Her sleep troubles were just because Peter was leaving, she’d assured herself as she tossed and turned. After all, he was leaving for the most dangerous parts of the isle. Of course she should feel discomfited.
But there was something more, and the more she tried to deny it, the clearer it had become, even as her mind had grown fuzzy in the early morning hours. The way her hands still tingled where he’d touched them was witness to that. The tingle wasn’t the usual hum of her power, as much as she wanted to pretend it was. No, the way her fingers felt even after he’d withdrawn his hands from hers had gone deeper and made her feel strange all over, relaxed and warm.
Her tired pondering turned to real disappointment as she finally reached the stables only to find that Saraid had already beaten her there. Unlike the way Katy felt, Saraid looked as perfect as always. Not a hair was out of place or even a shadow beneath her eyes. Was the girl charmed, that she could do everything to perfection? Even waking up at unholy hours of the morning?
“Stay safe!” Saraid was saying to Peter, clinging to his arm with tears running down her flawless face.
“It’s only six weeks.” Peter wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “You’ll be so busy planning the wedding you won’t even notice that I’m gone.”
Saraid nodded tearfully, and a pang of jealousy swept through Katy. Her mouth suddenly tasted bitter.
“I’m so sorry for what I said.” Saraid clung even harder, fairly climbing him so their faces were nearly touching. “I just want you to come home and be safe.” Another round of weeping ensued.
“No need for that.” He bent down and placed a gentle, quick kiss on her cheek.
Katy wanted to turn and run, but she seemed rooted to the spot.
Just then he saw her. After giving Saraid one more smile and embrace, he walked over to Katy.
Katy felt like a fool. Behind him, Saraid glared through glassy eyes, but Katy couldn’t have moved if she’d tried. Not that it mattered. She was a sister to Peter and nothing else. But to Katy’s surprise, he took her face in his hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Only then did she realize that she, too, was crying. Then he pressed his lips against her forehead. “Pray for me,” he whispered into her hair.
Somehow, she managed to nod, despite her sudden trembling.
His hand remained on her face as he stared deeply into her eyes. “You’re worth it. Don’t ever doubt that. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
She began to breathe again only after he was back at his horse’s side and had pulled himself into the saddle.
Others had gathered to bid the prince and his knights farewell, too. Antony, who did not look pleased to be left behind because of his injury, stood near Saraid, and even the king stood watching from the corner. A few other faces, familiar and unfamiliar, were present as well.
The crowd was large enough that Peter surprised her when he turned on his horse once more and met her eyes on his way to the stable door. “I promised,” he called. “I’ll find a way to save you!”
Katy could feel a number of frightened gazes turning to her as the men finally went on their way, but she didn’t meet any of them. Instead she only turned and began walking back toward the door, her guard in tow. But just as she reached the door, a body blocked her path. She looked up to find herself staring at Saraid.
“May I help you?” she managed to mumble.
The girl drew in a shuddering breath. “Peter and I may have our differences concerning you,” Saraid said, staring down at her clasped hands, “but if you’re going to be staying here, there’s something you need to see.”
Alarm sloshed in her stomach, but Katy could only nod and follow as Saraid led the way back up the stairs. They went down several halls and a number of turns Katy hadn’t seen before. She didn’t dare ask where they were headed, however, until Saraid led them down a flight of steps surrounded by walls of dirty brick.
“Where exactly are we going?” Katy asked in a small voice after they’d turned down a third set of descending stairs.
“It’s a secret,” Saraid called over her shoulder, shadows flickering across her face in the light of the dancing torches. There were no windows that Katy could see. She hadn’t seen any in several floors.
“Are we underground?”
“We’re almost there.”
Finally, they came to a heavy wooden door. Saraid nodded at the guard, and he unlocked the door. Katy balked at the threshold.
“Why is it so dark in here?” She took a step back. “Where are you taking me?” Her heart thumped in erratic bursts, and her hands prickled with heat as she sensed how small the space around her really was. Before she could turn and flee, however, the door behind her shut with a loud bang. The room was completely dark.
“Saraid!” Katy cried out, feeling frantically for the door handle. “What are you doing?” As she spoke, a torch appeared from around a corner she hadn’t previously been able to see. Holding it was Antony.
“Peter was promised that you would be kept safe,” Saraid said in a flat voice. “You shall. And so shall everyone else.”
“But the king…” Katy stuttered. “He promised that I could stay in Lady Fiona’s quarters!”
“Don’t worry about the king,” Saraid said, turning and glancing at Antony. “I will handle him. What I’m concerned with is keeping the people of this castle and this kingdom safe.”
As she spoke, Antony stepped toward Katy. Katy scrambled back until her back was against the thick wooden door.
“I beg of you,” Katy turned her pleas to Antony, “if you want to keep the people here safe, lock me in my room. But believe me when I tell you that I need windows! Keeping me underground will make it worse! My power will get worse! Please!”
Antony kept his eyes down, refusing to meet hers. “I’m sorry,” he said in a soft voice. “It’s best for everyone this way.” And he grabbed Katy’s wrist. Despite his bandaged shoulder, he was surprisingly strong for having only one good arm.
