“It needs to be cleaned.” I tried to drag him back to the house, but there was no dragging my mountain of a guard anywhere he wasn’t willing to go.
“It needs to be cleaned with the blood of the corsair,” Dax said.
I spun around to face him. “What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Folklore,” Liam said, sounding like it pained him to admit it. “It’s a magical wound. It will only heal with a spell or the blood of the magical creature who caused it.”
“You can’t be serious?” Finn demanded.
“It’s a snow corsair,” Tobias said in a short tone. “When are you going to finally accept that this is real?”
Finn looked like he was about to shout again. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut and stormed off toward the house.
Dax moved toward the animal cautiously, his sword up and ready to take it on. Blood already seeped from a slash in the corsair’s neck. “Tobias. Liam. Take off Matthew’s shirt.”
Matthew released a sound that suggested he didn’t need help and reached for the hem of his shirt.
“Stop,” I protested, and surprisingly, he did as I asked. I turned to Liam. “I need my blade.”
Liam squatted and picked up the knife, then handed it to me, handle first. I glanced up at Matthew. “There’s absolutely no reason to take your shirt off when we only need to see your arm. I can’t have you getting cold.”
He grinned. “This sounds familiar.”
I cocked my head to the side and stared up at him with a haughty look. “I listened to you. You need to listen to me.” I lifted the blade and sliced a line up his sleeve, hoping we could mend it later. I had no idea how many changes of clothes he had, and he was so large we couldn’t just pilfer clothes for him from abandoned houses.
Once I had the sleeve parted, I could see four deep cuts. “He needs stitches.”
“He may not need them,” Dax said. “The blood might be enough.”
“What if the blood only allows it to heal?” Liam asked. “If I remember my grandmother’s stories correctly, the wound will never heal unless it’s magically treated. Otherwise, you still treat it the same.”
“We need a bowl to collect the creature’s blood,” Dax said.
“On it.” Tobias took off in a sprint to the house.
“I still want to know what happened,” Liam said, sounding calmer.
“I need some space,” I said. “So I came out here, and Finn followed. Then the corsair showed up, and Finn told me to squat down, and it attacked. But that hole appeared, and I dropped into it. Finn shouted and tried to draw it away, but it was like it smelled the air and preferred me.”
“It smelled her magic,” Dax said, glancing at Liam. “Snow corsairs were hunters of magic. That’s why they’re back. Because of magic’s rebirth.”
My mouth dropped open, but Liam turned to Matthew. “The thing attacked you next. It ignored the four of us and went straight for you. And the strike of your blade was the only one to bring it down.”
Matthew was quiet for a moment, then said, “Elena awoke something inside me last night.”
“What?” Liam asked.
“The thing inside him,” I said. “The thing I crave from all of you. The thing inside me reached out to his.”
“And now you have magic?” Liam asked with narrowed eyes.
“I haven’t tried to use it, but I think maybe so. I feel different. I can sense vibrations in the ground—I could sense the corsair approaching the house, although I had no idea what it was. I felt its connection to the earth.”
“Earth magic,” Dax said. He turned to me. “How did the hole appear?”
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling shaky. This couldn’t be real. “The creature was getting ready to attack, and I was squatting . . .” My eyes widened. “And I wished the earth would open and hide me, and then the ground opened up.”
Dax’s eyes went round. Then he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “My Queen.”
My breath came in rapid pants. “Dax. What are you doing? It’s one thing to defy my father, but another to try to usurp his crown.” I turned to his captain. “Liam.”
Liam’s gaze swung from Dax to me, as though seeing something he hadn’t seen before. He dropped to his knee as well, clapping his clenched right fist against his chest. “My Queen.”
Matthew broke from my hold and knelt on one knee. “My Queen.”
“Stop,” I protested.
Tobias was approaching with the bowl in his hand and a folded cloth in the other. He looked surprised when he saw us and came to a halt. “What’s going on?”
