Haggis picked her up but nearly dropped her, his hands shaking. His confidence had evaporated. He seemed the old Haggis, the one she’d known before the wolf men. He’d been shy and insecure.
For a moment, she thought that man had returned, the Haggis who had just been her neighbor, not a kidnapper. But then, as he carried her from the tent, he began to mutter under his breath. “The Lady won’t like it. Not at all. Shouldn’t have chosen Arianna. This was a mistake.”
Arianna opened her mouth to ask him what in the world he might be talking about, but his look silenced her. The lines of his face, were cold and hard, his gaze narrowed in accusation. He radiated hatred and fear. “Haggis, if she won’t like me, then set me free.”
Haggis’s lip curled back over his teeth. “She’ll decide what to do with you.”
She could feel it, deep in her flesh the way she’d never experienced anything before. It was like the glass. It was a voice inside her head, but outside herself, that told her to be silent. Only this voice soothed instead of worried.
The wind whispered through the trees. He’s coming for you. Don’t say a word.
Who was coming for her? But she knew the answer. Nick.
He wasn’t mad at all. He simply understood what she hadn’t been ready to accept.
Haggis reached the other end of the camp where the castle-like tent stood, and they entered through a large opening in the center. Immediately, the temperature dropped. It was as cold as the ocean had been when she’d been swept to sea.
At one end of a cavernous room sat a chair made of ice. In it was a woman dressed in a pale blue flowing gown, her skin the whitest Arianna had ever seen. Her appearance was so cold that Arianna shivered despite herself.
Her gaze was intent upon Arianna. “Set her on her feet,” the Lady called in a high, cold voice that made Arianna shiver. Haggis instantly stopped and set her down. She nearly toppled over from the shock of being put down so quickly with her feet tied together.
Haggis didn’t seem to notice as he stepped beside her.
“Kneel,” the Lady commanded. Everyone around her dropped as though they were of one body. Arianna tried to do the same, but she couldn’t quite get her feet under her to kneel without falling over.
The Lady rose from her chair and glided over just as Arianna dropped to her knees. “Well, well, well. Look at what Haggis has brought me.” Her voice sounded as cold as her skin appeared. There was no rise or fall in its cadence, which made it all the more frightening.
In here, there was no sound other than the Lady’s voice. The wind, the birds, the rustle of trees were all silenced. But Arianna remembered the voice of the wind and did not ask any of the questions that reverberated in her head.
“The question we must ask is why didn’t you kneel? All my subjects kneel without question, indeed, without thought. Why not you?” The witch began to circle. Arianna wanted to point out that she was, in fact, kneeling. But she knew the Lady of the Ise was referring to the fact that the others had dropped instantaneously as though they had no choice at all just as they had all known of the Lady without being told. Or, at least, that is what Arianna assumed. It was almost as though they could hear the Lady like Arianna did the wind.
But Arianna remained silent as the Lady answered her own question. “The only answer is that you share my blood.”
Arianna started in surprise. That seemed highly unlikely. She felt as though she’d remember a cousin, no matter how distant, called the Lady of the Ise. But she did as the wind bid and kept silent.
The Lady circled her again. “Are you mute?” The toe of the woman’s shoe came under her chin, lifting her head so Arianna was forced to look at her.
Arianna remained silent, and suddenly a breeze swept into the tent. The air had been so still and cold that everyone on the ground turned toward the door.
“Look at the floor,” the Lady hissed. “Close the tent.”
But Arianna heard the breeze whisper, “Don’t look, don’t speak.”
She dropped her gaze to the ground, but the woman stooped low and her hissing voice filled Arianna’s ears. “Who are you? How do you defy me?”
Arianna didn’t look directly at her, and the Lady made to grab her hair. Arianna tensed, knowing it would pull, but as the Lady tried to touch her, every thought cried out that she did not want her to.
The Lady gave a scream and jerked her hand back. “You are a witch,” the woman hissed, standing again. “Otherwise, you would bend to my will.”
Arianna had no idea what had just happened, but she would not ask.