Katy struggled to free her hand without hurting him. That would certainly be one way to ensure herself a stay in the dungeon.
“Please,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Then he pulled her around the corner. Before she could get her bearings, she realized she’d been led into a prison cell. And Antony had already stepped out and was locking the door.
Saraid, holding Antony’s torch, leaned against the outside of the bars. “Peter trusts you, but I’ve lived in this court all my life, and I’ve seen what creatures like you can do.”
Katy turned to Antony in confusion, but he only looked at the ground. “What are you talking about?” She looked back and forth between them. “When have you ever seen anyone like me?”
“That’s no business of yours right now. All you need to be concerned with is keeping yourself under control.”
“Sir Antony!” Katy reached through the bars and put her hand on his as he turned to leave. “You know what Peter wants!”
He paused, staring at her hand on his wrist. “I swore to protect that boy with my life.” His words were nearly inaudible. “And if I must hurt him to do so, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make!”
Katy’s hands and arms grew hot as he pulled his hand away, and he and Saraid began to make their way back to the door. Saraid started to walk through the door with the torch, but Antony stopped her. Katy couldn’t hear what they were saying, but finally, with a huff, Saraid handed him the torch and stomped out. Antony turned to give Katy one more sorrowful look before hanging the torch on the wall and following.
The torch hardly lit the room enough to see, only well enough to make out the other empty cages and several frightening walls of chains.
“Please!” Katy screamed, clutching the bars as they let the door close behind them.
But her only answer was their footsteps fading in the distance.
37
Legends
As the men made their way silently through the
trees, Peter wondered if it was possible for silence to stick to one’s soul like sap. Would they ever become used to talking again?
More importantly, would any of his knights ever wish to talk with him again?
In the two weeks since they’d begun their quest, Peter and his men had barely spoken. Of course, the first reason for this was because noise in the forest was unwise. Even Benjamin knew that. As they’d slogged through the rain and wind, getting covered in mud and leaves while they wandered the forest day after day, not a single noise had been missed, nor had anyone taken for granted what a true gift it was each night to have traveled one more day without a skirmish or even a hint of dark magic. And they were given even more sobering reminders each time they passed a village that had once been on the moor but had been devoured by trees and was now as still as a stone. Each was a new sign of just how far the forest had encroached.
The second reason for the group’s silence, however, was what concerned Peter the most. He wasn’t oblivious to the resentment in their glances, or the strain of worry as they moved deeper into the wood with each passing day. Even after this was over, if by some miracle he was able to save Katy and restore the kingdom to its proper balance, would he ever have their trust again? Would they ever follow him as willingly as they had once done?
“This is a good spot.”
Peter was so startled by the sound of Carey’s voice that he nearly fell off his horse. But the knight didn’t seem to notice. He only studied the little clearing furtively before giving one more nod of his head.
“No magic near here. Least for tonight.”
Peter stared for a moment longer before looking at the others. Briant and Domnhall seemed just as surprised as Peter was. Benjamin, however, didn’t hesitate to leap off his horse.
“Good daggers, I’m stiff!”
“No need to alert the entire bloody forest to our presence,” Briant hissed, following behind. Peter, Domnhall, and Tomas glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.
Though Peter trusted Carey’s ability to sense danger or a lack thereof, he felt little relief in being able to talk for the first time in two weeks. No magic meant safety. But no magic also meant he wouldn’t find what he was looking for here either. Which meant he was fewer than four weeks away from Katy’s birthday without being any closer to an answer.
The men murmured quietly to one another as they unrolled their blankets, set to making a fire, and dragged over logs to sit on while they ate. No one directly spoke to Peter, however, until they were well into supper and the evening light was dying. And as Peter should have expected, Benjamin was the one to break the silence.
“So, Peter—”
“Sire,” corrected Tomas through his bite of bread.
“Sire,” Benjamin said with a slight roll of his eyes, “I understand you wishing our silence on the subject while we were back at home, but don’t you think you might tell us now what we’re searching for?” He paused to glance around at the other knights. “I mean, wouldn’t we be better able to help you look if we knew what it was we were looking for?”
For once, no one objected to the squire’s suggestion.
Peter put his dried meat down and looked around at his men. “I suppose that’s only fair.” His voice was rusty from disuse. He cleared his throat with a swig from his waterskin. “We’re looking for a waterfall.”
Benjamin stared at him blankly. “A waterfall?”
Peter nodded. “I discovered it just after we brought Katy back to the castle. It had magic.”
Tomas shifted. “What kind of magic?”
Now that Peter knew the older knights were aware of the curse and at least gave some credence to Atharo’s existence, he was less hesitant to share what he knew about magic. As for Benjamin, he’d seen enough on their quests to know such power existed, even if he didn’t know its origins.
“While Katy and I were out recently, we followed a trail of magic to a thicket. Inside the thicket, the waterfall spoke to me. And when I reached into its waters, it showed me my entire life.”
