must grab something from my chamber and will be off. Ensure the safety of our clan. Direct the soldiers to protect and keep the sentry refreshed nightly. The gate is to remain closed to all except our brethren. Allow none inside who don’t belong.”
“I shall see to it.”
Rhyder took the stairs two at a time and burst into his chamber. He remembered the gift he’d given Katy on the day of their betrothal feast. But when she’d fallen in the barn and ran off, he never had an opportunity to return it to her. He hoped the gesture would show his affection for her. The large amethyst felt warm in his hands. It would only help in his quest to bring her home, especially if she sought to leave him.
Chapter EIGHTEEN
The God’s abandoned her. Katriona awakened from a deep, undisturbed sleep. No visions came. Her mark’s call quiet. The only thing she sensed was the pain in her back and leg. She took a moment to figure out where she was and didn’t recognize the chamber. Her eyes darted from one corner to another until they stopped on a woman standing by a window casement.
She turned and approached. “You’re finally awake. I’m afraid we had to give you medicinals to help you heal. I’ve given you the bark from the willow to ward off infection for your wounds are a mite deep. You’ve slept for days which helped assuredly. You’re on the mend though. Don’t try to move for you are wrapped tight so you don’t harm yourself further.”
Katriona blinked. Even though her sister disappeared when she was wee, she’d never forgotten her face. “Heloise. It is you. I thought I had dreamt seeing you.”
“You know me?”
She tried to nod but flinched at the pain that wracked her shoulder.
“Speak softly and try not to move. I found you in the woods. Your dog is here and is quite the rescuer for he came and barked like mad until I followed him. My husband took him out for a jaunt. He’ll be back soon.”
“Wynn is alive? The man…kicked him and he lay unmoving. I thought he died… Oh, gracious Gods… Lloyd. They killed my dear friend. I recall crawling to him and his body lay lifeless. It was strange that my aura didn’t…” Katriona gasped. “It’s as Olor said. I have been forsaken.” Losing her awen displeased her, but losing Lloyd was far more distressing. Deep sorrow shook her chest with unabated cries.
“I understand why you weep. Aye, your friend perished from his injuries. I’m sorry for your sadness and loss. Och, your dog is quite alive. He took little time to recover from his injury. Likely his ribs are bruised. Our stable master who tends my husband’s horses wrapped him and he’s healing. Unfortunately, he had to be caged and didn’t like that at all. He yowled for hours until we finally had to move him in here.”
Katriona wept again but with joy that Wynn survived. He saved her. She sniffed her cry away and regained a smidge of composure. “You don’t know who I am?”
“Nay, should I?”
Katriona tried to wipe her tears away but her arms were lodged beneath the covers. She really was wrapped tightly. Heloise rushed forward and gently wiped her face with a cool cloth. After, Katriona took a calming breath and tried to settle herself. “I am Katriona…” When her sister didn’t acknowledge her, she took another disquieted breath. “Katriona Baldach, your sister.”
“Katriona? I haven’t seen you since you were practically a babe. How came you to be in these woods? And more importantly, why did someone try to kill you?”
The door opened and a man entered. He stood tall and his manner dark, but he was light-haired and blue-eyed. She imagined he resembled Woden, the great God of battle, looked like; strong and foreboding. Wynn sprang to the bedside and licked her face.
“I’m pleased to see you too, Wynn.” His long tail sent a breeze in the chamber when he wagged it eagerly. How she wished she could pet him and assure him she was well.
“Have you discovered who we found in the woods, my love?” the man’s voice as deep as his manner. He set his arms around Heloise and kissed her cheek.
“You will not believe this, but she’s my sister Katriona.”
“Katriona?” The man groaned and turned away.
“What troubles you, Wulfar?” Heloise set a hand on his arm to pull him back. “What has you groaning as if the end is near?”
He turned back and his gaze steady on her face. “Your husband will kill me.”
“What say you? Why would Katriona’s husband want to kill you? Who is she married to?” Heloise asked.
“She’s wedded to Pendragon.”
Heloise gasped, “Oh, dear God.”
“You’re Wulfar?” Katriona scowled at the realization of who he was. She’d only heard of him through missives he’d sent her papa or to Rhyder. Here he stood in front of her.
“I am. Tell me what happened. I need you to speak every detail. Leave nothing out.” He leaned on the bed and shouted. “How did you come to be here? And who the hell injured you?”
“My love, don’t frighten my sister. Wulfar will not harm you, Katriona, not after I spent days caring for you. Besides, he would never hurt a woman.”
