With some great difficulty, Mayvard sat upright, groaning from the pain in his shoulder. He looked to the shaft that was sticking out of his flesh and knew it had not struck him where it would be lethal. He reached up with both hands and broke the soft wood of the shaft in half, leaving the arrowhead buried in his shoulder.
He looked around and found Bel’dak lying in the mud next to him and he reached over and picked up the blade. He stood slowly on shaky legs and looked up to the battlements. He could not see anything from where he now stood and wondered if Rhada was still alive. If she is, I will find her and rescue her from Lord Ivran’s men.
He took two steps forward and stopped, taking in a few deep breaths and focusing on making the pain in his shoulder disappear. Once he had his strength, he pressed forward towards the open doors of the castle.
He had two things to do within the castle walls. He had to find Rhada, and he had to reach Myranda. He needed to get both of them to safety. He had promised Myranda that he would marry her and so long as he remained alive, that is what he intended to do.
Chapter 24
King Firion paced angrily in his chamber, grumbling incoherent words into the air as his wife sat idly on the edge of their bed, watching him with growing concern.
“The High Protector was right, my love. You are safer in here.” She tried to console him, but he ignored her and kept pacing. Every so often he would race to the balcony to peer over the edge but would quickly turn away in agitation and continue with his pacing.
Queen Scarlet sighed in frustration, jumped from the bed and walked to the wine table where she poured two glasses of a dark red. She shuffled over to where her husband was pacing and held one out for him.
“It will calm your nerves.” She said.
Firion looked at the glass then turned away and ignored her offering.
“Take it!” She shouted angrily, making him stop and turn to stare at her. After a few moments of looking from the glass to his wife and back to the glass, he angrily snatched it out of her hands and drank the entire contents in one large gulp. He handed the empty glass back to Scarlet and walked to the balcony.
Outside, the wind was howling and raging against him and the rain stung his eyes but he cared not. He peered over the edge once again and saw that the army had formed a barricade around the castle.
Beyond the line of men he could see nothing in the darkness except for the city lights far off in the distance. There was no sign of Lord Ivran’s army, not yet.
The King turned and peered upward towards the battlements. He could clearly see the High Protector, pacing back and forth before her archers just as he had been pacing in his chamber. As he peered up at her, his face grew hot with anger and he scoffed at the mere sight of her.
Tis her fault I am locked away in my chamber like a child. The bitch thinks she can keep me locked in here while she steals all the glory of the battle for herself! She made me look a fool in council this morning. She must pay for her insolence! Perhaps when the battle is over, I will have her taken to the dungeons in chains where I will torture her until I am content that she has sufficiently suffered before she is executed! His eyes followed Rhada as she moved back and forth. He wondered if she could sense someone watching her. He knew the sword gave her special powers of intuition.
What does the sword whisper to her when she stands in my presence? Does it tell her that I mean to be rid of her? He wondered if perhaps that was why she had ordered him to be locked in his chamber, so that he could not harm her.
“My love, please come in from the rain!” Scarlet’s voice traveled to him through the wind and he tried to ignore her but finally sighed and peeled his gaze away from Rhada. He walked away from the edge and back into their warm, dry chamber.
“I am frightened.” Scarlet said. She stepped next to him and rested her head on his chest. King Firion wrapped his rain-soaked arms around his wife and kissed her forehead.
“There is nothing to be afraid of.” He said in a low voice. “Lord Ivran’s forces do not stand a chance.”
“Have you consulted with the Sorceress on the outcome of the battle?” She asked, looking up into his eyes.
“There was no need. Bhrys has secured our victory.” Firion said this with confidence and he gently pushed Scarlet away and walked to the wine table to pour another glass.
Scarlet followed him with intent eyes. “Victory is never assured. You should have spoken with Myranda. She would know what the outcome is to be.”
“If there was even the slightest chance of our army being defeated, the Sorceress would have come to me and told me.” He brought the glass back to his lips and took a long sip before walking back out to the balcony to peer up at Rhada once again.
She had stopped pacing now and stood still as a statue, staring out over the battlegrounds below. Firion could feel anger rising in his heart. He wanted to race up there and push her over the edge. He wished he could watch her fall to her death. He wanted to see her body break as she hit the ground below. He shook his head in frustration and walked back into his chamber, away from the rain.
“What is troubling you?” Scarlet asked as he sat on the foot of the bed and drank the rest of his wine. “You keep going to the balcony to stare up at the archers.”
“Not the archers.” Firion replied. He lowered his empty wine glass and looked up to his wife. “It’s Rhada that has gotten on my nerves.”
“Rhada?” Scarlet asked bewildered. “What could she have possibly done to irritate you so much?”
“She is arrogant!” The King shouted. He stood and began pacing once again. “She does not obey commands from her King and she speaks to me as though I am a child, in front of my own council!” He turned and peered at Scarlet with eyes that burned. “I must be rid of her.”
