“Look I am not trying to get out of it or anything like that, it is just something does not feel right.” She sighed deeply, she wanted to push it all to the back of her mind, but she could see he was not going to be able to move on.
“How do you mean?” she asked. He knelt and leaned into her holding his hand to her face.
“I would never have betrayed you. I just know I would not. If there is one thing I can remember it is that I loved you then as much as I love you now.” A tear ran down her cheek.
“I can remember being out on Meladrom we were fighting Gemini’s black dragons.” He gazed around him. “We were out here somewhere. The battle was ferocious. I can remember landing, telling Meladrom to leave me, go, and help Galtec. I was after a black-wing soldier who had taken a woman…” He frowned as he thought hard. He swallowed and then looked at her.
“It was her…” She chewed on her lip again as she tried not to cry. “I fought him, I remember...” He struggled with his mind trying to piece it together. “I was wounded, fatally wounded,” he said his eyes lighting up. “She helped me. I killed the soldier but I could not walk unaided and she helped me back to her cottage I was losing a lot of blood.” He jumped to his feet and grasped at his stomach. “He stabbed me, with his sword.” He looked around. “It was out here somewhere, I am sure of it.” She wiped her nose and stood up.
“Kainan, please I do not want to know,” she begged. He grasped her by her shoulders.
“Arweyn, do not you see I would not have been in any fit state to sleep with her. I remember lying down on a bed,” his eyes gazed into hers, “her bed.” Her chest heaved as she pictured it in her mind. “She asked me if I wanted her to save me. Of course, I said yes, I had to get back to you and our baby. My Kingdom needed me.” He rubbed his head as the memory flooded back and releasing her he began to pace. “She wanted something, I was delirious and I remember saying yes she could have whatever she wanted, after all I was the King.” He stood facing out over the stream. She came up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders, he glanced behind him, and a tear ran down his cheek.
“Arweyn I think she is a witch or a sorceress, something...” He frowned again. Her eyebrow rose at him.
“What did you agree to Kainan?” He shook his head despondently.
“I cannot remember, just that she could have whatever she wanted. The next I recall is waking up in her bed, my wound was healed my head fuzzy and unsure of what had happened. She was gone and Meladrom was yelling in my head, where was I? Where was I? I had to get back something terrible had happened.” He spun around. “To you,” he sobbed, as his eyes lifted to hers. “I was set up wasn’t I?” Arweyn nodded painfully. “What did I do?” he cried distraught. She pulled him to her and swallowed as her heart sank. He was telling the truth, he had not betrayed her. Tears coursed down her face as her mind derived a conclusion.
It was Gemini’s daughter; she had betrayed her father for Kainan and she was still alive. She clung to him burying her face into him.
“Kainan I know who she is.” He lifted his eyes to her.
“You do, how?” She let the tears roll down her cheek as she snivelled.
“She is Gemini’s daughter.” He shook his head at her.
“He had a daughter, how do you know this?” She shook her head back at him.
“There was a picture in his chambers of her, I did not realise. In the portrait she was dark haired. He said that he sent her on a mission to kill someone, he never said who it was, but I think it was you. She betrayed him and did not go through with it. Oh Kainan,” she fell on him, and his arms wrapped around her tightly. “She took the soul of our child in return for your life,” she whispered. “She killed our baby.” Pulling back from her, he shook his head.
“No...” His eyes burst with sorrow as he continued shaking his head at her. “I am so sorry…I am so sorry,” he then wept, his hand pulling to his face distraught. She shook her head back at him.
“Kainan,” she said, pulling his hand away. “You were not to know. I remember it happened, that we lost a child, but I truly do not remember how it felt.” He pulled her into an embrace and held her, kissing the top of her head.
“I am going to kill her,” he whispered. She leaned back from him.
