Knight of Swords: The Swords Trilogy

by Curran-Ross, Sara

  ‘I want more than your duty to me. I want you to believe we will win this war. Believe we can take our Queen back, or you are no good to me and not fit to serve as a knight in my army.’

  I glared at them, listening for their thoughts. They could not hide their feelings from me. Some were rallied by my call to arms, others were still unsure. Jason Dyer was one of them. His mind was clouded with grief over the fallen women. But enough hope still dwelt in his heart that Juliet could be saved. If she was, he would be able to challenge me for her hand. To my relief, none of them were ready to completely give up. Like Jason, their hope was too strong. One by one their thoughts cleared, and they voiced their resolve.

  ‘Good. I will not hear any more talk of defeat, or I will deal with it severely. Am I understood?’

  They gathered around me. There was strength in their movements, a language that communicated their renewed focus and determination. I let the matter rest.

  ‘What do we do with the villagers?’ Cedric asked. ‘We should leave them to rot down here.’

  My heart was hardened to the villagers. Many of them had been killed in the attack. I felt no compulsion to protect those that were left.

  ‘We will leave them to save themselves. I will waste no further time on them. If they freeze to death in here, it will be their own doing. We must leave.’

  My men began to exit the hall, ignoring the pleas of the villagers for assistance. One by one they crouched before jumping up through the hole in the roof. I watched them, marvelling at how my new strength and abilities as a vampire made such feats possible without any effort at all. A woman reached out with a shaking hand to grab my arm.

  ‘You cannot just leave us here to die.’

  ‘And why can’t I, madam? You have shown my race nothing but violence and disrespect.’

  ‘Show some mercy.’

  ‘Madam, you did not show the women of my race any mercy when you cannibalised them. You are not worthy of it.’

  ‘But you are half human, are you not? If you leave us to die, you will be murdering your own kind.’

  I narrowed my eyes at the old woman as her words struck a disparaging chord within me.

  ‘I will leave you the means to escape the hall. Then you can seek help without my assistance. I can do no more than that.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’

  I raised my voice so that they could all hear as I addressed the remaining villagers. ‘If I see or hear of any of you consuming the flesh of my people ever again, I will hunt you down and kill you.’

  The woman tugged on my arm again. ‘But the disease will return. We will die.’

  ‘Then so be it. It is the natural order of human life. Find another way to save yourselves or face the consequences of a punishment worse than death itself. I promise you I will show no more mercy.’

  She backed away from me, afraid. I jumped up onto the stage remembering a rope I had seen earlier amongst some discarded stage props. The rope would reach from the hole in the roof down to an acceptable distance from the floor for one of the men to climb up it to seek assistance. If they all wished to leave together, they would perhaps have to tie some material to the rope to extend its length. It was enough to give them a chance at escape and survival. More than that which they had given the hybrid women.

  I gave their fearful faces one last glance as I crouched to jump to the hole. Grabbing on to the edge, I pulled myself through into the snow next to Jason. I took the end of the rope to the sturdy stone base of the weather vane at the front of the hall’s roof and tied it securely, before returning to the hole. The villagers stared up at me with relief as I dropped the remaining rope down towards them. I paid them no more of my attention.

  Joining my men, we leaped across the roofs of the snow covered village to re-enter the forest. My intention was to find Gabriel so we could discuss our next move. What that was to be, I was unsure. I had to find a way to reach Juliet’s mind. It was the only means by which to discover her whereabouts. It would give us a fighting chance to rescue her.

  * * *

  Gabriel paced the small kitchen room of the farmstead like a caged animal as I sat next to the fire.

  ‘We must free Juliet from the Caratacos demons. She will only be able to withstand the pain they inflict for so long. No Taleian or hybrid has ever suffered their torment without capitulating to their wishes. She will give herself to Sebastian. The choice will be taken from her. The pain they induce into the mind is so severe. No wonder Sebastian was able to control the hybrid women. I fear we may be too late.’

  I started at him angrily from my chair. ‘She is strong Gabriel, more than you realise. She will not bend to his will. I know it. You must not insult her.’