“A little risky that, don’t you think, Your Highness?” Tomas frowned.
“It was worth it.” Peter paused. “I’m hoping that it can tell me something about Katy as well, or that it has some way to trace her origins so we know where to go next.”
“About the location, though,” Tomas said, rubbing his beard. “If you found it just after returning to the castle, how is it that we’ve been wandering the forest for weeks?”
“It moves, apparently,” Peter said. “We’ve been back to its spot three times.”
“I knew we’d been going in circles,” Benjamin muttered. “Maybe this waterfall just doesn’t like us.” Then he smiled. “If this magical waterfall was able to tell you about your past, maybe you should tell us more of what you know of Katrin.”
“For once, that’s not an idiotic idea,” Briant murmured as he threw a log onto the fire.
“When did you know she was different?” Benjamin leaned forward, his eyes a little too bright with interest for Peter’s liking. “She’s an exotic beauty to be sure, but how did you know she had magic from the start?”
Peter glared at Benjamin at the mention of exotic beauty, and he didn’t miss the laugh Domnhall tried to cover up with a cough. But he forced himself to look at the other knights to prevent himself from teaching the boy some manners.
“Everyone in Downing knew that she was different, at least those who were there when my father rescued her from the forest. That was largely why she and I spent so much time together. The other children thought I was too sophisticated to be a farmer’s son, and they’d been warned by their parents about spending too much time with her. And as her mistress rented a cottage on my father’s land, Katy had little reason to venture beyond my father’s borders. We often played together, but she didn’t show any true signs of being different until the day we learned to grow strawberries in the firin’s garden.”
“What firin was that?” Domnhall asked.
“Reaghan.”
“I remember him,” Domnhall said, scratching his stubbly chin. “He was the firin at the castle until your mother died.”
Peter nodded. “He came with my father and Odhran to keep an eye on me whenever I was in town.” He picked up a stick and tossed it into the fire. “Anyhow, he was teaching the village children how to grow strawberry plants. I don’t remember why I wandered over to his cottage that day, but I remember seeing Katy and deciding to join her.”
He paused. It had been fourteen years, but the day was still as clear as stream water in his mind. “There were enough children there that the firin had run out of strawberry plants, so Katy offered to share hers with me.” His voice dropped. “Katy was holding the plant. We were supposed to be pulling out the dead leaves, but she got distracted while we talked. Then one of the children looked over and screamed.” The panic in Katy’s eyes still haunted him. Peter wished he could chase it from his memory.
“What had happened?” Benjamin asked.
“As she was holding it, the plant had withered and died. Right beneath our noses.”
The men were quiet for a moment, each staring into the forest or at his unfinished food, until Benjamin broke the silence again.
“That’s all?”
Briant looked at him as though he were mad. “What do you mean, that’s all? Can you kill plants by touching them?”
“I mean, was that the only sign that she was different?”
“As we grew older, her powers increased.” Peter rubbed his face. “She hates herself for what she can do. She’s spent her entire life trying to hold it in, but it continues to grow more difficult.”
“Well,” Domnhall said, standing and rubbing his plate off before returning it to his pack, “I know I shouldn’t be encouraging too much of this magic fluff. But I can say that I’m only alive because of that girl.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder as he walked back to his horse. The firmness of the older knight’s hand made Peter
want to breathe a sigh of relief. At least he had one of his men back.
“If you’ve known the girl her whole life, why are we trying to find this waterfall?” Tomas asked. He stared pensively into the fire, his eyes containing none of the calm acceptance in Domnhall’s face.
“I don’t know who my father was trying to save her from in the forest, nor do I know anything of her parents,” Peter said. “My father never told me. He only made it very clear that at three days old, her parents were already convinced she was the key to saving the isle. Over and over again, he told me that she needed to be kept safe, not only for her sake, but for that of the isle. I need to know where she came from before he found her. And just why my father seemed to think she was so important.”
The men were quiet for a few minutes.
“I hope,” Tomas finally spoke, “that you don’t misunderstand our hesitance, Your Highness.”
Peter looked at him, hoping his angst wasn’t as visible to them as it felt to him.
“We all like the girl,” Tomas continued, glancing around at the others. “She has a kindness to her one doesn’t often see in the noble circles. And it’s easy to see that she adores you. But,” he glanced at Antony, “after prior events…” He shrugged.
“I understand.” Peter tried to smile. “I’m just grateful for your loyalty in following me this far.”
“I don’t know all the details of what happened to Antony’s wife,” Benjamin said, stretching and climbing into his sleep sack. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “But after that game, when she was standing beside me, I think Katrin—”
Peter snorted. “And that will be the very last of your thinking of Katrin!”
At this, the rest of the men broke into quiet laughter.
“Why?” Benjamin opened one eye. “We’re about the same age. And I think she found me quite dashing when I won the contest. And I don’t care if she’s magic.”
“And I don’t care if she turns you into a bean.” Peter scowled. “I’ve heard the way you talk to women. I cringe to imagine the way you think about them. Just keep that mind of yours respectful, and I may not have to murder you myself before this quest is over.”
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