So I Married a Sorcerer

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  He took a deep breath. “Earlier today, when I was in Danport, I learned why your brother wants you back.”

  “Oh.” Her chest tightened. By the look on Rupert’s face, the reason wasn’t good.

  “I’ve been wondering all day how to break the news—”

  “Is it that bad?”

  With a grimace, he removed the paper from his pocket. “I’ll let you judge for yourself.”

  She unfolded the sheet of paper and stood underneath the lantern to read it. A competition. Her hands trembled.

  “Seven suitors vying for my hand,” she whispered.

  “Seven?” Rupert took the paper and looked it over. “I don’t recall there being a number—”

  “It’s coming true.” She pressed a hand against her pounding heart. Luciana’s prediction was coming true!

  Rupert gave her a confused look. “What…?”

  “I didn’t want this to happen!” She paced across the room. “Holy goddesses, I don’t—I can’t be a prize!” It was even worse than she had feared. The men would be competing not for her hand, but for her body.

  She leaned over, gasping for air. The winner would have the right to rape her.

  Rupert set the paper on the table. “I’m sure this must be upsetting—”

  “You think so?” she cried. “My brother is a monster! How can he treat me like a-a…”

  “Broodmare.”

  A chill skittered across her bones, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

  Rupert cursed under his breath. “I know it stinks. I debated whether I should even tell you—”

  “Oh, no!” A horrible thought crossed her mind. “Ye’re planning to send me to that monster, aren’t you? So ye can get yer pile of gold. How could you?” She raised a fist to hit him, but he caught her by the wrist.

  A vision flashed through her mind, the image of a baby in a crib, but in her distress, she pushed it aside. “Let me go!”

  He tightened his grip. “I will protect you.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “You want control of your own destiny. I will protect that.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Th-then ye’re not planning to send me to my brother?”

  “Only if you want to go.” He released her wrist and motioned toward the table. “Let’s go over your options.”

  “What? Are ye saying ye’re willing to give up on my ransom?”

  He sat at the table and gave her a wry smile. “I have other ways of stealing Gunther’s gold.”

  Her heart softened. “Thank you.” He was her tall and handsome stranger, after all. As she sat beside him, she realized the Game of Stones could have only referred to Rupert. He’d come into her life, not to kidnap her from her brother, but to rescue her.

  She took a deep breath. “I would like to go to Ebton Palace to live with my sister, Luciana. She could pay—”

  “I don’t want Eberoni gold.”

  “Only Gunther’s?” When he nodded, she wondered once again what sort of grudge he had against her brother.

  Rupert tapped a finger on the paper. “Gunther needs you. Or rather, he needs your womb.”

  She grimaced. “Disgusting pig.”

  “After a fiery battle with a Norveshki dragon, Gunther is no longer able to father children. You are his only hope of having an heir from his own bloodline. That means he will be desperate to get you in his court and under his power. Desperate enough that he could attack Eberon and—”

  “Luciana could be in danger?” Brigitta sat back in her chair. She couldn’t cause any harm to come to her sister or Leo or the baby.

  “If the two countries go to war, there will be many lives lost—”

  “Fine.” Brigitta jumped to her feet and paced across the room. “Then I won’t go there. I’ll go back to the Isle of Moon.”

  “Gunther could attack the convent—”

  “Fine!” She couldn’t endanger any of the sisters. “Is there any safe place I can go?”

  Rupert shrugged. “You would probably be safe with Gunther. After all, he needs you healthy.”

  She scoffed. “Are ye serious?”

  “You would have pretty gowns and balls to attend. Doesn’t every girl want to be a princess?”

  She grabbed a pillow off the bed and clobbered him upside the head.

  “Hey!” He gave her an indignant look. “That wasn’t very princess-like.”

  She lifted the pillow again, ready to strike, but his smile stopped her. With a groan, she tossed the pillow back on the bed. “Should I hide somewhere? Change my name? Wear a disguise like yerself?”

  His mouth twitched. “Do you want to be a lady pirate?”

