Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Treasured

by Jolynn Raymond

  Sebastian came to give daily reports, but though they were full of woe, Lucian hardly heard them. An early frost had damaged the last of their crops, more were falling ill every day; the Turks had won this battle or that, and were moving closer to the castle. The only news Lucian truly wanted to hear in fact waited with baited breath for hadn’t come. No rider had come to bring news that Alliana was on her way, or that she had been unable to make the journey because of danger. The rider who had left the day Natalya became ill hadn’t returned either, and that was a good sign. Though Lucian had no idea how many days had passed, he told himself that the rider would have done as ordered, and was even now making his way back with Alliana and perhaps Katia too. They simply hadn’t sent anyone ahead with the news because of the danger.

  And so time came and went, and nothing really changed in the chamber that had now become his only world. Natalya’s fever went ever higher despite the medicine and the cool baths. They would make it drop for a short bit, but then she would be wracked with chills all over again. Even so, she hadn’t developed the horrid cough. It was true her breathing was labored, but the cough that made the bodies of the other shake and fight for air hadn’t taken hold of his mate. She was no better than the day he’d brought her to her sick bed, but she wasn’t really worse either, and so Lucian tended her and prayed to a God who would have no use for the likes of him.

  Lucian squeezed the hand he held then put his lips upon it, bestowing kisses interspersed with pleas to his mate and to God, to come back to him. When Natalya still didn’t stir, he’d rest his head in silent defeat, only the thought of keeping Natalya from getting worse made him want to go on. He dozed on and off and still nothing changed. When he slept he dreamed of her being lost to him forever, when he woke he thought about how a life of eternity without his mate would be hell on Earth.

  Sebastian roused him, and Lucian awoke confused, unsure of the time or day but certain that another hadn’t past so quickly since the minion’s last report. “What is it? More trouble? I don’t wish to be disturbed unless the enemy is at our gate.”

  “No Sir, all is as well as it was before, but Miss Thalia said you hadn’t left to eat in over two days. You must feed. Shall I bring a kitchen girl?”

  “If you think I would feed upon the woman within the same room where my mate lies dying, you shame yourself and me. She may be unconscious, but I’d never risk it. Think of the horror it might add to her fevered dreams.”

  “Forgive me, Sir. I am not as used to dealing with human emotions as you are. I simply wanted you to stay strong. You must feed. You’ll be no help to Lady Natalya or the others if trouble comes and you’ve let yourself starve. I’ll summon Thalia and the two of us will watch over Lady Natalya while you go to the kitchen.”

  “If she wakes...”

  “You will be told immediately if there’s a change.” Sebastian took the liberty of summoning a servant before Lucian could object. As they waited, the sound of faint shouts came to them through the closed shutters. The bedchamber he shared with his mate faced the main castle gate, but the shouts would never have been heard by them if not for their enhanced vampire hearing. The walls that surrounded the castle were tall and thick, allowing only tiny slits for arrows. The portcullis was down and the drawbridge up, surrounding them and blocking any who came to the gate. Still, both men could hear shouts, and then the distinct sound of the drawbridge being lowered.

  Lucian raced to the window ready to throw open the shutter, then paused, realizing he didn’t know if blinding sun would pour through and burn him where he stood. He looked to Sebastian for guidance.

  “It’s fine, Sir. Tis dark.”

  More noise, this time it was the raising of the heavy iron portcullis. Lucian opened the shutters, his eyes searching, searching, and there she was. One of the men standing near the castle gate held a torch, and in the light it cast, Lucian saw the most wonderful sight in the world. Lady Alliana had arrived, followed closely by Katia.

  Lady Alliana was home, and her presence could only bring good things for Natalya. Just being near his wife’s best friend would help Natalya’s fight to live, and Katia, well he didn’t know exactly what Katia might be able to do with her magick, but it was possible the girl could use it to bring Natalya back to him.

