Morning light brought wretched weather, soaking her and leaving her chilled as she hiked her way back toward Dilseacht. Her legs and lungs burned from exertion. Each step contracted her stomach muscles, causing severe cramps. Occasionally, she stopped along the path to squat and pass a blood clot in the bushes. Despite it all, her energy had returned enough to move forward, or maybe it was sheer determination to find her daughter? She pushed on for over half the day, disregarding her body’s screams for rest. The surroundings slowly became familiar as she following the winding stream she knew ran to the castle.
Her stomach knotted when she spotted the flat landing where she had escaped to swim the day she and Jalomar consummated their relationship—the day she conceived her baby. Every emotion possible choked her. She had lost their baby. Would Jalomar welcome her home? Or hate her when she confessed? It’s not like they had the most loving relationship…ever. Fuck it. It wasn’t like she just handed the baby over. He could be as glad or mad as he wanted to, as long as he helped her find their child.
She could no longer resist a brief respite. Kneeling beside the stream, she scooped up a few handfuls of water. The tranquil scenery mocked her very existence. How could the world be so peaceful when her entire being was facing torment? The sound of hooves broke the serenity. A flurry of blonde hair and flying red cape flitted between the foliage.
The rider popped out of the trees. “Nay!” Lulu screamed as she met Ramona’s bewildered stare. She didn’t even wait for her mare to come to a complete stop before leaping from the saddle.
Adrenaline rushed through Ramona. “Where's my baby?” she screamed and charged.
Lulu crouched low as Ramona came at her. She easily sidestepped Ramona's first attack, her foot snaking out to trip her. Her silky laughter rang out when Ramona hit the ground face first.
Ramona recovered within seconds and rushed Lulu once more. Like a skilled warrior, Lulu dodged the assault, striking out from behind and punching Ramona in the lower back, felling her again. But she pushed herself up once more, anger and determination trumping any physical pain. “Give me back my child!” Ramona roared.
Lulu stood tall, her expression cold, and her voice even colder. “Your child is dead, bitch. There was no use to keep her alive anymore!”
An animalistic scream tore from Ramona’s throat as she lunged. It was Lulu who screamed now as Ramona's foot connected with her groin and caused her to double over. After snatching Lulu up by hairs at the nape of her neck, Ramona dragged her to the closest tree and began to pound Lulu’s face into the trunk, taking extra care to scrape her flesh across the rough bark several times. “You skanky, nappy headed whore! You will die slowly and—”
“I lied!” Lulu managed to shriek between thrashings against the tree. “She's alive, I swear!”
Ramona released her hair and whirled Lulu around, pushing her into the bloodied tree trunk. She pressed the point of her elbow into the soft spot on Lulu’s throat. “Where is she?”
“She is safe.” Lulu cried, her tears mingling with the blood on her damaged face.
Ramona's pressed harder. “I won't ask again. Where is my daughter?”
“She's with Lord Jalomar! I swear it!”
Ramona scrutinize Lulu for any telltale of a lie. “If you lie, I will personally slit your throat when I find you again.”
Lulu never had a chance to respond. Ramona smashed the back of her head against the tree and knocked her unconscious. For good measure, when Lulu hit the dirt, Ramona kicked her in the face. “That should keep you silent for a bit.”
Mounting Lulu’s mare, Ramona tore through the woods for Dilseacht. Within minutes she was charging through the secret passage into the stables, smiling when she saw Gus.
“Milady!” he exploded with excitement. “You’re home!”
“Open the fence, Gus. I'm riding through!”
Gus hurriedly did as told. As Ramona and the horse passed through, he gave the mare’s rump a little smack to spur it on.
Cheers broke out across the courtyard as those present recognized her. She searched the courtyard for Jalomar, but he was nowhere to be found among the gathering crowd. She rode all the way to the castle entrance where a handful of emerging men-at-arms met her at the walkway. An elder soldier helped her dismount and took the horse’s reins. “I am Rasta, milady.” He bowed. “Lord Jalomar be in the library. Shall I escort you?”
