He turned away and gave a small laugh. ‘I have never heard of a Taleian Queen with so much strength to resist control by a Caratacos demon so effectively. To shield someone from them as well is astonishing. She is special, Nathan.’
This time volatile jealousy laced his words. My narrowed eyes viewed him with a dark warning.
‘You do not need to convince me of her worth, Gabriel.’ I was beginning to understand the violent passions of the male hybrids where females were concerned. It was part of their nature. I was not without them either. The beast within wanted to rile Gabriel further as a warning. My human side could do precious little to prevent it. ‘I am inside her, Gabriel. I know her thoughts, her inner beauty. She hides nothing from me. You will never understand how it feels to be so close to her.’
I watched him take a breath as he realised his provocation and the wrath it had produced in my response. We could not afford to fight amongst ourselves at this moment. I was grateful he appreciated this.
‘Of course,’ he said with a forced smile. I could sense the danger had passed. We continued our discussion of strategy for rescuing Juliet.
‘We must raise an army,’ Gabriel informed me, the tension in his voice ebbing away.
‘My knights, under my lead, are sufficient. We are the royal guard.’
‘We will need help. Sebastian will know you are coming. He and the others will be well protected. I know of two other knights who can assist us. They have followed a different path in life to the rest of us, but they are noble. They will not let us down with a new queen in danger. They will bring other hybrids and humans to help. What you really mean, Nathan, is that you do not need any more challengers. Unfortunately, you may have to brace yourself in order to rescue Juliet.’
I said nothing until a brief smile of humour on his lips at my silence encouraged me to answer him. I raised an eyebrow with my response to give him a haughty repost. ‘I do not doubt there will be more challengers for Juliet. Any man would want to possess such a powerful beauty for himself. But like you, they will be made to respect that she is mine.’
Chapter Seventeen
The air hung damp with a fine mist, lit by the glow of the weak winter sun as we rode hard through a picturesque, snow laden valley towards the coast. We had travelled constantly for nearly three days now, and had made the rendezvous with Gabriel’s friends.
Although grateful for their help and the extra men they brought to our side, I was unsure of the roguishly handsome twin brothers, Dylan and Byron Lysander. No doubt it was because of my possessiveness of Juliet. They were criminals, leaders of a notorious gang of thieves. Both had been Cavaliers, from a rich, noble family in the seventeenth century. Their estate had been sequestered in the Civil War. Left with no financial support, they decided to take to the road as highwaymen. They held up rich travellers for money, often charming their female victims into giving up their virtue in their carriages. The brothers’ fame soon spread. Many a woman was secretly desperate to be held up by them on the road, eager for their affections. Then there were the scandalous stories of them kidnapping wealthy, young heiresses to hold them for a ransom. They were often sent home ruined. Now the brothers were engaged in smuggling and all manner of knavery. They appeared to live well on it. Their wicked good looks, combined with their devil may care approach to life, would no doubt lead many woman astray, perhaps even Juliet.
I shook my head and gave myself an abrupt inner rebuke of contempt, ‘Listen to yourself, fretting like an old maid. Concentrate on the task at hand, save Juliet.’
Since breaking through the barrier of fire that closed our minds from each other it was as though a narrow tunnel had been left. It allowed some of Juliet’s thoughts and visions to flow into my mind. Her pain accompanied them, but it was a small price to pay to partially rejoin our minds.
Her blood was now cleansed, despite her efforts. She had delayed the process far longer than any other hybrid would have been able, but she had lost her battle with the Caratacos demon venom. Despite this, she continued to pour effort into protecting me from the pain she endured, so I would not be weakened. I was both honoured and in awe of her great love for me.
I searched her mind as I rode, seeking to find any clue that would tell me where she was now being held. Every muscle in my body clenched and my hands tightened painfully on my horse’s reins as I witnessed her lying helpless on a table in another dark room, lit only by candles.