  “Stay here. I’ll send Thalia up, and then you are to remain by the door until we return.” That said he gave Natalya a quick kiss, then raced out the door and down the stone staircase, rushing towards the salvation he’d prayed would come.

  He took the steps two at a time, raced through the great hall, and out into the inner courtyard as they were dismounting, then stopped and waited until Alliana turned. When she did, she rushed forward, a look of panic on her face as she held out her arms to embrace him. Alliana nearly crushed him with the power of her hug; it was one full of terror and sadness, as well as one that spoke of missing him. When she pulled back, the eyes that bore into him held questions. Lucian knew one would be at the forefront.

  “She’s alive. The fever burns through her and her mind is confused, and she hasn’t woken since I put her to bed... I don’t know how long ago it was.”

  “Almost a fortnight. We’ve been on the road coming back for eight nights. There are bands of Turks everywhere, and at times we had to hide and simply wait. Katia could have done away with them easy enough, but we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

  “A very wise move.” He looked to the rider and nodded his approval. “I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t know she’s been sick that long. I stay at her bedside, but the days and nights are all the same in our dark room.”

  Katia came forward, as well as a young man who was a stranger to him. Lucian hadn’t noticed him in his rush to speak to Alliana, and immediately bristled. It was a time of war and strife, and any stranger had to be mistrusted until one knew for certain otherwise.

  “Uncle Lucian, this is Emillian, my husband.”

  Lucian looked at the young man and then back at Katia, while it was true she’d grown and matured during her time away from the castle, she would always be a little girl in his eyes. Last he’d seen her, her parents were very much against a wedding.

  “Please say something. Mama gave her approval and so did the Kris. I love him, Uncle Lucian, and he is a good man. He wouldn’t think of our traveling alone and insisted on coming. You men seem to forget about my magick and my ability to take care of those around me and myself.

  “No sweet Kat. We don’t forget; it’s that we cannot let go of our need to be protectors. I know you are a young woman now, but you are young. If you were my wife I wouldn’t allow you to venture away from safety without me.”

  Emillian stepped forward doing his best to stand tall and look a man. Lucian of course thought he looked far too young to have married Katia, but he had to remember that sixteen was considered a proper age for being wed.

  “You are Kat’s husband?”

  “I am.” Lucian made it a point of looking him up and down then giving him a gaze that while not menacing, was piercing and spoke volumes, then stepped forward and slapped Emillian on the back. “I will welcome you then. Lady Alliana has taken you for a son; therefore the two of you have my blessing.

  Katia jumped towards him and he held up his arms in the nick of time, catching her as she hugged him tight. “Thank you. I’m so very sorry about Natalya. I don’t think there’s much I can do. Sabina taught me all there is to know about herbs and healing, but my magick... the living body is not an element. I cannot control it.”

  “It is enough that you’re here. Come, you must be cold and tired. Why don’t you and Emillian warm yourselves by the fire in the great room? You will be brought something to eat and drink. Lady Alliana, I know you wish to see Natalya.”

  “I want to see her as well.”

  “Katia, I don’t want you close to her. Your papa would never forgive me if this sickness came over you. He will already fuss that I am here.”

  “Then why did
you bring me, maman?”

  “For the same reason that Lucian was relieved to see you, hope. I must see her before I let you get close. I know it doesn’t make sense and I know I have no way of telling if it’s safe, but still, I wish you to remain below. I know you’ve been thinking about a way to heal your aunt, please just keep thinking and wait.”

  “You are to do as your maman says.”

  Katia shot her husband a scathing look but remained mum, a fact that impressed Lucian. If the boy could control her, then he was more of a man than the vampire first thought. As they walked into the castle, Emillian took Katia’s elbow and steered her towards the chairs by the hearth while Lucian and Alliana went upstairs.

  The room was warm and well lit in preparation for Alliana’s arrival. The bed drapes had been pulled back revealing a very pale and motionless Natalya. Alliana gasped when she saw her friend laying so very still, her pallor as white as the bed linens, her red hair framing her face in a fiery mass of tangles that only accented the milky white of her face. Lucian brushed it daily, but when her fever rose Natalya had fits of tossing about, her mind full of phantoms that chased her in the dreams, and so his efforts to tame her locks were futile.