  With a huff, she crossed her arms. “I know nothing of the sea.”

  He shifted on the chair, his smile fading. “There is a place that only I and my most trusted crew members know about.”

  “Really?” She sat beside him. “Where?”

  He tapped his fingers on the table. “The location is a secret.”

  She snorted. “Of course.”

  “It’s a small island we’ve been going to for about five years now. Some of the men took their wives there and built homes, so we now have a small village. A few farms, a miller, a bakery, a smithy.”

  “What do ye call it?”

  He shrugged. “I never named it, but the others call it Rupert’s Island.”

  She stood and wandered across the room. “Ye’re willing to take me there?”

  “I will do whichever option you want.”

  “Thank you.” With a quick breath, she made her decision. “It would be safer for everyone if I hide on yer island.”

  “Very well.” He stood. “We’ll set sail at dawn.”

  She nodded. So she would hide. Was that taking the coward’s way out? But what choice did she really have?

  “Good night, then.”

  Tears burned her eyes. When would she ever see her sisters again? “Is there a way to let my sisters know where I am? And that I’m all right?”

  A pained look crossed his face. “It would be best for you to simply disappear. No one can know where you are. And I can never let anyone know where the island is. Not even you.”

  She blinked away tears. She was banishing herself from the rest of the world, going to an island that would eventually feel like a prison. But it was the only way to protect her sisters and the nuns who had raised her. “How long will I have to stay there?”

  “You will not be safe until Gunther dies.”

  Her breath caught. “Th-that could be years.”

  In the dim light, Rupert’s face grew harsh. “Trust me. It will not be long now.”

  Her heart grew still. “What are ye planning to do?”

  He turned toward the door. “Good night.”

  “Wait!” She ran toward him. “I know ye have a grudge against him. And ye like to steal his gold. But … please don’t…”

  He gave her a stern look. “Are you sympathetic to your brother?”

  “No! He’s a monster.”

  Rupert turned back to the door. “Then you need not be concerned.”

  “My concern is for you.” She grabbed his arm and was instantly flooded with a wave of rage. Fury. “It is one thing for you to be a thief, but please don’t be something worse. Even if he deserves to be murdered, please don’t … don’t do this to yerself. Ye’re a man of honor!”

  He stiffened, staring at her with a stunned look.

  “Rupert—”

  “No. I will have my revenge, and even you will not stop me.” He left, closing the door in her face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, a scream woke Brigitta from a fitful slumber. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door just as she heard Sister Fallyn shriek again.

  “Brigitta!”

  She dashed into the passageway. “I’m here!”

  Sister Fallyn whirled around, her face stricken with panic. “Oh!” She stumbled, colliding with the wall. “Oh, dear goddesse
s, ye scared me to death.”

  “I’m fine.” Brigitta patted her on the back.

  Footsteps pounded on the nearby stairs as Rupert raced down them. He halted with a jerk when he saw them.

  Brigitta’s heart squeezed at the frantic look on his face. He must have heard the scream. “I’m fine,” she repeated.

  Sister Fallyn slumped against the wall as if she was too weak from shock to support herself. “I woke up and ye were gone. Where were you?”

  Brigitta glanced over the nun’s shoulder to see Rupert watching them. He was wearing a scarf on his head again, but no hat or mask. He now had boots on his feet, and somehow he’d managed to button his shirt. That was a shame.

  What was she thinking? Her cheeks grew warm. “I was sleeping next door.”

  “Ye should have woken me! I would have gladly given you the bed.” Sister Fallyn pressed a hand to her chest. “Dear goddesses, I thought someone had dragged ye off to ravish you!”

  Brigitta’s face blazed with more heat. Should she tell the nun that a potential ravisher was standing right behind them? She glanced at him once again.

  One side of his mouth had curled up in amusement. He tilted his head as his gaze slid down her. All hint of a smile disappeared. Her skin prickled as she recalled the emotions she’d felt from him last night. Yearning. Desire.

  Good goddesses, she had nothing on but a sheer nightgown!

