by Amy Miles
That was an appealing thought. Seeing this girl beg might be worth breaking into my mother’s medicinal store for.
“I do not lend my aid when I am left in the dark as to the details. How am I to know that you haven’t done anything illegal?” My laughter trailed off when she looked away. “Bloody hell, it is illegal. What have you done?”
“Nothing.” She grabbed at her skirts and started away. “I was a fool to think ya would even give a damn about helping someone.”
“Now hold on just a second!” I raced around her and placed a warning hand on her shoulder. When she pushed against me, I held her back. “You don’t get to come into my home and accuse me of being a cold-hearted pain in your arse without giving me some benefit of the doubt. You owe that to me, if not as a decent person then for the fact that I am your future king.”
She actually snorted. At her prince.
“And what good will ya be to me when you become king? You’ll only be another bully just like your father. A man who cares only for his status rather than the suffering of his people.”
My grip on her shoulder tightened at her words. “I am not my father.” My words were slow. Forceful. I knew only too well how different my father and I were. To hear this girl compare us as equals made my own blood boil.
“Then prove it.” She slammed her arm into mine and ducked to sweep her leg around, knocking me to the ground before I had a chance to realise she’d even attacked me.
Her chest rose and fell as she yelled down at me. “Prove to me that you are more than the rumours. That you are truly the man who has won countless victories at the Wall defending our freedom. Show me that ya give a damn!”
Never before had I seen a girl so lit up with righteous anger and so beautiful at the same time. The scent of her reminded me of the fields of wildflowers that lay just this side of the Wall, where life and beauty still existed. My heart beat against my ribs as I breathed in deep and fought to control the urge to unplait her hair just to see it fall free and wild.
She was not like other girls, though. I reached out and took hold of her ankle, yanking her down beside me. She landed with a thud and rolled to pin her to the ground. Though she bucked and twisted beneath me, I held firm until she stopped trying to escape.
“I do give a damn,” I hissed. “And if you’d given me more than two seconds to think about it before bashing my head in, I would’ve already told you that.”
Her breathing slowed as the fight in her eyes dimmed. Letting out a breath of my own, I released her shoulders. She watched me as I eased off her and sank to the ground. Once she was seated, I felt a flash of guilt when I saw I’d torn her dress, though she didn’t seem like the type to care much about that.
“You’re only half-right about why I’m here.” I paused to shift my sword to the side so that the hilt was no longer jabbing me in the ribs. “My father demanded that I return. I didn’t want to leave my post. Hell, I would’ve fought tooth and nail if there was any other option, but when I saw the Lorcan heading for Eimear what choice did I have?”
“To stay and fight!” she insisted.
I shook my head. “He refused to send more troops unless I agreed to return and take a bride. I came back to protect my men, not to abandon them.”
“Why would your father do that?” she whispered and drew her knees up into her chest.
I laughed. Little did she know how twisted my father really was. “For power, of course. He has an insatiable thirst for it. Once he claimed the throne, he spent the rest of his time fearing he’d lose it. Why do you think I got banished to the Wall in the first place? I may be his blood, but I’m no threat to him.”
“So you came back for your men, not just for a bride?”
“Aye.” I sank lower on my knees and bowed my head. “There isn’t a moment that passes that I don’t think about my men dying in my place. You are right. It’s only a matter of time before the Wall is going to fall. It’s not a matter of if, but when. I should be there defending it, not here dressed up like my father’s puppet.”
I yanked off my coat and threw it to the side. One sleeve fell at the water’s edge and a small orange fish swam over to investigate.
“I don’t want to marry anyone, Taryn. I’m not the boy you remember. That boy died on the Wall.”
She pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment. I looked up when I felt her hand rest on top of mine.
“You’re right. I can see that now. That boy is gone and in his place is a man fightin’ to be his own person. The question is, will ya let him?”
“What choice do I have?”
“You have every choice,” she suddenly burst out. Her hand tightened on top of mine. “We all have our orders! A lot in life we were given, but some of us choose to rebel against it.”
I laughed and swept my hair back out of my face. “Aye. I can see that.”
She smiled for the first time. “What your da is demanding from ya is total bollocks. Stand up to him. Do what is right.”
“And what is that? I don’t really know anymore.”
She ducked her head to look up into my eyes. “Your heart knows. Just the same as mine does. We fight those bloody Lorcan to the death.”
“It’s not that simple. You don’t tell a man like my father ‘no’ unless you’re willing to pay a price.”
I watched Taryn absently rub her finger along the scars on her arm. “I guess you know a little about that too, huh?”
She smirked. “I’m not known for keepin’ my nose out of places it don’t belong.”
I sighed and lay back onto the grass. It felt good to have the soft tufts beneath my hands after so many months surrounded by stone and barren lands, pitted and cratered by harsh elements.
“We make quite the pair,” I mused. When she shot me a hard glance, I laughed and raised my hands. “Truce?”
“That depends.” She lowered her legs and then knelt beside me. “Will ya get me what I need?”