  Alliana went to Natalya’s bedside and sat upon the bed, taking one of her hot hands and bending to kiss her forehead. “Oh Natalya, seeing you like this breaks my heart. You must come back to us now.”

  “She doesn’t become sicker or develop the cough that plagues so many, but she doesn’t wake, and her fever rages despite the herbs. I sit with her night and day and coax the broth between her lips to sustain her, but it has no effect.”

  Alliana could see Lucian’s pain and her heart broke for him. She knew full well how strong the bond between Natalya and her vampire mate was, and knew he could sense her fear and pain.

  “You are making a difference, Lucian, she isn’t worse. As horrid as this illness is, it hasn’t taken hold all the way. How long did the others who died lay wasting away before they perished?”

  “The sickness hits hard and fast, and almost all become plagued with a cough that steals their breath. Most die within a week’s time.”

  “But she never coughs?”

  “No, not at all, though you can see she struggles to breathe. Not like the others, but it is labored.”

  “What is this sickness? We are so isolated in the camp that it hasn’t touched us. The rider couldn’t tell me much. He said it was reported throughout the realm, and that Natalya had become ill after tending those who were stricken with it.” At her words, Lucian bowed his head and fought for control. Pain knifed through him as the guilt he felt for the hand he had played in Natalya’s illness roared through him.

  “She should have been made to stop. I should have forbidden it, even if it meant locking her in the tower room.”

  “It is useless to blame yourself, Lucian. I know Natalya, she would have hated you for doing that to her. She never could play the part of the privileged Lady of the Castle, it wasn’t in her to do so, and ignore those less fortunate.”

  “It would probably be best if you kept your distance as well. I know I sent for you but I am torn with indecision. If you stay near, you might call her back from the depths of her sickness, but if you are so close as to comfort her, you may get sick as well. Having you here puts you in peril from the Turks and from the death that has settled over the castle. Did you speak with anyone on your journey? Have others spoken of a way to heal the sick?”

  “No, we traveled at night and avoided the roads. My clan is a good bit away, and we followed deer paths and streams through the forest and across the fields. As for my being close to Natalya, there isn’t a question of my not doing so. I love her and she is like a sister to me. I was struck by the coincidence of my journey here, remembering that she made such a journey to come to me when I had lost the will to live.”

  “I remember it well. I was commanded to guard you.”

  “You were and you did. You also taught me to play chess.” Both smiled at the memory of the chess games they’d played to pass the time while Mikhail was off fetching Natalya. Those smiles were replaced with frowns of concerns when Natalya cried out in her sleep.

  “The elixir is wearing off. Her fever will soar now, but we must get some broth into her before we dose her again. She can’t swallow well enough to eat the broth when the milk of poppy puts her to sleep. Even with the tonic she doesn’t rest easy, but Thalia says any rest will help her no matter if the fever still confuses her mind.”

  “Then I shall summon for some broth and make certain she has her tonic after she is fed. You must go feed. I can see how wan you are Lucian. You need to feed and rest.”

  “You must be famished as well, Lady Alliana. I doubt there was much to eat on your journey.”

  “I will have the kitchen maid bring something for me as well, and will eat as soon as Natalya is seen to. Go now; she is in good hands. I will send for you if there are any changes.” Still Lucian hesitated. He trusted Lady Alliana but was loathe to leave Natalya’s side. “Go, I am here now, and the two of us who love her most will be able to share the time by her bedside. I swear I shall send for you. Go.”

  Lucian gave a nod then leaned in to kiss his mate, whispering sweet words of love, and then turned and left the chamber before he could change his mind.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mikhal loosened his hold on the Turkish soldier who had been his dinner, letting the body slip to the ground. His stomach was full and his demon’s need for death satiated, but his mind was troubled. He’d been out in the fields for over a year, fighting the Turks, dealing the black hand of death in his wake, striking terror in as many of the enemy as he could to further the cause of his country, but most of all, searching for his son.