“Elena opened up the earth on command. The legend is true,” Matthew said. “She is the mother of magic. She is the heiress of the Kingdom of Light.”
“She made that hole with magic?” Tobias asked, then dropped to his knee. “My Queen.”
“Stop!” I shouted. “This is treason! I have no desire to steal my father’s crown.”
Dax looked up at me, rising to his feet. “You will not be taking it, Your Majesty.”
“Please don’t tell me that you will,” I begged. While they were the strongest, bravest men I knew, they couldn’t fight my father’s army. Nor did I want them too.
“Not us,” Dax said. “The gods.” He paused and frowned. “And the heir to the Kingdom of Darkness.”
I shook my head, completely overwhelmed. “I’ve heard enough nonsense to last me a lifetime, let alone before breakfast.” Then I headed toward the house.
Stealing my father’s throne was bad enough, but the thought of joining with the heir to the Kingdom of Darkness to do so was madness. I’d willingly face death first. Especially if Leonardo was the heir.
11
We ate our breakfast quickly, and I tried to convince Liam to leave a few coins to pay for all the clothes and the use of the house, but he shook his head with a sad look in his eyes. “They won’t be returning, Ellie. It would be a waste to leave money we might need later.”
“But how can you be sure?” I asked.
He grimaced. “Just trust me on this.”
“We found the bones of four people,” Dax said. “A man, a woman, and two children. In the animal’s lair.”
“Dax,” Liam grunted.
“She deserves the truth.”
“The corsair had a lair close to their house, which is extremely unusual,” Tobias said. “They don’t usually live close to people.”
“You’re thinking about regular corsairs,” Dax said. “Not snow corsairs.”
“My father told me there were increased reports of corsairs to the east,” I said. “He said they were attacking villages, and it was unusual.”
“It is,” Liam said with a frown. “I don’t like it.”
“He also said that dracnas had been spotted to the south.”
Finn had been scowling in silence and turned to me with a glare. “Dracnas don’t exist.”
“And neither do snow corsairs,” Dax said.
“I raised my own doubts,” I said. “But he claimed it had been confirmed by the royal guard. Men were killed. They found a mated pair.”
“The world has been preparing for the return of magic,” Dax said.
Finn groaned.
“Finn,” Liam said in a short tone. “Do you have another explanation?”
His brow furrowed. “No. But just because you can’t explain something doesn’t mean it’s automatically magical.”
“Did you see how Elena ended up in a hole?”
“The earth gave way.”
“At that precise moment?”
“Thanks be to the gods,” Finn said in a defiant tone as he held Liam’s gaze.
“I don’t care what cause Finn assigns to what happened,” I said. “These things are happening. There is no disputing that. My father is many things, but prone to exaggeration is not one of them. If he says there are dracnas, then there are. If it makes you feel better, Finn, I needed convincing as well.”
“But w
e’re all in agreement that the corsair’s behavior was uncharacteristic,” Liam said.
“What if it was lying in wait for Elena?” Matthew asked, his arm tightly bound after Dax had given him multiple stitches.
“That’s nonsense,” Finn said.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Liam said. “But I think we should be on guard for anything.”
“This explains Prince Leonardo’s behavior,” Tobias said. “He obviously believes that magic is returning to the world. If he knew about the snow corsairs and the dracnas, it would explain how he found out about what happened in the temple. He had to have suspected she is the mother of magic and had someone watching her.”
And I knew how. “The kitchen apprentice,” I said. “She’s from Leonardo’s court. She said he sent her ahead so she could prepare his regional food once he arrived. I bet he really sent her to spy.”
“A kitchen apprentice?” Finn asked, sounding skeptical.
“Elena spends hours in the kitchen,” Tobias said.
Dax grinned. “And never learned to cook.”