“Of course I won’t harm her, love, but Pendragon is going to try to harm me when he learns of this.” Wulfar scowled fiercely and pressed his te
mples in an agitated state.
“Why would Rhyder want to kill you? He doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Of all the women who we might find on our land… Pendragon won’t accept that I didn’t have a hand in what happened to you. How does he not know you’re here? Did you run away?”
“No. He was going to send me away, so I left and saved him the trouble.” The sorrowful sound of her words brought forth more tears. “I was on my way home when my friend and I were attacked by two men. They said they would kill me and move me closer to your holding. Why would they want to move me to your land?”
Wulfar combed his fingers through his light hair and paced anxiously beside the bed. “God help me. Whoever attacked you has to be the same men who murdered Pendragon’s family.” He rushed his explanation and rambled on, some words incoherent.
“I want to go home. Rhyder will never suspect that I came here. Please send for Papa so I can leave at once.” Her pleas came in a soft voice, but inside she screamed. She didn’t want to be found by Rhyder.
“Aye, you need to be gone before your husband comes with his army. Damnation, this is going to put a riff in the alliance I wanted.” Wulfar stood near and grimaced. “Why would Pendragon send you away? When he spoke of you I got the sense he was pleased with the union, more than content for he chastised me for even mentioning you.”
Heloise scoffed and shoved his upper arm. “You never told me Pendragon wedded Katriona.”
Wulfar rubbed his arm. “I must’ve forgotten to mention it, love. What does it matter?”
“It matters, husband.”
Katriona licked her dry lips. She didn’t deem Rhyder was pleased especially after she caused his difficulties with his followers. But she didn’t want to divulge the embarrassment to her sister or her warlord husband.
Heloise smirked and crossed her arms over her midsection. “She cannot be moved.”
“But, love, she has to go. I cannot have Pendragon find her here. He’ll believe I attacked her. If he’s aligned with Cenwahl, we’ll be facing thousands of men. We might fend off Pendragon’s attack, but not both he and Cenwahl’s forces.”
Heloise stomped her foot. “If he learns his wife is here, he will not attack. I mean it, Wulfar, she is healing and is not out of the woods. If her wounds become infected—”
“They won’t. Besides, your mother should be the one tending her. We should send her to Baldach.” He pressed a hand on Heloise’s cheek.
“Worry not, Katriona, for he always comes around to my way of thinking.”
Wulfar wasn’t pleased by her comment. “My love, we risk our peril. But if you insist she stays, I should send a missive to Pendragon and let him know that she’s here. He’ll expect an explanation and I must think of some way to convince him we had nothing to do with her attack.”
“No.” Katriona didn’t mean to shout. “Please, I wish not to return to him. I want to go home.” Tears burned her eyes.
“Fear not,” Heloise said and patted her foot. She shot her husband a heated gaze. “You’ve upset my sister, you oaf. Let us wait a wee bit before we decide what to do.”
Wulfar gripped the door handle and pulled it open with force. “I need to consider this.” He was about to hail off when Heloise stopped him.
“Do not send word to Pendragon. I mean it, Wulfar, for if you do, you shan’t come to my bed for a fortnight.”
Wulfar disappeared beyond the door and shouted an expletive.
Heloise laughed. “You see, gaining his agreement is easy. Now, you must be thirsty.” She retrieved a cup and set it near her mouth. “Drink slowly for the mead is mixed with a strong herb. You shall sleep again.”
Katriona drank a few sips. She never thought to see her sister again. Heloise was as beautiful as she remembered. “How came to you be with Wulfar?”
“Oh, it’s a romantic tale. Rest and I shall tell you later.”
Katriona tried to move, but the cover restricted her. “Tell me now. When you disappeared all those years ago, Papa was distressed.”
“I didn’t mean to cause anyone’s unhappiness. I met Wulfar one day when I went hunting and traveled farther than I thought. I got lost, and he found me in the wood. He was so handsome, and I…found myself in love with him. We arranged to meet again, and he too professed his love. There was no other man for me of that I was certain. Papa announced my betrothal to Pendragon, and I was devastated.”
“You were betrothed to Rhyder? Papa never told me that, but he hasn’t spoken your name since the day of my betrothal.”
“Aye, I imagine he was quite angry with me. I couldn’t go through with the betrothal. Wulfar and I were distraught because we couldn’t be together. My Wulfar was about to propose a betrothal to Papa but we couldn’t for he was set on wedding me to Pendragon. It was all he could talk of.”