Ramona hugged him happily. “Answer me first…is my daughter here?”
Rasta wrapped his arms around her tightly and laughed. “Aye, milady. The little Lady Vida is safe and secure.”
Chapter Forty-five
Jalomar’s head ached. The numbers blurred as he scrutinized the Dika economic reports. Everything was in ruin. It would take years to rebuild Dika and its economy based off of what he was seeing. He held little doubt the numbers were inaccurate, and scribbled down in haste whenever called for. Until he could assign someone the task of record keeping, he had no choice but to use what he had in front of him. Which amounted to nothing. How had Labelle’s people survived the destitution of her reign?
Insistent cheering from the courtyard floated through the open window. He couldn’t concentrate with the added noise combined with an aching brain. He gladly put the report down and decided to check out the excitement. After a satisfying stretch, he peered outside.
Nay…it cannot be…
A white mare raced through the courtyard with a lone female rider. He immediately recognized the frenzy of red curls. He actually tripped over air as he sprinted from the library.
Jalomar met Ramona and Rasta as they entered. “Ramona? How is it possible?”
Ramona ran into his arms. “I never thought I’d see you again,” she cried against his chest.
“Shh, my petite. You're home now. Please do not weep.”
Green eyes turned up, unsure and afraid. “Where's the baby?”
“She's here with me. One of my servants was abducted by Labelle's men. They had Vida, and she escaped and took our daughter with her.”
She bit at her lips, fidgeted with her fingers as she pulled out of his embrace. “Yeah. About that name, we’ll talk later. But who was the servant?”
“Lulu, one of the kitchen maids.”
She threw her head back, tossing her arms into the air; her eyes flashed fire. “No! Lulu is the traitor. She's a spy…and Labelle's lover!”
He cocked a brow. “I think you are confused. My men here can attest to Lulu's appetite for men.”
“I’m not lying! Why would I make this up?”
Jalomar pulled her back in and hugged her tighter. “I believe you believe so. But—”
Ramona shoved him. “If you won't help me, then I'll find Sandread. He knows the truth!”
Damn the Vespa. Why did it always return to Sandread? How could he have been so foolish? Everything made sense now. Ramona had been Sandread's captive for eight months. It was Sandread who was at Ramona's side when Jalomar seized Dika. And even now, as she found her way back to Dilseacht, it was Sandread she looked for—Sandread she needed.
Sandread...
Jalomar hated his brother in that moment; their roles had switched. It was now Jalomar's mind that jealousy clouded as he conjured Ramona lying in Sandread's arms every night, their sweet whispers and shared passion blinding him with rage. “Fine. Go find your precious Sandread. I am sure you can reclaim your room at Dika!” He walked away, refusing to hear anything more she had to say. She was safe, as was his daughter. As far as he was concerned, his duty to the maiden and the prophesy had ended.
Commander Sandread sat at the foot of the rectangular dining table opposite of Cynthe. She had been awaiting Sandread's arrival for a fortnight, already beginning the process of undoing Labelle's tyranny. He flashed his most charming smile to the pretty serving maid as she filled the table with a miniature feast of wild boar, steamed carrots, freshly baked bread and churned butter, as well as a variety of fish. Cynthe wasted no time piling her plate hig
h and popping the enticing morsels into her mouth. She and Sandread ate in peaceful silence, something Dika had been missing for decades.
Since the attack, all was coming together with patience and hard work. Bodies no longer cluttered the bailey, having been properly buried. The inside of the castle had slowly returned to its previous immaculate cleanliness state before Labelle's damning reign. Clean bedding made from fresh rushes and the thousands of bolts of fabric that had been hidden away, now occupied every bedchamber, including the servants’ quarters. New linen uniforms had been sewn for the many freed servants that remained to serve their new lord, and fresh drapery tailored for the dozens of bare windows from the red-dyed silk of Labelle's personal stash. The entire keep had been swept thoroughly and dusted for cobwebs, and unwanted pests had been shooed out or eliminated.