I laughed, surprised I could when things felt so dire. “Hey, I learned to bake bread. That was more culinary experience than my poor mother could handle. Princesses don’t learn practical things like cooking. Maybe that’s why they let me train with you when I was a child. Because it wasn’t practical.” My grin faded. “Other than my room, the kitchen is the only place I could be myself. It makes sense Leonardo would plant someone there.”
“She mentioned Elena’s eyes glowing,” Matthew said. “And she muttered that Elena was the one.”
“So Leonardo wanted to be sure Elena had magic,” Liam said. “But why chase after her? Why not wait for her to return for the wedding?”
“In the legends, is there some sort of timetable?” Tobias asked. “Anything to push for something to happen once the mother of magic was given her role?”
“I never heard of one,” Dax said.
“Us,” Liam said, focusing his gaze on the wall. “We’re the timetable. He’s afraid we’ll claim her.”
We were all silent at that. He wasn’t far from the truth.
Liam stood. “Five minutes, and then we’re leaving.”
I knew what he wasn’t saying. We had to make sure we stayed ahead of Leonardo’s men.
Tobias had found a warmer cloak for me to wear as well as a woolen hat, thick mittens, and a blanket to throw over my lap. Still, my guards worried I’d be too cold.
“I’m fine,” I said after I climbed onto my horse. “And I promise I’ll tell you if I’m not.”
We made slow progress. The horses were bogged down by the snowfall in the road, making the road difficult to see at times. When we stopped for a midday break, Liam was frustrated we hadn’t gotten farther.
“I want to make it to Millwood before sundown,” Liam said.
“You want to stay in a town?” I asked. “Is that a good idea?”
“We’ll enter in small groups. We should avoid unwanted attention.”
My five guards were very good-looking men. There was no way they were going to avoid attention. Despite the fact that they’d left their guardsmen uniforms at the castle.
“How will you explain me?” I asked.
He gave me a dark look and didn’t say anything.
The sun came out after lunch, and the air felt a little warmer. My guards still worried, but I assured them that my cape was fur-lined and had been designed for the cold. But thinking about the cape made me think about the family who had lived in the house. Had they really lost their lives because the snow corsair was waiting for me? How had the creature known I’d be there? We were far off our original course.
Matthew rode behind me, and I kept shooting him worried looks. If Dax was right, the blood of the corsair would let the wound heal, but Matthew was still in a lot of pain. Other than cradling his arm to his chest, he never let on, but I could feel his pain through the connection we now shared. I knew he’d felt that the magic in me was injured. Was his connection to me the same, or could he feel more? I didn’t dare ask right now.
While I was worried about Matthew’s physical injury, I was worried about Finn’s rift with his guardsman brothers. They had always worked well together because they were so close. Sure, they’d argued and had disagreements, but I’d never seen them so at odds. I was the cause, but I was at a loss as to how to fix it.
Thankfully, my night with Matthew had calmed the magic inside me, making it easier to be near my guards. I was still very aware of them—more so than the day before—but I seemed to be able to control it better.
We reached the top of a low mountain and headed down the back side. The sun had disappeared behind the next mountain, making the valley darker than it should have been this early in the afternoon.
I could tell Liam was getting worried, especially since we could hear wolves howling in the distance, and we still hadn’t reached Millwood. But just as the sky began to truly darken into evening, the village came into view less than half a mile down the mountain.
“We’ll split up,” Liam said. “Three and three. Me, Matthew, and Finn. Tobias and Dax, you take Elena. Dax, Elena stays with you.”
None of the men questioned this arrangement, so they must have discussed it this morning.
“Oh,” Liam said as though something just hit him. He walked his horse toward me and reached for my hand. Then before I realized what he was doing, he slipped a thin gold band on my left ring finger. “You should probably wear this until we reach the temple.”
I stared at the ring with a gaping mouth. “A wedding band?”
“That’s the only way we can pull off having you sleep in a room with Dax.”