Scarlet shook her head and giggled. “My love, you cannot stand anyone who defies you. Rhada is headstrong, just like you, but she is not your enemy.”
“She will be after this battle.”
“What do you mean by that?” Scarlet asked. She cocked her head to the side and stared at Firion with interest.
“After this battle is won, I will have her brought to me in chains and I will choose a successor to rid the realm of her once and for all.”
Queen Scarlet’s face grew gaunt in that moment as she looked to her husband. She took a small step towards him and lowered her voice as she spoke.
“You mean to have one of your men murder her?”
King Firion smiled slightly and nodded. “I would do it myself for the pure pleasure of watching her suffer at my hands, but one cannot be King and High Protector. I must make due with watching someone else have the pleasure.”
King Firion looked to the balcony. He suddenly heard a noise, carried to him by the howling wind. He thought he could detect the beating of horse hooves into the ground and he raced outside to watch Lord Ivran’s host approach.
Queen Scarlet had stayed hidden away from the rain all night, but this time she joined her husband on the balcony. She peered over the edge and watched as the enemy’s great host trudged closer and closer through the rain and mud.
After a few moments, Queen Scarlet turned her eyes to her husband and stared at his pale face. Even in the dark of night, his eyes shown with a ferocity that Scarlet had only ever seen in one other person. Her thoughts turned to that man of whom her husband reminded her so much of. His face was pale as well, with dark hair and piercing eyes. Firion had all the features of this other man that consumed Scarlet’s thoughts and haunted her dreams.
Normally, she would do her best to hide the curling of her lips as they tried to form a smile whenever she thought of him, but this time she let the smile spread across her face. King Firion’s gaze was cast downward to Lord Ivran; he would take no notice of her.
She looked upward and saw Rhada standing upon the battlement. Her arm was raised high in the air, waiting to give the command to her archers to attack. Queen Scarlet’s smile only grew as she looked
upon the woman who was called the High Protector. Death shall not be her fate; not on this day.
Scarlet looked back to her husband and saw rage in his eyes. She knew that amongst the warriors, he had found Lord Ivran. She saw his entire body shake with fury and suddenly she knew what had to be done.
Slowly, she leaned in close enough to whisper. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and pressed her lips to his ear.
“You are right about the High Protector; she is an insolent witch. Why should you be locked away in here with your weak wife? You are a man. Not just any man, but a King! Your glory should be taken on the battlefield when your sword is dripping with the blood of your enemies. Why should Bloodbinder’s be the only thirst that is quenched on this day? A King should smite his enemies. A King should instill the fear that ripples across the land and shakes every village and every home that dares defy him.”
King Firion turned his head slowly towards his wife. He grasped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers so hard, she thought he was going to make her mouth bleed.
Suddenly, Firion was pushing Scarlet back inside, ripping at her dress as they walked. He did not stop until it was torn to shreds and lay in a pile on the floor. He pushed her down to the bed and removed his own clothing.
With an angry thrust, Firion forced himself on top of her and pressed her hard into the mattress. Queen Scarlet let out a cry of pleasure as he made love to her. Outside, the sounds of shouting men and clashing swords reached their ears and it only made Firion thrust into her harder. She screamed as she brought her hand up and grasped the headboard of their bed. She cried out again as ecstasy filled her chest. Her body shook as he pushed himself into her.
“Say it again.” He whispered into her ear.
“You are a King!” She shouted between breaths.
From below, the screams of dying men filled their ears but Firion and Scarlet did not stop. Their vigor only grew with the sound of the battle. It wasn’t until Firion shook and moaned that they sat up and listened quietly to the sounds from outside.
King Firion stood, walked to his wardrobe and pulled out his armor. It was heavy golden chainmail that covered him from shoulders to waist. He threw this over a black tunic and stepped into his thick, leather pants. He pulled on his leather gloves before reaching for his sword.
When he turned to Scarlet, he found her sitting on the bed, naked and smiling at him.
“Go show this realm what a King can do.”
King Firion nodded, walked to the door and opened it. When his guards saw him emerge, they tried to stop him.
“Your Grace, we are under strict orders from the High Protector…” King Firion’s sword was unsheathed and planted into the guard’s chest before he could finish his sentence. The man fell to his knees and opened his mouth. Blood spurted from his lips and as Firion pulled his sword free, the guard shuddered and fell face-first into the stone floor. King Firion turned to the second guard who held up his hands in surrender.
“Protect the Queen.” King Firion said as he re-sheathed his blade. He turned and walked briskly down the corridor and out of sight of his Queen.
Scarlet walked to the chamber door and peered out, watching her King disappear into the darkness of the corridor. The remaining guard turned his gaze quickly away from her naked body, making her smile in amusement.
“Do you like this body?” She asked the young man who stood shaking in his chainmail. He said nothing and continued to stare forward, knowing the King would remove his head from his shoulders should he look upon the naked Queen.