  “Come.” She grabbed the nun and bustled her into their cabin. With the door shut, she quickly changed into her convent gown.

  When they ventured into the passageway to go to the privy, she noted that Rupert was gone.

  After returning to their room, she peered out the window. The rain had stopped, and a brilliant sun sparkled on blue water. The ship was moving, cutting smoothly through a calm ocean. None of the other ships were in sight. That seemed odd, since the fleet usually trailed behind the Golden Star.

  Jeffrey knocked on the door with their breakfast.

  “What happened to the other ships?” she asked as he set their tray on the table.

  “Oh, they’re staying close to Danport,” Jeffrey explained. “In case some pirates come.”

  Brigitta helped him unload the tray. “But they won’t have Rupert’s special powers to defeat the pirates.”

  Jeffrey nodded. “They would have to fight the old-fashioned way. But that’s not a problem. Captain Ansel can handle it. He’ll be in charge while we’re away.”

  Sister Fallyn frowned. “Then where are we going?”

  Jeffrey scratched his head. “I’m not supposed to say. That’s another reason the other ships stayed behind. They have too many new crew members, and Rupert doesn’t trust them yet.” The boy gave them a sheepish look. “He doesn’t want you to know which way we’re headed, either, so you’re supposed to stay belowdecks.”

  The nun’s eyes widened with shock. “What is he planning to do with us?”

  “Don’t worry,” Brigitta assured her. “We’re just going to a secret place. Rupert told me about it last night.”

  Sister Fallyn looked even more upset. “Ye talked to him alone?”

  “I’ll explain after breakfast,” Brigitta said.

  Sister Fallyn huffed as Jeffrey made a quick exit.

  After a few bites of oatmeal, the nun set down her spoon. “I must know what’s happening.”

  “Very well.” Brigitta fetched the paper from the next room. When she returned, the nun was nervously pacing about. “Here.”

  Sister Fallyn quickly read the notice, then dropped it on the floor and backed away as if it were poisonous. Her hand fluttered to her chest, then her mouth. “I-I think I may be sick.”

  “We’ll be all right.” Brigitta patted her shoulder. “Rupert has agreed to take us to a secret place where my brother will never find me.”

  “But what about the gold he would make with yer ransom?”

  “He’s willing to give it up, so we’ll be safe.”

  “Oh, my.” Sister Fallyn collapsed in a chair. “These pirates are surprisingly … noble.”

  “Aye,” Brigitta agreed. “I believe Rupert and the captain are honorable men.” She didn’t want to mention the revenge that Rupert might be planning. She’d tossed on the narrow bed half the night, trying to figure out why he would hate Gunther enough to kill him.

  Was it somehow connected to the visions she’d seen? Rupert’s father had been murdered, then his mother had been driven off a cliff. Both of them had died, an eerie echo of the ill-fated deaths that had befallen the hero and heroine in the book Rupert had loaned her. Had the deaths of his parents inflicted a wound on him so severe that he was now drawn to tragic endings? Did a happy one seem impossible to him?

  And why did Rupert want her brother dead? In her visions, Rupert had been a child when he’d lost his parents. So it seemed doubtful that Gunther had been responsible. He was only a few years older than Rupert.

  Sister Fallyn suddenly rose to her feet. “I have made a momentous decision.”

  Brigitta blinked. “Ye have?”

  “Aye.” Sister Fallyn nodded. “Ye’re a princess, so ye must remain pure and untouched. And it is my sworn duty to protect you, no matter what.”

  “I don’t think I’m in any danger—”

  “And so—” Sister Fallyn clasped her hands together at her chest—“when the captain comes to ravish us, I will offer myself.”

  Brigitta gasped. “Sister, I don’t think—”

  “I will make the supreme sacrifice!” The nun’s eyes glimmered with tears. “It is my duty. Ye must allow me to do this for you.”

  Brigitta winced. “All right. Thank you.”

  “Good.” Sister Fallyn sat back down to finish her breakfast.