I leaned up on my elbows. “Will you tell me who it’s for?”
“No.”
Her refusal didn’t surprise me. She was loyal. Of that much I could tell. “Very well. I will see that what you need is sent to your home if you can, at least, tell me the ailment.”
Her smile waned and she looked away. “Lorcan poisoning.”
I bolted upright. “There’s been another attack? Why have I not been informed of it?”
“Because it didn’t happen here.”
It took me only a second to figure out that one of the Lorcan from the docks must have slipped by during the battle. “You went after the Lorcan that got away, didn’t you? I knew the body count didn’t match up!”
She didn’t answer but lowered her eyes in confirmation.
“Were you hurt?”
“The bloke is worse than me.” She shrugged.
I let out a breath in frustration. She was playing a dangerous game taking the Lorcan on herself. It had to come to an end. “Taryn, you need to tell me the truth.”
The instant my commanding tone hit her, she shut down. Authority was something I was born to, used on a daily basis with my men, but I had to remind myself that she was sensitive to anything remotely close to taking orders. Especially from the likes of me.
“I’m sorry.” I reached out and placed a hand over hers.
She yanked her hand back and I knew I’d messed up. I’d just become identical to my father in her eyes, giving orders and expecting obedience.
“I’m not very good at speaking with girls. I forget that you aren’t one of my soldiers. I promise to help if you will show me some trust in exchange.”
“Trust is earned.” She eyed me.
I nodded. “Aye, and that takes time, I know that, but right now I’m your only hope. So it’s your choice. Trust me or let your friend die.”
She swallowed hard and grimaced. I knew I had her, but admired her stubbornness all the same.
Seeing little choice in the matter, she hesitantly began sha
ring snippets of her story. She told me of how she’d learned to fight with her cousin, about sneaking out to buy illegal leathers and a sword just so she could learn to fight for the people she loved. She told me about her suspicions and how hard she’d fought to try to get proof. She sounded just as defiant as I had been as a lad.
I was starting to see why my father would try to kill her. She knew far more of the truth than she realised.
Her story flowed easily from her lips once she began, rising and falling with mounting passion until she reached the night of her attack. Then she fell silent.
“Please, don’t stop.” I leaned forward. “I swear whatever you speak to me will go no farther than my ears.”
I could have been baiting her for evidence that would later be used to condemn her, but I felt a trust forming between us as she spoke. Perhaps she suspected that my own bitterness towards my father might protect her from harm.
When she revealed her complex situation with the humans and the Lorcan, I felt my stomach twist into knots.
“You’re telling me that not only can this Devlin man can see you, but that he saw you fighting a Lorcan?” I pushed up to my feet and began to pace. “And then, as if all of that wasn’t terrible enough, you decided to bring his human friend through the veil and hide him in your best friend’s home?”
“Well…” she hesitated. “When ya put it like that, it does sound a wee bit bad, but I had no other choice. He would have died.”
“People die every day, Taryn. It’s what they do. Do you realise that you’ve just given my father exactly what he’d need to banish you to Hollow Earth?”
My fists clenched at the thought of this strong girl cast into that pit of Hell.
When she pressed back her shoulders and lifted her chin, I knew I’d never seen a more noble heart before. She was a woman of such honour and faith that it made me hope that someday I could be a king worthy of her.
“Right or wrong, I did what I did to save him. He was an innocent. Our war, the one your father created, spilled over into his world. It wasn’t his time to die.”
I felt moved by her words but still a trickle of fear coursed through my veins. My father had to know by now that the boy was attacked. If he was intended to die, then he became a soul uncollected. That also meant my father allowed the Lorcan to attack him. But if the king didn’t know, and the Lorcan attack was random, that meant Taryn was right.
Neither option was a good one. Our war had spilled over into the human realm and no one was doing anything about it.
And what about Taryn? Had the ball not already been in full swing, she might have been captured by my father and thrown into the dungeon based on suspicion of involvement. It was only a matter of time before he went for her again. Knowing him as I did, if he saw her as a threat, he would not back down.
“You have to return the human immediately. It’s the only way to set this right.”
“Return him?” She pushed up to her feet. “And let your da finish the job? No. He’s not well enough to move yet, Aed.”
She didn’t even seem to realise that she had dropped the formality of my title when she rushed forward and took hold of my hand.
“If he returns to his realm before I’ve had time to get him to a healer, ya know he will die. I canna leave him to that fate.”
“And if he remains here and is discovered I know what your fate will be. And that of your friend for taking him in.”
Her lips thinned into a line. “So be it.”
I took a step back. “You can’t mean to risk your life for a human!”
“And why not? Is my life worth more than his? You of all people should understand this, Aed. What it is like to care about humans more than ourselves. At least your brother Alroy understood that—”
I yanked my hand back from her. “Never speak of my brother in this place if you wish to keep your tongue.”
The command hit her like a physical blow. I felt instant remorse for reacting so strongly, but there were some wounds best left to the past. The loss of my brother was one of those.