“It is alright.” She whispered. “You may look if you want to.” When the guard still did not move, Scarlet reached up and grasped him by the chin. She pulled his head towards her and watched as his frightened eyes fell upon her flesh. She smiled slyly at him.
“You are very handsome.” Though the guard tried with all his might not to look, his eyes suddenly lowered and he gazed upon her large breasts. They were perfectly round and perky and seemed to be calling him to her. He looked lower and saw the small bush of dark hair that rested between her thighs and wished that he could feel the warmth that was there.
“Come inside.” Queen Scarlet whispered. She grasped him by the hand and began gently pulling him into her chamber, but when his boot splashed in a pool of his companion’s blood, he began to pull against her, begging her with his eyes to leave him in peace.
“I have my orders, my Queen.” He tried to reason with her but she only smiled at him.
“Whatever orders the King gave you will not matter come morning. When this battle is over, I shall be a widow.”
Chapter 25
“Nock!” Rhada shouted with her arm raised high enough for all her men to see. She stood upon the battlement before her great host of archers, waiting for the oncoming horde to move into range of their arrows.
She was stunned when Bhrys and Elipol turned against her men below; the sounds of men fighting and swords clashing together mingled with the howls of pain and death. She knew now why Lord Ivran had come; he had cleverly set a trap for them. She knew, in that moment without a doubt, that they would lose this battle. She now feared the men upon the battlement to her left, knowing that they too would turn on her. But there was nothing she could do but hope one of her arrows would find Lord Ivran. She hoped their volley would slow his men enough for Mayvard to escape, so she kept her archers’ aim downward.
“Draw!” She shouted as the rebels drew nearer. The moment had almost arrived. Her heart began to pound heavily in her chest as the shouts of dying men from below echoed through the air.
As she was about to give the command to loose, a deafening scream filled her ears and Rhada nearly cried aloud from the pain of it. She shuddered and looked down to her side where Bloodbinder had gone into a frenzy. She knew her life was in immediate danger and from the corner of her eye she saw where the danger was coming from.
Hanley, who was stationed above her, was turning, very slowly, and aiming his arrow directly at her. Then all of his men did the same, pointing their arrows at her unsuspecting archers.
Rhada pointed to the upper tier and shouted for her men to change their aim, but when the word ‘loose’ escaped Hanley’s lips, she knew she was too late. She turned and leaned backwards with only a few seconds to spare. She felt the arrow as it whizzed past her face; the tip missing her by only inches. It flew directly in front of her vision and landed in the shoulder of the man standing behind her.
With one swift movement, Rhada spun back around and pulled Bloodbinder free of its scabbard.
“Swords!” She shouted to any man who had not been struck with an arrow. “Attack the traitors!”
Hanley’s men were already prepared for an attack. They had a second arrow nocked and were releasing without any command from Hanley. Her only option was to duck and hope that an arrow did not find her. Two men close to her were hit and fell to the ground at her feet. She watched as the blood from their many wounds spilled onto the dark gray stone of the platform.
“Charge!” She shouted as she stood tall. There was no need to give the command, however. What remained of her men were already rushing towards the upper tier with swords in hand. The sounds of battle filled her ears once again but this time, the battle was right before her.
Hanley had apparently given the order for his men to attack as well. His host had swords raised and was beginning to descend the steps, shoving their way through Rhada’s archers, making a bloody mess as they went. She realized that her men were ill-equipped for hand-to-hand combat. Though they rushed forward bravely at her command, they fell before they could even ascend the first stair to the upper tier.
Not only were her archers not skilled enough with the sword, but they were outnumbered as well. Hanley’s archers, or swordsmen, she could not be certain what their specialty was, rushed over her men like an ocean wave, swallowing them up into the fray.
Rhada rushed forward, pushing her way through her soldiers, and stopp
ed when she reached the bottom of the stairs, realizing there was no reason to continue forward when Hanley’s men were coming right at her.
She braced herself as the first wave of enemies charged at her. She gripped firmly to Bloodbinder and held it out like a shield, preparing for the fight.
Three men charged at once, shouting in a deafening cry that would make any man’s blood curdle. Rhada shouted back, twisted Bloodbinder to the left and over her shoulder then swung with all her strength. She aimed her blade low, feeling the tip of it slice through the men’s bellies. Their surprised looks almost made Rhada smile… almost. She cringed as they all swayed together, holding their stomachs and dropping to their knees, blood and guts pouring over their arms. Rhada stepped over them when they fell. She ascended the first step, hearing the shuffling of feet behind her as she went, knowing that her men were following closely behind.
But as she climbed the steps, Hanley’s men were descending towards her. She pulled Bloodbinder in close then thrust it forward, jamming the blade into a young man’s side. He gasped and fell as she pulled the blade free, then swung to her left with as much force as she could muster. The edge of the blade sliced through his face, lodging into his skull. She placed her foot on his shoulder as he sunk to his knees and kicked him away, freeing her sword from his bloodied head.
Rise of Darkness (The Watchers Book 2) Page 25