  He stopped pacing as he gave me a sympathetic look. ‘You actually do love her, don’t you? You are not just simply mated to her.’

  I stared at him. ‘Yes I do, as you love Camille.’

  He stiffened, before beginning his pacing once more.

  ‘If we were able to reach her, do you think you could stand to feel the pain she is enduring long enough to find out where she is?’ There was some disbelief in his voice as to whether I would be able to stand the agony. Juliet was not the only one he underestimated.

  ‘I will do whatever it takes.’

  ‘Good. I have someone who can help you. Her powers are strong. I am convinced there is royal lineage in her blood.’

  ‘Who is she?’

  ‘The girl, Emily.’

  I opened my mouth to speak, but he had disappeared through the door. Despite my desperate need to reach Juliet, I did not want the child put in danger. I sat in my chair watching the orange flames of the fire in the hearth lick at the wood, making it spit and char, thinking of the pain Juliet was enduring. My heart ached to free her from her torment, to hold her in my arms once more. I rubbed at my temple feeling the familiar ache pierce my head strongly. It was becoming more intense. She was being taken further away from me. I could feel it. Sebastian was transporting her somewhere. The further he took her from me, the more pain I would suffer until my mind disintegrated with longing and loneliness. I could take no more of it.

  I was standing, ready to leave, ready to run through the night like a tormented soul, searching alone for Juliet when Gabriel re-entered the room holding Emily by the hand. He took one look at my eyes and his own filled with comprehension and pity.

  He simply said, ‘It’s getting worse.’

  I nodded. He lowered his gaze to my coat draped over my arm.

  ‘Nathan, I understand the tempest that rages inside your mind is driving you to madness. You want to tear up the countryside looking for her, but you must let us help you.’

  He carefully placed his hand on my arm when I made movement to leave.

  ‘You can’t do this alone, Nathan.’

  I felt a tug on my trouser leg. I looked down at Emily. She smiled up at me.

  ‘Don’t leave. I can help you find the pretty lady.’

  Dropping my coat, I bent down to scoop the child up into my arms. I held her close. Tears stung the backs of my eyes as she clung to me, and I to her. I nodded over her shoulder at Gabriel. His face flooded with relief. Despite his eagerness to remove me as Juliet’s rightful mate, he knew we would only be successful in rescuing her if we worked together as an army.

  Emily and I sat next to Gabriel in front of the fire. We held hands as I made contact with Emily’s consciousness. Inside my mind we stood alone in darkness, facing the barrier that kept me from Juliet’s consciousness.

  It was a searing wall of white hot flames. The heat that came from them burned my face. My mind was brimful with an intense ball of pain accompanied by a smell of rusted iron that made me want to vomit. Emily tugged on my hand, drawing me forward.

  ‘Don’t be afraid, Nathan. I won’t let it hurt you.’

  Tentatively, I moved forward, but the closer I approached to the white hot heat the more pain I felt. My insides burned as though they were being li
cked by the flames themselves. I panted, trying to get my breath as Emily pulled me ever closer.

  I watched her pass her arm through the wall and stare into it.

  ‘It’s easy. Follow me. I can see her, Nathan. I can see her.’

  I took a deep breath as I wiped the sweat pouring down my face before stepping into the flaming barrier that separated me from Juliet. The moment I touched its fiery surface my whole body was engulfed in fire.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My whole body was aflame. My skin, my insides, my very bones burned with a heat I had never known possible. I cried out with the pain of it, but not once did the child let go of my hand. The heat did not seem to bother her, nor the flames ferociously licking at her skin. And yet, I thought I must surely die. I had never experienced anything like it, nor wished to ever have the misfortune of enduring its like again. I clung to my determination to hold Juliet in my arms, allowing its stubborn strength to carry me through my trial.

  As I stepped through onto the other side of the wall, the flames dampened and disappeared. They simply vanished as though they had never been there. I was left shaking with exertion. I looked down at my hands. They bore no marks or blemishes from where the fire had raged across my skin. We were in near darkness once more, only the flickering light from a burning torch lit the room we had entered, casting eerie shadows across the scene before us.

  Juliet lay upon a rusting, iron table, her body deathly still. Emily began to cry. She clutched at her doll.