“Haggis,” the Lady hissed. “Who is she? Why have you brought her here? I’ve told you the ceremony must be performed tomorrow night. It is essential.”
Haggis lifted his head as suddenly as if someone had been holding it underwater. “I thought she could be the seventh. I swear, my lady, I only wished to help. She is my neighbor.”
“Yes, yes, so you’ve said.” She waved her hand, emitting a strange white light that trailed behind the movement. Arianna shrunk back afraid it would freeze her if it touched her. There was no warmth to it. Then the woman paused. “Not the sister of the boy in the village that we’ve been keeping quiet?”
“Yes,” Haggis’s voice squeaked and Arianna felt cold fear trickle down her back. The Lady had been keeping her brother quiet? Was she responsible for his illness? Is that what Haggis had meant? Anger pulsed through her. He was but a boy, a small child. How could this woman be so cruel? But the answer was that she was no woman at all.
“Did it ever occur to you to tell me that this girl—” She pointed a long tapered finger at Arianna. “—was the sister of the boy I said to watch carefully?”
Keeping her head down, Arianna glanced over at Haggis. He trembled in fear as he answered, “No, my lady.” He raised his hands in front of him as he pleaded, “I just thought you wanted the boy.”
“Is there any other family I should know about? Are they related to anyone else?”
Haggis trembled. “The old woman in the cottage is their grandmother.”
Crack. The witch brought her hand down across his face with more force than Arianna had imagined possible. Haggis flew backward, being lifted up off his knees and landing flat on his back. He screamed as he clutched his cheek. When he lowered his hand, he appeared to be frostbitten. How could that be true?
The Lady turned away, walking back toward her chair. “I knew I sensed other forces. I could feel there were more powers here than just the boy.” She turned and sat on her chair again. “We’ll have a visit to the cottage tonight. Keep this one away from the others until I decide what to do with her. There must be a way to siphon her power.” She waved her hand toward Arianna. “And we’ll have to find another girl for the ceremony. This one won’t do as a bride.”
Arianna trembled as she hunched her shoulders. Ceremony? Siphoning powers? This was all so much more frightening than she’d ever imagined.
All the wolves stood at once, including Haggis, and he crossed back to her, grabbing her arm. Then, he pulled her from the ground, dragging her from the tent and across the field. He didn’t say a word, and Arianna tried to decide if she should attempt to reason with him. Why was he here? If the Lady was cruel, why did he obey?
The wind no longer whispered, and so she decided to at least try to talk with him. “Haggis?”
He only yanked harder as he made a low growling noise. “Witch,” he muttered, pulling her through the grass.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. Not an hour ago, he’d wished to marry her. It wasn’t that she wanted to be with him, but she’d hoped to use emotional ties to gain some help.
Haggis deposited her in a tent alone, then left without a backward glance. She wished to be back with the other girls. They provided some measure of comfort and knowledge. She wished to see Nick, and she wanted to know who and what the Lady was. Laying her head on her hands, she tried to hold back her tears. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she took lar
ge gulps of air.
Haggis didn’t return, and neither did anyone else. She was grateful for that, but as darkness began to fall, she was tired and hungry, her fear making her worried.
How would she ever get out of this mess?
Chapter Nine
Nick stood at the edge of the field as the sun set. Ewan and his brothers were just behind him. He turned back to look at Ewan. “You’re sure we can’t get her tonight?”
Ewan shook his head. “During the day, the witch must hide from the sun. She stays in her tent. The night is her time.”
“But what if she harms Arianna?” Unease made Nick shift his weight from one foot to the other.
Ewan didn’t look at him but continued to stare ahead. “She won’t harm her tonight. She can’t touch Arianna, and it will take some time for her to figure out how to break through the magic.”
“Magic?” Nick sucked in his breath.
Ewan turned to look at him then. “Arianna’s grandmother has cast a protection spell.”
Nick’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Excellent.”
Ewan’s mouth turned down. “Unfortunately, it leaves her Granny unprotected.”