  Brigitta sighed. She’d only agreed because she seriously doubted such a scenario would ever come to pass. And Sister Fallyn had seemed so adamant that Brigitta hadn’t wanted to diminish the nun’s act of bravery.

  Even so, she had a strange feeling that Sister Fallyn might actually be disappointed if the proposed ravishment never occurred.

  * * *

  By that afternoon, Brigitta and Sister Fallyn were tired of feeling cooped up in their room. With nothing to do, the only chore they could come up with was washing the clothes they’d been wearing for three days. When they asked Jeffrey about it, he returned with good news. Captain Landers had given them permission to come on deck to do laundry.

  They changed into their new shifts and gowns, then headed up the stairs with their clothes from the convent. Brigitta inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh sea air after the stuffiness of their cabin.

  Jeffrey was on the portside, filling a tub with fresh water and soap. “Here you go. After the rain, we have plenty of water.”

  “Thank you.” Sister Fallyn dropped their clothes into the tub. “We can take over from here.”

  While the nun swished their clothes in the soapy water with a paddle, Brigitta looked around the ship. Captain Landers, or Stefan, as he wanted them to call him, was on the quarterdeck with a helmsman. Rupert was up in the crow’s nest, facing forward. The sails were full, though she couldn’t tell if the wind was natural or caused by him.

  “I wonder why he’s still wearing the scarf,” she murmured.

  Sister Fallyn shrugged. “Who knows?” She ventured a glance toward the quarterdeck.

  “It keeps the sun off my head,” Rupert’s voice tickled Brigitta’s ear.

  She glanced up at the crow’s nest to find him now focused on her. His mention of the sun reminded her that she should be able to tell which direction they were headed. Since it was midafternoon, the sun would be slightly to the west. That meant they were currently headed north?

  “Are you trying to figure out where we’re going?” Rupert’s voice filtered toward her on a breeze.

  “North,” she whispered.

  “At the moment, yes. But as long as you’re on deck, we’ll be going in circles.” With a movement of one hand, he shifted the wind.


  On the quarterdeck, Stefan yelled out orders, and crewmen adjusted the sails. The ship veered slowly toward the east.

  So they didn’t think she could be trusted. Why? Because Gunther was her brother? How could she have any loyalty to a family member who had ignored her existence until he needed to use her? Brigitta shot Rupert an annoyed look, then turned her back to him and took the paddle from Sister Fallyn. “Let me do it awhile.” She gave the clothes a stab.

  The nun frowned at the large tub. “This is a lot of work for only a few clothes. Perhaps I should see if … someone else has some laundry they would like done?” She glanced again toward the quarterdeck.

  “Ye mean Stefan?” Brigitta whispered. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

  Sister Fallyn took a tiny step toward the quarterdeck, then stopped. “Nay. It wouldn’t be proper to mix a man’s clothes with ours.”

  “I don’t think he would mind.”

  Sister Fallyn bit her lip. “He might think I’m terribly forward—”

  “There’s no harm in simply talking to him.”

  Sister Fallyn nodded. “Actually, I should thank him for rescuing us from the clutches of yer evil brother. That would only be well mannered of me.”

  “Exactly.” Even though Brigitta considered Rupert the main rescuer. She smiled to herself as Sister Fallyn cautiously approached the quarterdeck.

  Normally, she would never approve of a relationship between a man and a nun, but Sister Fallyn’s life was no longer normal. She and Brigitta could end up stranded on Rupert’s Island for years.

  Once again, a jab of disappointment pricked at her. No matter how she thought about it, running away to hide seemed a bit cowardly. But what choice did she have when her brother was planning to use her so abominably? Or when he could use his army or navy to attack those she cared about.

  She also felt guilty that Sister Fallyn would be forced to share her self-imposed exile. But if the sister was able to find some happiness in the midst of this turmoil, then Brigitta would be delighted for her. And relieved that she wasn’t destroying the nun’s life.

  She glanced toward the quarterdeck. The captain and Sister Fallyn were talking to each other quietly. He looked just as nervous as she did. With a smile, Brigitta swirled the paddle around.