“Kainan you cannot, you do not know how powerful she is. Gemini said that she uses the ….” She hesitated, stifling a choke. “Souls of people and of the un-born so that she can live as an immortal, she keeps their souls in special bottles until she needs them.” He dropped to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them. She sat down beside him.
“Arweyn I swear to you, if my mind had been right I would have died before seeing you or … our….” He sniffed wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Child die.” She clutched at him and whispered.
“I know.” He looked at her sadly. “Kainan by doing what she did she actually saved all of our people. If she had killed you as Gemini had instructed, the Kingdom would have fallen.”
“But our child would have been born,” he wept. She nodded, placing her arm around him.
“Yes I know, but Gemini would have taken us and many of our people would have died or become his slaves. If we had a son he would have killed him, a daughter he would have taken her.” He shook his head angrily.
“I am still going to kill her,” he whispered. She swallowed.
“I know you are.” He pulled an arm around her and drew her in close.
“The night before our ceremony, the blonde who was with Porlock. It was her.”
“How can that be, he is still seeing her, it is not the same woman.”
“I know but when she looked at me as she poured the wine it was her, I know it was.”
“How did she get in?”
“She must have come through the same time as the black dragons, when the boundary was down.”
“Why has she come back?” she asked. He shrugged.
“I do not know, maybe to tear us apart and bring down the Kingdom.” Arweyn felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
“Those creatures in the city those human bat things, what if they are her creations and that is why they did not die when Gemini did?”
“I cannot believe this is happening. We get rid of the Gorzars and then there’s Gemini we get rid of Gemini and….”
“Then there is a Sorceress,” she finished. He twitched a smiled.
“Maybe there is a book for this one eh?” She shook her head and then kissed him.
“We should get back, people will start to worry.” He shook his head.
“I told Meladrom I had found you and Forde told the others you were safe.” Her hand lifted to his cheek.
“Do you think she will still be there when we get back?” He shook his head.
“Not if she has any sense. She may well be a Sorceress but we are far more powerful than we used to be all those years ago.” Arweyn suddenly breathed heavy, she lifted her eyes to his.
“Kainan what if she has come back for something else?” He looked at her questioningly.
“Like what?”
“I do not know. What if you promised her something else and now she has come to collect.”
“I did not, I do not think,” he frowned and looked at her suddenly afraid. “You are not with child are you?” She smiled and shook her head.
“No I am not.” His eyes suddenly widened.
“What if I promised her, the soul of the first born but I did not say whose or how many, what if she has come for Gareion’s child,” he said in horror. Arweyn shook her head at him.
“No, she would not.”
“Arweyn what if I did, I cannot remember.” He jumped to his feet. “We have to get back.” He froze for a moment as his mind went elsewhere.
“Meladrom, can you hear me?” he called urgently.
“Yes my King I hear you. Is the Queen okay?” he asked.
“Yes she is fine. Meladrom listen this is important. Is Gareion okay, is t
he baby okay?”
“Yes my King, I believe so. What is wrong your voice is worrying me?”
“Meladrom we have a sorceress within our city. It is Gemini’s daughter.” Meladrom snarled.
“He had a daughter?”
“Yes. Meladrom the Queen and I have just remembered something terrible that happened before we put the people to sleep. Remember that night when the Queen lost our child.”
“Yes my King, it was a sad day for us all.”
“Meladrom you dropped me you remember out in the forest. That woman was being chased by a black-wing soldier I told you to leave me and help Galtec.”
“Yes I remember. I was not happy about leaving you. You were gone all night as I recall, I couldn’t contact you.”
“Yes I was. That woman who I rescued was Gemini’s daughter. I did not know. I had been fatally wounded and I agreed to something, I do not know what it was but …”
“But what my King?” he asked.
“We think she is a soul stealer she killed our baby and took its soul in return for my life.” Meladrom fell silent.
“Meladrom,” Kainan urged.
“Yes my King I am here.”
“I am afraid she has come back for a reason.”
“What reason?”