Four red skinned Caratacos demons stood at the four points of the table, chanting over Juliet in an unfamiliar language. They were dressed in black hooded silk cloaks, trimmed in red, their arms folded and hidden in their sleeves. The back of their garments bore the emblem of a red Cobra. For a reason I could not fathom, Juliet kept drawing my attention to this symbol in her mind. It was a warning, but she could not communicate more.
Sebastian straddled her body, pressing down heavily upon her. She struggled as best she could, whimpering with the pain of his weight. He verbally tormented her with details of the Druid ritual, speaking with savage relish. She would be naked for all to feast their eyes upon as he forcefully consummated their sexual joining.
He lifted the skirt of her dress, roughly dipping his hand through her undergarments to her soft flesh unprotected beneath them. He caressed the smooth skin of her stomach with the flat of his palm, digging his unkempt, long, dirty fingernails deeply into her flesh. Blood blistered profusely to the surface.
Her fear, revulsion, and pain seared hot inside me. Her scream rang in my ears as she shouted out for me. Sebastian cruelly laughed at the tears that sprang from her eyes. Still the demons chanted like speaking statues above her. Sebastian coated his fingers in her blood. Holding them up to the candle light, he admired its colour just as he did when he murdered. He rubbed his blood coated fingers together.
‘The texture of a Queen’s blood is like the finest silk. Its colour bears a vibrancy and sensual potency like no other. It brands her a whore and a temptress. She teases every Taleian man around her, hybrid or pure. The Taleian Queen is the pinnacle of her race in beauty, intelligence, and power. She bestows a mighty status upon her mate as Knight of Swords, leader of her army. She is the ultimate prize. Whoever mates with the Queen controls her power. A man who desires the Queen will stop at nothing to make her his and bring her to her knees before him.’ He gave another laugh as he slipped his bloodied fingers between his lips.
He closed his eyes. His body gave a pleasurable shudder. ‘Your taste is exquisite, Juliet. It won’t be long before you are mine, and we are joined.’
Juliet looked up at him with moist eyes. I felt my own widen with surprise when her expression changed from fear to one of sympathy for the vile creature.
‘I understand now,’ Juliet whispered. ‘I know what you are. I had my suspicions, but I couldn’t be sure, not until now. It is strange that a man would want to give up his masculinity to join with a female’s body, but you are already female, aren’t you?’
Sebastian’s whole body stiffened. He stared down at Juliet but remained silent.
‘You used your power as a female hybrid to change your gender. Seeking to gain power and position in a human world run by men, you decided to masquerade as one. But something happened, something went wrong. You became stuck in your own illusion when you couldn’t change back. You aren’t meant to keep another form for so long. Your body is slowly disintegrating.’
Juliet’s voice was hoarse from a dryness to her throat. She coughed, then continued.
‘You want to join with me to be female again. But this time you will have real power as a woman, a Queen. Power that will transcend any carried by a man.’
‘All this time I believed you too weak to invade my mind to read my past. I evidently underestimated your guile and strength. My barriers were inadequate. Yes, my body is failing. I am living a slow, painful death. I was cursed by a Druid woman I raped. I wanted to know what it felt like to be male, to be able to take what I wanted, when I wanted
in a society that rejected me for being a female and a hybrid.’ There was passionate bitterness in Sebastian’s voice.
Juliet whispered, tears in her trembling voice, ‘You killed her.’
Sebastian paused. There was a faraway look in his eyes as though he was remembering. All that could be heard was the low monotone chanting of the demons around him. He spoke suddenly, ‘Yes.’ Another pause. ‘But I loved her. For a while. She would not love me as a woman. She was too afraid. Just as you were before her.’
‘Yes, I remember you. I could not love a woman, I was always meant for Nathan. Besides, I was a child. You tried to force me . . .’ Juliet’s voice became shrill with hysteria. ‘You had no right to expect love from me in any form. You were my governess.’
I closed my eyes, feeling repugnance sit like a lead weight in the pit of my stomach.
He leaned closer to shout in her face, ‘It does not matter now. I will take you as a man, then I will take your body. Afterwards, I will rip off the head of your precious Knight of Swords. They will all kneel before me; men, Taleians, and hybrids.’
