by Andrea Boyd
There was no way I would agree to a private meeting with him, and after killing my father and his own son, he did not deserve the respect of a proper address. At least I had his attention now. He was looking around the dining hall, probably calculating just how much damage control was needed. Some had already left the room with nervous glances behind them.
“I will ask you again, where is Garrett?”
Coman looked nervously past my shoulder in the direction of Finelle. “You have come here with these unfounded accusations. Where is your proof?”
“You have been aided by one of my own advisors. Reilly confessed to everything.”
“And now he is dead. Again I ask you, where is your proof?”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He knew the proof did not exist. I would give almost anything for it right then. “Reilly could not be made to testify against you. It does not matter. You are not on trial here. I just want you to release Garrett. We will go back to Aisling, and you can stay here. All I care about right now is my husband.”
“You and your men are welcome to search every inch of this castle and its grounds. You will never find your king.”
There was no way he would have just given me full access to his castle if Garrett was here. I had somehow convinced myself that Garrett was alive and had just been held captive. Coman had emphasized never in such a way that left me without a doubt that what he was saying was true. Garrett would never be found. I could feel the blood drain from my face. I pressed my hand to my lips. I would not allow this monster to see me cry.
He leaned toward me and lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “If you had just married Dunbar like you were meant to, none of this would have happened. If you had just played along like a good little girl, my sons would still be alive. Do you understand . . .”
Coman’s face froze. A knife had flown across the room and was now lodged in his chest. I swung around to see who had thrown it. Finelle stood with her hand forward as if she too had frozen in time along with her husband. Tears began to pool in her large green eyes, and she covered her mouth with both hands in obvious shock over what she had done. I caught a glimpse of Rian slipping from the room, but everyone else stood still in that moment that seemed to go on forever.
I looked back at Coman as he started sliding down to the floor. I quickly climbed over the table to get to him. I honestly did not care about him, but if there was any information to be had about Garrett, I wanted to hear it.
I knelt down beside him, and he turned his pale face in my direction. “Please tell me where Garrett is. Please, just tell me if he is still alive.”
There was a slight shake of his head, but he did not say anything. Finelle had made her way around the table and knelt down on the other side of him, and he turned his head toward her.
She tenderly took his hand into hers while tears streamed down her beautiful face. “Oh my darling, I am so, so sorry.”
He brought his trembling hand up and placed it on the side of her face. “No worries, my love. I am sorry about the boys. I love you.”
He took one last gasping breath, and it was over. The shaking of his head and his apology to his wife confirmed my worst fears.
Finelle threw herself across his body and sobbed. I wanted to cry with her.
A matronly looking woman came and started pulling her queen into a standing position. “Come away. There is nothing else you can do now, My Queen. Let me get you to your room. Come along.” She spoke in a quiet soothing tone as if she were trying to calm a small child or a spooked horse.
I stood and looked around the room without really seeing anything. Everyone seemed to be in shock. People began murmuring she just killed the king, she should be locked away for this, and she will see the chopping block for this. I could see this had the potential of getting out of hand. I raised my voice to be heard above the din. “Finelle is your queen. By the laws of Kearnley, she had every right to execute a traitor and the murderer of her children, even if he was the king.”
Only one man spoke up, but I was sure his thoughts represented most of the people here. “You heard King Coman. Where is the proof?” A few others shouted out in agreement.
“He just as much as admitted to it.” I pointed and looked back at Coman’s body, and it hit me that Finelle and I had probably been the only two to hear his last words. I turned back toward the crowd.
“Never mind, I will get you your proof. In the meantime, Finelle is still your queen. If anyone lays a hand on her, I will personally make sure you pay. I am sure the king and queen of Dermot will support me in this endeavor.”
Everyone seemed to take a step back at my threat. I started giving out orders. Coman’s body was removed. Finelle had been led away to her chambers. I posted one of my warriors and one of hers in front of her door just as a precaution. I sent my other warrior to find out where the pigeons were kept and had a message sent to Aisling. Hopefully my cryptic note would alert Reagan that he needed to come home immediately. I trusted Eamon enough to make sure he would be well guarded on his return trip.
As things started to settle down within the castle, desperation for my own loss closed in. I took a walk outside to be alone with my grief. I could not go very far in the dark, so I ended up at the pasture fence behind the stables. I would never see Garrett again. I would never hear him tell me again how much he loved me, and it was too late for me to ever share those words with him either.
Eoghan ambled toward me. He brought his face down next to mine, and I leaned into him for support. He no doubt missed Garrett. It was nice to feel like there was another being in this kingdom who shared some of my grief. I would have thought the tears would be pouring out of me by now, but they never came. It would have been a sweet relief.
I whipped around when I realized someone was coming up behind me, my hand automatically going for my sword. I never expected to see Rian there. His head was hung low, and it just hit me how he must be feeling. He had witnessed his father’s death at the hands of his mother. No child should ever have to experience that. My heart filled with compassion for the first time for this boy. I wanted to reach out and hold him to me, but I was not sure how I would be received.