“The human must go. End of story.” I adjusted the sword at my side, needing to focus on something other than the guilt welling up inside. Damn her for affecting me like that. “I will see that the herbs are sent to your home but then he is gone. Is that understood?”
“Are ya ordering me then?”
I glanced back at her and frowned. “Let’s just call it a friendly warning.”
She rolled her eyes. “Noted.”
“Taryn—”
“Look, I appreciate what you are willing to do for me. I just...I guess I was hoping for more.” She held up her hand to stop me from saying anything. “Go back to your party. I’ll find my own way out.”
“That’s a pity,” I said and stepped closer, hoping not to leave under such tense words. “I had hoped to have that dance so I could smear it in my father’s face. I do have a thing for uptight, highly opinionated, arrogant women, you know?”
“You forgot pig-headed.” She smirked.
“Aye. And pig-headed.” This moment in the garden would have to be enough…for now. “Follow the row of pansies behind you. They will guide you to a wooden door, hidden by a thick overgrowth of vines and to the exit beyond.”
She nodded and I watched her walk away. She never looked back at me, never checked to see if I was watching. Taryn just left.
With a shake of my head, I turned my back on the most stubborn girl I had ever met and hauled myself up into the tree. Grasping a notch in the stone, I swung to the ledge and climbed back into the passageway above.
“Aed,” a stern voice called from the shadows.
I looked up to see my father standing there.
“Father, I didn’t hear you approach.”
“I would think not. You seem lost in thought.”
I cleared my throat and straightened my collar. It was only then that I realised I left my dress coat behind at the water’s edge. His gaze was prodding, but I saw no hint of condemnation in his eyes.
Had he, by some miracle, not witnessed my meeting with Taryn?
“Your guests are anxious to see you.” He looked beyond me at the hallway that led to my room. “I figured you’d find some lass to bring to your chambers before the night was out, but I hope you were not romping around in your mother’s garden. You know that is forbidden.”
“Of course, Father. I was alone.”
His smirk told me he believed otherwise. “Your secrets are your own, son. However, it would be good for you to mingle. Tonight is important. One of these lovely ladies will someday be queen. Choose wisely.”
“Please. You pretend to give me free will to choose, but you and I both know you will select the girl most profitable to your rule.”
The king’s jaw clenched. “Mind your tone, son.”
“Or what? You’ll have me flogged? That should go over well with our guests.”
I started to walk past my father, but he grabbed onto my arm. “Remember your place, boy. I am the king.”
“For now.”
His grip tightened and I breathed through the pain. “I did not come to speak about your marriage. I have a task for you.”
“Are you asking?” At my father’s glare, I shook my head. “Of course you aren’t.”
“There is a matter of great importance to the crown. A threat to my reign and your future reign has come to my attention. It must be dealt with swiftly.”
“And what might this great threat be?”
“Not what, but who. Taryn Brennan. Does the name sound familiar to you?”
Shite. I knew he’d be sniffing around, but she seriously underestimated how ticked my father was.
“No.”
My father’s eyebrow rose at my swift denial. “You will bring her to me.”
“And how do you propose I do that? Everywhere I go I am flocked by girls, thanks to you. Besides, why would a common girl capture your attention?”
The king’s smile tu
rned ugly. “Do not pretend like you are unaware of the name. I saw how affected you were when she stood you up tonight. I also know that you spoke with her at the docks during that…unfortunate incident.”
“Incident?” I shoved his hand off me. “You mean where rogue Lorcan massacred your people in broad daylight? That incident.”
The vein along my father’s forehead pulsed. “Bring her to me dead or alive. It does not matter.”
“I do not kill our kind, Father. I kill Lorcan,” I spat out. “We have laws and courts to decide people’s fates when they are accused.”
“You will do this.” Spittle hit my cheek when my father growled at me.
With that, he turned and stormed off. I waited until he disappeared down the hallway before I blew out a breath.
“Damn you, Taryn. There will be no getting out of this now.”
I had no choice. My father would see her dead, one way or another. Unless I could find another way, at least my blade would be swift.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DEVLIN
I DIDN’T KNOW HOW long I searched the woods for any sign of them. Judging by the rumble of my stomach it had been hours. The sun was past the midpoint of the sky and Ma had called me no less than a fourteen times.
There was nothing to find and yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was on the right track. One thing was certain. I was ill-prepared for this hunt. The sun would be going down soon and I had nothing to protect me if that thing came back. The way my stomach was rumbling I knew I’d never succeed in a stealthy approach. I needed food, a weapon, and peace of mind that Seamus hadn’t already returned home somehow.
“I’ll be back,” I said to the empty cemetery as though it were watching my moves. I wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t.
Ma was on me the second I walked in.
“Devlin Michael Gallagher. Where have you been? You tore out of the house this morning like a madman! Your da said you never made it to work! You’re not answering your phone…This isn’t like you. What’s going on?”
I waved her off and opened the fridge, pulling out a cold bite of leftover roast. My stomach thundered at the tease of food. Ma swooped over and started to make me a plate, never stopping with her questions of my whereabouts.