I felt relief when he climbed off her, but it was short lived.
‘I won’t let you kill him,’ Juliet screamed at him.
‘You won’t be able to stop me. I will wait until we are joined. Then he will die by your own hand. There will be nothing you can do to prevent his death,’ Sebastian spat at her.
‘I pity you, Sebastian. There is so much anger inside you.’
‘Quiet.’ The sickly grin appeared upon his face once more. ‘I believe we should make sure your blood is properly cleansed. Just to be on the safe side. Another dose of venom will make you ready for the ritual. That disobedient nature of yours will be tamed.’
Juliet began to cry again. ‘Please, no more. Please. I can’t take it.’
‘But you will.’ Sebastian turned to the four Caratacos demons and spoke a command. ‘Cleanse the Queen again. When you have finished, ready her for travel.’
Sebastian disappeared into the darkness of the room as Juliet began to violently sob. She cried out for me as her eyes flicked back and forth between the demons, waiting for them to strike. My heart leapt to her need, but there was nothing I could do.
The demons finished their chant. Their forms seemed to shimmer as the room filled with the loud hissing of snakes. The black silk cloaks fell away to the floor revealing four giant, red Cobras. They slithered closer to the table towards a sobbing Juliet. Their forked tongues slid out at her as though she were a delicious meal they could not wait to consume. She watched to see which of them would strike first. But their onslaught of vicious biting was a unified act.
One bit into her throat, another to the top of her breast. One made his entry close to the wound Sebastian had inflicted in her stomach, the last in her thigh. Her whole body arched into the air, and she screamed, just as I had seen her do in her mind. Her agony and distress were too much to bear. I lost consciousness and fell from my horse, whispering her name.
I woke with a start. I found myself face down in the snow. Gabriel and Jason had dismounted their horses, rushing to my aid. I lifted my face from its cold prison. Immediately, I remembered Juliet’s torture and quickly sat up. I put my hand to my spinning head, attempting to access the vision once more. Nothing. Juliet’s mind was closed tight. She was trying to shield me again. My anguish at the pain she was suffering was unbearable. I looked up at Gabriel and Jason. My temper rose when my gaze made contact with Gabriel’s eyes.
‘I saw what they did to her.’ I felt my eyes narrow suspiciously at him as I narrated my vision. ‘You didn’t tell me they were snakes. They are monsters. The pain and terror she is suffering . . . they will all die for it. Did you already know that Sebastian was really a female hybrid? Or about her relationship to Juliet?’
‘Sebastian’s psychic gifts were too vast for a male, but I couldn’t be sure.’
‘Until Juliet found out for you,’ I snapped at him, jumping to my feet to brush the snow from my coat. ‘Is that another reason you wanted to possess Juliet, so you could use her as bait for Sebastian? She would have made his capture easy for you.’
Gabriel was uncomfortable, angrily so. He looked me in the eye and spoke eloquently, but I could see the flicker of wariness in his eyes. ‘That’s a falsehood. I would never endanger our Queen like that. It would have served no purpose to tell you about the demons other than to further fire your anger and cause you to lose your focus.’
I moved closer to him until we were almost touching. I ignored his comment about the demons, sensing guilt in his mind. ‘That’s why you riled Juliet in her dreamscape. You already knew her nature. You knew Juliet would go to Sebastian to rescue the women, just to prove her strength and independence. In time she would confirm Sebastian’s identity. You believed her strong enough to endure the pain he would put her through. It was a calculated risk. What was next in the plan? Riding to her rescue to take her for yourself?’
‘That’s a damned lie, Nathan.’
‘You’ve been watching her since she was born, since her name and royal lineage appeared in the Book of Talus. The book Sebastian stole from you. I can read your thoughts now, your guard has dropped with the heavy weight of the guilt praying on your mind. You have endangered the life of our Queen. You should be executed for your treason.’
‘Someone had to do something to stop Sebastian from enslaving and murdering the female hybrids. Our race is dying at his hands . . . We are desperate for mates. It is not in our nature to live alone.’ Gabriel shouted angrily at me as though I should understand his motives. It only served to fuel my temper.