“To take Gareion’s baby, you have got to get the guards in there to protect them. Arweyn and I are on our way back. She is a blonde… or maybe brunette now. I do not know. Just do not let anyone in with them until I get back.”
“Yes my King I shall inform Forde at once.”
“Thank you Meladrom.”
“My King.”
“Were you talking to Meladrom?” she asked. He nodded and grabbed her hand walking her back to the horses.
“You know sometimes I feel like a spirit of death. Everywhere I bloody go people die.” She stopped turning him to her.
“Kainan you are not a spirit of death. Just think how many more would have died if you had not done what you have done. Thousands Kainan, thousands would have died if it was not for you.” He shook his head and pulled her into his arms.
“Sometimes I just wish it could be different, that we could just be normal living in a little cottage somewhere….” She kissed him mid-sentence hard and passionately. As they broke from the kiss, he gave a little gasp for breath.
“No you do not, not really,” she said, smiling up at him. He returned her smile.
“I could not do it without you,” he whispered.
“I know, and you will not have too. Now come on let’s get back.”
Mounting the horses, they rode at great speed back towards the city.
***
“Kainan what the hell is going on?” Gareion demanded as the King entered their chambers. Arweyn stood alongside him.
“We have been kept in here like prisoners all evening,” he protested angrily. Kainan glanced at Alys as she fed the baby and sighed relieved.
“I am sorry we had to for your own protection.” He approached his brother and pulled his arms around him, hugging him. Gareion reciprocated. Holding his arms out, he gestured to him.
“Well what is going on?” Sitting down Kainan explained what had happened.
“And you think she has come back to take my child?” Gareion said alarmed. Kainan shrugged.
“I do not know. Gareion I am sorry I cannot remember.” Gareion pulled an arm around his wife and looked down at his newborn in her arms.
“I will not let her take my daughter,” he said forcefully.
“Brother I will track her down and kill her.”
“You have to find her first,” he said, lifting his eyes to him. He sighed heavily. “Why do not you go and see wizard Marton? If you have some memories of that night, he may be able to pull more of them to the surface. He may be old but he still has some of his powers.”
“That is not a bad idea Gareion,” Arweyn said, turning to her husband. “He might be able to do that, dig deep into your subconscious and pull it out.” Kainan looked at his brother and then at his new niece and nodded. He would try anything. He stood up and Arweyn followed standing alongside him.
“Okay I will go now. Stay in here and do not let anyone in okay.” His twin nodded.
***
“Arweyn I do not want you to come in,” he said, standing at the door of wizard Marton’s chamber. She frowned at him.
“Why not Kainan?” she asked. He bit on his lip he was too afraid that something awful would come out, something that he would not want her to hear. He lowered his head.
“Arweyn I am afraid of what I might say, of what I might have done.” She touched his arm lightly.
“Kainan I told you, you are not the man you were then. I love you here and now. If…” She hesitated before looking him in the eyes. “If you did sleep with her, I would rather know than have you hold it within you and use it to torture yourself day in day out. It will ruin what we have now.” He pulled her to him and held her.
“Sometimes I do not think I deserve someone as wonderful as you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
“Kainan you have done nothing wrong.” He kissed her.
“I hope and pray that I did not.” He knocked on the door.
“Enter,” the old man’s voice replied.
“Ah my Lord, my Lady,” he said, bowing to them. “I am glad to see you safe,” he said glancing to Arweyn. She smiled at him before giving him a hug.
“We need your help,” she asked and he nodded.
“Yes I know I have been expecting you.” He wandered over to a chair and pointed to it. “Sit please my Lord.” Kainan’s eyes wandered to the old man.
“How did you know?” he asked, sitting down. The old man smiled.
“I am a wizard you know. I might be old and cranky but I still know a thing or two.” The King nodded glancing up nervously to his wife. He hoped with a desperate heart that he had not betrayed her.
The old man opened a book and flicked through the pages.