After hearing of Labelle's demise, Horgan, Supreme Ruler of the Eastern Hemisphere, sent a messenger declaring peace and offering to reopen the trade route between the three hemispheres once again. Something Cynthe never imagined happening in her lifetime. She happily stuffed another bite into her mouth. The tang of the lime fish died on Cynthe's tongue as a voice penetrated her private thoughts.
You've changed nothing, you fool! Only prolonged the inevitable, my sweetest Cynthe.
Cynthe lurched forward in her chair. Azer. His darkness overwhelmed her. She prepared herself for mental battle. “It has changed. The three hemispheres have united so far. All that was needed was a start.”
“The start of damnation! What of the fourth hemisphere? Have you forgotten about the demons who dwell across the great divide of the ocean? They are dark...just like me.”
“Nay. You are not dark, Azer. You are merely lost, and I will bring you home. I promise this.”
“You are the reason I am dark, precious one. I have fallen because of you. I have fallen because of your interference with the prophesy. However, worry not, my love. I will set all right as according to the scrolls.”
“Nay, Azer! The scrolls have already changed. A new path awaits us all. We can still prevail.”
“It is too late for me, but I will not allow all to fail. I will procure your future and that of the Vespa. The humans will fall.”
“Don't say that, Azer. I can bring you home. No one has to fall, we can all live together. My light is strong if you just let me in.”
“Stay away from me, Cynthe. The evil in me will kill you. Stay away!”
Images of Ramona lying broken and bloody upon a bed of gravel filled Cynthe's troubled mind. Azer floated above her corpse, a sinister smile twisting his handsome face.
The trance broke, and Azer’s presence dissipated. Her cheeks warmed beneath Sandread’s concerned glower. The serving maid had stopped mid-serve, her hands shaking as she held a spoonful of carrots over Sandread’s plate. The commander cleared his throat. “Your eyes did that white thing…are you well?”
Cynthe smiled nervously and excused herself. She ran from the dining hall, ready to seek out her next calling—saving Ramona from Azer, and Azer from himself.
Chapter Forty-six
Snuggled between Breandra and Hope, with Vida asleep in her arms, Ramona felt like a sandwich. She relished every second. Hope had grown a ridiculous amount in the last several months and was prone to put everything she saw in her mouth. Breandra’s sixteenth birthday passed, leaving her a ravishing, and now-of-age, young woman. Much to Ramona’s ire, suitors now lined the halls to steal a few moments with Breandra at all God-given hours of the day and night.
Ramona gazed among the three girls lovingly, enjoyment bubbling from her lips. “I just realized I have three daughters!”
Breandra tossed an arm around Ramona and snuggled closer. Hope giggled as she reached for a curl of Ramona’s hair to put in her open mouth. There was nothing in the world that could ruin this moment. “I love you all so much. I will never leave any of you again.”
Sadistic laughter boomed from the doorway. Ramona shot straight up, her eyes snapping to the intruder. Almost nothing.
Azer blocked the doorway. Black eyes seethed his hatred. “Had you not come, I'd still have my light, and I'd still have my Cynthe!”
Ramona bolted from the bed and charged Azer. “Run!” she shouted to Breandra. Scooping up Hope in one arm and Vida in the other, Breandra made a dash for the far corner.
With a single wave, a dark stream of smoke enclosed around Ramona and threw her backwards. She hit the wall and crumbled to the floor. Shaking her head against the dizziness, she tried to regain her focus. She forced herself up, regardless of her blurred vision. Although distorted, she could make out the shape of Azer’s frame and dove low, managing to knock his legs out from beneath him. They both landed hard on the stone floor. Ramona hurriedly pinned him down with her weight “Get out!” she screamed to Breandra. “Get out!”
A hysterical Breandra ran out with her sisters held tightly in her arms.
Jalomar scoured the proposal to rebuild Dika, pleased with the initial numbers and future stable projections. Dilseacht’s recovering economy from the fire, combined with the reestablishment of trade between the three hemispheres, would provide the funding needed to repair and restore the north’s wealth. While the reopening of the ore mines found in Dika’s mountain range could then yield sufficient income while improving both hemispheres in the long term. Per Greselda, who traveled to Dika to inspect the condition of the castle’s interior and staff, a generous turnaround in living conditions was already being implemented by Cynthe and Sandread’s combined efforts, thanks to the hidden caches of goods stored in Labelle’s personal treasury.