  The endless nights of carnage ran together darker than the blood he took from his victims, and if he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he didn’t have a taste for the slaughter anymore. He knew the vicious killing helped protect those he loved, and that was worth the price of anything, but what used to bring savage glee, now left a sour taste in his mouth, and the sadness over his inability to see his son once again left him despondent.

  If tales of the demons who fought for his motherland and visited the camps of the Turkish warriors in the dead of night, causing unspeakable horror and death made some turn coward and flee, or made a commander change his course and fall back, taking his regiment further away from the castle and the Gypsy camp, then it was all worth it, but that didn’t make him love it any better, or drive the weariness from his very being.

  When this latest attack by the Ottoman Empire began, Mikhal had led a band of his own minions into the thick of things with the bloodlust borne from his demon, and a rage fueled by the knowledge that the Turks would rape and kill those he held dear. He and his men were well-trained killers, even if they were undisciplined in the ways of war. They couldn’t be stopped when they set out each night, savagely killing entire battalions, attacking them when they were at their weakest. The vampire’s eyes were sharper than their human foes, their bodies stronger and faster, and their thirst for terror tenfold.

  It had been a thing of ease, and still was to be honest. It was simply a matter of silently killing the sentries, then falling upon the rest as they slept. The vampires couldn’t be killed by mace, sword, or dagger. It made the battle one sided, with Mikhal and his minions always coming out on top, but the thrill of victory had run its course.

  It had been a satisfying scenario that played out time and again, making them effective soldiers in the battle against the invaders who wished to take and destroy their homeland, and even though they couldn’t become a part of the regular troops who fought by day, what they did made a vast difference in the part of Hungary they defended. All of that had meant so much to Mikhal, but now, none of it seemed to matter anymore. True, there was satisfaction in the killing of those who would do harm to Alliana, Katia, and Natalya, but without the joy that would be had by find
ing Mikhalen, their triumphs felt hollow.

  There were times when he was so close to the boy that his son’s scent still hung in the air. The blood tie they shared made tracking him something that was ingrained. It didn’t take conscious thought. Still, Mikhalen always slipped away. He continually managed to stay one step ahead of his father despite the fact that Mikhal was a master vampire, for the blood tie went both ways, and Mikhal couldn’t track the boy as he rested, for both were hindered by their inability to go forth when the sun was up.

  “They are all dead, Master.” His minion Kristof had taken up the position of his first in command since Lucian had remained home to protect Natalya and Castle Arcos.

  “Have the bodies been placed as instructed?”

  “Yes. All have been savaged and torn apart. Those that find them will tell of the horror that happened here. Tales of savage cruelty and death will be told around the cook fires. They will have much to fear.”

  “Very good, Kristof. And the horses?”

  “Lazar is choosing one, for his mount came up lame. Jakab will leave as soon as he has them tethered together and will take them to Commander Dobo’s camp. His faction isn’t far. He will be pleased with the night’s work. We have saved his men from having to battle these Turks. Surely there would have been death to our side if we hadn’t stepped in.”

  Mikhal nodded in silence, his thoughts on the battles of war overshadowed by his musings about his son. He tried to turn his thoughts back to the matter at hand, though his heart wasn’t in it.

  “We did well. Commander Dobo will appreciate the horses as well as the annihilation of our enemy.”

  Mikhal knew the uncommon understanding that had grown between the commander of the Hungarian battalion who fought to keep the Ottoman invaders at bay in this part of Hungary was a valuable contact despite there being risks in having the human commander know of his men’s true origin, but also knew was a good thing for both men and vampire. They didn’t need Commander Dobo’s authority or consent to be a force to be reckoned with, but it was best to know where to strike each night. Between the two of them, they could battle the Turks night and day, never allowing them the rest humans needed to remain strong.