Nick sucked in a breath. “I was supposed to keep Arianna safe. Now that I’ve failed…”
Ewan placed a hand on his arm. “You are just one man. You cannot fight a sorceress like this. It will take all our powers combined and another generation of magic besides.”
“Another generation?” Graham repeated as he stepped up next to Ewan. “This doesn’t end with us?”
Ewan took a breath. “I am sorry to say, but it doesn’t. You have magic in your family like I do in mine. Your line is older and more diluted. But you weren’t chosen to fight by happenstance. Each of your brides carry magic as well. You feel it, it calls to you. It’s why you fall in love so quickly and completely. And joining two magical families allows your children to access their powers.”
Will scratched his head. “I knew that Eirwen was magical when I met her, and of course Graham and Charlotte’s son holds magic. But Tom? His bride isn’t—”
“Her uncle did not become an alchemist by accident. He is drawn to magic because it flows in his blood. Hers too.”
Tom made a menacing growl deep in his chest. Nick winced on his brother’s behalf. Tom did not like magic, and he was the most resistant to their fate. Nick had to come to grips with all of this after visiting Arianna’s grandmother at the cottage. This was where he was supposed to be.
“To be clear…” Tom moved to Ewan’s other side. “Our children will be magical, and they will have to fight magical beings as we have?”
Ewan did not answer as he looked into the field. The sun’s last rays were piercing the sky, and a howling began at the other end. He turned then, back toward the woods. “We need to hide.” Ewan was already moving deeper into the forest. “We’ll find a willow tree. It will protect us.”
Graham grumbled. “I thought I was done hiding in willow trees.”
Nick gave him a slap on the back. “At least we know they provide protection.”
Graham gave a single nod. “I wish Charlotte were here now. It was much more fun to hide in the branches of a tree with my beautiful wife on my lap.”
Nick appreciated his brother’s attempt to soften his complaint. They’d discovered that willow trees provided protection from magic, but every time they were in one it was because they were being hunted by a sorcerer or sorceress. “We’ll see you home to Charlotte,” Nick answered.
Graham gave his brother a nod of approval. “And we’ll see Arianna returned to you.”
“We will,” Will answered as he stopped, staring in the distance. “I see the branches of a willow.”
Nick squinted but couldn’t see what his brother saw. Not that he needed to. He trusted Will’s vision implicitly. As a huntsmen, he saw what others didn’t.
They climbed into the branches of the tree. “They’ll go on a hunt tonight. Even now, the witch is trying to find the source of Arianna’s protection.”
“Is Granny safe?” Nick’s skin itched with the need to race to Granny’s aid.
“She’ll be fine tonight. She’s enough protections in place.” Ewan whispered as his large, dark eyes stared into the distance. Though young, he often seemed older and wiser than any of his elders. Tonight, as he spoke, he seemed more tired than Nick had ever heard him. “When the camp is empty, you will retrieve Arianna? Bring her back here.”
“Then what?” Nick whispered. Something wasn’t sitting right.
“We hide in the willow until dawn. Arianna’s brother is cursed by the witch. He has stronger magic, and the witch sensed it. We collect him and flee. Continue spreading the glass.”
“Why curse him?” Nick asked, but Ewan didn’t answer as the sound of wolves howling and drums beating grew louder. Nick turned toward it to see a woman leading a large group of men dressed as wolves through the forest. The moon shone off her skin in the oddest way. It looked as white as alabaster.
For a moment, Nick thought they might march directly under the willow, but the witch’s gaze flicked to the tree and she veered in another direction, the herd behind her following.
Once they’d disappeared, Ewan nodded to Nick, and the brothers all jumped from the branches of the tree.
Silently, they crept back toward the camp. A row of at least twenty tents lined each side of the camp, and Nick wondered where to begin, but Ewan started down the right side, hiding in the trees. When they reached a tent halfway down the line, he pointed to one and Nick didn’t hesitate.
Circling the tent, he pressed against its side, checking the field. A wolf man walked by, and Nick ducked low. Once the guard had passed, Nick slipped into the entrance. It was dark, and he didn’t hear anything for a moment until the sound of shallow breaths caught his ear. Turning, he saw a figure hunched in the far corner. “Arianna?”