He opened and closed his mouth as if he was not sure what he wanted to say. He seemed to have trouble looking at me. He finally focused his gaze on the horse behind me. I had no idea what he could possibly have to say to me. “I know where Garrett is.”
I never would have expected to hear those words coming from him. In my excitement I grabbed both of Rian’s arms. He looked up with fear in his eyes, but I was too shocked and excited to let go. “What? Where is he? Is he alive?”
“He is at some place called the ruins. Father would not have done anything to hurt him. I heard him tell the warrior to hold him there. He was just trying to get him to join the kingdoms. That is all. He must still be there.”
This news had my mind spinning. I remembered now about Garrett telling me that the dungeon was still intact beneath the old castle ruins. I could not believe I had just ridden right by there. My heart leapt with the thought that he could still be alive, but I had not forgotten Coman’s words to me. I knew he was capable of anything. If Garrett was still alive, it was unlikely that he had escaped all harm. But I would not reveal my thoughts to this child. I decided to allow Rian to live out his hero image of his father a little longer. He already had enough to deal with at such a young age.
“I have already sent for help from Aisling, but it may take a week or so. Until everything is sorted out here, your mother is going to need for you and Terence to support and protect her. You need to be careful who you trust, Rian. Do you understand?”
His eyes blared with anger, but he gave me a curt nod.
“I am going after Garrett. You can tell my men where I am but no one else, and make sure no one overhears. This is important. Do I have your word?”
I knew I was being paranoid, but everyone I felt I could really trust was in Aisling.
“I promise not to tell anyone, all right?”
He stomped away with his anger still intact. I did not have time to worry about it. I would not wait for my men or ask for help from even a stable hand. My mind was on nothing else but saving Garrett, and that was enough to propel me.
Twenty-Five
THERE WAS NO way I would put Torin through the trip back to Aisling after wearing him out coming here. I climbed over the fence and pulled Garrett’s horse into the stable. Eoghan danced around as I got him ready for the trip. He may have picked up on my jumbled emotions, or maybe he was just ready for another journey. I placed my own blanket and saddle on him. He was slightly bigger around the middle than Torin, but it would work. Luckily, there was no one here at this late hour. I did not want to have to explain myself to someone who may be loyal to Coman.
I could tell Eoghan did not approve of me riding him, but as soon as we were far enough away from the castle, I loosened my hold and allowed him to keep his own pace. This was by far the fastest horse I had ever ridden. I leaned forward in the saddle, and we flew. Thoughts of Garrett drummed in my head to the sound of hooves pounding the ground. When he needed to walk, we walked, and when he wanted to run, I allowed him to run. I just held on and made sure he was aimed in the right direction.
It was almost daylight and we were both exhausted before we finally stopped. I had kept a lookout, but as far as I could tell no one had followed. After a restless few hours of sleep, I was back on the road again with my muscles protesting the abuse I had put my body through this week. I was making great time, but my thoughts churned with the possibilities of what could be happening with Garrett, and getting there was not going fast enough to suit me.
Later that day as Dragon’s Keep came into plain view, I angled Eoghan toward the river so I could come in from the east using the tree line for cover. I studied the castle ruins trying to make a plan. There was a wide open field between the river and the ruins. If someone were on the lookout, they could take me out with an arrow before I even saw them. It would probably have been better to sneak in after dark, but there was no way I was going to wait that long. I did not even want to contemplate all the things that could happen to Garrett during the delay if I waited.
I tied Eoghan off and unhooked my bow. I ran in a low crouch with my shield in front of me until I got to the edge of the rubble. I expected to be shot at any time. It was stupid for me to take such chances, but what choice did I have? I tried not to disturb any of the loose stones as I made my way around the castle remains looking for an opening.
As I came around to the side facing the road, I heard an unfamiliar voice echoing up from the rubble. I instinctively ducked, carefully searching the area around me to find the person attached to the voice. There was no one to be seen. That was when I noticed a tunnel-like opening leading at a slant into the ground. I cautiously made my way to the mouth of the passage.
“I asked you if you were hungry, boy, and you had better answer.”
I had a hunch the man was speaking to Garrett. I listened for a response, but did not hear anything. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest at any moment, but I continued to follow the downward slope of the tunnel until I was in sight of what could only be the old dungeon. It would have been dark here but for the apparent holes in the ceiling above allowing in streams of light.
Garrett hung by his arms from chains attached above him. He was battered and filthy, stripped of clothing from the waist up, and I could almost count his ribs. His position had him struggling for each breath, but thankfully he was still alive. I wanted to cry. The captor waved a piece of molded bread under his nose.
I did not personally know the man torturing Garrett, but something about him seemed familiar. I had seen him somewhere before. I studied the flaming red hair on the back of his head. He shifted a little giving me more of a side view, and it hit me where I had seen him before. This was Oscar, the same man who had attempted to kill Reagan.