“And so you absconded?” Katriona sniffled. She wasn’t supposed to wed Rhyder. Loki must be laughing his arse off. “Poor Rhyder, to be saddled with me instead of you.” Heloise’s tale brought forth a mire of emotions, mostly despondency.
Heloise caressed her face. “I mean not to cause your upset. And he wasn’t saddled with you. You heard Wulfar say he was content with the marriage.”
“He wasn’t content, trust me. Did papa send you away?”
“No, I fled. I had to do something drastic and left a missive telling him I met another man. The day before the betrothal feast, I fled. Wulfar met me at our meeting place and took me home. We took our vows the next day.”
“No one ever told us what happened.”
Heloise sighed. “I caused Papa’s humiliation for I realized how important that betrothal was. He went on and on about the treaty. But I couldn’t go through with it, not when I loved Wulfar.”
“You were young. How did you discern you loved him?”
Heloise smiled widely. “Aye, I was but twelve summers. The thought of being without him was too painful to consider. When you love like I had loved Wulfar, any consequence was nil. I needed to be with him and I figured Papa would settle the matter another way. Now I deem he replaced me with you. I am sorry, my sweet. You were but a babe. How terrified you must’ve been to be taken away…”
“We were only betrothed then and I wasn’t sent to Rhyder until recently. He never sent for me and so Papa made me go to him. Rhyder didn’t want the marriage for I remember him saying so when I met him all those years ago. I never understood until now.”
Heloise caressed her hair. “I have brought you misery, sister, and I am sorry for it. If Pendragon mistreated you and you fled because—”
“No. Rhyder treated me well enough. I brought him misfortune. That is why I left. He was kind, appeasing, and…” A sob caught in her throat. Hearing her sister speak of love, the kind of love one risked all for saddened her. She’d risked more than her heart at loving Rhyder, and lost Lloyd and her awen. Yet losing Rhyder was perhaps the most difficult to accept.
“This is too distressing to speak of. It’s obvious you care for your husband.”
“Perhaps. But it is too late to return to him. I must go home. Please, send for Papa.”
Heloise squeezed her leg in assurance. “To see Papa again would be trying. There must be another way. When you’re well enough, we will figure out what to do. Now I must soothe my husband for he’s likely pacing the great chamber. Get rest and I shall return to you.” Heloise left the chamber.
Wynn lay on the floor and stared at her.
“Don’t look at me like that. I cannot go back. Rhyder won’t forgive me and I cannot live with his followers when they called me a heathen.”
Wynn groaned.
“I do care for him, but it matters not.” Regardless of her desire to see Rhyder again, she doubted she would. He wanted her not and she couldn’t blame him. Try as she might, the injury to her heart hurt far worse than that of her back and leg. Those injuries slight and would heal in short time. Her heart though, that was a different matter altogether, for it would take a lifetime
to mend.
Chapter NINETEEN
Rhyder meandered around the fire; his impatience forced all to keep their distance. Except for Sawyer, who lay on his side and tossed the debris of sticks into the flames. He hadn’t meant to be surly, but the closer he got to his enemy’s land, the more agitated he became. And he couldn’t stop thinking of Katy alone in the woods. Hopefully, Lloyd protected her, but what if he didn’t? Was Lloyd his foe? The idea of the young soldier against him was as farfetched as could be.
“You should rest whilst we can. We’ll arrive soon enough.”
“What if I’m wrong? Perhaps she’s not there on Wulfar’s land. She might have gone home.”
Sawyer grumbled. “You said her father did not reply to your missive. We’ve gone over this many times on the trek. If Shrisy took you to Wulfar’s land, she did so for a reason.”
“I did send a missive to Baldach, but what if my missive was intercepted and he never received it?” Rhyder rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair as the disparaging thought occurred to him.
“Mayhap he’s wrath with you for losing his daughter?” Sawyer chuckled.
Rhyder groaned. “This is no mirthful matter. Maybe he’s planning to war with us.”
“We don’t know that, Your Grace. We’ll arrive at Wulfar’s holding on the morrow. He might be able to tell us if Baldach plans to war with us for they must travel through his lands to get to us.”
“I just want Katy returned.”
“Even if you must war with her father to do so?”
His commander’s question stopped him in his tracks. Rhyder pressed his eyes and nodded. “Aye, if I must fight her father’s army then I shall.”
“She means that much to you? I would deem you have more pressing matters to handle: like finding out who is against you and who killed our men.”