“Ah here we are,” he said before pulling out his wand. Kainan swallowed, he felt as frightened now as he did the first time he had arrived in Malgar and been tested to see if he really was a Prince. She touched the old man’s hand, his eyes lifted to hers.
“It will not hurt him?” she asked and he shook his head.
“No, but you may not want to hear what he has to say.” She swallowed.
“I do.”
“Very well, we shall begin.” He approached the King and pointed his wand at his head Kainan glanced sideways at it and gripped hold of the side of the chair.
“Close your eyes,” he said. Kainan closed them.
“Estatorelle, memorcarnto spelldra elartc spendeeth memorcarnto,” he chanted in a whisper, waving his wand over the King’s brow. Kainan’s body instantly relaxed as he fell into a deep sleep. She moved in closer.
“Can I hold his hand?” she asked. The wizard smiled and gave a nod. She sat beside him and took his hand rubbing it gently with her thumb.
“Estaorelle memorcarnto spelldra elartc spendeeth memorcarnto,” he repeated. “Now tell me Kainan what happened on the night the Queen lost your child. You were flying on Meladrom, the dragons were...”
“Meladrom,” he suddenly cried out. Arweyn sat back startled.
Kainan’s mind flooded back as he remembered.
“Meladrom take me down”
“What is it my King.”
“Down there a black-wing soldier is attacking that woman. Drop me down and then go and help Galtec I will call you when I am ready.”
“My King I do not think that wise,”
“Meladrom I will not allow that bastard to rape that woman now put me down!”
“Yes my King.”
“Meladrom, I will not allow that bastard to rape that woman now put me down!” he yelled suddenly. Arweyn glanced at the wizard.
“It is expected he will recall in his mind what had happened, but he may also repeat the words he said then too,” the wizard in
formed her. She nodded and looked at him, concern etched across her face.
“You bastard,” Kainan hollered as his hand flew to his sword.
“Marton,” she said, scared as his hand hovered on the hilt.
“Leave him,” he warned.
“Get your hands off that woman,” Kainan yelled. In his mind, he watched as the black-wing soldier laughed at him. Pushing the woman to the ground, he pulled out his sword. Kainan drew the Deragan sword.
“Come on then,” he said aloud. The soldier launched himself at him. The King’s blade came up meeting his and they clashed hard. He swung back around meeting his blade yet again the two battled against each other.
Kainan’s head turned as he lay back on the chair, his eyes now open. The woman stood up, he caught her gaze, and for a moment, she held him.
“She looked at me,” he whispered.
“What?” Arweyn asked. Marton shook his head at her.
“Shush let him speak,” he said, frowning at her.
“She looked at me, her eyes they held me. No!” he suddenly screamed and Arweyn nearly fell off her chair as his hands flew to his stomach.
“He stabbed me…the bastard.” Kainan’s mind saw it all, she had taken away his concentration, and in that moment, the soldier plunged his sword into him. He stumbled backwards and dropped to the floor.
“Blood,” he said, grabbing at his stomach. “So much blood I cannot die, I cannot,” he moaned. Tears streamed down her eyes as she listened.
His eyes rolled as the soldier stood over him sneering, lifting his sword to strike him dead but before he had a chance, blood gushed out of his mouth. The woman’s hands grasped at his head and for a second there was a flash of light and then he dropped to his knees, a dagger between his shoulder blades. The woman stood there, looking down at him.
“I did not kill him… it was not me… it was her, I am dying…” he mumbled, closing his eyes. Arweyn spun around to the wizard in fear. He nodded to her and then leaned towards him.
“Where are you now Kainan?” Wizard Marton asked.
He opened his eyes and stared. “In her bed, I am dying… I do not want to die.” Tears trickled down his face. Arweyn’s other hand flew to her mouth as she tried to hold back her sobs.
Deragan Sword Prophecy: Book 02 - Meladrom Page 36