Garrett had only told me after Reagan explained what happened. I remembered him from when he delivered the basket sent from King Coman on my wedding night. Coman had sent his best soldier to pose as a castle servant in order to spy on us. He probably meant it as a threat too since he had known Garrett would recognize the man.
This meant he was also one of the prisoners Garrett had gone to question. There had been another prisoner with two of my guards who had aided in their escape and in capturing my husband. My pulse quickened once again. Where were they? I kept my bow and arrow trained on him while I did a quick scan of the room as well as the tunnel behind me, but I did not see or hear anyone else there.
I was quickly drawn back to the scene before me when Oscar kicked Garrett’s feet out from under him and spit in his face. Filled with rage, I released my arrow instantly. The wicked man slumped down on the floor dead. I ran to Garrett and tried to lift him up to take the weight off his arms. How could Coman allow this to happen to his own flesh and blood?
I looked around frantically. “Keys, where are the keys?”
“His belt.” Garrett was barely whispering. I was surprised to find him conscious.
I scrambled over to the dead man and felt around on his belt until I found the keys. “Is there anyone else here? Garrett, I need to know if there is another warrior around. Can you hear me?”
“No. No one else.”
He crumpled when I released the last shackle from his wrist. I gathered his thin, limp body up in my arms as best as I could. All of my pent up emotions seemed to flow from me all at once, and with it came a torrent of tears and trembling.
“Oh Garrett, I thought you were dead. I thought I would never see you again, and you would never know how much I love you. I should have told you before you left. I am so sorry. I love you so much.”
My tears were leaving streaks in the dirt caked upon his face. He was lying there in my arms with his eyes closed, and I was not even sure that he was conscious.
When I got to that last line, his lips turned up into a smile. “I knew it. I knew you loved me.”
This brought laughter through my tears. Everything was going to be all right. I carefully lowered his upper body down to the floor. “I am going to get my supplies. I will be right back. Are you still with me?”
“Water.”
I searched the dungeon and found a canteen along with a supply of food next to a bedroll in the corner of the room. Food could wait, but I did give him a sip of water before going back for medical supplies. I left Eoghan by the stream and hauled everything I had in my saddle bags back to the ruins.
I found his shirt hanging from a hook in relatively good condition, but I could bet that he had been wearing the same trousers for all of these weeks. As much as I wanted to cut them off and discard them, I did not have anything else for him to wear.
I cleaned him up as best I could and applied a salve to all his cuts. The stripes of raw flesh across his back were the worst of it. I had to be adding to his pain, but there was no help for it. When I finished, I wrapped his unclothed body in my own bed roll, and he was instantly asleep.
I rummaged through the warrior’s things and found an extra pair of trousers and undergarments that were in better shape than Garrett’s. Of course they would be too big, but it was better than what we had. I took them along with Garrett’s shirt down to the river where I gave them a hurried washing. I hung them on a branch and rushed back to Garrett’s side. One of Coman’s men could show up at any time. We were not safe here, but we would have to stay put until Garrett gained enough strength to leave.
Garrett was still sleeping peacefully when I returned. I wanted to crawl into that bedroll with him just so I could hold him in my arms once more. I needed assurance that this was real, that he was really there. But I would stay on guard with my bow in hand, at least until he woke again. I did not know what we would do then. I would have to sleep sometime, and Garrett was in no shape to defend either of us.
My gaze
kept going back to Garrett. His face was battered, his hair and beard were too long, but he was still beautiful to me. I could not get over the wonder of the fact that he was still alive. It was as if I expected him to disappear again every time I looked away. I thanked God over and over again that we had another chance. I must have fallen asleep because I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, and it was almost too dark to see now. I looked around in a panic. I could not let this happen again.
“My father did this.” My attention was back on Garrett at his unexpected announcement.
“I know.”
“He might come back.”
“No, he will not, but one of his men might. Do you know what happened to the other three who left Fort Bevan with you?”
“They are all dead. Oscar killed them. No one else knows we are here. We are safe.” His features relaxed in obvious relief as he said that last sentence. He pulled back the top of the bedroll in invitation. I only hesitated for a minute before taking off my boots and scabbard and crawling in with him. He wrapped his arms around me, closed his eyes, and went right back to sleep.
He was still asleep when I woke to the dim light of day streaming through various cracks in the structure above us. I eased into a standing position and put my boots back on. I looked around me to find everything the same. I would have to do something with Oscar’s dead body if we stayed here any longer. I dreaded the thought of having to deal with that task. I looked back at Garrett when he sat up.
The blankets fell away to reveal his thin battered body. I had known his condition, but it was still a shock to see him like this. He ran his hand across his beard and looked up at me.
“My father is dead, is he not?” I had never given the kind of news I was about to share, but I had been on the receiving end enough to know it was better not to drag it out.
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?” I hated to think what the consequence would have been if I had.