‘Draw your sword. I would rather kill you in combat than execution. I want you to suffer . . .’
‘We haven’t got time for this, Nathan.’ Gabriel had recovered his composure. ‘We can quarrel later,’ he said firmly, putting out his hand to halt my movement.
‘We will make the time.’
I pushed him backwards, hard. But he kept his balance as I reached for my sword. His eyes flashed black indicating his readiness for a fight. I started towards him, but I felt two heavy hands thud against my chest drawing me to an abrupt halt. Dylan Lysander was obstructing my path.
‘Gabriel is right. We haven’t got time for this. Our Queen needs us. Gabriel will pay for his misconduct when she is safe.’
‘Out of my way.’
The amber in Dylan’s eyes implored me to see sense. But my anger and frustration were acute. I could not erase the image of Juliet’s screaming body as it was bitten by the snakes. It was imprinted on my mind. She suffered because of Gabriel. I needed to fight, but reason condemned it. My will warred with reason.
Dylan’s voice was calm, yet there was a nervousness in his eyes. He glanced at Gabriel with marked contempt, then back to me. A friend of Gabriel’s, his eyes were suddenly laden with betrayal.
‘I know you want to hit something. We all do, but for you it is worse. Your emotions are running high because you are not yet joined to Juliet. Challengers threaten you at every turn. She has been abducted and tortured on account of someone whom you entrusted with her life. You feel betrayed, we all do.’
I pushed against him in my struggle to reach Gabriel. He caught the tops of my arms in a firm grip to stop me. It was a struggle for him to hold me in position, but he did not give up. He shouted at me as the others watched from their horses.
‘You must see a fight with Gabriel is futile. You must conserve your energy for our Queen’s rescue. Do not lose control of your sanity now. You are the Knight of Swords, our leader, compose yourself. Lead us, or someone else will do it for you. You will have let down Juliet, just as Gabriel has done.’
Jason called out, ‘He is right, Nathan. The Queen must come first. Gabriel should be dealt with later.’
The rest of my men murmured their approval, calling for me to lead them on.
My eyes narrowed sharply at Dylan as he glared back at me, courageously defiant. His words filtered through
my burning anger. I stopped pushing against his hands. Taking a step back, I issued a command.
‘Mount your horses. We will continue this at a later date, Gabriel. I have not finished with you.’
He nodded respectfully and turned to his horse.
I moved away to my own horse. Once astride the animal I leaned over to Jason. ‘Watch him. Do not let him out of your sight.’ Jason obeyed my order, dropping back in our group. He pulled up beside Gabriel who now rode at the rear, away from the angry stares of my men. At my request, Dylan took his place alongside me at the front.
We were an army of thirty men, including myself. As we rode on towards the sand dunes that led to Tristone Bay, I felt we would soon be engaged in combat. We were too close now. Sebastian’s men would surely attempt to prevent us reaching the site of the Druid altar in the caves at any cost.
I felt adrenaline surge through my blood. My appetite for a fight was overwhelming, heightened by Gabriel’s treachery. I needed to strike out at the enemy. Without any further delay, I had to begin our confrontation.
We travelled up and over the dunes and down onto the long sands of the bay, emerging from the mist like dark, ethereal phantoms. The tide was out a fair distance, visible through the blue and grey tinged haze that haunted the pale surface of the beach. Our horses thundered along. I felt sand spray against my face as the horses kicked up the fine grains between their hooves. My exhilaration was at its height. I felt sure of glory.
Up ahead, I saw a hearse descend a wooden ramp leading onto the beach from a small gulley between the dunes. The coachman wore funeral garb and served as a frightening spectacle as he cracked his whip high. He cracked it again with brutal force at the sleek, black horses, and the carriage raced along the beach towards the caves. It was being driven at a dangerous pace, almost tipping over as a wheel caught momentarily in the sand. There was a coffin inside. Juliet. I prayed it was her, but my sensitive hearing picked up a frantic heartbeat.
Knight of Swords: The Swords Trilogy Page 14