  ‘The Queen is hurting,’ she put her hand to her head and sobbed, ‘It hurts, it hurts.’

  I squeezed her hand reassuringly as I rushed forward towards Juliet. She wore an evening gown of virginal white with her titian curls spread untamed around her. Her captive appearance was both regal and quite beautiful, but for her cruel bonds.

  Narrow manacles of fire surrounded her wrists and ankles pinning her to the table. They burned her flesh, cutting into tissue and sinew. Her pale, fragile throat was also ringed with a choking band of fire. Her eyes were closed as though it hurt to open them. Her head moved from side to side, restless with the tormenting pain that filled her mind. Gentle, feverish moans and mumblings of my name escaped her trembling lips.

  Anger pierced my soul with a knife. I felt her agony press against me in my mind. I smelt the burning of her delicate flesh. I could hardly contain my raging hatred of Sebastian. Calling to Juliet, I asked her to wake as I frantically searched for a means to free her. To my dismay I could find none.

  The torchlight cast dancing shadows over her finely carved features as I brushed my fingertips along her cheek, studying her closely with heavy concern. Her eyelashes flickered, responding to my touch. Slowly, her eyes opened. I was relieved when she acknowledged my presence. My name was a whisper upon her lips.

  ‘What have they done to you, Juliet?’ I demanded, continuing to stroke her cheek.

  ‘You must leave my mind. I . . . I can . . . cannot continue to protect you from this pain if you are here. I have stopped it reaching you. It was meant for both of us. Sebastian wants to weaken you, Nathan. But I have contained it. I won’t let him hurt you.’ Her voice was a hoarse whisper, breathless with pain. Every now and then, her beautiful features contorted with discomfort.

  ‘Juliet.’ I whispered her name in a strained voice, distressed she endured so much to protect me.

  ‘He wants to control my powers . . . make them his own. His body is failing . . . he wants to merge his soul with mine to inhabit my body. There is a ritual . . .’

  Juliet was suddenly silent. Her body was in spasm, lifting in an arc from the table. She gave a sudden terrible cry of pain. The fiery bonds around her throat constricted, cutting off her voice. The glow of the bonds around her wrists and ankles intensified as they tightened, burning deeper into her flesh. I was at a loss to know what to do. I felt paralysed, helpless. I was no use to her. Misery and defeat invaded me like an infection.

  The spasm passed. She slumped back down to the table. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she did not seem to realise they were there. I cupped the side of her face, making every effort to still the trembling in my hand. I wanted her to feel my strength and draw from it. Brushing her forehead with a kiss, I sought to comfort her. She seemed to take solace from the contact, but my voice betrayed my frustration.

  ‘It can’t be possible. I won’t let him do it. Please, Juliet, tell me how to free you. I don’t know what to do, my darling.’

  ‘Nathan. They are coming for you. I can’t stop them, please my love, I couldn’t bear it if they hurt you,’ her tears became larger, her voice an anxious sob for my safety. I could only marvel at her bravery.

  ‘Do not worry about me, Juliet. I can fight them, save your strength. How is he planning to join with you? Where?’

  ‘He must enact an ancient ritual at a Druid sacrifice site, somewhere on the coast.’ She panted, breathless with the effort of talking. ‘We have been travelling west. It is all I could sense. Sebastian keeps me locked away in a coffin when we travel. I hate being in it. It’s so dark and cold. I often think I will go quite mad. I feel so trapped.’

  I felt my heart leap for her plight once again. I had to get her free. I studied her bonds once more feeling feverish rage demand that there had to be a way to release her, even when I knew there wasn’t.

  ‘Nathan, you must listen. There is a conspiracy of Druids, humans, Taleians, and hybrids, all ready to help him. I thought the Druids were our enemies . . .’

  Her body rose from the table again as the fiery bonds once more constricted. A piercing scream issued forth from her mouth. My anger was so strong, I shook with its force.

  The spasm released her again. ‘Please go, Nathan.’ She turned her head to look at Emily with grave concern, the child’s body still racked with sobbing.

  ‘I don’t want to leave you. I can’t. Don’t ask me to,’ I persisted.