“Nick?” Arianna gasped.
He ran the few steps across the tent, and began undoing her bindings. Once she was untied, he gathered her in his arms.
“Are you all right?” He was already picking her up and checking that there was no guard, he exited the tent, racing back toward his brothers.
“I’m fine.” Arianna let out a little gasp. “She, she had magic. I’m sure of it.”
“Whom?” Nick was sure he knew but he wanted to be certain. He caught sight of his brothers in his peripheral vision moving toward them.
“The Lady of the Ise.” Arianna cried as the others reached them.
Ewan stepped up to them. He was about to speak when he stopped, and then his eyes rolled back into his head. For several seconds, he stayed exactly like that until finally, he looked directly at Arianna. “Are there other girls?”
Arianna looked at Nick, who nodded for her to answer. “Yes, six. I was supposed to be the seventh. But she said I wasn’t suitable. She tried to touch me and couldn’t.”
Ewan grimaced. “Do you know where the girls are?”
Arianna nodded. “In one of those tents. I can’t remember exactly which one.”
“We need to rescue them.” Ewan turned to Will, Graham, and Tom. “It will have to be you. Get them and return them to the village. Fly like the wind.”
“Would it be better if we stayed together?” Will asked.
Ewan shook his head. “If she finds a seventh girl, she’ll perform the ceremony of virgins. There will be no stopping her if she does.”
“I beg your pardon?” Tom stepped forward. “What is—”
“There is no time to explain the actual ceremony, but it is how she strengthens herself. She draws her energy from the life force of others. It’s a dark ritual, but powerful.”
“I thought we weren’t getting involved with the sorceress tonight.” Nick squeezed Arianna tighter. “Just rescuing Arianna.” Thank the lord she was no longer part of that and they’d been able to find her.
Ewan sighed, long and deep. “I’ve never faced a foe like her, and I fear I am
not strong enough. But if she completes the ceremony, I know I cannot win. I must do it tonight.”
Arianna reached for the boy’s hand. “Can we help you?”
“You already have.” His smile was sweet. “And Granny too. Even now, she is planning to help us both.”
“How?” Arianna’s breath caught as she asked.
But Ewan had turned away. “Find the girls. Return them home.” Looking back to Nick, he called, “We’re going to Granny’s cottage.”
“But the wolves. They were going there.” Nick began, following Ewan, who was plucking plants as he walked. He was still holding Arianna. After being tied up for hours, he was worried she wouldn’t be able to walk.
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Ewan pulled a canteen from his belt and dropped several herbs in it. “Here, Arianna, drink this.”
“What is it?” she asked, taking the flask.
“It will give you energy and help cure your ailments.” He waved his hand. “Drink it all. Hurry. We’ll need to run.”
Arianna held the canteen in her hand, doubtfully sniffing the brew. It smelled fresh enough, quite lovely, really, but how could it possibly help?
Then again, Haggis had gotten frostbite from a single touch in the middle of summer.
“Ewan is our greatest friend and ally. It will only help,” Nick whispered.
“I trust you,” she returned and then took a sip. Finding it delicious, she took another and a third. Enthusiasm coursed through her veins as all her aches disappeared.
Wiggling a little, Nick set her down. She missed his heat, the feel of his body, but her legs wished to move.
They raced through the woods, their heavy breathing filling the silence. But the party didn’t stop until they were at the estuary near her grandmother’s cottage. Even from this distance, she could hear the crowd surrounding the house.
“What do we do?” Arianna whispered. She’d wanted to help her grandmother, but now that she was here, she couldn’t see how the three of them would be able to do a thing against the wolves.
Ewan waved them forward and they crept up the hill to where the house sat. Fear pumped in her chest as the clearing came into view. The wolves circled the house as the Lady stood by the front door. “Come out, Granny,” she cackled. “Your good friend, Haggis, told me you were home.”
Luring a Lord's Love: Regency Fairy Tale (Fairfield Fairy Tales Book 4) Page 5