If possible, my jaw dropped open even more. But I quickly closed it when it hit me what he was saying. Tonight I was sleeping with Dax, and we all knew it would involve more than sleeping.
Dax studied me, probably to see if I was okay with the arrangement, but I shut my mouth and looked away. I was horrified, but the magic in me was eager.
If Matthew had opened my ability to use earth magic, then it made sense to see if Dax could unlock something else. And I couldn’t forget that Matthew’s magical ability had been unlocked as well. If I could give Dax access to magic of his own, then how could I say no?
But this went against everything I’d been taught. How I’d been raised. How could I have these intimate encounters with all five of my guards?
I cast a quick glance toward the scowling Finn. Well, not all five. Finn was definitely against it.
Dax rode his horse next to mine, and Tobias took the rear. We got some reaction when we entered the village, but nothing alarming. I pulled the hood of my cloak farther over my head and made sure my long blond braid was tucked inside. My light blond hair was uncommon, and if word had spread that the princess had escaped with her guards, my hair color and the two men I was riding with might give us away.
It didn’t take long to find an inn. Dax and I stayed on the horses while Tobias went inside to see if two rooms were available. He was out in less than a minute. “Taken care of. Dax, if you want to take Elena inside, I’ll stable the horses. I’ll meet you inside.” He grinned at me. “There’s a tavern serving hot meals.”
The thought of dinner made my stomach growl, but the thought of what would follow in a room with Dax made it flip-flop.
Dax had climbed down from his horse and walked over to mine, lifting his hands to help me down.
I hesitated, even if the magic in me sparked to life. But if I were honest, I was excited too.
What did that make me? Was this fair to Matthew?
“Elena,” Dax said softly. “I would never hurt you.”
His gray eyes were so earnest. His dark blond hair poked out of the woolen cap he wore, and his cheeks were tinged pink from the cold. Dax was a handsome man, but now he had a boyish charm that set off butterflies in my stomach.
“I know, Dax,” I said, reaching for him.
His hands
encircled my waist, and he easily lowered me down and set me on my feet, but he didn’t let go. “How are your legs? Are you steady?”
“I’m stiff and sore but better than yesterday.” I gave him a soft smile, and he took me by surprise by leaning down and giving me a soft kiss.
I was sure he meant it for encouragement, but the magic inside me kicked my libido into high gear, making me ache for more.
He leaned back and lifted a hand to my cheek. “I am honored to serve you, my Queen.”
Was that why he was doing this? As an act of service and loyalty? Did it matter as long as he followed through? Fate—or the priestess, depending on how you looked at it—had assigned us our parts to play. Were we obligated to see them through regardless of our feelings?
But my feelings for him were not in question. I was ashamed to say I wanted him, magic or not.
However, something more alarming caught my attention. His words were spoken softly, but the snow amplified sound. What if someone had heard him? I grabbed his face and pulled him closer, whispering in an insistent tone, “You cannot say such things, Dax. What if someone hears you?”
He grimaced. “You’re right. I could have put you in danger.”
Tobias was standing to the side, waiting for us to clear the horses so he could stable them. I turned and reached for my bag, but Dax reached past me and quickly had it undone. He slung it over his shoulder, then undid his own. He put his arm around my back and led me inside.
It was late enough for the evening crowd, but I was still caught by surprise at the number of patrons in the dining area. There were few women, but most were weary-looking men with wind-burned faces—travelers seeking a night’s rest before carrying on with their journey in hopefully better weather tomorrow.
Dax approached a woman who looked like the tavern owner and told her that our friend had reserved us two rooms.
“Have a seat, and we’ll get the missus some warm cider and you something with a little more kick to it,” she said with a lewd wink.
Dax took a second to answer. “Could we have our meal delivered to our room?”
She eyed us up and down with a snaggle-toothed grin and laughed. “Eager to get your new missus alone?” Then she waggled her eyebrows.
Heiress of Light: Magic Reborn (Reverse Harem) Page 14