  ‘Nathan, you must take the child away. In connecting you to me, she feels my torment. A child should not feel this . . . She has not yet changed. Her powers are not strong enough . . .’

  I glanced over at Emily. She was sitting on the floor weeping violently, tears streaming down her small, heart shaped face. She rocked back and forth as she hugged her doll, her mind and body racked with discomfort. The little girl had suffered so much already. I knew Juliet was speaking sense, but a part of my mind did not want to hear it. Slowly, I turned back to Juliet and nodded in agreement.

  ‘I cannot free your mind from him, but I will come for you. I will find you. Hold on until I come for you. I won’t let you down. I love you, Juliet.’

  I bent down and kissed her lips passionately. Despite her agony, she responded fervently, as though our contact quenched a thirst deep inside her. With aching regret I broke our intimacy.

  ‘Take the child, please . . . leave,’ she whispered.

  I gave her hand a squeeze, then quickly led Emily back into the darkness. The wall of flame reignited as we passed beyond it.

  I opened my eyes wide back in the small room of the farmstead. The only fire I saw now was in the warming hearth. It crackled, spitting glowing embers, as I drew a distressed Emily onto my lap to comfort her. She clung to me as though her very life depended upon it.

  Gabriel listened patiently, but with increasing concern when we were alone again.

  ‘There is a Druid altar in Rockcliffe Caves at Tristone Bay on the north coast of Devon. It is still used as a human sacrificial site by the Druids’ descendants.’

  ‘Juliet said there was a conspiracy between humans, Druids, and Taleians.’

  ‘Perhaps. They may help Sebastian complete this ritual because they believe he will give them what they want. Power and wealth. Sebastian could do many things with Juliet’s powers. They are deadly in the wrong hands. I fear he wishes to take the country and all its peoples under his yoke. He must be stopped.’

  ‘I just want Juliet back, safe. I don’t give a damn about anything else,’ I snapped.
r />   Gabriel gave a sigh and stood.

  ‘We all feel the same way, Nathan. We have been without a Queen for so long now, none of us could accept it if she died. A Queen brings light, hope, and governance to our people. We have wandered for so long, we ache to find a home. In Juliet as Queen, we can. Our race will finally have faith once again that we are meant to continue our existence.’

  I carefully considered his words. The depth of their meaning struck a chord, but my impatience to rescue Juliet took over.

  ‘We should be riding, not sitting here,’ I told him coldly.

  ‘We have some time. He will need the right atmospheric conditions plus a full moon for the ritual to be successful. That does not happen until three days’ time.’

  ‘You know of this ritual?’

  ‘I have read of its conception in the ancient times. Its practice was long since forbidden by our race, under penalty of death.’

  ‘As it should be. Why is Sebastian’s body failing? Is he not immortal . . .’

  Gabriel interrupted me, ‘I don’t know. That is something I do not understand myself. I fear the reason will be something none of us could have even imagined or considered. There are many mysteries about our race that even I, for all my years of living, have not had occasion to fathom. I must think on all that you have told me.’

  He paced the room, putting his fingers to his lips, frowning with the concentration of his thoughts. Then he turned sharply and gestured to me.

  ‘Juliet’s blood is not yet cleared of the animal poison. Those spasms of intense pain you saw were caused by the venom contained in Caratacos demon bites. The venom burns inside the blood, ridding the body of any foreign substances. It seems Juliet is doing her best to retain the animal blood by forcing her body to resist the cleansing. She is trying to stop Sebastian consummating their joining. She will be in terrible pain.’

  Gabriel paused as though considering this knowledge before he continued.

  ‘The rings of fire around her throat, wrists, and ankles are to control her mind, to keep you out. They bind her in her mental and physical world. The iron that composes the table she rests upon will further weaken her as a hybrid. It is another poison to our kind.’ He turned to look at me with curiosity. ‘Yet . . .’ he spoke slowly with disbelief. A small degree of sarcasm tingeing his voice made my eyes narrow. ‘. . . She suffers and resists all for you.’ He made no effort to disguise the wild envy blazing in his eyes. I made no mention of it.