He hated to admit it, and most certainly never would aloud, but Sandread had proven himself to be a promising ruler. However, the sting of he and Ramona’s betrayal not only brought pain to Jalomar’s heart, it sliced chunks out of his pride. Every aspect of their union mocked his honorable role as the maiden’s protector, urging him to deny his brother the gift out of sheer malice. It was only out of necessity that Sandread retained any position of power at all within Jalomar’s domain. He needed someone who knew the northern lands and its people, someone who could earn their respect and maintain the peace within. Sandread was that someone, and not only for Dika, but apparently Ramona as well.
He flipped through the pages one more time, trying to clear away the negative thoughts and angst-ridden images his mind conjured. Hah! Some protector he was. He’d not only allowed the maiden—his woman—to be taken from him and imprisoned and mistreated, but worst of all, his inability to procure her safety caused her to turn to another man for protection…a man who had been his enemy for decades. Perhaps it was he who deserved nothing. Sandread was clearly the victor in the maiden’s saga.
The library door burst open; a rush of air teased the lit candle on Jalomar’s desk. “Leave me to my privacy,” he muttered. And to my self-pity.
General Rasta rushed inside, ignoring his lord’s command. “The prisoner has escaped, milord! He left not a clue to where he has gone!”
Jalomar jumped to his feet, damn near flipping over the desk when the general’s meaning hit him. He knew exactly where the dark priest would go. All his anger disappeared in that second as dread clawed at his chest. If Azer found Ramona, it wouldn’t matter who or what she wanted. “Gather as many men as you can find! Meet me at Lady Ramona’s chambers!”
Grabbing a sword from the rack on the wall, Jalomar raced from the library. As he ran through the corridors others began to follow. They met a frantic, sobbing Breandra midway. He sent a silent thank you to the Vespa for keeping all three girls safe. He cupped her chin so she would look up at him. “Where is he?”
“He's got Ramona!”
Jalomar dropped to his knees and embraced the three girls, kissing each one on the forehead. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.” He cocked his head and yelled over his shoulder. “Tyral! Collect Greselda and take the Lady Breandra and children to Gunther's shop. Stay with them and barricade them inside!”
&
nbsp; Several other men joined the gathering as they rushed to Ramona’s quarters. The open door loomed a few feet ahead; a dark glow radiated from inside the room. Weapons drawn, Jalomar and his men swarmed inside.
Instant rage surged through Jalomar as he witnessed Azer manhandling Ramona. Her feet dangled above the floor as the bastard held her by the roots of her hair. “You have been in my way for way too long, you undeserving bitch. Your birth was a mistake! You were supposed to die in your timeline! Had your whore mother just fucking let you die, the prophesy would have never been written!”
Jalomar howled his exasperation as if he were a wild wolf praising the full moon. He lunged for Azer, sword poised to pierce the evil Vespa through the heart. A flash of light engulfed the room, preventing Jalomar from thrusting his steel.
Cynthe appeared at the center. “Nay, Azer. Not like this!” she begged. “Release the maiden. I can help you.”
Cruel laughter followed him as he backed away and dragged Ramona with him to the window. The shutters opened on their own accord. A chilling smirk contorted his features. “If that is what you wish, my love.” He pushed Ramona out of the window, sighing his contentment when her screams echoed across the night. He bowed regally, mockingly “She has been released.”
“Nay!” Jalomar screamed. He ran to the window, everyone else forgotten. Blood oozed from all around Ramona’s still body, coating the white rock below in crimson. Something inside him surged. More than pain. More than anger. All of his training and self-control waned. He held his sword above his head and let the rising berserker take control. Aiming for Azer’s neck, he arced his blade and swung wide.
Cynthe’s scream alerted Azer. He disappeared and reappeared behind Cynthe with a silver handled dagger pressed against her throat.
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